Love Me Patiently, Love Me Honestly

Kennedy

“God Kennedy! Your niece!?” John screamed.

“Listen, calm down! I couldn’t do it, okay. I will though, eventually.” I tried to defend my earlier actions.

“Do you know how much she’s gonna hate you for lying?” Pat asked, but I didn’t even want to think of the correct answer for that one.

“Yeah, and what do you mean you couldn’t tell her, all you had to say was this is my daughter, you didn’t have to tell her who the mother is!” Garrett exclaimed.

“She would have asked!” I told him.

“Kennedy, you have to tell her sometime. This can’t just be a big lie we all tell her. I’m getting sick of it.” Jared said.

“I am too! And I wasn’t lying when I told you I’d tell her.” John said, right in my face.

“Gosh John,” I started, lightly pushing him away from me. “I’m sick of you always trying to be the good guy here. You have absolutely no right to tell Maddie that Emma is my daughter. We all decided, I would tell her, and I will when I think I should. And that time is not now. So I swear, if you tell her, you and I are going to have some problems.” I told him.

“Oh Kennedy, we already have problems. Ever since you broke Maddie’s heart. And just wait until she finds out about this, she is going to hate you forever. Especially when she finds out who you knocked up. She’s going to be so mad that you led her on for how many years? 3? While you were haveing sex with another girl! So when she finds out, guess who she is going to run to Kennedy? The good guy.” He said, pointing to himself. “So Kennedy, get out of my apartment. You are welcome to come back when you have a better peace of mind about things.”

I nodded and walked out of the apartment. I hated fighting with my best friends and I hated the truth of their argument. Maddie would hate me, of course. I didn’t know how to tell her. But if she would hate me anyways, when did it matter how or when I did it. I slapped myself for the thought of texting it to her. I wanted as much time with her as possible. I needed as much time as possible.

I called John later that night and explained to him why I couldn’t tell her yet. I told him I think I might love her too. And I wanted time. We came to an agreement that neither of us would say anything for a month, and if I didn’t, he would. So I had until October 3rd to break the girl I loved once more. That it just happened to fall on the date of Maddie’s 18th birthday didn’t surprise me one bit.

John

“John! Are you excited for movie night?” Maddie asked excitedly as I put a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

“Of course.” I lied. I didn’t want to be around her and Kennedy. It’d been a week, and even though I told him I understood his reasoning of not telling her about Emma, it didn’t make me happy. And in the past 7 days, I hadn’t seen Maddie at all, because she had been with Kennedy the entire time. It wasn’t fair. But now, since Maddie’s parents were out of town, we were having a movie night like we always used to.

Just then in walked all the rest of the guys, holding candy and soda. Maddie hugged all of them, but held onto Kennedy just a little bit longer. Too long.

Now, jealousy was never a quality that really characterized me. That was, until Maddie and Kennedy started flirting.

“Oh god, Maddie. Fight Club, again? We’ve watched that like 50 times.” Garrett said.

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear it. I’m in the mood for some shirtless Brad Pitt.” She smiled.

“Ugh.” All the guys, including myself, groaned.

“That’s what you get for telling me I could pick the movie. Now, lets go.” Everyone walked to the living room and sat all the snacks down on the table in the middle of the room. Garrett and Pat took both recliner chairs. Jared sat down on a bean bag chair. Maddie and Kennedy both sat down on one of the couches, leaving me with the other couch.

About halfway through the movie Maddie laid down and put her head on a pillow that Kennedy had in his lap. 10 minutes later he was stroking her hair. She was smiling. I shifted in my seat and Jared looked up at me.

“Chill out dude.” He whispered.

“I’m fine.” I told him.

I tried to focus on the movie, I really, really tried. I told myself it was Maddie’s choice if she wanted Kennedy again, and as much as I hate to admit it, I know Kennedy loves her. It worked for a while, until I heard movement to my left. I tried not to look over. But my curiosity got the better of me, and when I looked I wished I hadn’t.

