A Slave to Love

Chapter 62: Hot Chocolate

My whole being seemed to shut down, not believing this was possible but it was, in fact, true. And the minute it took for my brain to comprehend this, I pushed Kyle off of me and opened my eyes.

"Kyle what the fuck?" I hissed, wiping my mouth as Brianna and Chelsea filed in after him, both of them shaking their heads.

"Ignore him," Chelsea said simply as she hugged me. "He's been driving us crazy since you left."

Numbly I hugged her back, too shocked from Kyle to truly enjoy having my friends here with me after all these months.

"Hey Kiana," Brianna smiled, giving me a huge bear hug despite her small frame.

"Hello," I said slowly, still reeling. I turned to Kyle, feeling completely disappointed and horrified and I don't even know what else. "Kyle..."

"Kiana? Is something wrong?" I heard Blade ask, his tone more than a bit worried as he walked into the hall.

"Everything's fine," I said tightly as he came to join me. Chelsea eyed him appreciatively, lips curving into a huge smirk where as Kyle seemed confused and so did Brianna.

"Um...guys?" I fidgeted, wrapping an arm around Blade's waist, seeing him suddenly glaring at Kyle. "Blade?" I tugged on the front of his shirt to get his attention. He looked down at me and I gave him a look. He sighed and looked back up, not glaring anymore. "Blade this is Kyle, Brianna and Chelsea. Guys? This is Blade...my boyfriend." I cringed as I saw Kyle's face drop and then turn into one of anger and hurt.

"Boyfriend?" Chelsea echoed before letting out a sigh. "God damn."

I rolled my eyes, "Come on let's just go. We don't have to stand here all day; I have a whole house to decorate." They started taking off their coats and scarves while Blade looked at me with a clear 'what the fuck do we do now?' look.

I could only shrug in reply as they followed me into the living room.

"Oh hey guys!" Mom said cheerily.

"Hey," they all echoed, Kyle sounding sulky while the girls sounded more cheery.

I sat back down on the floor, unwrapping ornaments as a thought occurred to me. "How did you guys know I was here?" I asked suspiciously as Chelsea sprawled across the couch, Cleopatra style.

She examined her nails as Brianna sat down next to me to help with unwrapping, the picture of relaxation. "Your mom called us. Duh." 

"You haven't changed a bit," I shook my head, smiling a little. Chelsea might act like a bitch sometimes, but she had her moments.

"You have. You're skinnier than before," she said as she scrutinized me. "Eat something."

Mom threw a ball of tissue paper at me. "That's what too much studying and not enough eating does to you." 

I pouted. "Sorry for wanting to pass all my exams."

"I doubt they were that hard," she said doubtfully.

"No trust me, they were hard, even with all the studying." Which I did do, but half of it didn't even stick in my brain since I was so exhausted, lacking food and a bit more worried about my relationship and possible death then passing exams.

"Yeah, well it's hard to study if you're always causing trouble," Blade cracked from his place at the tree. Kyle was next to him, still helping him and Peter place the lights and getting them to work.

"I'm not that bad! You're the one who kept distracting me from my studying," I whipped the ball my mom threw at me at him now, and nailed him right in the face.