Olive and an Arrow

I was angry. There was absolutely no doubt about that in my head.
I couldn’t believe that Alex would just call out to me in front of everyone. I gripped the steering wheel and let out a long sigh.

“He was just trying to make things better, Ar.” Brighten stated as she let her hand hang loosely out the window. The sky was dark and the temperature had dropped rapidly as night took over.

“According to his note, he won’t be there..remember?” I knew the sarcasm in my voice was harsh but I was honestly over Alex and his drama.

“I know.”

We pulled up into my driveway directly behind Brandon. Brighten hugged me tightly and told me to call her if anything else happens.
I agreed and watched her pull away from my house and disappear down the street.

Brandon stood on the front steps waiting for me and once I reached him he put his arm around me. “Do you want to know what I think?”

I smirked. “Not really, but I’m guessing that doesn’t really matter right now.”

Brandon rolled his eyes and a small smile appeared on his face. “You’re so funny, no..what I think is that maybe you should just let Alex know how you feel.”

“After what he said to me? Thanks but I don’t think so.”

Brandon dropped his jacket onto the sofa and he turned to me. “Aria, I know what he said hurt you but honestly...give the kid a break. Haven’t you ever said something that you regretted?”

I sighed and nodded slowly, “Well yeah..”

“Well, then I guess you know what you need to do then.”

After we said goodnight I headed up to my bedroom and locked the door behind me.
How could I even talk to Alex after what he said to me?
Did he honestly regret it?
Was I just taking this way too seriously?

I gripped my cell phone in my hand tightly as I paced back and forth across my room. Should I call him or just let him call me?

My thoughts were interrupted by a small tap on my window. I glanced at the clock curiously and saw that it was 1:34 in the morning. John would already be in bed because of his recording session in the morning with the band.

The rapping on my window continued and I pushed away my curtains to find Alex’s face peering back at me from outside my window.

My stomach lurched but I couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or nervousness.
“Alex?”

I pushed up my window and a sharp breeze hit my face causing a shiver to roll up and down my spine. Okay, maybe it was both.

“I’m sorry it’s so late,” Alex’s voice trailed off and he glanced around my room. “So are you going to let me in or hang here all night?”

I moved aside so he could crawl through my window. I watched as his shirt lifted up slightly as he stepped over the window sill. I could only see a bit of his stomach but from what I saw I could tell he had been working out.

Alex straightened his shirt out and caught my eye. I averted mine from his gaze and pretended to be pre-occupied with loose papers on my desk.

“Look,” Alex’s voice startled me and my eyes made their way back to his face. “I know you are mad at me and as I stand here within touching distance of you I feel less and less confident than I did hanging out your window.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his awkwardness. It was Alex, he could always find a way to make me laugh. “Why is that?”

He glanced over at me and smirked. “You’re giving me that look.”

“What look?”

“You know, the look. The one that every guy gets from a girl that is ticked off at him.” He cringed a bit at those last four words and sat down on the edge of my bed.

The way he sat down so casually made my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t even tell you why it happened, but all I know is that it did and I didn’t think I minded.

“I’m not giving you the look, Alex." I made my way over to my bed and sat down cautiously next to him.

Our eyes met and he smiled softly. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He smirked and ran his fingers through his hair while sighing deeply. “Uh, everything.”

Just those words, the sound of them rolling off this tongue and the way his eyebrows furrowed in disappointment at himself made me light headed.

“It’s okay.” My words came out only as a whisper.

“No.” He turned to me sharply and his eyes bore into mine as though he were searching for something that I wasn’t telling him. A secret that he wasn’t let in on. “It’s not, and you know it Aria. We have been best friends ever since we first met and because I got jealous of you being with someone else I completely ruined our relationship.”

“Jealous?” I let the word hang loosely in the air between us before I continued on. “Why were you jealous?”

Alex let his eyes flutter closed for only a second then they were on me again. “Do I honestly have to tell you?”

It was as if right at that moment, the whole world froze where it was. Time paused at its millisecond, everything was still but us. I could hear my heart beating rapidly in my chest as my eyes ran over the features of his face.

His lips were parted slightly as he peered at me with that longing expression, longing to finally figure out those emotions inside of him that have been building up ever since John played me his song.

“No.” That was all I had to say to make him break.

His hands were on my face and he pulled me towards him. Our lips were inches apart and he stared into my eyes with a questioning look. I nodded slightly, allowing him to press his lips softly against my own.

My hands found their way to his neck and I raked my fingers through his messy hair. Our lips seemed to fit perfectly on each others as the kiss deepened. I felt myself melt into him as his fingers traced the hem of my shirt. I pressed myself against him roughly and I could feel him relax beneath my body weight.

“Aria,” He moaned softly as I nibbled on the sensitive spot under his ear.

I lifted myself up off of him and our eyes locked. I smiled easily at his shocked expression and planted small butterfly kisses on the side of his face.

“Aria.” The voice was not Alex’s, but my brothers.

I stood up from my place on the bed and Brandon pushed the door open the rest of the way.

“Have you called Alex yet?” Brandon’s eyes made their way to my bed and he tensed up once he realized Alex was lying there with his shirt halfway off of his body.

“Well,” Brandon glanced over at me and smirked. “I told you to call him, not jump him.”

I rolled my eyes and pushed Brandon out of my room. I closed the door behind me so Alex couldn’t ease drop.

“Haven’t you heard of knocking?”

“Haven’t you heard of self-control?” He tried to keep a straight face but ended up doubled over in laughter.

“Brandon, this is not funny.”

He stood up straight and wiped his eyes with the palms of his hand. “Your right, it’s not. What happened to John?”

My heart skipped a beat and I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. “John..”

“Really? You are honestly telling me that you just made out with your best friend while you were still dating John?” With that he lost it again and I punched him on the shoulder.

“Okay, I’m sorry.” He composed himself and sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, Ar. But what I do know is that you need to figure out what you feel because you have two boys who are crazy about you apparently and...you can’t have both.”

I sighed. “Sadly.”

“What?”

I shook my head and turned towards my door. “I’ll figure it out, okay?”

I opened my door slowly to find Alex standing next to my window with his back to me.

“Alex?”

When he didn’t answer I put my hand on his shoulder and he shrugged me off. “You’re still with John.”

I just stood there with my arms crossed self-consciously across my chest and waited for him to continue on.

He turned to me with tears in his eyes and he handed me my phone. I glanced down at it and sighed once I realized that I had gotten a text message while I was talking to Brandon.

I love you with all my heart, Ar. - John.

I looked up at Alex who was already pulling up the window. “Alex, please.”

He turned to me and shook his head. “No, Aria. I finally have figured out my feeling for you...now its time for you to do the same for me. Give me a call when you’ve figured it out.”

I sucked back tears as I watched him climb out my window and out of sight.