Falling in Love Backwards

A crumbling resolve

I awoke to someone banging mercilessly on my front door.

"Paige!! Open the door, or I'll call Kade to come pick the lock!"

God NO! I thought rushing to open the door before my best friend could embarrass me beyond measure.

"Jen, could you be any louder?" I asked glaring, but let her into the house anyway. She flounced in, and made herself at home at my kitchen table. Knowing that she would have some sort of gossip to share I quickly made some tea for me and coffee for her.

"Did you know that Kade's going to Colorado for a few weeks?" She asked once I had sat down with our drinks.

"Yes actually, we talked about it yesterday when he came into the store." I didn't want to think about that particular encounter at the moment. I was staring into my tea cup when she replied, but I was so far inside my own head that I didn't hear a word.

"Sis, are you alright?" She asked, reaching for my hand to regain my attention. Her eyes where filled with worry.

"Yeah, I was just thinking. You know how I get sometimes." I managed a small smile, that seemed to put her worries at ease. "What were you saying a moment ago?"

"Oh right, Kade says he's got to go set up his new house. Apparently they gave him a place to stay while he's up there working. Says it's really nice." She sipped at her coffee waiting for me to respond.

"Oh? He said something about having to go, but I wasn't paying attention I guess."

"Busy staring at his hunky bod?" She asked wriggling her brows at me suggestively. She had been trying to get us together since freshmen year of high school.

"Not this time I'm afraid." I stated matter-of-factly, daintily taking a sip of my tea.

"Ooh so you have been looking at him! I knew it, when did this happen?"

"Nothing happened, I just meant that I was too busy yesterday to notice his body or anything else. Not that I would either." I muttered into my cup, not meeting her eyes. I didn't really need her on my ass, about us getting together or something.

"Busy with what? Because there is almost nothing that could make me take my eyes off of that beautiful body of his." She replied dreamily, obviously thinking about said gorgeous body.

Did I just call his body gorgeous? Where are these thought coming from?

"I've been a little sick the last few days and finals are coming up. I don't have time for distractions. Like you. Now go home so I can study." I state getting up and ushering her out the door. She laughed and told me that I study too much.

"You don't know that half of it." I told her as I close the door. I seriously needed to get some school work done, but I was too tired to even think about trying at that moment.

I chose to catch up on some sleep and study later, once I was feeling better. I was out as soon as my exhausted body landed on the pile of pillows that littered my bed.

***

Around two that afternoon I managed to crawl out of bed, feeling refreshed and hungry. As I stood staring at my open fridge, my stomach rumbled impatiently. I settled on some left over pizza to satiate my hunger. I ambled over to the kitchen table where my laptop sat waiting for me to finish my studying. I sipped my tea and read through the assignment that I was meant to be working on.

When I checked the time later, it was almost 7 in the afternoon. I guess time flies when you need it most. I was trying to double up on my classes so that I could graduate early. I needed to get away from this town as soon as possible. Far away from anywhere Kade might be.

That stupid smirk of his. He knows what happened. He knows that he took my virginity, and now he was acting like it happened everyday. Like losing your virginity was something to be taken lightly. I was beyond angry. I was irrationally angry and hurt.

How could someone act so flippant about being given such a gift?

I figured that it's best to just forget about him.

But try as I might I couldn't forget about him. He was suddenly everywhere I went. We would meet in the grocery store, at the gas station, he even frequented the bakery.

He must be trying to test my patience.

"Kade, either you are developing a troubling cupcake addiction, or you're in here to see me." I finally confronted him after about a week of this behavior.

"Yes to both I'm afraid. I have a sweet tooth, for both these cupcakes and your sweet face." He grinned down at me, a boyish grin that crumbled my resolve.

"Well if that's not the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." I sighed, propping myself up on the counter. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Go on a date with me?" He smiled wider revealing heart stopping dimples. Damn, he wasn't playing fair.

"Why would I do that?" I asked walking towards the kitchen.

"Because you and I both know that you're attracted to me." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I spun on my heel, mouth agape in indignation.

"And because I'm crazy about you, too." He added reaching for my hand.

"That fact remains to be seem. Prove it to me and I might go on a date with you." I turned back around and made my escape through the door, letting it close loudly behind me.

Hopefully he would take my demand as seriously as he had taken all those girls in high school. That is, not at all. I couldn't afford to let myself become distracted from my goals. Least of all by some barely out of his teens playboy with a school yard crush. He would just end up breaking my heart in the end.

Right?

**********

Author Note
The pic is of Kade, aged 20