*Kimberly's P.O.V.*
"Okay... So first an E minor, then a G, then C and D after that. Oh, that is not that complicated. Just repeat those chords, mhm. Okay, here we go..." I said to myself. Don't give me that weird look. I always talk to myself when I'm alone in my room, it's just a habit. I can have whole discussions with myself and someone often ends up hearing me, it's rather funny.
I strum my guitar, just checking if it's not false, and I begin to play the first chords. After the intro I begin to sing softly.
"So long to all my friends,
every one of them met tragic ends.
With every passing day
I'd be lying if I didn't say
that I miss them all tonight.
And if they only knew what I would say if I,"
"...Could be with you tonight
I would sing you to sleep,
never let them take the light behind your eyes.
One day I'll lose this fight.
As we fade in the dark,
just remember you will always burn as bright."
"Be strong and hold my hand.
Time becomes for us, you'll understand.
We'll say goodbye today
and I'm sorry how it ends this way.
If you promise not to cry,
then I tell you just what I would say if I,"
"...Could be with you tonight,"
Just when the somewhat 'heavier' part of the song started, I wanted to give it my all, but I heard something. I stop singing and playing and look to my right. What is Luke doing here?
"Hey, what are you doing here?" I ask him and shoot him a smile. He walks a little closer and starts talking.
"Yeah... About that. I need to tell you something." He looks nervous compared to how he normally acts. He walks over slowly and sits next to me on my bed. "Listen, I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, but I was a little scared. Or a lot. I was really, really freaking nervous. I just kept overthinking everything and at some point I just didn't know what to think anymore, so I went to Mike. He gave me some pretty good advice, but I didn't listen to it, because I'm stupid I guess,"
"Luke, you're not stupid." I cut him off from his rambling.
"I am! If I would've listened to him, you would already know and I wouldn't be sitting here, rambling like an idiot, not knowing what to say and I'm just really scared of how you're going to react and I might end up not telling you after all," He continues rambling, so I cut him off again.
"Okay, Luke, if this really is that important, just tell me. You don't need to be afraid of how I'm going to react or what I'm going to say, because I'm sure it's not that bad. I mean, you hid your entire band from me and I didn't freak out, right? So seriously, how bad can it be?"
He sighed and nodded his head, trying to convince himself it'll all end up being right, I think. Like, what else could he be nodding at?
"Okay, if you're sure you want to hear it, then here it goes..." He mumbled.
Wow, I thought I was queen of procrastinating... Not that Luke is the ultimate queen, because he can't be a queen. So, he'll be the king...? I guess that makes him my king; king and queen of procrastinating. Doesn't sound that bad.
"Kimberly, I like you." Luke sighs.
"I know, you told me already. It's why we're friends." I tell him a bit confused.
"No, I mean I really like you, as in more than a friend. Like, I want you to be my girlfriend, I want to hold your hand whenever, kiss you whenever, hug you or just hold you and cuddle whenever. I want to be with you; boyfriend and girlfriend." He rushes out.
I'm still looking at him when he looks at me again. Somewhere in his little story he looked away to stare at my floor, maybe just being too nervous to make eye contact. When he did look up again, his eyes were full of hope and wonder. Looking into those big, blue, innocent eyes, I couldn't do anything but... laugh.
I just started giggling and after that it went to laughter. I really couldn't help it, I couldn't stop myself. I just found it so weird, funny and I don't know what else I was supposed to think.
Luke however was looking very confused at my laughter and slowly but surely a hurt expression was showing on his face. As soon as I saw, I stopped myself from laughing and slapped my hand over my mouth, looking a little shocked.
"I think I get it... I'll just go now, maybe I'll see you later? Or not..." Luke started to get up and head out of my room, but I jumped up and grabbed him by his arm.
"No! Don't! I'm sorry, it's just... I didn't really expected this and I just can't believe that you were so nervous to tell me this." I pull him back to my bed and sit on it next to Luke. "You know, I get that you were nervous to tell something like this, but I have no idea what you were scared of. Have you ever heard of a mutual feeling?" I ask him.
He looks at me for a while with a very confused face before it begins to click. "Are you saying that you like me too? Do you like me back? Really?" His eyes grow and his whole face lights up.
"God Luke, I knew you could be a little oblivious, but I didn't know it was this bad." I laugh. "Yes, I like you back. I've liked you ever since we met." I tell him. 'I mean, you did look like a blonde blue-eyed god after all...' I think to myself.
"Thank you?" Luke asks. "Does that mean that makes you my goddess?" He asks with a smirk plastered on his face.
I shove him and giggle before putting my hand over my mouth. 'I've got to stop thinking out loud.' I mumble to myself. "But yes, if you want me to be your goddess, I'll happily accept."
