close to you ☼ steven conklin

07) decode

"done looking for signs in the gaps and the silence"

chapter seven .. decode

...

"steven, can i talk to you?" kaia asked the boy, feeling guilty for how she made shayla feel, she knew she had to tell steven about what happened with her and shayla

he was sitting on his phone on the living room couch, scrolling, looking at something kaia couldnt see

he looked up to her and then set his phone aside, "yeah, sure, what's up?"

kaia took a shaky breath before sitting next to him, she shifted uncomfortably, her gaze dropping to her hands "um, shayla found out about.. the kiss" she said

steven looked taken aback, "what? how?"

"drunk belly told her"

"are you serious?" he scoffed, looking upset

"yeah" she said quickly, "i talked to shayla about it, i told her i kissed you first and that she shouldn't be upset with you"

he rubbed the back of his neck, "you didn't have to lie"

kaia shrugged, meeting his gaze "i didn't want things to get messed up between you two, especially just because of.. one kiss at a party" she hesitated before she spoke again, "it didn't mean anything"

steven fell silent, looking down back at his phone and then to kaia, he looked upset

"right?" kaia asked again

steven nodded, "oh-oh yeah, yeah, nothing"

kaia smiled lightly, "you should go talk to her"

steven nodded, "right, thanks kaia"

kaia nodded and smiled at him, "mhm" she hummed

this is the right thing to do

☼☼☼

kaia trudged back up to her room, after having that conversation she just wanted some alone time, she was zoning out staring at the wall, so much has happened today she didn't really know what to think

she sighed and got up to leave her room, thinking maybe going to the beach might clear her head a bit, she heard laurel and susannah fighting, they never fought, what was going on?

"...well clearly you aren't" laurel said to susannah

kaia stayed behind her door, it slightly cracked open, listening in on the conversation