A Step to Love
Hidden Intentions?
“Ba—Lilly?” he asked, breaking me from my thoughtful trance. “Are you okay?” He chuckled softly.
I instantly felt my red cheeks burn in embarrassment. How long was I out of it? “I’m sorry, I’m fine,” I said finally. “How are you?”
“Fine.” He lifted the other hand that wasn’t holding mine, to caress my cheek. “I thought you would be here, so I came to see you.”
“Aw, how sweet,” Pat exclaimed from behind and I turned. Everyone was looking at us. Including Alex. He had his eyebrow raised, transforming his blue eyes in a mockery of anger.
Great.
I chuckled a bit, but before I got a chance to say anything else, another blonde strutted towards us. Instead of her hair being wavy, like usually, it was straightened, making it seemed even longer that it already was. Jenny sneered as she took a hold of us.
“Brody, I told you to wait for me,” she whined. “You know how these heels kill me.” She pointed down to make her point. And I had followed her manicured fingers, gasping silently as the height of the white heels she wore that perfectly matched her really short and revealing white dress that was wrapped around her.
But before making a comment about her blunt appearance, my mind got caught on something else. “You guys came in together?” I said softly laughing so it wouldn’t look as if I was jealous.
It was clearly the last thing I needed, after everything else.
Though, we all knew I was boiling inside. I didn’t like her. I didn’t like her at all.
Brody smiled as he tried to explain himself. “Eh, see—Lil—uh…”
I heard Jenny silently laugh. “No worries, your boy-toy is fine. I just didn’t want to be alone and feel all awkward—oh, hi, baby!”—her eyes took a hold of Alex.
“She needed a ride,” he finished after Jenny launched herself into Alex’s arms, planting a sloppy kiss to his lips.
I thought quickly about the possibilities on how Jenny got home last night. I had fallen asleep after that, so I didn’t know how she got out either. “I thought she knew how to drive,” I muttered, under my breath, staring at those two. They looked so happy, it made me sick.
“No,” Brody whispered, sounding unsure.
I stood there, probably glaring for a long time—slowly, penetrating my eyes into every detail of that couple. I tried to figure out if Alex had a plan, but he looked so…happy, kissing her and wrapping his pale arms around her body. She didn’t seem to be planning something either. She looked like she actually liked him back.
Of course I had seen them together before, but…I didn’t know if it was the whole event that made them act so passionately…in love or if it was because I was staring…
“No, I really like her,” he had said. What if he really did? What if the feelings he showed outside were actually real?
I turned to Brody’s face. He was looking a bit uncomfortable watching the same scene. I took a hold of his hand and the cute smile reappeared on his face.
I wasn’t going to let something like Jenny and Alex ruin what I had.
All I had to do was not think about how jealous those two together made me.
It was stupid, to be honest—the whole idea of Alex treating me so weirdly and then running back to his ex girlfriend that had hurt him. Or maybe Alex had no feelings, so that wouldn’t exactly hurt him? But then that wouldn’t explain what he was doing now…
Maybe he was masochist. And bipolar. Yeah.
That would be the last thing I would think about. It was Alex’s turn now to prove my assumptions wrong without me getting in the way.
I just had to…stop thinking about the sound of their lips parting and pressing against each other over and over again…
“I love you,” I said to Brody, and for some reason that seemed to catch him by surprise.
He hesitated for a while, chuckling in the process. “I love you, too.” He paused, looking up once again and then turned his sight down, to my eyes. “Can we go somewhere else?”
“I—”
“Actually, Brody, we’re going to get something to eat. You can come along if you’d like.” I had forgotten for a mild second there were others in the small group. Pat was waiting patiently for Brody to make a decision.
“I really wouldn’t like to intrude in your family reunions.”
“It’s no biggie.” She laughed. “You and Jenny are welcomed any time to spend some time with us.”
Jenny bobbed her head, parting from Alex. “Aw, thank you, Mrs. P.”
At that time, Jake walked toward me, stretching his hand to Brody how stared curiously at it. “It’s finally nice to meet you face to face, Richard. Lilly has told me a lot about you,” he said.
I had forgotten. Brody had been home several times. He had called. Jake had called him in order for me to talk to him. Jake had seen him at my birthday party, but they never actually met properly.