"Really? Are you serious right now?" He asks, grabbing my hands. I just nod excitedly at him and after that even his eyes are smiling as happily as ever. He throws his arms around me and we hug for about a minute before he suddenly lets go. "I have to take you on a date! Oh my God, where am I going to take you? I don't want to disappoint you or anything, it has to be perfect. Do you like or dislike surprises?"
I laugh slightly at him and shake my head fondly. "I don't care, I'm a very easy person. I would seriously like everything. Except for jumping out of a plane or off a cliff or something, I'm sure I'll like it." I tell him.
"Yeah, but I don't want you like it, I need you to love it. It needs to be absolutely perfect, for the both of us." He says, looking deeply into my eyes.
"You know what? I have an idea." I tell him. "Let's just plan it together. We can add different ideas , talk it through and such. If we're both honest we can plan something together that we'll both love. Is that okay?"
Luke sighs in relief and nods. He takes me by surprise by quickly pecking me on the cheek and smiling shyly at me. "It will be perfect."
<><><>
"Why is this not working?" Luke asks frustrated and he throws himself backwards on my bed.
"Relax Luke, it is working. You just need to be a little more patient. We might just need some more ideas. All we've got now is going out for coffee, dinner, movies, the arcade or swimming. If you ask me, those are a bit cliché. I love cliché, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't have to be that cliché." I sit next to him and begin to rub his upper arm slowly, trying to calm him.
"I know that, but I just want it to be perfect and even planning the date isn't going well." He sighs and lies down again. I lay next to him and he grabs my hand in his. "I'm very glad I can do this now." He whispers and gives me a kiss on my hand. "I can't believe you're my girlfriend now." He sighs happily and I smile at him.
"You know, it can get very awkward on first dates, most of the times at least." I tell him.
Luke looks up at me and nods at me to make me explain further. "Most of the times it gets awkward, because it's just two people and they both don't know what to say, because they're afraid of screwing up. What if we join another couple on their first date?" I suggest.
He sits up and he looks surprised. "Of course, that is a great idea, babe." I felt some shivers run through my body hearing him call me that. It was very different from when Michael called me that. "I'm gonna go make a call."
He sat upright and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He began scrolling and ticking something into his phone before bringing it over to his ear. Is he calling who I think he's calling?
"Hey Mike, my girlfriend just suggested something and I believe we can do one another a favour. Have you been on a date with Anouk yet?" He says in the phone.
Guess I was right about him calling Michael then.
"Oh my God..." He sighed.
"Yes, I have a girlfriend."
"What do you mean 'Are you capable of that?' Of course I can get myself a girlfriend."
"Yes, she said yes."
"No, I don't want to discuss that with you."
"Because I''m not a creepy little pervert like you."
"I'll just ignore that you said that..."
"Ew! Gross!"
"Well then... So do you want to go on a date with me, Kimberly and, of course, your own girlfriend, Anouk?" He waited for a while and I could Michael say something through the phone, although I couldn't understand what. "Well, just ask her. I'm sure she would love the idea. We'll all just feel a little more comfortable and we can easier dodge awkward situations. Are you in?" He waited for a while again and then spoke up again, saying a simple 'Great, okay, we'll talk about it later. See ya!'
"Great choice, babe." I mock him by using the same tone as he used with me and he chuckled slightly. He pulled me down with him and we lay there on my bed together, cuddling heavenly.
<><><>
"Natasha!" I see her walking into school and I run towards her. Well, as far as I can run around school, since I don't want to look weird, even though I am. "Hey." I say when I reach her. She smiles at me as a greeting and we walk towards our lockers together.
"Is it just me or is there something different about you?" She asks me when she turns to me after she crammed her locker and pushed it close.
"Nothing much." I answer. "I'm wearing my new shirt, accidentally put on my wrong concealer, wearing my favourite perfume as always and got a boyfriend yesterday. Nothing else I think, why?"
She nods her head slowly before her eyes almost bulge out of her head and she begins squealing, clapping her hands and jumping up and down at the same time. "You bitch! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Does anyone else know?" I shook my head 'no' and she smiles big. "Is it Luke?" I nod my head 'yes' and she begins her jumpy squealing dance again. "I knew it I knew it I knew it!"
I roll my eyes and we begin walking to class. She rambles on about how she ships it and keeps asking questions on how he asked me and such. I just answer all the questions truthfully, because I know I would do exactly the same if one of us started dating. Except for Anouk, because I basically planned how Mike would ask her.
"Okay, okay, enough about me." I told her. We were at school early, so we went to take a seat on a bench somewhere in school. More like this plastic couch, it's more comfortable than it seems. "I need to know how it's going with you and you-know-who."
She sighs and begins. "Okay I guess? It's just really hard, because we're still friends you know? Do you know how hard it is to have a crush on one of your closest friends? It's like hell! I mean, if I tell her I like her but she doesn't like me back, it will get awkward. If I tell her I like her and she likes me back, we might date. But if that ends somehow, we'll never be able to be 'just friends' normally again. I mean, how big is the chance that we would stay together for years, maybe even the rest of our lives?"
