Destined for Love

Fourty four

"Do you remember that night, the night you agreed to be my girlfriend?" He asks out of nowhere.

I look up at him, his focus remains on the ceiling, his eyes are squinting as if he's trying to remember himself.

"Of course I do, I remember everything you big doofus" I chirp poking his nose trying to bring him out of his trance.

It works and he finally looks at me, this time with a dimpled smile. He places a soft kiss on my forehead before continuing.

"I've had a crush on you since the day you barged into Draven's room" he confesses.

My jaw drops.

Why did he make my life hell all those years if he had a crush on me?

Men.

Well actually boys, he was a boy with a crush just as I was a curious little girl with that SAME crush.

"Yeah right" I don't know what else to say. I thought it was one-sided back then and it's very hard to imagine him having any feeling but disgust towards me before everything happened.

"I'm serious Kat, the day you came into Draven's room,
After rudely interrupting us might I add," he says the last part with a stupid grin.

"That cute little bob with the bangs really did me in sweetheart" he says with a grin, before playfully pulling at my hair.

"Don't speak of that bob again" I scold him, pointing my finger at him like a mad mother.

My parents made me cut my hair short as I played too much and didn't take care of it as I should have.

"Yes ma'am" he retorts throwing his hands up in submission.

"So you're telling me that you've had a crush on me ever since?" I say confused but focused on the mission at hand.

"You've been on my mind every day since. You were so innocent and I couldn't ruin that, -" he pauses for just a moment.

"Sooo, I kept my distance and treated you like shit" he pulls my hand into his caressing my palm gently.

"You could've just told me, you know instead of making my life hell every year after." I laugh.

"I'm sorry Kathrine, genuinely. I shouldn't have treated you that way but it was the only way I could keep myself from you. Not that it's a good excuse but-" he paused once more as he squeezing my hand gently and continues

"Making you hate me seemed easier than telling you how I felt, or really telling you anything nice at all" his face changed after this sentence. No longer smiling but a serious look appears across his face.

A sad but cute serious face.

"Hey it's okay, we're here now" I say with a smile. He remains quiet so I continue-

"You know, I don't think I hate you, in factt... I might even like you, I mean like a little bit, like thissss much" I say pushing my fingers together and squinting my eyes to prove my FAKE point.

"Is that right? Only a little eh?" He teases before throwing me on my back and tickling me.

"Only a little" I say between his tickle attacks on my sides.

He stops abruptly before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on my nose.

"God, I'm so lucky" he whispers before trailing kisses across my face.

"Yes, yes you're Mr. Paine. Very lucky" I say jokingly knowing there's a slight truth to my banter.

We lay together in silence for a bit before I remember his mom is still probably worried sick.

"You need to go home" I hum against his arm.

"Only if you come with me" he says squeezing me into his side.

"Deal, I need a shower first though" I agree.

"Me too actuallyyy" he says as his smirk grows.

I roll my eyes and walk towards the bathroom looking back at him as if inviting him to follow. He does.

We finally pull up to his house around 5 pm. His mom's car sits in the same spot like she hasn't left since I went searching.

We walk in and I immediately smell cookies. She must be nervous baking.

"Oh thank you Jesus" she screams before running towards Corbin and me and throwing her arms around him.

Her eyes meet mine and I can tell she's been crying. She smiles slightly before kissing Corbin on the forehead.

"I'm fine" Corbin huffs.

She ignores her son for a moment and brings me into a gentle hug.

"Thank you for bringing him home Kathrine" she whispers in my ear.

I stay silent as I nod my head. Tears slowly fall from my eyes before I'm able to try and keep them away.

I'm grateful I found him but at the same time, I'm upset that he felt like he couldn't talk to me about everything, which is selfish of me I know.

She points me to the cookies with a smile knowing I'm trying to hide my tears just as she is. I smile back with a slight nod.

She and Corbin head to the living room and I can hear their conversation lightly from where I'm standing at the counter.

"You know son, my heart can't take many more of your disappearing acts" I hear his mother say, her voice cracking and I know immediately that she's crying.

My heart breaks once more. But this time for his Mom.

I try to ignore the rest of their conversation and wait a while before I finally walk into the living room.

His mother is no longer in the living room. Meaning she must have gone to bed.

He sits there looking at the ceiling, arms crossed. The light from the end table shines perfectly across his figure, being its now dark outside.

He looks to be stuck in thought.

He doesn't notice me walking towards him. That is until the floor creeks, completely ratting out my position.

His eyes jump to mine and I can tell he's been crying, as have I. I sit next to him on the couch waiting for him to speak the first word.

He doesn't, instead, he pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head. I feel his chest slowly move up and down, his tears silently fall into my hair.

I wrap my arms around his and hold him tightly, slowly caressing my thumb across his arm to reassure him.