If I can't have you

seventeen

I wake up the next morning with Coco licking my face, then jumping on my bed and snuggling into my side. She keeps licking my face while wagging her tail, making me laugh before someone opens my door slowly. I open my eyes to watch Ella entering my room with a smile. She asks me if I’m feeling better and tells me it’s just the two of us in the house for now because my dad left for work right after Shawn and Layla did the same for school. I was supposed to stay home for a week because of my foot, so Julia would bring me her notes for the classes we had together, which were most of them. I wasn’t even in pain at this point, but the doctor said I wasn’t supposed to walk in order not to open the stitches. Ella helped me downstairs so I could have breakfast and after that I spent the morning with her in the house, watching some of her yoga classes and also reading a book in the living room. When it was around lunch time, she made us something to eat and we sat down at the kitchen as she told me about Layla’s progress in school.

 " She's been doing a lot better since you moved in with us." Ella says, watching me as I take a bite of my food. I've been trying to help Layla just like Shawn does, reading with her and making her talk to me. It was obvious the difference since I first got here. " She adores you, you know. Just like Shawn does."

 I try not to blush as she says that, because I know she's been dying to talk about Shawn all morning, but she didn't want me to feel uncomfortable.

 " Thank you for not being mad about us." I say quietly, knowing both hers and my dad's reactions could have been a lot worse.

 " Are you kidding me? I love seeing you two together. I was just waiting for the day you would tell us so I could prove to your father that I was right. He thought I was delusional when I told him about my suspicions." She has a big smile on her face as she says that.

 " Should we worry about him wanting to talk to us later?" I ask, still not sure about my dad's reaction.

 " You two are fine, darling. He just wants to set some limits and rules around the house." She stands up and takes both of our empty plates to the sink. " He might try to give you two the sex talk, though."

 " Oh." I say, feeling my face burning in embarrassment. My dad never even tried to talk to me about dating at all, much less sex. My mom was the opposite though, so she had talked to me about it a handful of times before she passed. I hadn't even kissed anyone back then, so it wasn't something I worried much about.

 " If you ever want to ask me anything, you can, Camila. I thought you might feel more comfortable talking to me instead of your dad." She says, not looking at me while she washes the dishes.

 " Thank you, Ella." I say shyly.

 " I talked to Shawn yesterday before going to bed." She says casually, almost like she wants me to ask what they talked about.

 " Good." I nod my head nervously.

 She can tell I'm getting uncomfortable, so she stops the subject there, but now I'm truly curious to know what Shawn told her. A few hours later, he comes home with Layla after school and finds me in the living room with a book and my headphones on. He takes me by surprise, kissing my lips and sitting down next to me.

 " Hi." I whisper before he kisses me again. He seems pretty happy about not having to hide anymore. " How was school?"

 " Boring without you." He says, taking a bunch of notes from his backpack and handing them to me. " Julia made you these notes. And I got this one from a guy who's in your chemistry class."

 " Thank you." I say with a smile. Chemistry is the only class I don't have with Julia and it doesn't surprise me he knows that, finding a way to get me notes from someone else.