Back To You

Cheeseburgers

Omniscient; Flashback

Malakai twisted off the cap of her favorite mascara. She leaned into Hiraeth's vanity mirror as she applied the makeup to her eyelashes. "Hiraeth you don't understand. He actually paid for my food."

"He's a boy and he invited you out on a date. By law or something he has to pay for your food." Hiraeth laid on her bed, uninterestedly flipping through a shopping catalog.

"Why are you so grumpy?" Malakai asked.

She had been excitedly talking about her third date with Nathan but Hiraeth wasn't as excited. Instead of fully listening to Malakai, Hiraeth would occasionally mumble something negative about Nathan.

"Because I don't want to hear about him," Hiraeth said.

Malakai turned around to look at Hiraeth. "I listen to you whenever you talk about anything you like."

"I like cheeseburgers, puppies, and rainbows. Not boys, there's a huge difference." Hiraeth shrugged. Tired of Hiraeth's lack of attention, Malakai snatched the catalog from Hiraeth and threw it on the floor.

"We're not in middle school anymore. Boys are no longer icky, it's okay to like them." Malakai sat on Hiraeth's bed, earning a glare from Hiraeth.

"And what if I don't?" Hiraeth asked. Unlike the other girls her age, Hiraeth wasn't interested in boys. In all her years of living, she had never had a crush. Hiraeth figured that the other girls didn't like boys either, they just pretended to.

"Then what do you like?" Malakai asked.

"Cheeseburgers." Hiraeth smiled. "So we can talk about cheeseburgers instead of Nathan?"

"No, you can talk about cheeseburgers while I talk about the love of my life." Malakai smiled dreamily, causing Hiraeth to roll her eyes.

"He's not the love of your life."

"Why isn't he?" Malakai asked.

Hireath sat up. "Because I'm the love of your life."

Malakai laughed, finding Hiraeth's claim to be absolutely foolish. Hiraeth couldn't possibly be the love of her life. Hiraeth would have to love her like Nathan did. "Do you love me?"

"I love you," Hiraeth said without missing a beat. Hiraeth knew that she loved Malakai more than Nathan did. She knew that she loved Malakai more than any friend or boyfriend could. Hiraeth just needed Malakai to realize it. Maybe then Malakai would dump Nathan.

"I love you too." Malakai placed a gentle kiss on Hiraeth's cheek. In return, Hiraeth wrapped her arms around Malakai. Hiraeth laid down, dragging Malakai down with her.

"See we can be together forever. No one else is needed. We don't need friends or boyfriends." Hiraeth squealed.

"But I want to keep Nathan," Malakai whispered. Instead of responding Hiraeth just sighed and released Malakai. Malakai sat up. "Please let me keep him? I can take you on our dates and I'll buy you food."

"Why can't he buy me food?" Hiraeth asked.

"You're not his girlfriend." Malakai pointed out. "Rye, why do you hate him so much?"

Hiraeth absentmindedly looked over her ceiling. "First of all, I never said I hated him."

"You do. You don't want me to be with him or talk about him. You went the extra mile of offering to have sex with me. Why?" Malakai wondered.

"I don't hate him." Hiraeth reiterated. She didn't hate Nathan, she just hated the feeling of her best friend slipping away.

"Then why?" Malakai asked.

"Because I love you. And I hate seeing you with him. It breaks my heart." Hiraeth pouted.

Malakai rolled her eyes and tried to climb off of the bed but Hiraeth grabbed her. "Hiraeth you're not listening to me."

"You're not listening to me." Hiraeth rebutted stubbornly.

"You are my best friend. You don't want me like he does." Malakai said.

"Yes, I do!" Hiraeth insisted.

Malakai straddled Hiraeth. Hiraeth held her breath, caught off guard by how close Malakai's face was. "If you want me so bad, then prove it. Kiss me."

Hiraeth's bottom lip trembled and her eyes watered. Of course, Hiraeth wanted to kiss Malakai... Hiraeth just couldn't. "I'm sorry."

Malakai's posture softened as she realized that she sent her friend into tears. "No, I'm sorry. I'll get off of you."

"I'll do it, I just haven't kissed anyone before," Hiraeth admitted.

Malakai rolled off of Hiraeth and onto her back. "I don't want you to kiss me. Not unless you want to."

"I want to," Hiraeth said.

"Honestly, Hiraeth I don't think you're ready to kiss anyone." Malakai shrugged.

Hiraeth was puzzled. "Why do you think that?"

Malakai looked at Hiraeth. "Because you've never liked a boy before. You can't possibly be rea-"

"Were you ready when you kissed Nathan?" Hiraeth asked.

"I was. But I think my mind wanted it more than my body did." Malakai grimaced once she remembered how terrible her first kiss was. "I almost gagged the first time he kissed me."

"Why?"

Malakai shrugged. "I don't know. I was also sad for a while afterward."

"You didn't tell me that." Hiraeth frowned. Malakai rarely kept things from Hiraeth. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I felt broken." Malakai quietly admitted.

"Do you think I'm broken?" Hiraeth asked.

Malakai shook her head with no hesitation. "No, you're perfect just the way you are."

"Even if I like cheeseburgers instead of boys?" Hiraeth asked.

"Even if you never like boys at all," Malakai said.

Hiraeth smiled. "I love you."

"I love you more." Malakai grabbed Hiraeth's hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.