(?)Friend

Siebenunddreißig

We ended up going to an arcade and having an absolute blast. We ate pizza and popcorn. When we ran out of energy, we went to a park to just chill.

We were both sprawled out on the grass, gazing at the already darkened sky.

"You're so fun to hang out with," she said quietly.

I smiled. "You too."

She rolled over to her side to face me. I rested on mine, turning to face her too.

"Can I kiss you?" she whispered.

I nodded and closed my eyes as she leaned in. It wasn't a peck this time. The kiss lasted for a few minutes before she pulled away, both of us out of breath.

"That was good."

I nodded in agreement.

Part of me felt wrong, though. I was kissing a girl that was amazing to kiss, yet I felt like I was cheating somehow.

My mind wandered to Asaiah and Tyler. We're they kissing right now too? It made my stomach churn.

I pushed the random thought away and went back to looking at Lilly who was studying me curiously now.

"What?" I asked.

"You don't seem happy. You're thinking about something else. Someone else?"

"I.." I didn't want to lie to her. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

There were a few moments of silence as we laid back down and watched the stars.

"I'm not the right person, am I?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Tell me if I'm way off, but I think you'd rather be kissing Asaiah."

My eyes opened wide. "Why do you think that!?"

She shrugged as she sat back up to face me again, resting on her elbows. "I have a feeling. When I first saw you guys, you seemed really close. She seemed annoyed that I flirted with you."

I let the words sink in, but they floated at the top without giving me understanding.

"You also seem jealous of Tyler whenever they're together. On the double date, you scowled at them nearly the whole time."

"I did!?"

She nodded, amused. "I may be wrong, but I think you guys like each other, where or not you're aware."

I stared at the grass, absentmindedly picking at it. "You're not mad?"

"No, of course not. I can't control who you like. I mean, I really like you, but I'm not so smitten that my heart is broken or anything. I know Asaiah is a really amazing person. You should give it a shot."

I thought hard about what she said. Did I really like my best friend?

"She has a boyfriend, you know."

"Yeah. I don't know, though."

"What don't you know?"

"If they'll last, because I think she likes you."

"This is all assuming I like her. I haven't even come to that conclusion."

"Then tell me you don't like her. Tell me you wouldn't have rather been kissing her than me. You might not know if you do like her, but you'll know if you don't. Tell me her relationship doesn't bother you at all."

I gaped at how profound her words were. They made absolute sense.