The rest of the week went by uneventfully.
Not another conversation was had between Myles and I but it was different than before.
This time it was because we were both so busy, especially with me spending every ounce of my free time practicing for my audition tape for Juliard.
Though, whenever we did see each other we managed to spare one another a smile, sometimes even a "Hi".
To others that may not seem like much, but I see it as progress.
I can no longer deny the fact that I miss Myles and with this past week it's become more clear that I want him a part of my life again.
More like need
But does he feel the same?
With a sigh, I re-focused my attention on a crazed Talia.
It was Saturday, also known as Myles's Birthday.
Talia and Malia came over to get ready together. Talia saying she didn't trust me to put together an outfit that screams "I'm hot!".
Her words, not mine.
"THIS IS THE ONE!" Talia yelled in excitement, making Malia jump, who had her nose in this week's book, The Handmaids Tale.
Turning around Talia showed us a black lace corset top and high-waisted, light blue mom jeans.
Before I can say anything, Talia shoved the clothes into my hands and push me in the direction of the bathroom.
"Ru-" I began to say, but she closed the door in my face.
"Rude," I grumbled, staring down at the clothes in my hand.
Changing out of my previous clothes and into the new ones I found myself pleasantly surprised.
Looking in the mirror I smiled at my appearance.
The corset fitted me nicely, the lace looking elegant on my brown skin. The mom jeans hugged me in all the right places accentuating my small waist, wide hips, and long legs perfectly.
Pulling my hair out of the bun I had it in earlier, I began detangling and styling my hair.
Once, I was done my thick, black, coils cascaded down my back in tight ringlet curls.
More than satisfied with my appearance I made my way back into the room.
When I returned I found Malia and Talia dressed and ready to go.
Looking over at Malia I saw that she was wearing a white pleated skirt that reached mid-thigh, a white cropped tank, that showed a sliver of her stomach, a light pink cropped cardigan on top that look beautiful with her dark complexion, and light pink converses.
This was definitely Talia's doing.
The fiddling of her fingers with her camera and the way she kept tugging at her skirt, showed that Malia felt uncomfortable in her outfit.
I can tell this was out of Malia's comfort zone as she is used to baggy t-shirts and sweatpants.
Despite Malia's shy personality, she used to come to school every day during freshmen year like it was her runway.
Malia made wearing a uniform look good.
Adding her own personal touches, like small handbags, lace leggings, and dainty jewelry.
I admired her for her fashion that was both soft, girly, and elegant.
However, sophomore year changed all of that.
A couple of girls started bullying Malia, picking on her size as Malia has more of a curvier body.
Malia kept this hidden for a long time, not wanting to get Talia and I involved as she felt that it would only make the bullying worse.
It wasn't until Malia started showing up to school in a uniform two times her size and became more reserved, always spending time in the library, that Talia and I knew something was up.
One day in gym class we had to run around the field and those same girls who were bullying Malia began to make jokes.
Saying how she was already out of breath from walking, and that there was no way she could run without passing out.
They were speaking so loudly that the whole class heard them, including Talia.
Immediately Talia went to defend her cousin, the tears brimming in Malia's eyes fueling her anger.
Before Talia could give them the beat down of their life, Lance intervened.
Lance was usually a chill guy, never losing his temper unless it was during a lacrosse game. But, the way he stared at those girls would scare a grown man, I never saw him that angry before.
He completely told those girls off.
Letting them know that all bodies are beautiful, how Malia is the most beautiful girl he has seen, and how they are envious of the fact that they could never measure up to her.
Ending off his speech with a warning to stay away from Malia and a solid middle finger in their face.
Let's just say those girls never messed with Malia again and all the credit can't go to Lance. The next day they showed up to school with plasters on their nose, black eyes, and their cars wrecked.
You guessed it already, all done by Talia.
Sending a clear message to the rest of the school not to mess with Malia or else they'll have to deal with Talia and Lance too it seems.
Though no one dared to harass Malia and make a comment on her weight again, unless they had a death wish, Malia was never the same.
