I was still holding the hoodie over my head (for around one hour now) when I finally saw the front door opening. I was quick on my feet as I folded the hoodie in my hands and held it close to me.
My eyes were fixated on the door as I waited for Henry or Max to come out. From my peripheral vision, I could see Alec standing up and putting his hands in his pockets.
'Hold it above your head yourself' He said. I made a face at him.
I ignored him as I turned my gaze to look at the door again.
"Max? Henry?" I said trying to look for them. I took a step to the right and tried to look inside.
It was then that I saw Max stepping out. He looked around before covering his eyes from the sun. Then, looking at me he motioned me to come inside.
"You crazy people. You could have just waited in the car. What were you trying to prove sitting directly under the sun?" Max shook his head disappointedly at me.
I... why didn't I think about it? He was right. Why were we sitting under the sun?... I have no idea. Maybe I wanted them to know about my determination?
"Just come inside." Max shook his head before stepping aside letting me and Alec inside. I tried to smile softly at him while he rolled his eyes at me.
Well, too much for sweetness huh?
He closed the door behind us, "Let's talk in the living area."
"I'll just wait here," Alec said when Max gave him a look.
"You are coming too, you are not going anywhere after vomiting that information in front of us like that."
Alec shifted on his feet, "It's alright, I don't want to interrupt you guys, I don't like to throw myself into conversations."
"I don't like you, do you want me to throw you out?" Max rolled his eyes.
"You guys hate me now, don't you?" He muttered staring at Max before shaking his head, "I'll...throw myself out on my own."
I didn't say anything as I watched Alec leave but not before turning to look at me, "I'll be waiting for you outside." He smiled before closing the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone Max turned to me.
"Let's go. Henry is waiting for us."
I entered the living area slowly. I have been to Henry's house before but this was the first time when I was so nervous moving around. Usually, I would be prancing around without anyone caring but right now, I couldn't even take a step ahead before feeling like my body was going to collapse.
I looked at Henry as he came and put a tray of lemonade on the table before sitting on the couch.
"Have it." He pointed at it, "I don't want you to die on me because of heatstroke." He muttered but I knew he was concerned for me.
I took the glass of lemonade before sitting on the single sofa beside Henry's. Max took his glass before sitting not too far away from Henry.
I didn't even take a sip from my lemonade when Henry just decided to unleash his inner demon of questions on me.
"Was it that easy?" He asked.
I shook my head, "Of course it wasn't easy to keep a secret from you."
"Then why did you?"
"You guys were happy, I didn't want you to be sad because of me."
"We are best friends... or you never thought of us as one?"
I knew this question was going to come up. How well I know them. I shook my head rapidly, "That's impossible. I love you guys... I was just not ready to tell anyone about it."
"And yet you told Alec..." Max muttered.
I knew this was going to come up too. Damn. Hiding it from them was one thing, but telling Alec first all about it was another.
Maybe the reason why they hate him now.
"It just happened at the moment. I wanted to tell you to but I didn't know how." I looked down.
"It would have been better than hearing it from Alec's mouth after receiving a punch."
This made me look up at him in confusion. Upon asking what about the punch he just shook his head at me.
"Eh, it was nothing."
"Are you sure?" I asked, "Why did it seem like it wasn't nothing." I squinted my eyes at him.
Max looked at Henry with wide eyes but Henry just looked composed as he patted my thigh, "Don't change the subject. We are not done here yet." He gave me a knowing smile.
I shut my mouth quiet before holding onto the glass of lemonade tightly and nodding my head like a good girl. Of course, it's not my turn to question them at all.
"I thought we shared all our secrets."
"We do!" I said.
"Apparently you don't." Henry rolled his eyes.
"I just told you, I wasn't ready!"
"We came out to you than anyone else, not even our family, even though we weren't ready," Henry said.
I was at a loss for words as I stared at him with my mouth open. He was right. I was the first one to know that Max and Henry were a couple... and this makes me feel more guilty for not telling them.
"I'm sorry," I said guiltily.
Henry looked into both my eyes trying to figure something out.
