With raised eyebrows, I stared at Cynthia, an expectant look on my face. Two weeks had already passed since we talked, and I assumed that Kyle and Cynthia should’ve already sorted everything out. The past weeks were busy ones, though, so Cynthia hadn’t had the chance to tell me. In a way, I thought she was also dodging me.
Not that I could blame her. I dodged a lot of people when I was in the sort of similar situation with Colby.
We were seated at a diner off campus, and Cynthia insisted we eat first before spilling the beans. I agreed, seeing that I couldn’t convince Cynthia to talk if she didn’t want to. I was curious though, and was very anxious to find out what the two had settled. The cheerleader seemed normal enough. She also seemed to be taking her sweet time eating her carrot cake, and she swooned as she swallowed a forkful.
She didn’t seem to be stressing, and given the situation, I didn’t really know what that meant.
As patiently as I could, I waited until Cynthia had swallowed her cake before diving into it.
“So, how was your talk with Kyle? Did you guys decide to date? Did you proclaim your love for one another?” I asked, folding my arms and resting them on the table.
The fork that was on its way to Cynthia’s mouth paused and she looked at me, one eyebrow raised. I raised my own brow, mirroring her own. After what seemed like a long time, she sighed and put her fork down on the plate in front of her.
“I was trying to finish my cake first, which is delicious mind you, before talking,” Cynthia began. “But then someone’s a little too excited to know.”
I frowned slightly. “Of course, I’m anxious. I want to know what happened.”
“And I will tell you,” Cynthia said in a matter-of-fact tone. “After I finish my cake.”
Hence I sat there for about five more minutes and waited for Cynthia to finish what remained of her cake, which was smaller than the palm of my hand. After rolling my eyes, I raised my eyebrows again at the girl sitting across me, watching as she placed her fork delicately on her plate.
“That was yummy,” she said, her tone happy.
I shot her a glare. “On with it, Cynthia.”
Cynthia rolled her own eyes at me, but she shifted in her seat, seemingly wanting to get more comfortable, and I got the feeling that she was going to start talking, finally.
“So yes, Kyle and I already talked. When he returned back on Wednesday, I was kind of scared to face him, just a little bit though, so I kind of hid. I thought I was doing a pretty good job at it, but apparently I was wrong since he still found me under the bleachers.”
“You hid under the bleachers?” I asked, a little amused now. Never would I imagine Cynthia, of all people, hiding in that place. It made me want to giggle. In fact, I did, and Cynthia glared at me.
“Yes, I did hide under the bleachers,” she said firmly. “And I don’t know how Kyle found me there, but he did, and that was the most awkward situation I had ever been in.”
At that, Cynthia’s confident demeanor slightly weakened and a faint blush crossed her features. She looked so cute! Sure, Cynthia had always been beautiful and strong, but now she seemed like an innocent little girl having her first ever crush. I bit back a smile.
Cynthia tilted her head, and her curls draped over her shoulder as she picked up her fork, scraping it gently against the plate in circles.
“Kyle also seemed nervous, which made him so much cuter than he already is, and I knew that I was blushing and I was so embarrassed. But then he asked me to go with him, and we ended up on the road, just driving until Kyle stopped at this sort of little view deck overlooking the city. We got out of his car and looked at the lights, and it was beautiful and I just blurted out that I like him. And he said that he likes me, too.”
I was going to squeal, but then I saw her mouth raised up in a quick, hesitant smile, and she let out a breath.
“But he’s not ready to act upon it,” Cynthia added, her fingers making quotation marks.
My smile turned into a frown and my shoulders slumped as I leaned back against my seat. “What does he mean?”
“He means,” Cynthia drawled out, “that we’re going to stay as friends.”
I paused, a flicker of shock running through me. “But you guys admitted to like each other,” I pointed out, my frown deepening. “You even kissed already!”
Cynthia shrugged. “I know. But Kyle wants to stay friends. He said that as cliché as it might sound, he just doesn’t want to get into a relationship right now. So, we are going to stay friends. That’s it.”
My eyes widened a little in surprise and my mouth formed a little “o” as I looked at Cynthia. She blinked at me and smiled, surprising me even more.