She continued to cover up, though I knew she missed dressing the way she used to.
Walking over to Malia, I pulled her over the full-body mirror allowing her to take in how beautiful she looks.
I watched as a small smile began to appear on Malia's face as she took in her appearance, the shine in her eye returning.
"You look beautiful Malia," I complimented smiling at her.
"Thank you," She said softly.
My smile grew as I knew that she believed she looked beautiful too.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Talia smiling softly at her cousin, happy to see her look more like herself after all these years.
We know it will take time for Malia to become confident in her body once more, but this was a step in the right direction.
"Wow! Myles and Lance, aren't gonna be able to keep their eyes off you too! I did a great job if I do say so myself," Talia said smirking, taking in her work.
Her words made Malia look down at the floor flustered at the thought of seeing Lance, as I rolled my eyes.
Though I couldn't deny the thought of seeing Myles did make my heart stutter a bit.
"And what about you huh," I said taking in her look.
Talia had on a white tee with red flames tucked into a red leather mini skirt, black fishnet leggings, and leather red booties to tie the whole look together.
Her hair which was now ginger, stopped at her shoulders in a curly bob.
What really stood out was her eyes, which had flames on them showing her artistic abilities.
All in all, Talia looked gorgeous.
With the way Talia looked there was no way West was gonna be to keep his eyes off her.
For the past week, I've caught West taking sneaky glances at Talia in the hallways, in class, and in the cafeteria.
The way he looks at her is like she's the only person there, it's awfully cute if I do say so myself.
It's clear that he likes Talia more than he's letting on, but is too shy to makes his feelings known to her.
Unlike Talia who has made it clear to about anything that breathes that she likes West. I would be surprised if the boy didn't know himself.
"I know I look great! West has no idea what's about to hit him," Talia said, her smirk widening as she applied a final coat of lip gloss on her lips.
"Speaking of West, how did the date go?" I asked curious to know how it went.
"Perfect, everything I wanted and more," Talia said, sighing dreamily.
She then went on to tell us how much of a gentlemen West was the whole time, holding the door open for her and holding her bag so she can get shots of the work. They walked around the gallery observing the art pieces together and discussing the meaning behind the work.
After the gallery, they both went to get Mcdonalds and ate their food in the parking lot, the conversation between them flowing easily.
Before they knew it, it was already midnight, their food long gone, but neither of them wanted to stop talking to the other. For both of them, it felt like the first time they meet someone who connected with them on a deeper level, and everything was just so easy.
However, Talia had to get home, knowing that if she was out any later her mother would never let her out again.
Talia almost blew out Malia and I's eardrums, as she told us that West ended up asking her to go out again.
She said it was so cute how he scratched the back of his neck, and how his face flushed pink in embarrassment.
Of course, she said yes, and the two planned to go on another date sometime next week.
Once she finished, Malia and I jumped for joy, extremely happy for Talia.
After we were done freaking out, we decided it was time we started to go, making sure to grab his gift on my way out.
It took me days, but I finally found the perfect gift.
Hopefully, he likes it.
Twenty minutes later we arrived in front of a beautiful house.
"Who knew Myles was living large," Talia said letting out a low whistle as she looked at the house before us.
I couldn't help but nod in agreement, as the house was pretty large.
I knew that Myles was well off, but whew this house was nice.
The lush green lawn, the white columns that resembled those in Rome, and the sleek white brick outside, made the house look both modern and luxurious.
Looking over at the driveway, I spotted that only Lance's car was there.
Myles's mom was in on the surprise, so she took Myles out for a birthday brunch giving West and Lance time to set up before they returned.
"Hello, Ladies," Lance greeted, opening the door wide to let us in, directing us to the living room.
The inside looks even better
Looking around I noticed a banner that said happy birthday Myles on it, two large balloons that spelled out 19, streamers, and the living room table covered in Myles's favorite snacks.
"You look amazing Malia," I heard Lance said, directing my attention from the beautiful interior to the couple by the entrance of the living room.
