Page 59 of The Pucking Kiss
After we ordered, Elizabeth excused herself to go to the ladies' room. Now that it was just me and the boys alone, I noticed Jake smirking at me again.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
“No,” he shook his head, still smirking. “But I was just impressed by how, for a fake couple, you two really know how to sell it.”
My mouth hung open in shock as I looked back at Bryan with a betrayed expression. “You told him?”
“What? He is my best friend. I could not hide it from him forever,” Bryan defended himself weakly.
“Oh god,” I buried my head in my hands. “Jake, you need to make sure that news never gets out. Otherwise, we will never hear the end of it, and we’ll be a laughingstock for the entire school.”
“Chill, Romai,” Jake chuckled. “Bryan’s my best friend. I would never tell on him like that. I just brought it because…”
“Because?” I asked, growing impatient.
“Well, you guys practically act like you’re a real couple already. Maybe you should just bite the bullet and actually date.”
I blushed, and Bryan laughed. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit late to be playing wing-man, Jake?”
“Hey man,” he defended himself. “It’s better late than never. I just thought you guys should know that before it’s too late.”
“We know,” Bryan replied and held my hand under the table.
Elizabeth came back from the restroom, and our conversation ended promptly. But I could not get the warm, fuzzy feeling out of me.
Bryan, my actual boyfriend? It was the stuff of dreams. But I had actually developed real feelings for him now. Maybe, just maybe, something between us was possible after all. If even his friends made comments about it, then something had to be there.
Chapter 23
Romai
I woke up to the most unexpected text message of my life. I had never expected to see Kathy's name flash on my screen again. Her name was still saved with a small heart next to it. Even though I promised myself that I would never speak to her again, I couldn't help my curiosity and opened the message immediately.
Been thinking a lot about what happened between the two of us. I want to make things right again. Meet me for coffee later?
The text message pulled at my heartstrings. A lot of time had passed ever since my fight with Kathy, and maybe she had finally seen the error in her ways.
Perhaps it was time for me to be the bigger person and open the doors for reconciliation. I replied that I would meet her today during lunch.
When it finally came time to meet Kathy, I sat nervously, waiting for her, playing with the hem of my skirt.
What would I even say to her?
“Romai,” she greeted me warmly with a hug when she finally came. “I’m so glad that you decided to meet me today. I really want to make things right between us.”
I eyed her suspiciously. “Why now?”
“Why not?” she sighed, taking a seat at the table across from me. “We were friends for so long, and now we don’t even talk. That’s kind of tragic, don’t you think?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Should I remind you that you were the one who started this whole thing? I didn’t want to fight with you.”
“Yeah, and like always, you were the smarter one. Can’t you give us another chance?”
I studied her face for any signs of insincerity. If she was lying to me, then she was being very persuasive because her expression seemed genuine.
“I don’t know, Kathy. You really let me down,” I continued. “You made me feel like I was the biggest loser on the face of this earth. And you were supposed to be my best friend. How do you think that made me feel?”
“I’m sure you felt awful,” Kathy pressed her lips together in a tight line. “But you proved me wrong, didn’t you? I mean, you’re clearly not a loser anymore.”