365 Days

245

245

My thoughts are a very large, very scattered mess, all of them focusing on those few words I had heard hours ago.

I'm starting to.

What does that even mean? Does he like me or doesn't he? Is it a yes or a no? Why do I care so much? Because really, it's Alex Stanton. He's probably just doing this as part of his game and thinks this will improve the odds of him winning. The sneaky devil is messing with my mind and playing with the strings around my heart.

Friends, I have to remind myself. We are just friends. We can only be friends.

But it doesn't feel like it.

"Can you pass the popcorn?" I snap out of my thinking haze and turn to Luke, who looks at the popcorn on the other side of me in Aidan's hands. We're all sitting on the floor, leaning back against the couch while the couple, Olive and Ryan take up the couch. Alex can't sit still, as he is getting up and walking around the house every few minutes. I think he's worried about the football game the guys have on tonight. They're playing GWSP who are on top of the ladder, so it's a lot of pressure on Alex to captain the team to victory. I don't think it helps that it hasn't stopped raining for hours and doesn't look like it will any time soon.

I hand the popcorn to Luke who smiles and thanks me, before turning back to Iron Man 2. I try to focus on Tony Stark who is getting attacked by a guy with electric whip type things but my brain keeps drifting, so much so that I have to get up. I wait until Alex resumes his spot on the recliner before leaving the room. I end up pacing the carpeted hall upstairs, trying to clear my mind. The tall windows at either end of the hallway make the walk feel creepy, with the heavy storm clouds and rain pelting against the glass.

After a while I hear feet coming up the stairs. I freeze and think I hope it's not Alex I hope it's not Alex, and then I let out a breath of relief. It's Luke.

"You okay? You've been gone for a while," he comments, leaning against the white wall. His brown hair is flat against his head as he looks at me curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I almost snap, before resuming my pacing.

"What's up?" He stays where he is so as not to get in my way, but he is confusing me with a slight smirk.

"What's that smirk for?" I accuse, before frowning. "Sorry. I'm not meaning to be mean."

He takes a few steps towards me and puts his hands on my forearms to stop me walking. "Calm down," he instructs, his voice calming in itself. I relax a little and then sit on the top step, leaning against the banister. Luke sits down beside me, his back against the wall.

"It's something to do with Alex, yes?" He asks.

I avert my eyes to my hands. "Yes."

"What about him?" His voice isn't pressuring which makes me want to tell him. And Alex is his best friend, maybe he can clear something up for me.

"He said he is starting to like me," I blurt out, lifting my eyes to meet his. "And I don't know what that means. Does he like me? Doesn't he? And why do I care? I shouldn't care, we're just friends and I'm sure I don't like him any more than that."

Luke grins in a way that bugs me, somewhat resembling an evil villain's smile but also a proud father's. Me no comprende. "It means he likes you a little bit but he is still developing feelings for you. And that's a great question. Why do you care?"

"I don't know. I've just been spending lots of time with him recently and he's confusing my head." That's the best I can do to explain it. I definitely don't like him in the romantic way that all of our friends are hoping for, but I feel a certain pull towards him that I can't help.