The Perfect Storm 2

Chapter 171

"Of course I do." His thumb rests on my lip and after a fraction of a second, he moves closer to me until our lips finally touch. I feel my whole body turn numb and I can't help but lie down next to him on the long pillow that lies in my bed.

"Did you . . . did you—" I stop myself not knowing how to talk now that our lips are detached from one another.

"Were you . . . with anyone else, when we—" He stops me this time and I'm thankful that an end has been put to my misery.

"No." He says but I can tell there's more behind those eyes.

"But I was going to, uh, go on a . . . date with Launa." He admits, his eyes peering back into mine. I gulp down the emotions that start to rise. 

It's as if laying here with Miles has brought nothing but peace into my being and now all of a sudden it's like I'm alive again, feeling all of the emotions, except there aren't any good ones. I feel jealous even though I hate to admit it, even in my own head. 

I feel betrayed, hurt, angry, sad. I feel everything. How could he? And why would he want to? I shake my head, putting a smile on my face that is clearly forced. I blink a few times, trying to push the emotions out of my eyes before parting my lips, "Why, um . . . why didn't you?" I ask, my stomach twisting, turning, and churning all at once, making it almost unbearable to wait for an answer, but I have to know.

"I heard you and Jace were picking out rings . . . from Stephanie." He says and I can tell he's being honest.

"Okay," I tell him.

"Did you? Uh, you know—" He stops when I shake my head and a smile covers his face but I quickly remember that I did.

"I . . . I just went to a party with Cody." I murmur and Miles's jaw instantly clenches.

"Who the hell is Cody?" He asks, his eyes narrowed down on mine as if he hates Cody already.

"Jace's roommate," I explain but he stays silent. This is hard on both of us and now that we've both had something worth hiding, it's even harder.

"So what now?" I ask him, my voice quiet and uncertain.

"We go to church." He smirks and I give him a smile that I've only started being able to do since we're back together.

"And of course, we completely forget Launa and whoever the hell Cody is," Miles says and I nod.

WHAT FEELS LIKE TWO HOURS LATER I'm staring at myself in the bathroom mirror all dressed up for the event that once made me so happy. I take a deep breath before applying my mother's red lipstick onto my pink lips. My dark-brown hair is tied up with a white bow and my white and red dress matches everything perfectly.

"How do I look?" I ask Miles who has been staring at me for the past thirty minutes.

"Like an Angel." He says and I can't help but smile at his words.

"Are you two ready?" My mother asks and I nod at her with a smile. She looks nervous and I know exactly why. 

Bringing Miles to the church isn't exactly what everyone is expecting but it's something I want to do and Miles giving church a second chance is what I'm hoping will end with chruch being in our futures. 

Miles firmly holds my lower back, the smell of his cologne flying toward me as he's now standing much closer. He gives me a small smirk that I can't help but burn into my brain. 

Everything about him is perfect, so perfect that it makes me wonder just how many girls are as obsessed with him as I am. It makes me wonder if Launa will ever stop wanting his features all over her. It makes me wonder if Chrissy will ever forget him. It makes me wonder if Rebecca will ever be able to take him away from me as I took him away from Chrissy or if Lacey will ever stop so clearly chasing after those dark hazel eyes that were once hers. 

I give Miles a small smile despite the worries swimming inside my head. 

We walk toward the church as the morning sky greets us. My mother's white scarf covers her neck and shoulders as she's walking ahead of us and I can only hope we don't see Betty, not with Miles here. We slowly make our way up to the church in the sunny blue sky but sure enough, Betty is standing by the white church, getting everyone who's coming inside until she spots the three of us. She stops completely and forgets to hand one man a flier. 

She excuses herself and quickly rushes to my mother's side, her heels clicking against the floor, her blue outfit, and blue hat, holding themselves tightly onto her. The white pearls on her cling to her neck as finally stops right in front of my mother. Miles and I are still a few feet away but both of us, without saying anything to each other, rush ourselves over to hear the conversation.

"Angela," Betty says harshly but as we walk closer she suddenly stops, smiles to us a tight-lipped smile as if that will somehow make her words quiet.

"What is . . . this?" Betty asks, not making eye contact with Miles and I even though she's clearly talking about Miels's black outfit.

"It's the three of us, Miles has been so kind to join us, so we're making our way to church." My mother says, trying to step out of Betty's grip but she won't let her.

"Oh angela please, don't be so quick, look around you . . ." Betty spreads her hands, forcing my mother to look around her at the people walking into the church, smiles on everyone's faces as the neighborhoods join together.

"You don't want to embarrass the people here, to embarrass yourself? Do you? This boy is clearly not meant to be here, I mean look at the way he's dressing for church. This boy does not belong here and if he's going to be a part of your family, then you don-t belong here either." Betty says and my jaw nearly drops down to the floor.

"Fine, then." My mother presses her lips together but not as hard as Betty did earlier, not into a thin and angry line.

"Thank you." My mother says before stepping with one white heel to the side of betty's perfectly new shoes.

"But we will join church today, anyway." My mother offers her a kind smile before stepping aside and walking past her and toward the church's doors. I bite at my lip at the shock on Betty's face as I try not to smile at the situation. 

Miles's hand grips lose in mine and I can't help but wonder what he feels like having to deal with this for both the times he's joined church with us.

"I'm sorry," I tell him sincerely, but he gives me a small smirk before letting go of my hand and walking past me, finding a seat for us. Everyone sitting in the row moves away, leaving just Miles and me. And here I was thinking Betty was the only one who hated him as much as she does, but it's true, he is an embarrassment to everyone here, except for me and my mother.

"Miles?" I turn to look at him as he's staring at the priest in front of us.

"Mhm?" He turns to look at me as if none of this bothered him, but I know that deep down that smirk says more than the surface ever will.

"Why do you wear all black?" I ask him the question that has been on my mind since I first saw him, the question I didn't know I needed an answer to until Betty so obviously pointed it out and until I realized that over and over again I've needed to know. As the priest begins to talk, Miles's hands intertwine with each other, he stares down at his feet before looking at the priest again. The muffled voice coming from the priest is now almost silent as I wait for Miels's lips to part and for words to come out of the perfect pink of his lips.

"Because I felt dead inside, Madison." He says, glancing at the horror in my eyes for only a mere second. All of the pain that Miles must have felt rushes into me somehow, and I realize just how much worse it is to have Betty pile on top of the list of reasons Miles hides in the shadows.