!! There is quite a spoiler from my other book in this chapter so just beware if you plan on reading 'Between Us' !!
Mommy Milas Pov
.....
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap.
"Would you stop? Please." Carter grits out and I lean back on my chair, glaring at him.
"No." I give him a smug smile and continue to tap my foot repeatedly.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap t-
I don't even get a chance to continue before his hand lands on the skin just above my knee. "Mila. I'm trying to listen to the video about essay techniques, and I can't fucking focus with the tapping."
He whisper-hisses as I roll my eyes, fiddling with my fingers, trying to ignore his hand on my leg, which he doesn't seem to have any plans on removing.
Ms Hart shushes the two of us, narrowing her eyes at me when I kick him in the shin under our desk and Carter grabs it out of reflex.
Thankfully, she didn't see the hand on my knee since the classroom is in darkness. Plus, Ms Hart can barely see two feet in front of her without those big blue glasses she loves so much.
I've tried to gift her nicer ones, even the Louis Vuitton ones until she notified me that I bought sunglasses instead of the prescription ones. Whoops?
Half way into the video, that freshman bitch—Avery— comes stumbling into class, she's late and she's sloppy.
She glares at me so I glare back, except I've had years of practicing eye contact, so she looks away before me.
Ha. I win. Loser.
I try to focus my attention back to the video we are supposed to be watching when Carter leans in, pointing vaguely towards Avery. "Why don't we like her again?"
We?
We.
"Called me a bitch, stepped out of her lane when she knows how easily I could end her." Carter scoffs, crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair, matching the position I'm seated in.
"So we hate her. Noted."
We.
As in us.
As in Carter and I.
A couple minutes later, the bell finally rings and I spring up from my seat, avoiding the awkward walk to our lockers with Carter.
Thankfully, Blair, Monica and some of the other cheer girls catch up with me and we walk to our lockers and get food in the cafeteria.
The food is actually pretty good at our school, although you wouldn't expect it to be. "Lia! We saved you a seat!"
Monica chuckles to herself. She finds it particularly funny when people do this kinda thing, the whole 'bow down to Emilia and she'll like you'.
Truly a valiant effort from Georgia. Very impressive. I pull out a seat and the rest of the girls file in around the table.
Blair and I share a salad until Georgia and Monica are whispering to each other, giggling like idiots.
"What are we talking about?" I muse and Monica's head snaps towards mine. "You and Carter? You're not a thing, are you?"
I shake my head, avoiding eye contact with the rest of the girls who have spiked interest in this conversation.
"You should probably tell him that..." Blair mutters and I clap her over the head.
She whacks me back and I attempt to stop laughing so I can ask her what the hell that's supposed to mean.
"Why? What am I missing?" Georgia points her head towards the table on the other side of the room.
Bentley, Harrison, Rob, Carter and the rest of the hockey team are crowded around one of the tables. Most of them are having a heated discussion with each other, except one.
My number one.
"He's been staring right at you for the past ten minutes. He looks totally and utterly obsessed with you." Georgia remarks. "Who can blame him honestly... look at her."
Blair says to the group, smiling at me as she squeezes my hand. Everyone's eyes move to me, then back to Carter, then back to me.
"In the nicest way possible Lia, I can't even fathom how he can be so obsessed with you when you're so..." Anyone else would be offended, but I'm self aware... I think.
"A bitch?" I question.
"Yeah."
Delightful.
"It's true, you have a higher chance of meeting the queen than our Emilia ever liking you." Alora chimes into the conversation.
"You should kiss him or something, y'know to like... keep him fed." Blair suggests and I slap her over the head, again.
"Keep him fed? He's not a bloody baby." I respond and Blair raises an eyebrows.
"Yeah... I realize how incorrect that is." I correct myself before Blair can do it for me
"Bless him, he's like a puppy dog. Just wants to play... with his owner." My eyes practically pop out of my head when Monica laughs to herself.
"Play?! Guys! Seriously, can we just, drop it?"
"Sure, sure but uhm, he's on his way over now so you might wanna-" I hush the lot of them and drop my little purse into Blair's lap, meeting Carter halfway before he can make it to our table.
I cant have the girls discussing our conversation with him. That's admitting that I care which is just stupid and... incorrect?
Yeah, super convincing Mila- Emilia! Not Mila. Emilia. He's getting into my head already. Satanic behavior
"Crawford." I hold out my hand to shake his and I watch him try to retain his laughter.
"Sargent." And he tips an imaginary fucking hat to me.