“What’s the surprise for? You think I’d push for what I want? Or throw a bitch episode, like what I did at the bowling alley?” She asked.
I immediately felt guilty because I was thinking just that. I was expecting her to tell me that she put up some sort of an argument with Kyle. But as I pondered on the talks we have had, I remembered how Cynthia said that she had never been kissed the way Kyle had kissed her before. My expression softened.
“You really, really like him, don’t you?” I asked, leaning my arms against the table once more.
Cynthia nodded, dropping her fork on the plate and then she leaned back against her seat. She looked at me and sighed, “I really, really like him.”
One corner of my mouth quirked, and I looked back at her with gentle eyes. She then straightened up and gathered her hair over one shoulder.
“It’s better this way,” Cynthia declared. “I’m glad we talked and we settled whatever we have going on, you know?”
I nodded once in response. Cynthia took a deep breath.
“I’m not saying that it’s not going to be a little tough—I mean, I do want to kiss his head off every time I see him now, but I’ll just have to manage,” she announced, her lips set to a determined line. Despite my disappointment, I had to crack a small smile at that one.
“I would also probably be so tempted to be bitchy to girls who stick to him like octopuses, but I’ll try not to,” Cynthia added, brows now slightly furrowed, as if she was already wringing the necks of the so far faceless, nameless girls that would try to flirt with Kyle. My smile turned into a little giggle. Apparently, she had heard that, because she narrowed her eyes at me.
“I bet you’d feel the same if some girl just go up to Colby and be all friendly with him,” Cynthia pointed out.
“Of course,” I replied automatically. The cheerleader rolled her eyes in response. I bit back a chuckle.
“Well,” I said, dragging the word out as I shrugged one shoulder. “You can always try to make Kyle jealous with all the boys that will be flocking to you, too.”
Cynthia’s mouth dropped open a bit. She genuinely looked surprised, and I raised my eyebrows. Her lips twitched, and then she let out a tinkling laugh.
“Who are you, and what have you done to Kayla Johnson?” She teased.
I felt a faint blush spread on my cheeks, but I managed to roll my eyes. “Whatever, Cynthia.”
It was obvious that she was biting back another laugh as she leaned back on her chair. We were silent for a couple of minutes before a thoughtful look crossed her features.
“You know what?” Cynthia began, her voice soft.
“Hmm?”
The curly-haired beauty smirked.
“Maybe I’ll do that.”
****
Kyle and Cynthia had remained friends, but I could tell that they were just both torturing themselves. It was so glaringly obvious how much they liked each other, but as Colby put, we were not going to interfere. I wanted to, of course, but then he pointed out that we might end up screwing things up between them instead of actually helping, and I had to admit that he had a point. My boyfriend also teased me at how I’ve noticed the couple’s fondness of each other, when I couldn’t notice how fond he was of me until he had to spell it out.
He had received a pinch in the arm for that.
Weeks flew by, and before I knew it, it was already March, and spring was here. Oh how I loved spring. Flowers bloomed, there was an unmistakable scent of fresh grass, and colors exploded everywhere. What better way than to spend the days of spring laying out on a blanket on Susan’s backyard with Colby? I couldn’t think of any.
Well, maybe except for hanging out with Ryan Gosling, but Colby didn’t need to know that.
We had laid a blanket out on the grass. I was sitting and Colby’s head was on my lap. My fingers ran through Colby’s hair, and I smiled as I watched his relaxed, handsome face. He looked so peaceful, with his eyes closed.
“Why are you so good looking?” I murmured under my breath. My head tilted a little as I looked at him.
“Because God loves me,” he answered, startling me. A frown marred my features as I mentally cursed Colby’s bionic ears. He wasn’t supposed to hear that!
A slow smile spread his lips. “Don’t worry, God loves you, too.”
Despite my embarrassment, I rolled my eyes and I flicked his forehead lightly. He just chuckled in response, eyes closed all the while. Clearing my throat, I decided to change the subject rather than yank at his hair.
“I love spring,” I announced, taking a deep breath. “Flowers are so pretty, and all the colors make everything seem alive.”
Colby cracked an eye open and raised an eyebrow at me. “You love all seasons.”
“Yeah, I do,” I replied with a nod, then I paused and wrinkled my nose. “Well maybe except for when it gets too cold in the winter.”
