What I wasn't sure about now was how much blame Jeremy really had in all of this.
In the past, the real one and the one I know, Jeremy and Leo, had an argument over something I still don't know. Oliver took them upstairs so they could have more privacy, and then Jeremy forcibly kissed my brother for some reason. I always thought Leo never meant for Jeremy to do that, andthat Jeremy ruined my brother's reputation in the process after the video leaked.
But after seeing the alleged fight yesterday, everything indicated that my brother was more upset and jealous of Jeremy than the other way around.
So what was the truth? Why couldn’t everything be as simple as I always imagined?
Jeremy and Brandy arrived, so I went with them to the patio so they could start organizing the blanket and some food, and then I retreated to the kitchen to finish baking the chocolate chip cookies I'd started earlier.
I was pulling the last batch from the oven when I felt strong arms wrap around my waist from behind. "Hello, my favorite girl," Kyle whispered in my ear, then pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.
I jumped slightly, startled. "I didn't know you were here yet."
"I'm happy to be able to keep surprising you."
"Believe me, you surprise me every day with something new." I replied, "You came just in time. I want you to try this." I dipped my finger into the bowl of a glaze I'd made for the cookies, then turned to face him with a playful smile.
I offered him my finger, and he took it into his mouth, his eyes never leaving mine as he tasted the sweet mixture. "Mmm, yeah, it's delicious," he murmured, then leaned down to kiss me.
I melted into him for a moment, tasting not just the glaze, but him, every kiss was like a confirmation that he would always be the one in my life, about how real our love really was despite we were so young, and how it doesn't matter how far we were to each other, we would always find a way to get back once more. Because in each other's arms is where we were meant to be.
I decided to break the kiss before someone came into thekitchen and found us here. "Stop, someone can see us," I whispered, glancing toward the window where our friends were visible on the patio.
"Are you afraid of being caught being a bad girl, Lily?" he teased, his voice low and playful.
I laughed. "No, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop if we continue."
He raised an eyebrow, incredulous that I had just said. We stared at each other for a few charged moments, but finally, I forced myself to turn back to my baking, trying to calm my racing pulse.
"So," I said, attempting to sound casual, "about that SOS message you sent me last night? What was the important thing you wanted to talk to me about?"
Kyle looked out the window toward where Leo, Brandy, and Jeremy were lying on the blanket together. His expression shifted, becoming more serious. "I don't think it's important anymore."
"Should I be worried?"
"I don't think so." His tone suggested he didn't quite believe his own words. I wanted to push for more information, but I didn't want to ruin a perfect afternoon.
I know that if something bad were happening, he would have told me right away. Or he would have even come to my house instead of sending me a random text in the middle of the night.
Trusting people again was hard, but he was proving that I could, even after everything that had gone wrong before. We aren’t defined by our past, but by who we choose to become despite it. And I wanted to learn how to let people take care of me again. He was showing me he had changed, that he meant it this time, and the least I could do was try to trust him back.
"Well, you'll have to help me finish cleaning upthis mess then."
"And I thought I was just going to be the guy who tries desserts today." He moved to pick up the utensils, and I picked up the things that were going to be taken outside.
A little while later, we joined the others outside with the cookies.
"What did we miss?" I asked as I sat down on the blanket next to Jeremy.
"Nothing much, just talking about school stuff," Brandy replied.
"You guys are sooooo fun," Kyle said sarcastically, sitting next to me, "isn't there anything better in your lives than school?"
I gave him a warning look. Of course, there's nothing else to do but go to school. We're supposed to be teenagers who don't do anything else.
“We can talk about how much fun Brandy had at the party. I’m sure she has plenty of interesting things to say,” Jeremy said in a defiant tone.
"I don't think it's a good idea," I replied, trying to calm the situation.Were they in that mood before we arrived?