Lance gazed down at Malia softly, his eyes shining, happy to see her.
"Thank you," Malia was able to bit out before scurrying away, Lance looking at her with longing.
Wow, he's down bad
"What are we Cunningham, chopped liver," Talia said in faux offense.
"My apologizes," Lance responded amused, his sights no longer on Malia.
"Tal and Jess you both loo-" He started, but was soon cut off by Talia
"I don't need your pity," She said her eyes now fixed on a certain boy who was sitting in the living room.
"See ya," Talia said, sending a wave in our way before heading over to West, each step she took oozing confidence.
Sensing someone's stare, West looked up from his sketchbook.
"Hi, Wes," Talia said a grin on her face, as she took a seat next to West.
It was safe to say the boy was clearly speechless, with the way his mouth parted in surprise, no words coming out.
"Um-you uh-" He said trying to form a coherent sentence, but he kept failing.
Lance and I stood back amused by the scene before us.
"You look gorgeous Lia," He finally managed to say, his face flushing pink as he looked down at his sketchbook, while, Talia's grin only seemed to widen.
Wait did he just call her Lia, and earlier she called him Wes.
Since when were they on nickname bases.
To see Wes so flustered was so unusual.
From the outside, no one would've expected the silent, brooding, artist with tattoos littered on his skin, was actually a softy on the inside.
At least for Talia, he was.
The two soon slipped into the conversation, letting me see what Talia was saying earlier.
It really just seemed easy between them two, like they were the missing piece the other was looking for all along.
"How long?" I asked, hoping Lance understood what I was getting at as we observed the couple.
"Freshmen year,"
"Her?" He asked back.
"Same. It was the day they bumped into each other, wasn't it?" I said, though I already knew the answer.
"Yup, he's had the biggest crush on her but was too scared to make a move, thinking Talia could never be interested in him. Clearly, he was wrong, and lucky for him Talia was more than happy to make the first move," he said making me nod in agreement.
"So, when are you going to ask Malia out," I said making him choke on air as I switched the subject over to him.
After his coughing fit and alerting everyone that he was okay, he spoke.
"That obvious, huh" Lance said chucking lightly.
"Very," I said giving him a small smile.
"I want to ask her out, but every time I try to do she manages to run away," he says releasing a sigh.
"Listen, if you haven't noticed it takes Malia a bit of time to open up to people and trust them," I started looking over to make sure he was listening, which he was.
" You just have to patient with her. Talk to her about things she likes, like reading and photography. She's currently reading The Handmaids Tale right now, so she can go on and on about that. How about you ask her about how she views the patriarchal aspect of the book and how it relates to today's society." I suggested.
Lance listened attentively to what I said, soaking in as much information as he can.
"Thanks, Jess," Lance said giving me a small smile before making his way over to Malia.
I saw the initial panic in her eyes when she saw him approaching her, her eyes darting around for an exit.
When her eyes meet my own, I shook my head giving an encouraging nod in Lance's direction.
One day she'll thank me for this.
Though I couldn't make out what they were saying, by the way, Malia's face lit up with a grin and started talking a mile a minute, I assumed he went with my advice.
I smiled at the pair, watching as Lance looked heavily invested in everything she had to say, even putting in a couple of words himself, which seem to have delighted Malia as her eyes lit up in awe.
Hm, seems like Malia isn't the only one who enjoys reading books.
Looking at my friends I couldn't help but smile happily.
Though I really wasn't looking forward to fifth wheeling in the future.
With Myles there, you won't have to.
Before I can even dwell on the thought, we heard a car pull up into the driveway.
"POSITIONS EVERYONE!" Lance yelled in excitement, planting small confetti canons in our hands.
Malia made her way over to the side entrance of the living room so that she can get a picture of Myles when he walks in.
We heard voices from down the hall gradually getting closer.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Lance jumping up and down in anticipation, leading me to have to hold in a snort as I don't want to ruin the surprise.
Before we knew it, Myles stood at the entrance of the living room.
"SURPRISE!"