"Right there, Aiden"
"We could do a story about two girls who meet at a bar and one helps the other on their journey of self discovery and fall in love?"
"Harder, Aiden... That feels so good, shit!"
"Or we could focus on a guy and a girl that meet in high school, BUT the guy is actually this 500 year old vampire who was in love with the girl's twin-double think like a hundred of years ago!"
"I'm so close... don't stop"
"Wait. I think that's the plot of the Vampire Diaries..."
Luke has been throwing out idea after idea while he washed, and I dryed, the dishes.
But all I could focus on was the incredibly, and most likely over-exaggerated, moans of the girl Aidens having sex with.
Why does this suck so bad?
"How about we just go with a classic 'write what you know' and write about a high school romance?" Luke asks, raising an eyebrow and craning his neck in my direction.
"Um, yeah sure," I answer absentmindedly, still drying the plate in my hands while looking at the floor.
Why the hell are they still fucking?
What is this round... 3?? I don't understand how someone can go on for that long without getting bored. He can't be that good.
Does he know I'm here? Maybe Luke gave him a heads up and he decided to further piss me off by making sure the girl was a screamer.
"Mariana!!!" I snap at my thoughts, seeing Luke now standing right in front of me with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah?" I ask, my mouth slightly open helping me breath in some extra needed air.
Luke slowly grabs my hands that were clutching the plate and taking it out of my hands and gently placing it down on the counter, "The plate's dry."
I stand up a little straighter and lick my chapped lips before giving Luke a tight-lipped smile, "Yeah, I know. I'm just... diligent when washing... dishes." I end with an awkward cough.
He looks at me like I'm crazy, "Okay..."
During our conversation, the noise has died down.
I guess they are finally finished.
I awkwardly stand in my position against the counter as Luke continues to wash the dishes, in silence this time.
My head snaps to the left when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs.
The redhead from the night of the party reaches the kitchen, holding her heels in her hand wearing a red bodycon dress. Her hair was a complete mess all around her face.
Fuck, why does she have to be pretty.
She looks up at Luke and I in surprise as if this was her house and strangers were in her kitchen.
She tucks some of her hair behind her ear in attempts to tame it and gives us an innocent smile.
Oh please, girl. I already heard you finish, don't put on an act for my account.
"Oh, hey! I didn't know anyone was here..." she seems a little embarrassed as her cheeks flare up.
Or maybe she's having flashbacks to five minutes ago.
She stares at me a little longer, dragging her eyes up and down my body, assessing me in a way.
Once she's done, she makes her way over to me in a confident manner with an outstretched hand.
"Hey! I don't think we've met since I don't know you and I know pretty much everyone here. I'm Summer, Summer Rose." She said with a smile, hand still awaiting my own.
Feeling weirdly intimidated, I purse my lips into a small smile before attaching my hands to her own, "I'm Mariana Torres. I'm a freshman," I explained quietly, finding it hard to maintain eye contact with her.
"Well, it's great to meet you! What are you doing here?" She asks, the question not sounding as innocent as I believe she intended.
"Um, I have a project to work on with Luke," pointing my thumb in Luke's direction, while still keeping my eyes on Summer.
Summer shifts her eyes to Luke, who is still washing dishes like none of this is happening.
"Lukey, working hard like always, I see." she says, batting her eyelashes in Luke's direction.
Is she flirting?
"Don't call me that." Luke states, as he continues washing the cup in his hand with a slightly more tense jaw.
I sneakily roll my lips into my mouth to hold back my laughter at Luke's rejection to her advances.
I knew I liked this kid.
She looks back at me with an awkward closed mouth smile letting out a small scoff.
Obviously reading the room, Summer wipes her free palm onto her dress, smoothing down the non-existent creases, "Well, I'm gonna head out. I have some studying to do, you know how it is! Well probably, sorry I forgot you were a freshman for a second," she chuckles lightly before walking closer to me, making her way toward the door.
