Kissing Booth [BoyxBoy]

07 | ғrιen∂ѕ

If we're not friends

Someone else might love you too

Chapter 07 ~ Friends

Scar Patterson

It was two years ago during winter break when I realized I loved Francesca Petkov. It was before she started having sexual relations with every guy she laid eyes on. It was before anyone even knew who she was.

We had been dating for approximately four months. My friends always asked about her, but I would never give them any details because I knew they would ruin our relationship. Instead, Francesca and I met up at secret locations and we made up code names for each other to reassure that no one knew about us. It was a childish thing to do, after all, we were just kids.

We were sitting on the dock of the only pier in town. It was vacant for the most part, considering the fact that the water had frozen over so sailors couldn't keep their boats there. But it was mostly because everyone was inside warming up next to the fire and enjoying a cup of egg nog and unwrapping presents. Everyone except for us.

Me and Francesca.

Ever since Dad died, Christmas slowly started to dwindle year after year. Mom was too wrapped up in her own head to buy a Christmas tree. Amy would lock herself in her room and never come out until she had to eat. I would sit in my own room and stare at the four walls, wondering why he had to go. Out of all the people God could have chosen, why him? Didn't He know that we needed him?

I didn't know how she did it, but Francesca made me feel better. I thought it was something about her eyes; they were big and round and full of happiness. Maybe it was her smile, the way her lips curled provocatively and made her nose crinkle. It could very well be her hair - those soft, loose, dark waves that reminded me of the beach.

Or perhaps, it was just her. The soft, comforting words she spoke and the elegance of her voice were what drew me in. She embodied love, friendship, compassion and that was why I loved her.

She had squeezed onto my hand gently. "Would you look at that?"

My eyes fell on her as my brows drew in together. "What?" I had asked her.

She nodded off into the distance. "During the summer, sunsets are so beautiful. It's what makes you fall in love with those cheesy romance flicks." Her lips curled into a comical smile. "But in the winter, people don't notice the sunsets, do they? They're easy to miss if you don't look hard enough."

I didn't understand what she was talking about. Out of all the thing we could have doing, she was ranting about a sunset. "Why are you saying that?" I continued to ask her, growing more interested.

She finally turned to look at me with her chocolate orbs shining with delight. "Because they're equally as beautiful."

I blinked a few times before I glanced at where the sun was meeting with the horizon. It was mostly covered by gray clouds but when I strained my eyes, I could see it. It wasn't as prominent as a summer's sunset, but there was something cool about it. Something mysterious. "Wow," I breathed out. "You're right."

"There's beauty all around us, Scar," she had said. "You just gotta look for it."

That was why I couldn't let go of Francesca. She was different now, maybe. But deep down, I knew she was the same girl who saw beauty in everything. She had to be.

"What are you doing here?" Were the first words that leaked out of my mouth when I stepped foot in my room to find Francesca seated on the edge of my bed with a flirtatious grin on her face. I tried to hide the fact that I was actually excited she was here. It meant she hadn't given up on us yet.