Chapter 19
~3 hours later~
"We're going to get food all over your bed."
Kyle grinned, picking out a piece of chicken from the takeout box with chopsticks and popping it in his mouth. "I don't care."
Stephanie giggled, scooping some of the fried rice out of her own container. "Whatever."
After spending a wonderful afternoon together in bed, both Kyle and Stephanie had built up quite an appetite. Kyle suggested they get takeout from a local Chinese place and have dinner in bed, and Stephanie agreed – in addition to the fact that she was quite hungry, she also felt relieved and happy that Kyle wanted her to stick around after everything that had happened between them today.
It felt validating, like he really wanted her to be there with him. But even if he wanted her to stick around for dinner, Stephanie couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen afterwards. Would he want her to stay the night? The weekend, maybe? She didn't know, and she wasn't sure how to ask.
"...So, what do you want to do after dinner?" Kyle asked, as if reading Stephanie's mind. He looked relaxed, sitting on the bed with no shirt on and his sweatpants-clad legs stretched out in front of him, casually crossed at the ankles. He looked like a model posing for some high-end magazine, and Stephanie realized after a moment she had just been staring at him in silence. She quickly shook her head.
"Um, I don't care," she said, clearing her throat as she turned back to her food. She had tossed on one of Kyle's white button-down shirts before sitting down beside him on the bed to eat, but a part of her sort of wished that they were naked and under the covers once again. "Maybe we could watch a movie?"
"Okay," Kyle said easily, glancing up at Stephanie and giving her a wide, ear-to-ear smile. "Sounds like fun. What movie were you thinking?"
Stephanie could only stare at him, her brain unable to formulate an answer for a moment or two. This man, so casual and laid back – more so than she had ever seen him before – completely threw her for a loop, and she wasn't sure how to act around him right now. Kyle noticed her hesitancy, and he raised an eyebrow at her.
"What is it?" he asked, taking another bite of chicken. Stephanie blinked, finally looking away.
"Nothing. I just..." she paused, grimacing slightly as she thought. "I've never seen you so... casual. Happy."
"Well, why wouldn't I be happy?" Kyle asked, smiling sincerely at her. "I got to spend the day with you, and then have an amazing afternoon in bed, and now I have the pleasure of spending another few hours with you with some of my favorite takeout food. This is one of the best days I've ever had."
Stephanie was momentarily stunned by his words, but she felt the smile and blush creep onto her face as her heart thumped in her chest. No guy had ever said anything like that to her before, and the thought made her heart flutter. "Really? So today's been better than you performing for thousands of fans all over the world?"
"Much better," Kyle said immediately, scooting over so he was closer to her, his leg brushing up against hers. "With you, I can just be myself, and I don't have to present myself to everyone as 'the world's greatest pianist' or anything like that. It's refreshing."
"Oh, and he's humble too," Stephanie teased, bumping her shoulder against his, and Kyle chuckled. "So you're saying you liked the fact I didn't know who you were the moment I met you?"
"Funnily enough, I did," Kyle grinned at her. "Does that make you feel special?"
"Funnily enough, it does," Stephanie smirked back, and Kyle chuckled. "Do you want to watch that movie now?"
"I do," Kyle said, though the look he gave her made it clear he was thinking of doing something completely different from watching a movie. The next moment, he leaned forward and kissed Stephanie on the lips, and she didn't hesitate to kiss him back. His lips were warm and soft, and tasted of sweet and sour chicken.
"...I'm pretty sure this isn't a movie," Stephanie pointed out with a smirk the moment he pulled away, their faces still rather close together.
"See if I care," Kyle said, taking his and Stephanie's food containers and placing them on the bedside table. The next moment he practically lunged at Stephanie, pressing her into the bed, and she giggled as she wound her arms around his neck.
They didn't leave the bed for several hours after that.
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It was getting pretty late now, and Stephanie knew Lydia was probably wondering where she was. She eventually decided, later that night, as she and Kyle were cuddling together on his couch in front of the TV, finally watching the movie they had forgotten about earlier, that she should probably text her to let her know where she was. Stephanie was hesitant to admit to her friend what was currently happening between her and Kyle, but she knew it was necessary to tell her the truth. Especially since Lydia would see right through her if she lied.
"You're telling Lydia about us?" Kyle asked, a smile spreading across his face as he looked down at Stephanie's phone. His arm was stretched out behind her on the back of the couch, her body pressed up against his side while a warm blanket spread out over both of their laps. Stephanie had to admit, this all felt very cozy, and she would be content to sit here with Kyle all night long
"I feel like I have to," Stephanie grimaced, gazing down at her phone. "If I'm going to be staying here this weekend, she's going to be wondering where I am when I don't come home."
"I know you're worried about how to talk to your friend, but I'm just so happy at the fact that you've agreed to stay the weekend with me," Kyle nuzzled his nose against Stephanie's hair, smiling, and Stephanie smiled too.
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," she said, turning to look into Kyle's eyes to convey her sincerity. He gazed back at her, the affection in his expression undeniable as he leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.
After a few blissful moments, Stephanie finally pulled away, turning back to her phone with resolve. "Alright... so I'll just text her where I am, and then not respond when she texts me back. I can talk to her when I see her on Monday."
Stephanie typed out on her phone: 'Hey Lydia, i wont be around this weekend. Im staying with Kyle. See u on Monday.'
Happy with the short message, Stephanie hit send before moving to place her phone facedown on the coffee table, determined not to look at it again. The moment before she could set it down, however, it began to buzz persistently in her hand with an incoming call.
From Lydia.
"Dammit," Stephanie murmured, frowning down at her caller ID. "Why does she have to be so fast at reading texts?"
Before Stephanie could decide whether she should answer or not, Kyle suddenly snatched her phone from her hand.
