He undoes me, utterly and completely.
16
Hayley
After that amazing night, waking in Corbin’s arms, my mind is finally crystal freaking clear.
The image of my mother pops into my head. A long time ago, she told me that I needed to stand up to Kyle.
When you finally have something to fight for, you’ll know the time is right.
Kyle and I were the closest in age, which meant we were forced together a lot. A special bond formed. Most of the time we were each other's closest allies, but when the tides turned, I had a habit of shutting down. The end result was always the same. After a few days, I would cave and crawl back to him.
It was twisted. Especially because Kyle had a mean streak and caused most of our fights.
I don’t know the exact reason I let him get away with it. Maybe it was the fact that he was my protector? Or because he was one of my only friends at school? I learnt from an early age that being the smartest kid in a classroom isn’t always the easiest. It definitely didn’t help me make friends, and so, I depended on Kyle and Corbin for any sort of social life.
It’s taken me a long time and the risk of losing Corbin to finally realise that my mom was right. I hated seeing Corbin’s relationship with my brother fall apart. By standing up for us, I may not be able to repair it immediately, but it will be a step in the right direction.
At least I’ll know that I’ve done my part - done the best that I could. The rest is up to them.
I pause before the porch steps, needing a second to catch my breath. This will either go really well, or the more likely scenario, everything will blow up. I start up the steps as the door is pulled open.
It’s Kyle. I stop in my tracks and wait for him to look up. When he does, he stops as well.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
“He’s not here.”
“I know. I’m here to talk to you, actually.”
“Oh-kay. How you doing?”
“You can cut the shit. I’m here to tell you, I’m in love with him.” I can see this makes him visibly uncomfortable, but I don’t care, I need to say my piece. “You need to get over yourself, or you need to accept that our relationship won’t ever be repaired.”
“I just don’t get why it had to be him, Hayley.”
“And that’s the problem. The ‘why’ doesn’t fucking matter. You deserve no explanation or apology from either of us. I’m sick of letting you off the hook with this behavior, it’s time you grew up.”
Neither of us say another word for a while, we just stand side to side looking out over the street. I wish I didn’t have to be so harsh with my words, but they’re clearly what he needs to hear right now.
I don’t know how else to convince him, to show him that this thing between Corbin and I is worth it. It’s real and beautiful and only growing stronger by the minute.
“Okay.”
Okay? What the hell does that mean? That could literally go either way.
I look to Kyle, hoping for some sort of indication as to what direction his okay is tipping. It takes another moment for him to finally turn to me and say, “If this is what makes you happy, then I suppose I’ll have to allow it.”
“Allow it?” I growl. Fucking cheeky bastard.
His serious expression breaks, making way for a wide, teasing grin. His arms open, swallow me whole and lift me off the ground.
“Kyle, you ready?” I hear Lucas’ voice come from inside the house and look to see that the front door is wide open. “Wait, where’d you go?”
“Yeah, man. Out here.” Kyle shouts back as he sets me on my feet. Looking around quickly for an escape, I dart around the side of the house. Kyle’s face twists comically as he watches me.