Colby’s expression immediately changed into a cheeky grin, and he wiggled his eyebrows as his voice took on a suggestive tone. “I’ll keep you warm, and then you’ll absolutely love winter.”
Redness invaded my cheeks but I shot him a glare. “Can your ego get any bigger? I think it hasn’t reached Jupiter yet.”
He closed his eyes again and shifted on my lap, choosing to ignore my statement, but there was still that smirk on his face. It was charming and infuriating at the same time and I almost groaned out loud. Instead, I closed my eyes and took another deep breath.
“I love you.”
His voice was soft, and so sincere that my breath hitched. Just like that, everything negative faded away and a small smile lifted my lips as I opened my eyes and looked down at Colby. His eyes were as soft as his voice, holding their usual brilliance and my smile widened at the sight.
“I love you, too,” I replied, then I frowned slightly. “It’s unfair, you know, how you can make me forget my annoyance at you—hey!”
My speech was cut short when Colby’s hand grabbed the back of my neck, and the next thing I knew, he pulled me down to him. The last thing I saw was the smile on his face before his lips met mine. My heart beats gained speed as we kissed, and I felt so alive.
Colby lifted his head up slowly from my lap, his lips still connected to mine as he did so. He broke the kiss momentarily as he pulled me to his own lap, before kissing me again. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling our bodies close. My arms draped over his shoulders and my hands locked at the base of his neck. A delicious warmth enveloped my body, and a low moan escaped my lips, extracting a smile from my boyfriend.
He then moved to kiss my jaw, and my head rolled back a little and I swallowed, hard. Colby’s lips hovered over my cheek, and his hot breath bathed the little patch of skin where his mouth laid.
My sight began to turn hazy, and apparently so were my thinking skills, because I blurted out, in a breathy voice, “Finals are coming up.”
Colby paused, his breath still tickling my cheek. He leaned back and stared at me, amusement clear in his face. I was just realizing then how stupid I sounded, and the already forming blush on my cheek deepened when Colby said, “We’re making out, and you talk about final exams?”
I opened my mouth to retort, but Colby cut me off as he continued talking.
“I know it’s an effect of my kisses, though, so I’ll let this one slide.”
My mouth dropped open and I narrowed my eyes at him. Okay, it was true, but I was pretty sure that his ego would reach Jupiter now. He grinned, and quickly kissed me again, slipping his tongue inside my already open mouth.
All brain function ceased again.
Damn this boy.
We kissed for what seemed like hours, and when Colby finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine and our heightened breaths mixed in the little space between us. I opened my eyes and saw that he had a lazy, crooked, yet satisfied grin on his lips. A similar smile graced my own lips, and then he pulled me to him, in a tight yet gentle hug, and I could just feel his love radiating in waves and I was drowning and it was absolutely beautiful I could cry.
I laid my chin on his shoulder just as his cheek buried itself on the crook of my neck. I inhaled his scent—musky and earthy and so him and I felt so aware—aware of everything that was Colby.
“I’ll help you with your Spanish finals,” Colby suddenly murmured against my neck.
With a chuckle, I nodded, my cheek grazing the side of his head as I did. We stayed in each other’s arms for a while, and then Colby walked me home after we finished the largest tube of Pringles and a liter of soda. Healthy I know.
The next day at school, I had a huge bouquet of flowers waiting for me on my desk at homeroom. I smiled as I gathered it in my arms. There was a card attached to it, and I opened it, reading the message in that familiar, messy handwriting.
You are beautiful, and your colors make everything alive, just like flowers in springtime.
All my love, C.
My smile grew wider and my heart felt full. Now I knew why Colby didn’t ride with me to school today, and why he wasn’t at Susan’s when I left this morning. Yes, I checked. He already told me that he would need to leave early for school today, but I still went over to Susan’s with hopes that I might get to see my boyfriend first thing in the morning. I had yet to see Colby, but now, with his flowers and message, I felt very happy.
What a perfect way to start the day.
*****
Colby did help me again with my Spanish finals, and I thought I did okay with it. The rest of the finals came and went, before I knew it, talks of the prom had become more and more frequent every day. After all, it was only five days away.
