The Double-Tap Accident

Chapter Thirty-Three: Doug and Julie Standard.

She didn't respond but I took her cheeks turning even redder as a yes.

"Do you have long conversations?" Mariam asked.

"Oh! Does he understand your love of cantaloupes?"

"Or grapes," Mariam chimed in. "You really love grapes."

"You really do." I agreed but Yasmeen failed to respond, pretending to focus on whatever was on her laptop screen.

Mariam and I exchanged another look, and I took the opportunity to keep asking her questions in hopes of an answer. "Does he make you smile even when you don't realize it? And do you end up telling him more things than you ever expect because you feel like you can and he listens because he wants to listen to you? And do you wonder how the hell it seems like he cares for you a lot? To the point where you question how someone like him exists and—"

I was met with a loud silence.

The rising feeling coming from deep within my chest that had been overwhelming me started to fizzle out as I looked up from the table to my friends. Mariam's perfect eyebrows were high on her forehead. Yasmeen's lips were parted. The intentions for my words had changed the second I had spoken and I blinked, realizing what I had said all of that out loud and what that implied. Oh, shit.

Mariam's eyebrows failed to return to their normal state when she asked, "Are you in love with Aven?"

His name or question provoked my heart to upstart. The rising feeling in my chest made me take a deep breath and hold my hands out to stop her before she started interrogating me. "I—Let's hold on a minute."

We haven't even been together, doing whatever the hell we were going together for that long.

"Wow," Yasmeen's smile grew tenfold. Either because the attention was off of her or because of what she and Mariam seem to think they've discovered. Whatever they've discovered, whether real or not or developing, my mind wasn't wrapping around it. "Jaime."

"What?"

"I've never ever heard you say that about someone," Mariam said, reaching forward to grab Yasmeen's arm. "Start making wedding invitations."

"You start booking the venue for the reception," Yasmeen added and I rolled my eyes, feeling my stomach turn with my next thought. One that I've been pushing away over the past weeks.

"What?" Yasmeen asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not even sure we're together."

"Why?"

I sighed, rubbing the side of my head. "I've been putting off talking to him about labels and stuff because I don't want to ruin this. I don't want to expect so much and get hurt. Again."

Mariam and Yasmeen both have similar looks on their faces that I welcome. I was okay with sympathy. With empathy. Even pity. But Mariam knew everything. Yasmeen didn't. It didn't matter, I received each of the emotions they put on their faces with open arms.

"We talk, of course. We go out." I said. "And we get carried away. That's all fine. That's all good."

"What about family?" Yasmeen asked, shutting her laptop. "Do they know you?"

"His mom does. He talks to his sister about me."

"See, that's a good thing."

But Mariam could see where my worry stemmed from. "Malcolm mentioned you to his dad. I remember you met his parents."

My top teeth dug into my bottom lip as I grew irritated by the mention of Malcolm's name. "Mmhmm."

"Does Aven kiss you in public?"