for, liar

Chapter 99

"Oh my goodness, it is. He was best friend's with that Levi boy. I thought he lived in Charlotte?" the other says.

"That's where his daddy lived. His mama lived here for a while. I swear those two dropped off the face of the earth after that poor girl was killed. It's strange to see him here after all that time, especially considering the ruckus his friends were always getting into."

I try not to react to their conversation to make it obvious that I was eavesdropping. I don't know what kind of rumor bullshit they're trying to concur but tonight is not the night.

Miles starts to walk over to me with the drinks. I quickly motioned him to go the other way and we walk over to the arm chairs my mom had put out for us in front of her house.

I hand him his plate and he hands me a can of Pepsi that I carefully shove into the cup holder.

"You just wanted cheese?" He asks as he stares down at my plate.

"Yeah, I like cheeseburgers. Is that weird to you?"

He laughs and shakes his head. "Not at all. Just a little bland."

"I'm very bland."

I don't even like hamburgers, really. Though I would much rather eat these than hotdogs.

"What time do the fireworks start?" He asks.

I pull out my phone to check the time. It's only a quarter past eight. They don't usually start them until closer to midnight.

"In like two hours. There's plenty to do though whenever we finish eating."

He takes a bite of his burger and stares out into the crowd of people. We look really distanced from everyone else. I'm hoping this doesn't make us stand out more than we already had been. Overhearing those two ladies talk about Miles without even meeting him really bugged me. I want to say something to him about it, I just have no idea what I would even say.

"That game was really fun. Thanks for bringing me out here. I usually don't do anything for New Years."

I turn my head back to him. "You're not really the party type, are ya?" I smile.

He swallows the mouthful of food and takes a deep breath. "Not anymore, no. I never found anything beneficial from living that way. I also don't really like people that much."

"Damn, I didn't know that! I wouldn't have dragged you to all these events if I would've known you hated being around people."

He reaches his free hand over and grabs onto my wrist. "Don't say that. I've come along to these things because I love you and I actually genuinely enjoy getting to know your friends. I just didn't want to make it awkward since I'm so antisocial."

I always thought I was the antisocial one. I am when it comes to me and Maddy but with him, yeah, I guess you could say I'm the talkative one. It's different with new people, though. I'm only comfortable here because I've known these people for years. If Miles dragged me to a party with his friends, I wouldn't know how to act.

"That's sweet, really. I just don't want you to be forced into doing things you don't want to do. Of course I'm going to invite you to all of the parties and events because I will take any second I can with you but you're not obligated to say yes just because we're dating."

"I don't say yes because I feel obligated; I say it because outside of work my main priority is to be with you. Besides, I love seeing how you interact with your different groups of friends. It's very entertaining to watch you. It's like I'm seeing more and more of you every time we go somewhere.

I chuckle and take a small sip from my drink. I would've gotten a screwdriver but I wanted to be able to kick Miles' ass playing cornhole and I can only do that sober.

"Are you saying you're a fan of my multiple personalities?" I say tauntingly.

He bites down on his lip and cocks his head to the side. "You know that's not what I meant."

I know what he meant. I do act differently depending on the group I'm around. It's the best way I can control my social anxiety and avoid going into full panic mode.

"I know, I know. Just know that out of all the many personalities I have acquired over the years, the one that fits me the most is when I'm with you. I swear."

He loosens his jaw and leans over the arm of his chair to kiss me. I still get the same feeling in the pit of my stomach every single time our lips touch as if it's the first time again and we're back outside that fancy restaurant where I made a fool out of myself. I'm pretty confident now that there's no chance of this feeling going away. No way in hell.

Rayna makes her way over as we pull away. She's got an over exaggerated look of disgust on her face. "Okay, children. You can play seven minutes in heaven later. It's time to get your ass handed to you during cornhole. Out of your seats."

We both laugh and get up on our feet. Rayna's winning streak is going strong so she's going to use that energy excessively.

"Were the cruise tickets just not enough for you?" I ask her.

"Definitely not. Did you see the prizes for cornhole? They're little rubber ducks wearing New Year glasses!"

"Fuck! Then why are we just standing here?" Miles exclaims and takes off towards the games.

Rayna's mouth drops as her eyes follow Miles and move back to me. "That's the most emotion I've seen the dude have all night."

I laugh knowing damn well it was just sarcasm and that Miles probably couldn't care less about winning a rubber duck. I, on the other hand, would fucking love one.

"Be careful because he used to work at the fair. Carnival games are his thing and he wiped the floor with me when we went." I warn her.

I almost forgot how badly that night ended. I cringe at the small flashback that starts to resurface.

"It's on."

She runs over to the games and picks up one of the bean bags from the cornhole board. Miles is already at the opposing end, ready to strike. He tosses it and it sinks right in the hole. Rayna's eyes widen when she realizes she made a mistake.

Revised;