It All Started With a Diary

perfect

He was right about the fries, though. I decided to wait for the fried goodness to cool down before I took a bite.

In the meantime, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Past the cracks, I could see my friends' curious messages.

They were all of the same context, basically. Asking where I went, where I am, if I'm safe, if I'm dead. They really had a certain way of caring, and worrying that tickled me.

I texted my dad that I had stayed at Ravens, the  responded back to her, Maggie, and Jax, and told them that I was alright. I didn't mention where I was. Like I said, this was our day.

"You really do need another phone," Kade told me when I placed the phone down. "That thing is a piece of shit."

I lifted my gaze to glare at him. "Everyone can't afford the newest phones, you know."

Kade shrugged, as he picked up a mozzarella stick. "There's an Apple Store nearby."

I lifted my fork for the fries. "I'm not paying a thousand dollars for a phone. That's ridiculous." As long as mine worked, then I'd run it until it died. "I'd never pay that much for one."

"You're right, you're not," he agreed. "I am."

I almost choked on my own saliva at him. My eyes jerked over to him. "What?"

Kade blinked back at me. "You didn't think I just wanted to take you to dinner, did you? I'm getting you whatever you want. You deserve it all."

I almost gave myself a headache as I shook my head in protest. "You're not spending that type of money on me."

He looked as if he'd expected my argument. "It's too late, sweetheart. The pickup time is in thirty minutes for your phone. I got you a tablet and some cases, as well. I know how clumsy you are. There are some stores nearby I want to take you to before the movie, too."

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head in shock. "You did what?" I couldn't keep my grip on the fork, so I placed it down. "You didn't have to. I didn't want you to. That's your money."

"And, I want to spend it on you." His brow raised at me. "Besides, my money is your money, too. You're not going to hurt my bank account, sweetheart, trust me." He chuckled, but my lips remained in a thin line of distaste.

I was beyond grateful, but it still felt wrong. It felt weird, to be loved this much. To be cared about this much. When I looked into his eyes, I could see how badly he wanted to do this. But, he didn't have to buy my love. We could sit in a patch of grass for hours, just talking, and I would cherish those memories for the rest of my life.

I ate my fries in silence. I knew that Kade wanted to say something to warm me up to his kindness, but I just needed a minute to accept it. The fact that someone else truly cared about me in the way he did made my mind swivel on the wheel of disbelief, and her hatred. Even hundreds of miles away, Diane Drude was still fucking with my head.

His unrelenting stare began to burn into the top of my head, before I heard him clear his throat. "I'm sorry if I upset you."

My head snapped up at him. My mind burned without pause as I thought over my next words. "No, you didn't upset me. I'm just confused, is all." I tried to pull a smile, but it didn't hold up too long. "It just feels weird to have someone do this type of thing for me."

Kade averted his eyes as he processed my words. Watching him continue to nibble on his cheese-stick caused my smile to return. "I understand that. I should have asked you before I did it, but I knew you'd reject it." The apologetic look in his gaze deepened. "I'm sorry. You're just always doing shit for other people, and I thought you deserved this. For someone else to do things for you."