"Just so you know," Max chimed in between, "I already forgave you, Serene. It's just Henry doing Henry things. Don't worry."
I chuckled at him, "I won't." I said as Henry smacked Max before asking him to shut his trap down.
"Tell us about everything now... not leaving a single detail." Henry threatened.
Look at him being all concerned for me and preparing a lemonade but not allowing me to drink it since the moment I touched it. I sighed before putting the glass back on the table.
Henry looked at me confused, "What's wrong? Drink it, I didn't prepare it for you to stare at it like some doll."
I shook my head trying to smile, "I'll drink it after telling you everything, after clearing everything with you."
Henry looked unsure before nodding his at me.
I told them the rest of it as they had too many questions which made me realise they were probably preparing these questions all the while I sat outside in the heat. Wow.
Surprisingly, I was expecting more yellings... a slap for me here and there by them. A few cursing at me but they took it quite well and understandingly to the point where it almost seemed too suspicious to me.
I know, the both of them were probably trying to be supportive to me because of all that happened and especially after yesterday (pretty sure Alec didn't forget to vomit about this one) but it still seemed so suspicious. Especially for Henry (the guy spews nonsense and for him to be so kind and understanding even after I hid it from them? Too suspicious).
But I knew, this was it. This was the time when I finally didn't have to feel guilty anymore for hiding anything from them anymore.
â¢â¢â¢
It's been two days since I made up with Max and Henry. But even at this point, they make sure to ask me if there was something else I was hiding from them.
"I swear to god, that was the last time you hid anything from us. If there's anything else, just tell us right now or we won't forgive you this time." They would always say. Maybe repeating themselves around three times a day.
Every time they open their mouths nowâ even if it was to ask me, how did I manage to make a strand of my hair stand (don't ask me how)â before they could even say anything, the first sentence leaving my mouth would be,
"No. There's nothing else."
"Actually," Henry said pointing at my hair, "A strand of your hair is in the air."
"Static," I said awkwardly before patting my head to make sure all my hair were falling around my shoulder due to gravity.
"When will you talk to me?" Alec said from beside me as I was opening up my locker as Max and Henry left us alone.
I haven't talked to him since that day.
And to say he has been following me around the school would be an understatement because the guy is literally following me around everywhere.
I wasn't exactly mad at him anymore. But he deserved it.
"Oh come on," he whined, "You guys made up already."
I closed the locker with the books in my hand and turned around before taking a step back in surprise when I found Alec too close to me. I tried to avoid his gaze as I looked aroundâ mostly because he made me nervous by looking at me like that.
"Can't we make up too?" Just today. Just one more day and I'll talk to him tomorrow.
I was about to take a step away from him when he placed his left hand on the locker, making me stop. My eyes automatically went to look down at the floor before slowly looking up and finding his sky blue eyes already running over my face.
His left hand was still on the locker as he started leaning in. He stopped mere inches away from my face when the only thing in my sight was his eyes and nothing else.
"W-what are you doing?" I muttered trying to hold myself. I could feel my heart thumping loudly against my chest as I felt his breath on my face.
"It's a monotonous day when you don't talk to me." He whispered as I sucked in a deep breath.
"You should have been careful before opening your goddamn mouth in front of Max and Henry then."
"Geez, I did say sorry. Besides, you all are good now, why can't you forgive me too?" He asked closing in a little bit more.
He knew what he was doing. He was too smart. He knew how much this was affecting me.
"Just fucking make out already."
I pushed Alec away as soon as I heard a voice. I tugged a strand of my hair behind my ear as I looked at Nathaniel who was standing three lockers away from us. He was leaning against the locker as he watched us.
"The sexual tension between you two is insane." He said not bulging away from his place. It seemed like he had made himself comfortable and was watching us for fun, "You both stared at each other for so long that even the rock outside would have felt the tension between you two."
And I was right. He had been watching us.
"What are you? Old couples talking things out slowly?" He stuck his tongue out, "If it was me," he slammed his hands against the locker, "I would have smashed my lips against the girl like that and unlike you,... I would have already been making out with her for five minutes by now."