This was going to be interesting.
I instantly felt my red cheeks burn in embarrassment. How long was I out of it? “I’m sorry, I’m fine,” I said finally. “How are you?”
“Fine.” He lifted the other hand that wasn’t holding mine, to caress my cheek. “I thought you would be here, so I came to see you.”
“Aw, how sweet,” Pat exclaimed from behind and I turned. Everyone was looking at us. Including Alex. He had his eyebrow raised, transforming his blue eyes in a mockery of anger.
Great.
I chuckled a bit, but before I got a chance to say anything else, another blonde strutted towards us. Instead of her hair being wavy, like usually, it was straightened, making it seemed even longer that it already was. Jenny sneered as she took a hold of us.
“Brody, I told you to wait for me,” she whined. “You know how these heels kill me.” She pointed down to make her point. And I had followed her manicured fingers, gasping silently as the height of the white heels she wore that perfectly matched her really short and revealing white dress that was wrapped around her.
But before making a comment about her blunt appearance, my mind got caught on something else. “You guys came in together?” I said softly laughing so it wouldn’t look as if I was jealous.
It was clearly the last thing I needed, after everything else.
Though, we all knew I was boiling inside. I didn’t like her. I didn’t like her at all.
Brody smiled as he tried to explain himself. “Eh, see—Lil—uh…”
I heard Jenny silently laugh. “No worries, your boy-toy is fine. I just didn’t want to be alone and feel all awkward—oh, hi, baby!”—her eyes took a hold of Alex.
“She needed a ride,” he finished after Jenny launched herself into Alex’s arms, planting a sloppy kiss to his lips.
I thought quickly about the possibilities on how Jenny got home last night. I had fallen asleep after that, so I didn’t know how she got out either. “I thought she knew how to drive,” I muttered, under my breath, staring at those two. They looked so happy, it made me sick.
“No,” Brody whispered, sounding unsure.
I stood there, probably glaring for a long time—slowly, penetrating my eyes into every detail of that couple. I tried to figure out if Alex had a plan, but he looked so…happy, kissing her and wrapping his pale arms around her body. She didn’t seem to be planning something either. She looked like she actually liked him back.
Of course I had seen them together before, but…I didn’t know if it was the whole event that made them act so passionately…in love or if it was because I was staring…
“No, I really like her,” he had said. What if he really did? What if the feelings he showed outside were actually real?
I turned to Brody’s face. He was looking a bit uncomfortable watching the same scene. I took a hold of his hand and the cute smile reappeared on his face.
I wasn’t going to let something like Jenny and Alex ruin what I had.
All I had to do was not think about how jealous those two together made me.
It was stupid, to be honest—the whole idea of Alex treating me so weirdly and then running back to his ex girlfriend that had hurt him. Or maybe Alex had no feelings, so that wouldn’t exactly hurt him? But then that wouldn’t explain what he was doing now…
Maybe he was masochist. And bipolar. Yeah.
That would be the last thing I would think about. It was Alex’s turn now to prove my assumptions wrong without me getting in the way.
I just had to…stop thinking about the sound of their lips parting and pressing against each other over and over again…
“I love you,” I said to Brody, and for some reason that seemed to catch him by surprise.
He hesitated for a while, chuckling in the process. “I love you, too.” He paused, looking up once again and then turned his sight down, to my eyes. “Can we go somewhere else?”
“I—”
“Actually, Brody, we’re going to get something to eat. You can come along if you’d like.” I had forgotten for a mild second there were others in the small group. Pat was waiting patiently for Brody to make a decision.
“I really wouldn’t like to intrude in your family reunions.”
“It’s no biggie.” She laughed. “You and Jenny are welcomed any time to spend some time with us.”
Jenny bobbed her head, parting from Alex. “Aw, thank you, Mrs. P.”
At that time, Jake walked toward me, stretching his hand to Brody how stared curiously at it. “It’s finally nice to meet you face to face, Richard. Lilly has told me a lot about you,” he said.
I had forgotten. Brody had been home several times. He had called. Jake had called him in order for me to talk to him. Jake had seen him at my birthday party, but they never actually met properly.
This was going to be interesting.