Miller Spencer knows that it's normal to love your best friend.
Ace has been his best friend since forever. So, of course, it's completely natural to want to kiss him. It is typical to get jealous when you see him with someone else. It is absolutel...
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It was almost midnight by the time we decided to leave.
His words still rang in my ears. Echoing in the hollows of my chest which gradually filled with something warm. I remembered the way his eyes had looked, crystal clear; the way his lips had moved to form the words that he uttered to me. The way he had smiled. The way he had held me. It was astounding how profoundly his words had affected me.
We rode silently for a while before he stopped the car in front of my home. I took a deep breath and turned to him, "You'll be okay, right?"
He gave half a smile, his eyes darkening for a split second before he answered, "Some day."
I bit my lip and nodded, not pushing him further as I opened the door and stepped out. He waited till I reached my front porch and waved at him. He waved back and I heard the gentle purring of the engine in the silent night as he revved it up and pulled away.
I was able to sneak into my room, holding my breath the entire time as I tiptoed upstairs. Although I knew if I told mom what was really going on with Ace, she wouldn't be nearly as angry at me for sneaking out. But it wasn't my secret to tell. And somehow, where he was struggling so hard to fight alone, it seemed blasphemous to not help in his secrecy. Not to mention it made me feel strangely special, that I was one of the few people who knew about it.
I struggled to fall asleep that night, my mind returning again and again to what had happened at the Drive. A catastrophic storm of emotions, both joy and fear danced passionately in my chest. Until finally, I let the darkness embrace me and fell into a dreamless sleep.
*
Something had happened overnight.
I was still unsure what, but Ace and I seemed closer than we ever had before. Maybe I was imagining it, but somehow, he seemed to smile a little easier and it gave me a small comfort that perhaps the secret had been weighing heavily on him as well.
At school next day, I kept looking at him even more frequently then I would usually, and many times, I was stunned to find him already staring back. He smiled softly, his cheeks regaining their colour before he went back to staring at the teacher. I felt my neck heating up at the tiny gesture.
"Can we go see the Vibgyor?" he asked that day as we were in his car. "I've always wanted to check out what the hype is all about. Would you come?"
"Won't you go to the cafe today?" I asked.
"I left it," he answered shortly. I didn't ask anything further and nodded, eager to be with him regardless. "Will you come?"
