Real Love (Book I)

Chapter 9

| 11:48 a.m. |

*Aaliyah's P.O.V*

I began to open my eyes a little bit and yawned. As I looked around I remembered I wasn't in my own home, or on my own couch...and this chest my head is on is not Ginuwine's. I pulled my head up quickly. Well he does smell really good, I thought to myself as I put my head back down and inhaled the scent of his cologne. But, no this isn't right ...he's your friend and you have a boyfriend, I thought as I quickly pulled my head up once again. This time I met Michael's eyes.

"Liyah, what are you doing?", he asks.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Why?", I ask as I sat all the way up.

"You banged your heavy head against my chest twice", he says stretching.

"I was...I don't even know really and my head is not heavy", I say getting up.

He stared at me blankly as I walked past him.

"Where are you going?", he asks.

I grab an apple out of a bowl that sat on the kitchen counter.

"Outside for a walk. I need to clear my head of some things", I say.

"Ok, well I have to be at rehearsals in like a half hour. You can stay here until I get back if you want", he says.

"Ok. Bye", I say walking back over to him and giving him a hug.

He hugs me back and then makes his way upstairs and I head out to the trail.

*Michael's P.O.V*

As I put on my rehearsal clothes, I began to think of Liyah. I'm not sure what it is but I woke up feeling different about her; almost as if I'm developing deeper feelings for her. I don't see how this could happen since I've never had these emotions toward her before. How could an hour possibly change my entire view of her?

Suddenly the phone rang and I was taken away from my thoughts.

I picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Michael, it's Kenny Ortega. I'm sorry but we need to start rehearsals a little earlier today since I have some extra things I wanted to add into it. Is that okay?", he asks.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll be there shortly", I say rubbing my forehead.

"Alright, see you soon Mike", Kenny says and hangs up.

I sigh as I continue think and prepare myself for this long day.

*Aaliyah's P.O.V*

Why me? How could I possibly have feelings for Mike? He's my best friend and before today...well really, before this hour, I never thought of him in that way. Maybe I've had these feelings subconsciously and they're just now exposing themselves. But, why now? I'm in a relationship, sort of, and what if Michael doesn't feel the same way? Oh my gosh, this is so wrong. There's no way I can tell him about this.

I walked back to the house and sure enough, Michael was already gone. I picked up the phone that sat in the living room and called my friend Cassidy.

"Hello?", I heard her answer.

"Cass, the most bizarre thing is going on in my right now", I say resting a hand on my forehead.

"What's going on?"

"It's Michael. I came to his house so we can talk and then we fell asleep and-"

"Wait, 'we fell asleep' as in both of you? In the same vicinity?", she asks.