Love Wins

Chapter 6: The Question of the Year

⋘Jaiden's POV⋙

I followed him, expecting it to just be me getting a Sprite and heading back to the living room.

I was wrong.

After I got my drink, he pulled me to the side. Aww, I wanted my Sprite!

"Did you find it yet?"

I honestly didn't think Cole was talking about the note. How could he know about that? He had to have forgotten. He wrote it when we were 12, and now we're 19! I still live with my parents, but that's only because I have nowhere else to go.

But that's beside the point. Maybe he did remember.

I decided to play dumb.

"Find what?" I asked.

"So you didn't find it," he said, with defeat in his voice.

"Find what?" If Cole remembered the note, wouldn't he tell me what it is? I would if the situation was swapped. I seriously do not understand men.

Cole rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh... well... you remember the picture my mom took of us when we were kids?"

Well, that was the question of the year. How could I forget about it?

"Yeah," I said slowly.

"Well, it was behind that."

"I didn't see you put anything behind there," I hoped my face didn't show that I was playing with him.

"Well, I am a handsome magician."

"That you are." Oh, come on! Did I just say that?

I got to see him blush. So worth it!

"Anyway, did you find it?" He wasn't gonna give up, was he?

"Hmm... yeah, I found it... "

"You did? How come you didn't tell me?"

"I thought you forgot about it. It was 7 years."

"I could never forget about it. It has been floating around my head every second of the day. I honestly could never forget the day I put the note in the frame. I felt so obvious! And the thought that you could end up finding it any day, I just..." He turned away. "I had to know."

"Hey," I said softly, "did you mean the last part?"

"Hmm?" He looked up.

I felt heat climbing up my neck. "The part that said, 'love you lots,' but with you capitalized." I didn't want to say the next part, but I had to, "What way do you... do you love me?"

"I-" but he was cut off by someone coming through the door.

"Are you guys going to get back in here? We got Twister out and want you guys to join in..." My brother blushed. "I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

I moved away from Cole, and hoped the heat in my cheeks wasn't my face turning red. "Nothing was happening, Zeke." He didn't look like he believed me. I looked back at Cole. "Nothing ever happened. I promise. I never break my promises, do I?"

"No, I guess not." He started to walk out. "But we really need you guys in here, 'cuz it's getting pretty intense."

We ran in just as every one fell, sweating and laughing.

"Hey, there you are!" She was smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Get in here and play Twister with us!"

We spent the rest of the day getting twisted up in the game. Cole would slip on his socks, and most of us would fall down. He was laughing a lot, and that was mostly the reason that he would go down.

That was the most fun I've had in days. I mean... after the first bomb, a few years ago, no one cleaned up and we didn't have time outside or with friends anymore. And I haven't been able to talk with Cole, but since he moved here today, we would have a lot more time together.

God is good.