Unreciprocated Feelings Between Me And You

chapter | t w e l v e

twelve | films and gifts

RUBY HAS A wide grin on her face while clapping her hands excitedly. All of us turn to her. "I think that's a great idea!"

My mother raises an eyebrow at her. "You think it's a great idea to cram five teenage girls here in our less than adequate apartment along with 2 adult ladies?"

Ruby shrugs. "I don't see any problem with that. It's not like they're gonna disturb us or cram the living room. They're probably gonna stay in Selena's room the entire time. Besides, they're all girls. There are no boys involved. It's the perfect setup for you," she reasons and I have to bite down on my bottom lip to prevent myself from smiling. Ruby then turns to my friends. "That is the plan, right, ladies?"

It should've been a victory.

But then, Clementia lets out a shaky breath before smiling nervously.

That's not a good sign.

My mom seems to have noticed that too. She narrows her eyes noticeably while saying, "No, I don't think so."

I could only sigh.

Well...

This is going down real fast.

"Okay, so before you make a decision, we just wanna be completely transparent," Blaire quickly says before my mom could open her mouth to give her final answer. "With that said, boys are joining us for Cleo's birthday. But that's only because we want to have someone carry our stuff around when we're in the mall. As for the sleepover, Tita, it's all girls. We promise."

She gives them a stern look, unconvinced. "You know I don't like boys near my daughter."

Clementia nods. "Yes, we know, Tita Maxi. That's why we're asking, that's why we're letting you know. We didn't want to go behind your back and risk putting Selena in trouble."

I can't help the little smile that graces my lips. I know how long they've wanted to have a sleepover with me and they've had to endure so many rejections over the years. They're tired of it, that much I know. But despite that, they still respect my mother to ask her directly. It's a small thing but I appreciate it.

"So who are these boys that will be joining?"

My eyes widen upon hearing her question. I'm not expecting that's what she'd say. It's like she's entertaining the idea, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. I honestly expected blatant rejection since most of the time, that's the answer I get. They're getting more than I ever received.

And I'm supposed to be the daughter...

"Jaxon Montgomery, Blaze Saavedra, Dexter Mills, Maddox Clifford, and Arrows Hawthorne, Tita."

I purse my lips and cast my eyes down on the floor.

The little spark of hope within me had just died.

I love those five as much as my mom hates them. There's no way she's allowing any of this, not after what happened the other day.

"Those boys again, huh? For some reason, I just keep hearing about them more and more."

Ruby turns to her and asks, "So, what is it gonna be, Maxi? Remember, these young girls went out of their way just to be able to get your permission and spend time with your daughter."

"I know," my mother says before smiling. That's when I found out what her answer is.

━━━━━

"Let's watch No Time to Die!" Jaxon excitedly recommends. "It's Daniel Craig's last movie as James Bond. It'll be epic!"

Arrows grins widely and they do a high five. "Yeah!" he enthusiastically backs him up.