Crossing Boundaries

Chapter 19

Sarah called it, and Samia wasn't all that surprised. They mentioned how obvious our flirting was, so the kiss was bound to happen. They advised me to talk to him about my feelings. I thought about it, but then I remembered he went off with a black-haired girl after we came back. So, why should I bother?

"I've been sick," I explained.

"Yeah, so sick that you hung out with Nick on Tuesday night."

"What are you talking about, Reece? Am I not allowed to have other friends apart from you?"

"Of course you are," he snapped. "Well, then what's the problem?....

"You, you're my problem. You've been avoiding me since we kissed on the rooftop."

'Oh, so we're going to talk about that. Great!' I thought to myself.

I try to act unfazed. "It was just a kiss, Reece. We were both drunk. Besides, you seemed to forget all about it when we came back down."

"What are you on about, Lorna?"

"You didn't seem too bothered when you disappeared with that tall black-haired girl!"

"I didn't go anywhere with her. We were just talking. And when I looked for you, you had vanished with Nick."

"No, I didn't. I went to the restroom and when I got back you and her had disappeared . So, I took a cab home with Sarah and Samia."

"Well, then where did Nick go ?" he yelled.

"How the heck should I know, Reece?" I yelled back. My patience was wearing thin. I needed to calm down..

"Look, I don't want to fight, alright? Can we just chalk it up to us being drunk? That's exactly what it was, right?" I regarded him with wonder and anticipation.

"If that's what you want," he said, sounding unbothered. But the furrow in his brow told a different story – I was just too dense to notice.

A heavy silence fell between us. "So, you want a ride home?" he asked, playfully nudging me.

"Yeah, please. I'm too tired to walk."

"Come on then," he said, taking my bag from me.

As I got into his car, we fell into conversation like usual. He told me he didn't go anywhere with the girl, she went off with her friends and he had gone to the toilet, hence me not seeing him after I got back.. "oh!" was all I could say. Causing him to smile smugly..

He asked if I'd seen the video. I had, as many people at school showed it to me earlier in the week. But I told him I didn't want to think about it anymore.

We pulled up in front of my house, and I was about to get out when I received a text. Without thinking, I opened it in front of Reece. It was from Nick, saying his mom loved the gift and that it put him in her good books. He finished by saying thanks, and I was the best, complete with a heart and a kiss emoji.

I smiled at it, but a shiver ran down my spine when I looked up to see Reece glaring at my phone. He looked away when he noticed me looking, trying not to make it awkward. I said, "Well, thanks for the ride. I'll see you at the barbecue."