I was walking down the hall when a poster caught my eye. The prom committee decided it would be fun if we turn prom into a costume party, and they chose a 20s decade theme, which was pretty cool. A small smile graced my lips.
“Excited for prom, eh?” Cynthia’s voice suddenly appeared beside me, making me jump a little. I frowned at her and she just shrugged.
“What?” She asked. “Not my fault you get scared too easily.” The cheerleader then adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder and shot me a sideways glance. “So, are you excited?”
I shrugged, trying to appear less excited that I really was. “Yeah, well we got a 20s theme so that’s neat.”
“True,” she replied cheerfully. “Do you have a dress yet?”
I shook my head, and Cynthia rolled her eyes. I crossed my arms over my chest defensively.
“Hey!” I cried out. “You know me, I don’t really do shopping, and I don’t exactly know what kind of dress to get.”
“Mmhmm, that’s why we’re going on a dress hunting trip. No buts,” Cynthia said sternly. “Tomorrow afternoon. Okay?”
Sighing, but inwardly excited, I nodded. Then I smirked as I remembered something. “So,” I sang out. “Did Kyle ask you to the prom yet?”
Cynthia’s eyebrows rose. “Why would he?” She frowned then let out a breath. “I’m going with someone else.”
My own brows lowered. “Why?”
“Because he asked someone else, too,” Cynthia muttered. She ran a hand through her hair and eyed me with a curious gaze, though I thought I detected some hope in there, too and a little annoyance. “Why would you think he’d ask me?”
I puffed my cheeks and pulled her to the nearest girl’s room. I then proceeded to tell her about what happened at lunch a few weeks ago, just before the finals. It was that day when Colby gave me flowers.
“Where’d you get the flowers?” I had asked as Colby and I sat down for lunch. Tyler was already at our table, his own tray full of food.
“Nice to see you, too,” my boyfriend answered, and then he chuckled. “Would you believe me if I tell you I got them from Kyle’s garden?”
I almost choked on my sandwich as Tyler laughed. “You what?!” I spat out incredulously, traces of bread still inside my mouth.
Colby wrinkled his nose, but I could tell that he was just teasing for there was no hint of disgust on his features. The smile that immediately followed his mocking expression made me sure as well. He said, “It’s true. His mom helped me out with the arrangement.”
I raised an eyebrow as a feeling of disbelief surged through me. It was the kind of disbelief that bordered on wonder, though. My boyfriend had actually asked Kyle’s mom for help so that he could get me flowers.
It was so, so sweet.
Leaning over, I kissed Colby on the cheek and as I pulled away I whispered, “Thank you.”
He smiled, looking pleased but there was also a slight blush on his cheeks. I beamed at him. I had the most adorable boyfriend in the world.
“My skin is getting sticky with all this sweetness,” Tyler piped up. I pulled my gaze away from Colby and stuck my tongue out at Tyler. The blond wrinkled his nose.
“Thank God you don’t have any sandwich in there anymore,” he mumbled, though it was loud enough for me to hear. I blushed slightly as Colby chuckled a little. I shot my boyfriend a sideways warning glace, and he held his hands up in surrender, a smile on his face. He then leaned in and nuzzled my cheek with his nose, and I honestly forgotten about lunch, or the cafeteria, and all the people in there.
That was until a large figure slumped down on the seat next to Tyler, and let out an audible breath. Both Colby and I turned to the sound, and there we found an irritated-looking Kyle. Beside him, Tyler cleared his throat.
“Hey man,” Tyler started, a little cautiously. Obviously he had hinted on Kyle’s annoyance, too. My boyfriend and I exchanged a look and I muffled a giggle, earning a confused look from Colby. Slightly smirking, I turned back to Kyle. I had a very good idea as to why the basketball player was agitated.
Kyle grunted in response, and Tyler raised an eyebrow at me. When Kyle crossed his arms over his chest, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
Colby was burning a hole at the side of my face, but I ignored him. Instead, I brushed a stray piece of hair out of my eyes and tilted my head. Adopting a pleasant expression, I smiled at Kyle.
“So, Kyle, how are you on this fine day?” I asked, blinking innocently.
He glared at me and I had to concentrate so hard on keeping a straight face.
“Just fine,” Kyle mumbled. He was sulking, and it was quite adorable.
