Kiss Me Slowly

Chapter 11: The Change Of Heart

Video above is 'A Change of Heart' by the 1975. It doesn't really pertain to the chapter, but I love it, so I'm going to put it in. 

Chapter 11: The Change Of Heart

"I take back my statement about our kiss being the worst ever." I said, walking into Jackie's house.

 "Geez, you look horrible." She stated, noticing the leaves in my hair. I glared at her. She raised her hands in surrender. "Why's that?" She asked, referring to what I first said.

"Carter kissed me," I told her, plopping on the couch, face first.

"Are you serious?" She gasped.

I moved my head to look at her. "Yeah."

"Was it that bad?" She asked.

"He tried to get into my pants." I sighed. "After I told him no."

"Dude, that's not good." She whistled lowly.

"I know." I sat up. "And then I had to have a conscious and tell him I that I wasn't ready to have sex with him, when what I should've said was; I didn't ever want to have sex with him."

She started dumbly at me. "Well. That was stupid."

I blew out a breath. "Tell me about it." I glanced at the time. "I should head home. Jeremy has something he wants to talk to me about."

"Ok. Tell me how it goes." She waved me off. 

I nodded and walked out.

"Ethan, you're home. Good." Jeremy said, as soon as I walked in the door. He took my arm and led me to the kitchen.

"Jeremy, I have to get ready for work." I sighed.

"Well then I guess you'll have to call in sick or something." He walked me to the kitchen and practically shoved me onto a chair. "Now don't move." Then he went to the other room.

"Jeremy!" I called. There was no answer. I sighed.

"Ok. Ethan?" Jeremy called.

"Yes? What do you need?"

"Just sit there." He called. I sighed again. "Also close your eyes."

"I'm not closing my—"

"Otherwise I will put a blindfold on you." He interrupted.

"Fine. They're closed." I sat the phone on the table and folded my arms, eyes closed.

"Great. One second." There was a pause. "Ok. Ethan, you can open them, but if you try to leave, I will tie you to the chair."

I rolled my eyes and opened them.

I sat stunned.

"Don't you dare leave!" Jeremy said.

"Why did you—Why are you here?" I asked, frustrated. Despite that, my heart sped up.

"Because you've been avoiding us." Kenny said.

For a reason, I thought. "Well maybe I just don't want to talk to anyone." I said, standing up. 

"Sit." Jeremy warned. I looked over at him and gave in, sitting back down. 

"Now we both know that's a lie." Kenny glared.

"Well I'm sorry if I don't want to get in the—Can we not talk about this? I really have to get to work."

"Ethan, we just want to talk." Denny sighed. "You've been running from this for too long."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Maybe I have. But I still don't want to talk." I stood and tried to leave.

"Ethan, don't you dare walk out." Jeremy warned again.

"I can't deal with this right now." I said, dodging him.

"Kenny told me!" Denny shouted. I stopped. "He told me about everything."

"Keep him in here, I'm going to check on the other kids." Jeremy said, walking out. I turned around.

"What do you mean?"

"I knew about the kiss, long before you told me. I knew about the confession, and what happened in the truck. Kenny also told me about you guy's argument." Denny stepped forward. "I knew because Kenny told me."

I looked between Kenny and Denny. "Why would he tell you?" I asked. My voice was closed off, but I really was puzzled.

"Because, one, we're married, so we tell each other everything." Kenny spoke up. "And two, because we know that you like us."

I stared.

And blinked.

And stared some more.

Finally, I found my voice.

"What?"

"Come on, Ethan. Don't play coy." Kenny sighed, exasperated. "I knew it as soon as I saw you two weeks ago. And I've learned from experience that it's hard to hide your feelings."

"Ok. Maybe I do like you. What do you think's going to happen when you adopt me and I move in?" I asked.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Kenny countered.

I paused and thought back to Jackie's words.

So you decided to play it safe. Be alone for the rest of your life? What about Denny and Kenny?

Maybe I was playing it too safe. Would it be so bad to be their son?

Then you ask them! And if you're still scared of parents, then don't think of you as their son. Think of them as your daddy.

I blushed at those words. I am not thinking like that. But Jackie did have a point—despite her dirty mind.

I looked back at Kenny and Denny. Kenny seemed to know exactly what was going on through my mind. Denny was begging with his eyes, unaware of what Kenny knew.

"Please?" Denny pleaded.

I bit my lip. I felt like moving in with them was going to bite me in the ass later. Yet, I did want to. I really did want to.

I opened my mouth to answer.

"No!"

*~*

Sorry the chapter's so short. Hope you liked it. 

Leave your thoughts down below! What do you think is going to happen next chapter?