Who You Love

The First Day

June 17, 2018

Waking up peacefully in this household is something that has been on my bucket list since very long. Today was no different, I woke up with the absolute screams coming from all the other rooms from my home sweet home. "Marina! Wake up! We have so many chores to do before we go to aunt Nelly's place", Aria comes running to the room sliding all the curtains. "Yeah I'll get up and get ready once you guys are done with all the work." "You're such a lazy ass!" Sighed Ari with a grumpy face.

And trust me I did get up after their working slash screaming session. It has been sprinkling today all day, kinda romantic. I ate my breakfast and was excited to get ready and wear my dress, it was baby pink with silver linings.. would be the prettiest dress in my closet for now. I was never a big makeup person, for me getting ready meant brushing my long hair, putting little amount of powder on my whole face and some tint on my lips.. That's it I'm done! I've been going through some hard phases but I also feel really good about myself these days, it's like I'm very confident with how I look and carry myself, something that I have struggled with before.

"How much time can someone possibly take to get ready?! We're going in 5 mins so I need you two to come downstairs asap", mom gets ready the quickest and that's why she's always up on our ass. "I want you two to be on your best behaviours today at Nelly's place. Your father and I won't be babysitting you two grown up kids there. Alright?" "Got it."

Few years ago my family and relatives got into a conflict which resulted in us cutting off most of them but we still gather together in special occasions such as today. Hardest part of it was growing up without my cousins as we were so close, at least that's what it seemed like to me. That's why these family gatherings feel suffocating now, elders taunting each other in the name of having a good time, my cousins all crawled up in one corner of the room while the other corner had a much less exciting sight of my sister and I getting bored out of our asses. I won't lie, it made me sad and even mad but I tried my best to be in *best behaviour*. "You know what, let's get out of here. You have that friend um what's her name again.. Riley! let's go to her place she lives next door right?" "Yeah she does, she actually told me to come but I thought you wouldn't want to go so I haven't said anything to her yet." "I mean that's obviously a better option than being here, grab your lunch and then let's go."  The fact that I've always been a shy introverted mess probably made my sister shocked when I said I wanted to go to somewhere I've never been before. Honestly I was shocked too but then again I would've done anything to get out of that hellhole, every time I come to these family events it makes my heart shatter into these little pieces to see my cousins cornering me even though I had no fault no contribution to any of the drama.

As my sister and I stood in front of Riley's home, we realised we might have made a wrong decision because we could see the whole house full of guests which is a nightmare for us or should I say for me? "Aria you came! Oh my god you made Marina come with you?! That's amazing! Come inside come on." "Sorry we didn't know you had people coming over, we'll leave soon." "Are you kidding me? That's just my relatives, I'll introduce you to them and No you won't leave anytime soon, come to my room you two."

When Aria and I walked through the door of Riley's room, I saw him laying on the right side of the bed staring me with those big brown eyes and right at that moment I knew I felt something I never felt before. "Hey you guys, she's Aria, my friend whom I told you about and that's Marina, her little sister. So Aria, that's my little brother Tate and my cousin Nathan." "Nice to meet ya'll. we've heard so much about you from Riley", I think Nathan was crushing on Aria, he was blushing the whole time, made us all feel like third wheels as he only talked to Ari the whole time.. I mean, Ari has a history of boys going crazy for her, with that porcelain skin, brown straight hair and met gala wardrobe worthy clothes, who wouldn't?! I sat in a chair that seemed to be right in front of Tate and I saw him staring at me and even smiling the whole time?! Was something on my face? Was I looking weird? I got really anxious and walked up to the mirror to see, everything was fine thank God. And then again I saw him watching me in the mirror and I felt something in my stomach, is it what they say are butterflies?  "So Tate, do you know Marina is a straight A student? She is an all rounder, learn something from her!"  Riley kept scolding Tate making me as an example to follow, he didn't say a word, he kept smiling looking at me. In fact, that whole day he did those two things.

We came home at night. I took a long cold shower, my favorite thing after a tiresome day. Music has been a big part of my life comforting me throughout everything and suddenly *I like me better by Lauv* kept playing on my shuffle playlist and a glimpse of him kept flashing before my eyes. Those eye contacts, blushing away, smiling at each other.. we sure talked a lot without talking at all. I caught myself smiling.. have I fallen in love? But how? I don't even know anything about him.. well except the fact that he was 17, kinda dull in his studies, a pure hottie and has an almost functional family.. hmmm exactly my type.

I couldn't sleep the whole night, I kept repeating
those memories again and again. I knew I was falling for this tall handsome boy, I needed to see him again..

🥎 WRITER'S NOTE - PLEASE LIKE, SHARE AND COMMENT. LET ME KNOW IF YOU LIKED IT OR NOT! And I've chosen the songs for each chapter very thoughtfully, check them out too! 🥎