"Hey! Wha -?" she sputtered, trying to grab her phone back, but Kyle quickly pressed Answer and brought the phone to his ear, out of Stephanie's reach.
"Hello, Stephanie's phone," he greeted brightly, smirking at Stephanie's scowl. "Yes, this is him... and yes, I believe she told you she would be staying with me over the weekend."
Stephanie rolled her eyes as she heard Lydia say something to Kyle, and Kyle nodded. "Alright, she'll reach out to you if she needs you... and we'll both see you on Monday at the Academy."
Stephanie quickly reached out and snatched her phone back from Kyle's hand. "Bye Mom," she snapped into the phone before immediately hanging up, not waiting for a response. Kyle just laughed.
"Oh relax. She's happy for us," Kyle said, reaching over and pulling Stephanie toward him. She reluctantly snuggled up against his side. "And now we can enjoy our weekend together without worrying what Lydia will think."
Stephanie glanced up at him and smirked, shoving him lightly in the chest. "You're laughing at me."
Kyle simply grinned and pushed her down on the couch so he was hovering above her. "I can't help it, Miss Ryan – you're absolutely adorable."
Stephanie smiled brightly, and the next moment Kyle leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Stephanie didn't hesitate to kiss him back.
They stayed like that together on the couch for a long time, their movie continuing to play in the background, long forgotten.
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Monday came around way too quickly. Stephanie felt like she and Kyle were existing in a bubble all weekend, neither of them communicating with the outside world other than to get food. When they weren't spending time together between the sheets, they were playing music for each other - Stephanie would take out her violin and practice one of the pieces she had been learning as Kyle sat on the couch and listened. Kyle would also sometimes sit at his piano and play something, often pulling Stephanie onto his bench with him so they could play together. Stephanie was most certainly not a piano player, but Kyle seemed not to mind as he put his arms around her in an effort to show her proper fingering, stealing kisses from her while making her laugh.
Stephanie loved staying at Kyle's – he was extremely sweet and attentive to her, and there wasn't a single moment where she felt like she was overstaying her welcome. Being with him felt like it was too good to be true.
But the fact that she wasn't going to be in London for much longer hung over her head like a dark storm cloud. Whether she was going back home to be a bridesmaid for her friend, or she would be lucky enough to get a spot in the Royal Academy string quartet, her time in London was limited. She wasn't sure how Kyle felt about what was going on between the two of them, but regardless of how either of them felt, it would have to be a short fling. There simply wasn't any room in either of their lives for it to be anything else at the moment.
The thought was a depressing one.
"We shouldn't walk in together," Stephanie whispered to Kyle. It was now Monday morning, and since it was a beautiful day out today, the two of them decided to walk together from Kyle's place to the Academy. Stephanie seemed a bit nervous to do so, and Kyle was having fun teasing her the whole way there.
"You're so shy today, Miss Ryan. Whatever could be the reason?" Kyle smirked, taking her hand in his and lacing their fingers together. "What's wrong with me wanting to walk in with you?"
"Will you stop it?" Stephanie hissed, immediately pulling her hand from his and glancing around, making sure no one saw. "You're a public figure, Kyle. People are going to start rumors about us if they see us holding hands."
"Is it rumors if what they're saying is true?" Kyle asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Shut up," Stephanie snarked back. "Don't you have a class to teach right now?"
"I do, so I should probably head inside," Kyle aceded. "Can I have a kiss first?"
"Kyle!" Stephanie ducked back as Kyle leaned in for a kiss. She quickly turned and rushed through the front doors of the Academy, clutching her violin case to her chest, and Kyle's laughter followed her all the way inside.
Stephanie made her way down to the practice rooms in the basement, feeling both annoyed and amused at Kyle's behavior. If she was honest with herself, she liked the fact that he wanted to be seen with her in public, but she knew it wasn't a good idea. Stephanie had seen firsthand how relentless Kyle's fangirls could be, and the last thing she wanted was to invite public speculation on her and Kyle's so-called relationship when they were still trying to figure things out.
And it would be especially awkward since the two of them would likely end soon anyway.
Trying to push those thoughts away, Stephanie headed toward the practice rooms, making her way to one of her favorite ones near the back. Just as she turned the corner, however, she almost stumbled into someone leaning casually against the wall, their arms crossed.
"Lydia!" Stephanie sputtered out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I work here, dummy," Lydia smirked, pushing herself off the wall and straightening up. "And I wanted to make sure I saw you without Kyle. I knew that you would come down here by yourself, as you always do."
"Glad to hear I'm so predictable," Stephanie grumbled, moving around Lydia and entering the empty practice room. Lydia quickly followed. "But why did you want to see me without Kyle?"
"Because I wanted to have girl-talk with you about him, obviously! So what was it like? How romantic is he? Please give me all the details!"
"Lydia, I really don't want to talk too much about it yet," Stephanie said firmly, setting her violin case down in a nearby chair. "But if you really want to know, my weekend with Kyle was... very nice. Let's just leave it at that."
"Alright, I'll concede. For now," Lydia promised, and Stephanie rolled her eyes. "But just answer me this... are you happy with him?"
Stephanie looked back up at Lydia, noticing the sincerity in her eyes as she asked that. Stephanie couldn't help but smile slightly, feeling her heart swell with an emotion she didn't quite know how to name. But regardless, she knew the true answer to Lydia's question.
"Yeah, I am -- ungh!"
Lydia immediately rushed forward and squeezed Stephanie tightly around the torso in an exuberant hug, lifting her up so her feet left the ground. Stephanie couldn't help but laugh.
"Lydia! Let me down!"
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that :) If you did, please vote and comment!
Next chapter, Stephanie finally gets news about the string quartet, and she makes a decision that could shape her future.