And Then He Fell

Chapter 18

She looked me in the eyes. "No matter what I think, you have to stop thinking of that kiss. It'll only complicate the situation. "

She began taking her clothes from the suitcase, and placing them back in the closet. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll stay, but you'll come to your senses soon and realize you don't want the fat girl," she exclaimed, casting her eyes downward.

"Your family is wrong, you know," I started. "They bash you for your size and make you feel inferior. You are beautiful, and it's about time someone told you that."

EMILY

I couldn't take my eyes off of him as he stood there telling me how beautiful I was. Something inside of me swelled. No one had ever told me that before. Even if he didn't mean it, he sounded sincere.

I wonder what had happened to us? Life had been so much easier when I'd hated him. Now I was slowly bending under his pressure. All thoughts of Jake were tucked into the farthest recesses of my mind.

Drew was a mess. If he'd been acting like this with anyone else, I would have been convinced he was in love. He couldn't be in love with me, though. I was fat. I was ugly. That was all there was to it. I'm not sure what his deal was. Maybe he was just so fed up with Elle that he thought he was in love with me.

"Drew," I exclaimed, "I know you think you mean what you're saying, but you need to take a few days and come to your senses. You should be with my sister."

His face was beet red, and he looked like he might cry. I could see the aggravation in his eyes, his wonderful green eyes.

"No one should be with your sister. She's the one who needs to take time out and assess her life. Me? I know I want you. I've tried to deny it for the past week or so, but you just keep showing up in my thoughts.  Almost all of them," he explained.

I wanted to kiss him so badly.

"It's just because I'm living here. When I move out..." I began, but he interrupted me.

"It's just because I love you," he said, staring me down like I was his prey.

If it would have been anyone else looking at me like that, I would have been terrified. Having Drew look at me like that had thoughts running through my mind that no girl should ever think about her sister's boyfriend.

Wait, did he say he loved me? Oh no, now what? I had no idea how to respond to that.

"You just think you love me. You aren't used to me treating you like a human being," I suggested.

He shook his head left to right, and started walking forward, then he must have remembered what he promised.

"I'm going to break up with Ellie tomorrow. I hope you'll consider dating me," he said, a hopeful look on his face.

"But Jake," I tried to interject.

"If you'd rather date him, what can I do? I'm still planning on breaking up with your sister. I can't date her while I'm in love with you," he interrupted.

Was he serious?

"Are you sure you feel okay?" I asked.

"Yes. The only thing that could make me feeler better is you," he answered.

"I don't know," I answered, while my conscience was screaming, I LOVE YOU TOO, DREW!  "I'll have to talk with Jake. I mean, going out with you might be wrong, though."

"Well, let me know as soon as you can. Like I mentioned before, there's no one but you. I'll wait for you to make up your mind. And then some," he said.