Maddie

It was cold, I soon realized. I also realized I was now laying next to a cute boy whom I happened to like a lot, on a couch that wasn’t exactly built for two people.

Now, I’d never been a big flirt, I always thought it was too much of a way of putting yourself out there. But hey, everyone can have their moment right? It was only the guys here anyways, they surely wouldn’t judge me.

I snuggled into Kennedy’s chest. My body was in a position where I couldn’t see the TV, but I didn’t care. I looked up at Kennedy, who was looking back at me. I shivered involuntarily and looked down, embarrassed he might think I’m over-doing it. I smiled as he pulled me closer to him. He started lightly rubbing my arm and I got goose-bumps. I looked up at him again and he was again looking at me, too.

He began to tilt his head in towards mine and my heart leaped. My eyes never left his, and his never left mine. He lingered close to my lips, lightly brushing them with his own. In his eyes was a question. He was asking if this was okay. I smiled, only a little one, and his lips attached to mine. A burst of happiness struck through me as he kissed me. It was soft, and innocent. He didn’t try to push it any farther past that, and I liked it. The kiss was short, only lasting a few seconds, but I wish it would have gone longer.

As Kennedy pulled away from my face he touched my cheek with his hand. I smiled as his thumb brushed over my lips, and he smiled too. I moved my position to where I was facing away from him, afraid the light from the TV might give away my blush. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me right up against him once more. I smiled to myself and looked up too see all the boys staring at me. They all whipped their heads back to the TV when I saw them, and I laughed quietly.

I looked to where John had been laying, hoping for one of his reassuring smiles that this was all right. Instead I found an empty couch and a front door slamming shut.

Garrett was the only one who looked at me. In his eyes was such judgment I had to look away. He got up and walked out the front door. My body tightened. Did I do something wrong?

Kennedy lightly rubbed my hand and kissed the top of my head. I relaxed, convincing myself tha this is where I wanted to be, event hough my thoughts were caught up with the boy outside.

John

I stormed out of the house. What just happened!? Did he really just kiss Maddie!? Even worse, did Maddie just kiss him? This wasn’t supposed to happen. Maddie was supposed to be mine when she got back. Kennedy was out of the picture, that’s how it very well should be. He just causes her trouble, and pain.

“John, what’s wrong with you?” Garrett asked as he caught up with me.

“Nothing. Please just leave me alone.” I tried to say as nicely as possible, even though I felt like screaming.

“Hey,” Garrett started, stepping in front of me and grabbing my shoulders. “Are you seriously freaking out about Maddie?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

“Because John! You need to get over that! Some childhood crushes just don’t work out as you get older, and that’s what has happened with you and Maddie. She loves Kennedy, and he loves her back. it’s been like that for a few years now, just let it go.”

I sat down on the grass in the front yard we were standing in front of as I tried to find something wrong with what he just said. I came up empty.

“I can’t.” Was all I said.

“John,” Garrett started as he sat down next to me. “You have a million and one girls after you right now that all want you, it shouldn’t be that hard to move on.”

“I don’t want any of them. I want Maddie.”

“Okay, well, do you know she has no idea? You’ve established such a brotherly relationship with her she doesn’t even recognize jealousy from you anymore, she just thinks it’s you being protective.”

“So what? I just don’t have a chance with her?”

“I didn’t say that, but you have to make it known that you have feelings for her.”

“What’s the point? She loves Kennedy. I couldn’t do that to her now. Give her an ultimatum like that.” I told him, not mentioning the fact of how my heart would break as she would most likely choose Kennedy over me.

“The don’t give her an ultimatum, give her a fact, make her want you, without a doubt. Don’t let it be a choice, let it be a necessity.”

“When did you get so…poetic?” I asked after a long pause.

“Oh, I’ve always been this way.” He smiled and got up. He put his hand out to help me up. “Now, let’s get back, you’ve got some work to do.”