"Is that what you want? To be with her the rest of your life? Because if you do, I'd say that these feelings are too big to just ignore them because you want to stay friends with her. And if it does get awkward, it'll be because of her, not that she can help it. If it gets awkward and it really is because of her, I don't think she's worth your doubts." I tell her and put my arm around her shoulder.
"You really think so? Isn't that a bit hard?" She asks uncertain.
"No, if she makes it awkward, it means that she doesn't want you to like her, while a true friend would take it as a compliment and just move on with his or her life. That is, if they don't like you back." She nods her head at my words.
"I guess you're right. So, do you think I should tell her?" She asks me with big eyes full of anxiety.
"I think you should. You should find out if she is a real friend and if so, does she like you back?" I wink at her and she nods her head slowly.
"Will you be there with me? Pretty please?"
"Of course..." I hug her and we both walk towards our classes.
<><><>
'Ready?" I ask Natasha as we walk out of our class, Economics.
"As ready as I'll ever be..." She sighs. We walk a little further until she gently grabs our friends at her arm and turns her around. I smile at her and Natasha seems even more uncertain. I nudge her and she clears her throat.
"Anne, I have to tell you something."
<><><>
"CATCH ME! I'M GOING TO DIE FROM CUTENESS!" I yell to Anne and Natasha. They look away from each other and to me. I let myself fall into the grass and they just laugh at me, great friends.
Okay, I think you want to know what exactly happened. Have patience, I'll tell you...
*Flashback*
"Okay, I really need to tell you this and I don't care what you have to say to it." Natasha starts. "Well, I do care, but if it's negative I'll just pretend not to care, you know me." She continues.
"What is this about?" Anne asks unsure. She seems a little uneasy, not really ready to hear what is about to be told to her.
"Natasha has something really important to say, so I hope you have some time so we – or only she, depends on if you want me here or not – can explain." I answer for me and Natasha.
"Please stay, I need you here to do it right." Natasha says to me and then turns to Anne again. "Anne, I have no idea how it happened, believe me, but recently I have found out that I have this major crush." She begins. "I don't even know where it's coming from, it's just, out of the nowhere I'm suddenly in love with one of my best friends."
"Wait, so who are we talking about?" Anne asks.
"Can we go outside? It's a little less crowded there and we can like sit under the trees or something." I suggest. I can feel that both girls are feeling a little uneasy at the moment, Natasha because of her nerves and Anne because she has no idea what the heck is happening, so I hope some fresh air will make them feel better.
<><><>
"Look, it has been a few weeks, I guess, of me messing with my thoughts and overthinking everything I know and I have come to the conclusion..." Natasha carries on. We were now sitting outside, in the grass under a couple of trees. "...that I am completely in love with one of my best friends."
Anne just looks at her like she's crazy. "Okay, fine by me, but what does that have to do with me? I don't care if you're bi or lesbian or whatever sexuality you have, you know that. I'm glad that you're telling me this, but why are you telling me it? Do you need my help to ask her out or something?" She still has that uneasy feeling in her, or so it looks and I think she is thinking really hard about all of this right now.
"Anne, the person I like that freaking much... Is you." Natasha admits and Anne freezes on the spot. "I don't know why, there is just something about you. You're adorable yet can be very brave and tough. You are amazingly caring, but we all know you can be a cute little baby who can a love a little attention herself too. You love to read, but can enjoy gaming so much too. You are sporty, yet creative and you can be really fun and cool to hang out with, but when needed you can be super serious and caring. I just love that you can be all those different kind of persons yet stay the same one, yourself." Natasha ends her 'speech' and I am left with nothing to say.
Even Anne has nothing to say to it. We are all just standing there, tears in our eyes, wanting to know what was going to happen now.
That was so amazing and cute and adorable and loving and cool and thoughtful and so many more things at once. It was just truly beautiful.
I hear some sniffles and look at Anne who is wiping under her eyes. "Dammit Natas, look, you've made me cry." She says with a chuckle to lighten the mood a little bit. "I just don't know what to say... That was so beautiful. I can't say anything but 'thank you' and who knows? Maybe I like you too...?"
I begin to squeal and as soon as she realizes what she said, she begins speaking again. "Well, I'm not sure, but, you know me, I'm never sure." They chuckle a bit and after a while Anne asks shyly, "So, shall we give it a shot?"
Natasha nods happily and they both hug each other. After a while they pull apart and look each other in the eyes.
*End of flashback*
And that, ladies and gentleman, is how we ended up here; me laying in the grass, struggling to get up again while my friends, who I was proud of to call a very, very cute couple now, were laughing at me.
That is what I call true friendship and I couldn't ask for anything better.
(A/N: word count: 3321 words)