The Girl I Loved Once

Chapter 33

The hot tub is behind the lodge in the woods, atop a wooden platform. The air is freezing but the water is comfortable and warm. It's late in the night and almost curfew. There's no one else here but me; it was late enough that everyone had gone back to their respective rooms. (some in pairs, sneaking in their friends and significant others, others solo) Curfew is at 11, and it's 10:45.

There's no sign of Gen and, hoping against hope, no sign of Lara Jean. I'm sad but relieved a little; because I was worried Lara Jean and Gen would pop in at the same time and that just sounds like a nightmare I'd like to avoid.

The night gets later, and it seems like I'll be sitting here alone. I lean my head back and shut my eyes.

"Hello?" A voice said. My eyes shutter open. Its Lara Jean; wearing a puffy coat, nightgown and thick fluffy boots

"Lara Jean! What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you!" She says. She takes off her shoes and socks and gets in. I furrowed my brows and moved upwards towards the wooden deck. "Uh...what are you doing?" I say. She looks at me with crazy eyes. I wonder if she's drunk, I think. I remember hearing that Chris snuck alcohol in a shampoo bottle and I wonder if she gave some to Lara Jean.

Lara Jean unzips her puffy coat and sits on the ledge of the hot tub. She's shivering, and I can't believe my eyes. It feels like a fever dream.

Maybe everything people have said about hot tubs is true and I'm hallucinating from the bacteria? Or maybe I fell asleep. I pinch myself underneath the water. Seems like I'm present.

"That thing you brought up earlier," She starts. "You caught me off guard, so I didn't know what to say. But... well, I like you too." She says quietly.

I blink. I'm confused. Lara Jean looks at me softly, but my face becomes plain.

"I don't understand you girls," I respond. "I think I have you figured out and then..." I say

"And then?"

"And then I don't know."

Lara Jeans face falls flat and begins to look nervous. Just then, she scoots closer to me. I look down at her, my eyes wide. I'm not quite sure what's going on. Her eyes are big and crazy. She gets even closer to me, and then, to my surprise, she kissed me.

I was surprised. My eyes were wide and scared and my mind was going a mile a minute. And then there was nothing, and all my worries and fears dissolved with the steam of the hot tub. And then I was kissing her, open mouthed and soft. I was kissing Lara Jean, and she was kissing me back. And I didn't care about anything; not Josh, or Gen or anyone. My hand is on the back of her head and her arms are tightly around my neck, as if she's afraid I could disappear at any given moment.

I pull her into the water and her nightgown is soaked but she doesn't seem to notice. I holding her head and her arms are at her sides.

"Are you ok?" I say. It comes out ragged, and I don't mean it to. In response she winds her arms round my neck and we're kissing again.

"Touch my hair again," she says. I do, running my fingers through her hair. She runs her hands up and down my spine and no kiss I've ever had has felt like this.

"It's passed curfew," I say, in between kisses. "We should go inside."

"I don't want to," She responds, leaning in again. I back my head up.

"Me either, but I don't want you to get in trouble." I say sincerely.

She smiles at me and touches my cheek, and every bone in my body wants to say screw curfew and stay here all night with her. But I stand up out of the pool and, giving Lara Jean my hand, I help her out of the water. I grab my towel gallantly and wrap it around her shoulders. She puts on her shoes and socks and I zip her up in her fluffy coat.

Its 10:59 so we run inside. Before I go back to the boy's side and she goes back to the girls we kiss again, and if feels like nothing I've ever felt before.

Sorry for the delay, its the big one! Hope you guys enjoyed, leave a vote and a comment :)