Colby cleared his throat and injected, “Thanks again for the flowers, man. And say thanks to your mom for me, too.”
Kyle laughed humorlessly. “Sure, man. My mom loved you. I’m sure she’d let you pick flowers from her garden freely while me, her own son, had to sneak some away.”
Colby and Tyler blinked several times, looking a little stunned, and although I myself was slightly surprised by Kyle’s response, the urge to laugh was still very much present. Kyle’s brow lowered and he groaned.
“Sorry,” he muttered, sinking back further on his seat.
No one said anything for a few seconds until Tyler had enough.
“What’s up with you?” he asked, his brow furrowed. “You’re acting like you’re a girl on her monthly visit.”
Kyle shook his head, an apologetic expression settling on his features. “Sorry, just having an off day.”
“I wonder why,” I whispered in a sing-song voice. Colby shot me another look, but the other two guys didn’t seem to hear. All of a sudden, Kyle went rigid. His eyes stared at something behind Colby for only a few seconds, before he blinked and abruptly stood up.
“I’ll see you guys later,” he mumbled, before swiftly walking away. As much as I sympathize with Kyle, I couldn’t help but let out a giggle. The wide eye gazes of the two boys turned from Kyle’s retreating back to me, which made me giggle more.
“Okay,” Colby spoke up, his tone curious. “There is something you’re not telling us.”
I leaned my elbow on the table and caught my chin with my hand, a few giggles still escaping me every now and then. Clearing my throat, I titled my head a little and gestured at something behind Colby. I could tell that his curiosity jumped tenfold as he turned to look at what I was gesturing at. There was no mistake from the sound that left Colby’s throat that he found the situation pretty amusing, too.
Tyler’s gaze followed shortly after, and he paused for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh. Colby shook his head at me, and I just shrugged as I myself turned.
Cynthia was eating lunch with Nathaniel Lowe, the captain of our soccer team and one of the hottest, most popular, and nicest guys at River High.
Safe to say that a guy named Kyle Pennington might be feeling a teeny bit jealous.
Cynthia whipped her head so fast towards my direction when she heard the word jealous that I thought it might give her a crick. I met her eyes, and they were wide with amusement.
“Huh,” she breathed out. “He seemed jealous?”
“Nuh-uh,” I said, shaking my head for emphasis. “He was definitely jealous.” Then I frowned when I remembered that Cynthia and Kyle weren’t going together. These two were seemingly more stubborn than I was.
“Wow,” Cynthia said thoughtfully as she ran a hand through her hair. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
My frown deepened with confusion as I turned to her. “You are trying to make Kyle jealous, right?”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “You suggested that, I said I might, but that didn’t mean I’d actually do it.” Nate’s a nice guy, and I wouldn’t purposely use him to make anyone jealous.”
Then she shrugged and I watched as she obviously fought against breaking out into a big smile.
“If Nate happens to make Kyle jealous, though, well that’s a great bonus.”
I rolled my eyes. “You two are so stubborn.”
“Look who’s talking,” Cynthia retorted, a smirk finally appearing on her face.
I decided to ignore her. Instead, I asked, “And you aren’t jealous of who Kyle’s taking to the prom?”
She wrinkled her nose as we approached my locker. “A little. I think he asked someone from the girl’s basketball team, I don’t even know her name.”
I muttered the word stubborn under my breath, but I didn’t say anything after that. Instead, I just started clearing out my locker. If Kyle and Cynthia wanted to keep fooling around instead of just getting together, then it was their choice. After all, I had a pretty good feeling about prom. I didn’t usually get excited for dances because I didn’t really like dressing up, but this prom was going to be my first dance with my best friend/boyfriend. At that thought, a wave of excitement mixed with anxiety and slight nervousness filled my chest.
“Anyway, what color would Colby’s tux would be?” Cynthia asked, as she leaned against the locker beside mine.
I paused, my notebook still in hand. I then realized one very important fact.
Colby hadn’t asked me to prom yet.
__________________________________________________________________
I know this isn't the best, and I'm sorry I made you guys wait so long :( I was super busy last week with baking classes (I took them for work), and I'm going to another business trip on Monday. Waaa. :(
Be gentle, please.
Love!