Breaking The Rules: Book 2

Chapter 22: Lightening The Mood

"Keep telling yourself that, baby." Miles chuckles and rolls his head to the side to kiss the soft spot underneath my jawline. Then, he pauses and straightens up to meet my eyes. "Whatcha thinking?"

This kid. He knows my thoughts before I do.

Exhaling slowly, I take my hands off of his neck and paddle over to the side of the pool. I brace my hands on the concrete and haul myself up. Water drains off of my body. I spin around and sit on the edge as Miles drifts behind me.

"I've been thinking a lot recently—"

"That's new."

"You're a bitch!" I laugh again and kick water at his face.

Miles yelps and raises his hands in surrender. "Lo siento!! Lo siento! Quit fooling around! I'm listening, talk to me."

Grinning, I waggle my finger at him as a warning. "As I was saying... I've just been thinking. This is our last year in highschool, Miles. Ever."

"Mhm," he hums in agreement and swims beside me. He kisses my calf harmlessly. I've gotten good at reading his kisses, and I can tell that that one was him nonverbally saying, I'm here.

"I know that I'm too young for a midlife crisis, but that's what this is starting to feel like. We're at a crossroads and at some point we're going to have to make a few important decisions." I look down at Miles. He's rubbing one of my feet and watching the city lights blink far in the distance but I can tell that he's listening, so I continue.

"Like, for example, do we want to go to college? The same college? Or a trade school? And if so, where too? Is it worth moving away? Or do we start shooting porn and, like, selling that shit?"

"That would definitely make the most money. Probably more than any fuckin' official football team. More than the president," Miles says and snorts. "If you're trying to hint that we should start a sex channel then I'm gonna have to stop buying Takis and Oreos."

"No, I'm not hinting at that!" I reach down and mess up his hair, although it's not as satisfying because he doesn't react. That shit sets me off, but he likes it. "What I'm saying is that we have to figure our shit out."

"Babe, I'm just glad that we get to have this conversation." Miles looks up at me and taps my knee. "I like living my life one day at a time."

"I know you do, but you've got to have an idea of what you want to do one day. Or, at the very least, one goal. So here's a question for you: what do you want to be when you grow up?" I smile softly at my own humor and tap my fingers on his head.

Miles shrugs. "I don't know. I'm good with my machines. Maybe something along those lines. I do fine in my classes but nothing has really gotten my attention." He hesitates and rubs his hand up and down my leg thoughtfully. "You need to be careful talking like this though, Park. Don't limit yourself to one path. Life is meant to be lived, you know? I'm no rush to figure shit out because I don't want to look back at my youth when I'm dying and regret flying through the most prime years in my life because I was too worried about chasing a degree or some shit that, deep down, I never wanted."

"Jesus Christ." I shake my head in disbelief. His words seriously pierced me in the heart, even though I know he's right. "Fuck cars. You need to be a philosopher."