"A handshake, really Mila?" I cross my arms as I try to sidestep him, making sure that whatever conversation is about to ensue... doesn't.
Yet he has a firm grip on my waist before I can attempt to escape. "Would you rather I punch you again?"
He flinches and this time I'm the one trying to refrain from laughing. "I'm kidding. Just a joke."
"People are staring." He mutters, smiling slightly although he tries to hide it.
"Mila..?" He takes another step toward me, as I take a miniature step back, because I don't want to be far away from him.
"What are you doing? People are looking and if it gets out to our parents that me and you, y'know... you and I are-"
"Shut up and kiss me." He whispers, getting closer and closer to me.
There was nothing explicit or inappropriate about what we were doing, we are standing a safe distance from people eating but still in everyone's view. And not to toot my own horn, but we are practically the hierarchy of this school.
I hear whispers and whispers and more fucking whispers. People talking, gossiping, texting typing, talking, gossiping and texting and typing.
Heart racing and blood pumping, fingers flexing and heart racing and did I mention my blood was pumping?
"But... if I- Carter. We are so different. You're like this pretty, glowy, happy, yellow sunrise and I'm this gloomy, ugly, dark purple little sunset." He presses a finger to my lips, attempting to get me to shut up.
"We are two different skies love." Carter says quietly.
"Your move Mila, I'll be your sunset if you want me to, just say the word." My mouth opens, then closes. Thankfully, his hand hides one side of my face, blocking it from the people in the room.
"Kiss me in front of everyone who wants me Crawford." I whisper back and he smiles. "Wow, this is so rare. You let me win, like I'm the one who succeeded in this-"
"Oh please, shut up." I put my hand on his neck, pulling him in until our mouths are together.
We don't go for long, but his hand thats securely planted on my waist is reassuring as ever.
I pull away a couple seconds later, our foreheads resting against each other as Blair and Harrison get both sides of the lunch hall to start clapping. Which is fucking embarrassing but I don't care.
"You called me a pretty sunrise.." Little shit.
I roll my eyes at him as I leave him standing there in the middle of the lunch hall so he can bask in all the attention and questions that I have no answers for.
Plus, I'm going to California tomorrow, with Bentley and the guys, not Carter.
.....
23rd Of December
"I cant believe you guys kissed." Ben nudges me in the arm as Rob leans his head on the shoulder of my car seat.
Thankfully, I had dibs on the front seat and we took Bennys car so Harrison and Rob were in the back.
Harrison knocked out two hours ago and since then, i've forced the boys to listen to my music, although neither of them complained.
"Who initiated the kiss first? Because there's a rumor going around that you guys got busy behind the school but-"
"Rob baby, I love you but you gotta shut up." Rob slouches back in his seat, huffing at my stubbornness.
I refused to tell anyone any details because it would never ever happen again, other than the time at the lunch hall. That was different, I think?
"So, Bentley? Is there anything I need to know before we arrive?" I lower the music and Harrison sighs in his sleep.
"Okay Ill give you a rundown on each of them, you ready for this?" I take a deep breath and nod. "As I'll ever be."
"My aunt Belle is like this ball of happiness but also irritation, she's hard to please but once you make her laugh she will go to hell and back for you. Extremely loyal and she practically raised me along with Leo."
"And Leo is...?" I question and Rob tunes back into the conversation. "My uncle Leo is like Belle but male form, he follows Belle like a puppy dog and are attached at the hip. They've been through a lot, from what I've heard."
I mentally sort through everything he's telling me, trying to remember the important parts.
"Elizabeth is my moms friend, she was dealt a shitty card in life, lost the love of her life, also my uncle Oliver. He was in this car accident after they agreed to make it work. He passed away before even I could remember him."
"This is a lot to process Benny." I mutter and he laughs to himself. "Sorry. I get carried away, my mom gossips like a ninety year old on crack."
I refrain from laughing as Harrison murmurs an agreement from his sleepy self.
"My mom, Lily, will talk to a brick wall and she doesn't trust easily, thankfully my dad, Tom, is a great guy and they really balance each other out. They had me, then baby Oliver after my uncle and I was meant to have a baby sister but she never made it." I run a hand across my forehead, gathering my thoughts.
Belle and Leo, attached at the hip, stronger together than alone. Beth who's been through hell and back. Noted and noted.
"Almost done, just keep listening. My moms friends David and Julia are amazing people, very funny and they are great at holding conversations. They have a son called Logan who just turned fourteen."