I turned around to face away from Nathaniel as I felt embarrassed. I looked at Alec from my peripheral vision as I watched him looking at Nathaniel weirdly. He was giving Nathaniel a look that clearly said, 'I wish you wouldn't have opened your mouth at all.'
"Nathaniel?" Alec said slowly.
"Yeah?" Nathaniel asked chirping.
"Fuck off."
I heard Nathaniel gasp, "I am just helping you both! Is that how you repay me? You are gonna thank me later... at least give me a kiss now! I have been waiting for so long." I swear I could even hear a little frustration in his voice now.
He was frustrated? He was? I should be the one frustrated or even wanting to kill him.
"I'm gonna go," I said awkwardly because of how Nathaniel made it before holding the books properly and going the opposite way Nathaniel was standing.
"Look what you did," Alec grumbled before I heard him run after me. I tried walking fast but he caught onto me as he turned me around by my wrist, "Don't go."
"I'll be late for class," I said.
"Just make out already," Nathaniel yelled from his place laughing now.
Alec snapped his head to look at Nathaniel before cursing at him and asking him to leave us alone.
"We need to talk," Alec said as soon as Nathaniel was gone. He stood straight with a serious expression on his face.
I stared at his face before shaking my head lightly, "No we don't."
I didn't want to talk to him right now. I wasn't mad at him but I was a little flustered by the little incident in the hallway with Nathaniel that I needed some time away from him because he clearly doesn't like me romantically, and maybe I would just get my hopes high.
"Just talk to me already." He complaint.
"I am." I said before trying to leave again.
He has already been making me talk recently. Even if I didn't want to talk to him, he would do something to make me talk one or two sentences to him at least.
"Not like this." He came in front of me stopping me from leaving me again, "Talk to me properly." He said trying to push me with his words.
I pulled the books closer to my chest before heaving a deep sigh, "Why does it matter, Alec?"
He stared at me as if I had gone mad. If it was in his hands, I would already be in an asylum, "Of course it matters." He shook his head unbelievably.
"How? I am not even funny to make your monotonous day eventful." I rolled my eyes.
"Just you being you helps it." His eyebrows were scrunched together with his eyes having that 'know it all' look. He took a step towards me while I took a step backwards.
"Me being me? But I am not Liya." I chuckled lightly.
I could feel him clenching his jaw, suddenly. The air around us had completely changed. I watched him for some sort of reaction but there was none. I was finally about to move away from him when he suddenly banged his hand against one of the lockers.
I jumped a little getting afraid as I stared at him. A few people around us who were moving to their respective classes stopped to look at us before resuming their way to class when Alec glared at them.
I watched him as his glare finally turned to look at me making me want to run away from him for the first time. His pupils were constricted and his eyes a shade darker. I could tell that he was mad.
"Stop bringing Liya every time." He said.
I raised my eyes brows at him. So it was again about Liya. He was mad at me yet again... because of Liya.
He cannot blame me for mentioning her every time. He cannot blame me to compare myself to her every time when she is all he thinks and cares about.
"You make me wanna bring her when the only person you love is her." I said through gritted teeth.
"Who said that?" He asked throwing his hands in the air before coming and holding me by my shoulders.
"I can see so! You said so yourself."
"I LOVED HER, SERENE. LOVED. Past tense." He shook me.
I stared at him, "Then why did you get mad at me when I took her name!"
"Because you are bringing her up for no fucking reason, goddammit!"
"I THOUGHT YOU STILL LOVE HER!"
I cannot help it, okay? I feel inferior to her every time I think about how much he loved her. Every time I think about, how he looked at her. Every time I think about, how he still needs time to think about us because he wasn't sure he was over Liya.
I cannot help it.
"OH MY GOD. YOU DON'T GET IT, DO YOU?" He asked.
"Get what?" I asked in a meek voice now.
I wish I didn't compare myself to Liya every time I saw Alec. I hate myself for it.
"It's not Liya! It's you." He paused to look at me before continuing again, "I am falling in love with you, slowly and steadily like the clouds moving around... slowly and steadily."
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