Just for This Year

Chapter Forty

Friday
February 14th

"No."

"Sam!"

"Absolutely not."

"Ashton, come on."

"We are not going on a double date!" Sam cried out to his twin and boyfriend incredulously.

For the better part of an hour, Lila and Charlie had been pleading for both of their boyfriends to go on a triple date with them for Valentine's Day tonight. There was some sort of festival in town for the weekend. It was supposed to be full of these booths with local businesses and farms. It had a Valentine's Day theme considering the date, and they were both dying to go. But not-so-shockingly, neither Ashton nor Sam were thrilled with the idea.

The two were getting along better than they use to, but they weren't exactly the best of friends yet. They had plenty of good moments, but both were so stubborn that they did their best to regard those. Their reactions to finding out they were both going to the same college was as priceless as both Lila and Charlie had hoped it would be.

Both the twins were in better places than where they were earlier in the year. They had both been in therapy once a week and it had been paying off. It had never occurred to either of them how much they had to work through until they went and started talking through it. Both swore that they had never seen the other so happy. The light in their eyes had returned, bright and beaming as if it had never left.

"Triple date," Lila corrected swiftly with a cheeky grin. "Estelle and her girlfriend, Lavender, will be there too."

"Even more of a no," Ashton emphasized bluntly.

"At least we got them to agree on something," Charlie offered with crossed arms, glancing at Lila in amusement.

"Please?" Lila pleaded, looking directly at Ashton who just let his head loll to the side, sighing out slightly. She pushed her beseeching expression a bit more, giving him the special eyes that she always used when she wanted something. Worked like a charm, if she did say so herself.

"Maybe... it could be fun," Ashton gritted through his teeth finally, looking physically agonized to say the words.

Sam gawked at him. "Dude, no."

Ashton didn't say anything, he only nodded up at Charlie. Sam followed his gaze, sagging slightly when he saw the imploring expression from his boyfriend. He let out an exasperated groaned, waving a dismissive hand around, blocking his view from Charlie. Lila raised an amused eyebrow, knowing exactly how this would go between the two. Sam scoffed with a humorless smile on his face, tilting his head at Charlie.

"Ha, you think that'll work? I still have a spine, Char. Unlike good ole' Ashy here," Sam rambled as he slapped his hand on the aforementioned boy's shoulder.

"Don't touch me, Sam," Ashton interjected as he swot the boy's hand away, making Lila let out a brief laugh.

Sam continued as if he hadn't interrupted at all. "And if you think you can force me into this... then you have something else coming. No, I'm standing my ground. No double— triple—" Sam corrected before his sister could correct him— "date will be had, all right?"