It Started With A Wrong Number ✯

24. Admittance

It's Saturday. All my friends managed to get permission from their parents to meet up at the park near the center of town since its not very cold today, so here we are.

"Come on, you guys!" Harper calls, laughing. "Last one to the swings is a straight hoe!"

"Wait for me!" Damon screeches, racing after Harper.

Bianca runs after them while Nicholai just walks. I stay sitting at the picnic table and Aaron stays with me, sitting on the opposite side.

Thinking of what Dad said a few days ago, I look at my silent boyfriend, studying him.

"What?" He asks, noticing my staring.

I blush, looking away. "Nothing."

We sit in silence for a minute or two until Aaron softly says, "Skye?"

"Hmm?" I hum in reply, looking at him curiously.

"I'm so sorry for what I said a few days ago," he whispers ashamedly. "I know you accepted my apology yesterday, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still sorry... I guess I'm just... jealous."

"I knew it!" I cry before I can stop myself. I slap a hand over my mouth, my face heating up in embarrassment as I mumble, "Well, Dad knew it."

Aaron gives a small, rueful smile, avoiding my eyes. "Yeah..."

"Well, why?" I ask, grasping his hand gently.

"I... Well, when Harper showed up..." Aaron mumbles. "I guess... I'm jealous that she knows you so well. Kinda stupid, huh?"

I laugh softly, making Aaron look at me in confusion. "Well, don't you get to know someone the longer you know them? Wait, does that make sense?"

Aaron smiles. "Yeah, it does... I'm just being stupid."

"You can't help how you feel," I reply, looking away. "And you can't bottle it up... Emotions don't work like that."

Aaron says nothing.

"If you don't keep him, I'm kicking your ass, cuz," Bianca says reappearing at the picnic table.

"Bee!" Aaron says indignantly.

"What?!" She cries, dissolving into a fit of giggles. After taking a moment to calm down, she asks, "are you two gonna join us or stay here?"

"I guess we'll come over," I say after Aaron and I share a glance.

Together, Bianca, Aaron and I head over to the swings where Harper, Damon and Nicholai are. Damon and Harper are both swinging and going pretty high too. Nicholai is mostly using the swing as a seat, swinging back and forth a little but not as much as the other two.

"Ah, look who finally decided to show up!" Harper says waving wildly as we approach.

"Ciel!" Damon calls from where he's swinging. "Look at me!"

"I am," I reply. Leaning closer to Aaron, I whisper, "has he always been like this?"

"Yeah," He whispers back. "You learn to live with it."

Aaron and I lean against the metal poles holding up the swings and we all find things to talk about. After a while, Harper gets off her swing and Bianca takes her place.