Teach Me How To Love

Stone Cold

"She did it!" Both women across from me shouted, as Selena slowly placed her hands up in defeat. I couldn't figure out how she acquired sliced vegetables, but a few now sat at my feet.

"Oh, you're so dead." Although my tone wasn't threatening, nor believable, Selena ran to duck behind Taylor just the same. Somewhere between me chasing her and Marissa flinging new foods around the room, we had found sides against one another. Every so often our laughter would flood the space and fill the room with joy. The other time, Selena would curse us all for destroying her house, but joined in just the same. By the time we all lost our excitement for the food fling, we sat in a sort of square on the kitchen tile.

"I am not cleaning this up." Marissa groaned, leaning back against her palms.

"So what's for dinner? Pasta is completely off the table now." Selena smirked, studying each of us as I shrugged.

"Pizza?" Taylor suggested.

"Pizza!" We all joined in. The mess in the kitchen would have to wait as we ordered our dinner and tended to our sticky skin. I hopped into the guest bathroom shower, watching the steam as it filled the space around me. For the first time in a long time I had found this piece of happiness that I had been missing. It was the piece I had often forced out of my mind because I thought it would make me move on. But, truth be told, Selena would always be a part of my life and I didn't want to move on from her.

"Knock, knock." Marissa shouted through the door.

"What is it?"

"I need to shower too. Hurry up in there."

"I'm thinking, go use Selena's shower."

"You know, you could of saved time and water if you hopped in with her." I could hear my friend mumbling something under her breath before saying, "you've got five minutes Lovato or I'm busting in."

"Why do you torture me?"

"Because who else would want to?" Marissa cackled as I rolled my eyes. Moments later I emerged in a bath towel, standing near the door as my friend smiled at me.

"This entire night is your fault, you know. The dinner. The food fight. The need to take a shower."

"Oh you love it. You get to cuddle up with your girlfriend and I get to keep an eye on the both of you."

"Aren't we past that now?"

"No, not really. I still need to make sure you remember that you're Demi Lovato and you don't change for anyone. Including her."

"You worry too much. I'm still me."

"I know. And I want to keep it that way."

"Didn't you want us to get together?"

"Of course." Marissa sighed, crossing her arms before pacing the small space between the bathroom and bedroom. "Anyway, I need to shower. The pizza should be here soon." I debated on poking and prodding my friend more about her words, but decided against it. The guest room sat just down the hall from Selena's. The walls were covered in paintings of blues and reds. The bedding and carpets matched the drapes hanging against the windows. I slowly trailed my fingers against the fabric, my eyes shifting across the pool down below.

"Oh god, you're not dressed yet." Taylor swayed into the room, her wet hair sticking to her cheeks.

"Can I get some privacy? This is your second time in two days walking into a room when I'm not even clothed."