My jaw clenches slightly at her passive insult, insinuating that freshman year isn't a challenge. She knows nothing about my situation.
When I hear the front door close, I let out a loud sigh and lean back against the counter again, gripping its edges.
"Don't mind her. She's Aiden's main booty call when he doesn't have time to find anyone else and needs to relieve some... stress," he says, facing me now with a small sympathetic smile and arms crossed over his chest, accentuating the beautiful mountains on his arms.
Before I had the chance to reply to his comment about Summer and Aiden's... situation, the man of the hour came running down the steps and into the kitchen.
He gives me a big smile when he sees me, "Torres! What a wonderful surprise to see you here! You look lovely as always," he declares with a look of blissful peace on his face as he leans his forearms against the island and tilts his head in my direction.
"What do you mean surprised? I told you she was coming over to work on our project, A" I hear Luke clarify from his position in front of the sink.
I fucking knew it.
Aiden gives us an innocent smile while shaking his head, "Oops, must have slipped my mind."
❀❀❀
"How about the couple is working on the school newspaper together, they meet, and boom it's love at first sight"
"Lameee" I hear Aiden's unwanted input about my suggestion from the loveseat on the other side of the living room.
He welcomed himself to our brainstormed in the living room once the dishes were done claiming he had nothing better to do.
He was slicing an apple on the loveseat while Luke and I were sitting on the main couch with our legs crossed facing each other.
"No one asked you, Grey,"
He's like an itch I can't scratch.
You know? The ones too far down your back to reach over your shoulder but too high to go from the back up... so you just gotta hope it goes away?
"Not my fault all these ideas suck, Torres," he laughs, chewing the new slice of his apple.
"Got anything better, Aiden?" Luke asks, obviously over all of this.
I bet Lexi and Mason have done it like fifty times by now.
Aiden gives us a pensive look, tapping the edge of his knife against his chin.
Please let it slip.
It looks like he thought of something as he lifts himself up from the loveseat and makes his way toward where I'm sitting on the couch, sitting practically up against my back side causing a shiver to run down my spine.
"How about," he starts holding out his pointer finger, "a boy and a girl from rival schools working for their respective newspaper's gossip columns, that is mainly about the other schools drama, falling in love," he states before taking another bite of his apple, "classic Romeo and Juliet without the dying. People eat that shit up," he finishes with a full mouth.
Shit. That's actually brilliant.
I turn my body to face his, "how did you even think about that in the matter of seconds?" I question him.
He swallows his apple slice before smiling at me and leaning closer, "guess I'm smart after all, Torres."
❀❀❀
I reach my dorm at around 10pm, completely exhausted. After Aiden gave us our idea, Luke and I wrote it down and added a couple plot points before calling it a night.
I mean, we have all semester to do this, it's fine.
When I decided to leave, I gave Luke a small hug goodbye feeling much closer to him after just one night.
Luke's a great guy, quiet but great.
Aiden, being Aiden, tried to get me to hug him too just to rile me up.
It worked.
I gave him a scowl and look of disgust before walking straight out the door, hearing his laughter flowing through the house.
I opened the door to my room, hoping and praying that all private parts of any person I know it covered and put away neatly.
The lights are off and I hear Lexi snoring softly in her bed, alone.
I guess her special guest didn't stay the night.
Not surprised.
Here is chapter EIGHT of "Because Of You"!!
Sorry if the chapter is a bit on the shorter side! Some chapters will be longer than other but I try to not make them too short!
My later chapters are defintly heftier!!
What did everyone thing of Summer? There is still lost more to learn about her! I added a gif of the beautiful Holland Roden that plays Summer Rose! Love that girl!
VOTE AND COMMENT reactions, predictions, and generally anything! I would love to hear from you and I hope more people start reading the book soon!
Back tomorrow with another chapter! Get EXCITED!
A million thanks,
Leticia ❀