Substitute Father (Ross Lynch)

Chapter 7

Ross completely froze when my lips made contact with his. Just when I was about to pull back, obviously thinking that Ross didn’t like this, he cupped my face with his hands and kissed back. Hard. I felt so much passion into this kiss, which I had never felt when kissing Ben. This one kiss made me realize something. It made me realize that I never loved Ben.

 I loved Ross. 

Oh, my God. I loved Ross Lynch. I loved my best friend. 

I was scared when I realized I liked Ross, but I wasn't when I realized I loved him. Why that was, I didn't know. But all I knew was that I loved him. So much. 

Eventually we pulled away, the lack of air being the problem. We kind of just stared at each other, and I had no clue what to say. I noticed that Ross' face was red, and I could only assume that mine was as well. His eyes were also a bit widened, and I understood why. I had just kissed my best friend, and as far as he knew, I had no feelings for him. 

He was so wrong. 

"Do you want to tell me why you kissed me?" He asked softly, wanting to break the silence. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words would come out. "Do you like me?" His voice sounded fragile, like it could break any second.

"No." I finally managed to choke out. His face fell, and my heart broke. "I love you, Ross." It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Finally admitting my love for my best friend felt amazing. I had never felt this way when I was with Ben, and it just made me realize that I never loved him at all. My relationship with Ben was a lie, but the only good thing that came out of it was my baby. Mine and Ross'. 

"You love me?" He repeated, a small smile appearing on his face. I nodded, my lips twitching upwards. "You actually love me?" It was like he couldn't believe it. 

"Yes, Ross." I chuckled lightly. "I love you." 

In an instant, his lips were pressed against mine. I could feel him smiling widely against my lips, and I couldn't help but do the same. Telling him that I loved him was like giving a little kid a puppy. He looked so happy, and I never wanted to be the person to ruin his happiness. 

"You really love me?" He whispered, resting his forehead against mine. 

"Yes, Ross." I whispered back. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Sky." His thumb brushed across my bottom lip. "I love you so much." 

"Then what took you so long to tell me?" I asked softly. He looked at me, confusion written across his face. "Rydel told me that you've loved me since we were sixteen."

He closed his eyes, sighing. "I'm going to kill her." He muttered. "But to answer your question," He opened his eyes so he was looking directly at me. "I was scared."

"Scared of what?" I brought my hand up to cup his cheek and rubbed my thumb across his cheek bone. 

"Scared that you'd reject me." He murmured. "I'd rather live with the fact that you'd never love me than lose you as a best friend. That's why I never told you." I noticed the tears in his eyes, and he looked so pained. 

"Ross, you should've told me." I said softly. "I never would have rejected you. I think there was always a part of me that liked you, and it took Ben cheating on me to figuring it out." 

"So I'm not dreaming?" He breathed. "I'm not going to wake up and find out you never loved me?"

I let a small laugh escape my throat. "You're not dreaming, Ross." To prove my point, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He instantly kissed back, deepening it. This was only our second kiss, and I was already addicted. He was like a drug and I needed more of him.