David and Julia, very in love and son called Logan.
"And lastly, Beth has a daughter called May who's also fourteen. She was adopted when she was a year old If I can remember correctly. I think that's all of them."
Belle and Leo.
Julia and David.
May and Logan.
Lily and Tom.
Beth and dead Oliver.
Baby Oliver and I remember Ben talking about their grandmother who passed away.
Lots of names but I can do this.
"Okay, we're here." Bentley puts the car in park and gets out our bags from the back. Harrison opens my door for me and makes sure I don't fall.
"You seriously wore heels? It's icy?" I shush him as he narrows his eyes. "You're an idiot Blondie."
I flip him off, dragging my suitcase behind me as Rob runs in front of me, opening the door to the house so I don't have to do it myself.
"Hello! We're home!" Ben shouts as he takes our bags from us, dropping them down in the hall.
A couple seconds later, Harrison is practically tackled to the floor by who I'm assuming is baby Oliver. Although he looks nothing close to a baby, probably sixteen at a guess.
Harrison and Oliver do a little handshake as Ben looks around the house for his parents.
Eventually we all join them in the living room, I try to match the face to the names but it's difficult.
"Emilia, take my seat. I don't mind." Leo —I think— offers his couch and I politely accept, watching as they all catch up.
I don't even notice my name is being called until Harrison positions himself on the arm of the chair, clicking a finger in front of my face.
"Blondie? You there? Anyone home?" I sit up straight, remembering to smile, despite the hatred I had for showing emotions.
"So Emilia, you're British? Right?" A blonde woman asked me and I nodded.
"But you go to school here, what made you move over?"
Ah y'know, just your typical old mafia! No biggie!
"My dad came over here for business when I was younger and we just never returned I guess." I reply.
"And I heard you're quite the cheerleader, because back in my day I was also pretty good at that. Pompoms and short skirts fiasco."
"Yeah I applied to be the head cheerleader in September and four months later... here I am." Words. Words. Use your words.
"Ooo and our Benny here has told us you have a little thing with Carter. I've always loved him, very nice boy." Lily, Bens mom pats his leg as he smiles apologetically at me.
Gossips like a ninety year old on crack. Noted.
"Nope, not a thing it's more of a... an arrangement. We aren't actually together it's for the media only." I cross one leg over the other, fiddling with my fingers as I watch each and every one of them exchange a glance.
"Emilia..." The brunette one who's sat beside Leo stands up from her seat. "I think we should go for a walk before dinner. That sound good?"
Again, I smile politely. Making sure I seem fine.
"Oh. Yeah that'd be okay." Belle holds out her hand, helping me up from the couch as she waves a goodbye to the rest of them.
"We will be back in thirty, just a girls chat." She kisses Leo on the cheek, squeezes his hand a couple times before we step out into the hall.
She has one of those mischievous smiles that Blair sometimes wears on her face while she puts on a little red jacket.
"Do you have a jacket to go over that cardigan, you'll freeze." I shake my head as she sighs. "Kids these days, they never wear coats. Its strange."
I smile when she hands me a random jacket off the coat rack. "Link my arm, cant walk in those heels either."
She points vaguely to my pretty heels and we link arms before stepping out and beginning our walk. It's bitterly cold but I don't really notice.
"So... You and Carter? Together for the media, hm?"
"Yeah, completely. Nothing more, nothing less." She chuckles to herself, glancing at me every couple seconds.
"How long has he liked you..?" I stop in my tracks, crossing my arms as I try my very best to not slip on the ice.
"What do you mean? He doesn't... like me. Why would he?" Belle shakes her head at me, holding out her hand for me to take.
"C'mon Emilia, safe space. And I'm not an idiot. How long?"
We fall back into step while I travel in time through my brain, since we were kids I guess?
"I guess since like age..."
"Spit it out." She mutters and I sigh.
"Six... maybe?"
"Oh wow, even Leo didn't like me that long. He liked me since age fifteen or something, but six years old. Impressive." She raises an eyebrow and I shove those type of thoughts to the back of my brain.
"We should probably get back." I suggests and she nods. "If you say so.."
.....
Authors Note
Super interested to know what you think Carter and Milas zodiac signs are (and why) because I have no clue and I'd love to know your opinions!
Opinions on chapter <33 - This one was extra late but I did give you a heads up about studying and exams and the lot :(
Lots of Love Babies, ella <3
Words - 2806 (whoops)
Date - 11/05/22
Reads - 103k