Between the Lines || A KK Harvey + Tate McRae Romance

15.

Tate's POV

"Does she know you're taking space?" Gracie asks, turning her head to look behind her at a very sulky KK.

Copying the notes on the board, I nod, wholly uninterested and not wanting to talk about this right now. "Yes, I talked to her about this,"

"When exactly?" She bends down to try to catch my eyes underneath my hoodie.

"I'm not lying?" I snap back.

She sighs, looking over at my paper and writing what I have. "I know you're not, I just feel bad for her, she looks sad,"

"I talked to her at the party,"

"And why are you taking this break?"

"For starters," I turn towards her, putting my pen down and leaning my cheek on my hand. "We're way too close to be just friends; it's honestly annoying at this point,"

"So you guys are like 'casual'?"

My eyes open wide with realization as I shout excitedly. "Exactly!" Okay, maybe too excited because people, including KK and Katie, turn towards us, giving us awkward stares.

Gracie giggles into her hand beside a very red me. "Calm down," I huff.

"But in all seriousness," She barely pulls herself together, her face red from laughing. "You should talk to her about what you two are because clearly you want more."

"Maybe,"

After class...

"Hey," I tap on KK's shoulder from behind, catching up to her with the rush of people around us. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," She nods frantically, grabbing my hand and pulling me out one of the million doors lining the hallway we're in. Pulling me into a small, secluded courtyard, she turns to face me. Waiting for me to start, I guess.

"So," I say awkwardly, my hands swinging around my hips. "About me being sort of distant lately,"

"Sort of?" She snaps and immediately covers her mouth, trying to take back what she said. "No, no, I'm sorry," She waves her hand, trying to grab mine in the frenzy, but I only pull away more.

I decide to restart, ignoring her last bit. "What are we?" I ask bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what we are," I ask again, still as straight to the point as ever.

"Well," She begins, looking anywhere but my eyes. "We're friends?"

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I knew she would say this, and I still brought this up?

"We haven't talked to anyone romantically other than each other in months, and you just want to stop if we do? You want to just pretend like this," I motion between us, tears threatening to pour. "Isn't real? Like we're just friends?"

"I-I'm just not sure," KK whispers, her eyes looking anywhere but my face.

I'm pretty sure I can literally feel my blood boiling as I clench my fists, anger overpowering the calmness I originally planned to use.

"We've had fucking sex, KK!" I shout in her face, tears pouring down my face by now. "'Friends,'" I mock in her tone, using air quotes. "Don't do that!"

She just stands there, staring until her eyes start watering, and she swats at them. "I know, I'm sorry,"

"I have feelings for you, don't you get that? Friends aren't supposed to have feelings like this." I continue, my hands waving wildly as I explain everything to her.

She just continues standing and looking at the ground.

"So you're gonna say nothing, huh?" I ask, closing my eyes and looking away. "Bye, I guess,"

I turn to leave, and she doesn't even try to stop me; she just continues looking down at the ground and the stupid grass beneath our feet. When I get to the door, I look back, finishing with one last thing. "KK, if you can't tell I am absolutely head over heels for you, then you're stupid. I have been completely obsessed with you since we met, and you haven't noticed? And you think I haven't picked up on the fact that you are, too? But we're just friends, right? We're just fucking friends."

A couple weeks later...

KK's POV

"I might actually fucking die if I go one more day like this without her," I whine, sprawled out on the couch.

"Then go get her?" Laila suggests as if it's just an obvious thing. Well, I guess it is. I just can't. I don't know how Tate will react, and I don't think she'll even want me back.

"Bro, literally just go fucking knock on her apartment door," Katie chimes in, shoving some buffalo wings in her mouth.

I sigh, continuing to look up at the ceiling, debating if they might actually be right right now. "Neither of you is gay; you don't get it," This elicits a loud gasp from Kaite and a chuckle from Laila.

"Uh, hello?" They ask dramatically. "Both of us are??"

Tate's POV

A soft knock at the door interrupts my movie marathon night with Isla and Gracie on my couch. Soft enough for only me to hear because neither girl makes a move or even shows signs of noise. Huh, maybe I'm just imagining things, so I turn my attention back to the movie, snuggling deeper into the fuzzy blanket. A fair amount of time passes before I hear another quiet knock at the door; this time, I know I'm not hearing things, and it's definitely someone knocking.

"I'm gonna go get some more popcorn," I say, grabbing the bowl between us. In return, they give me weird looks as the bowl is nearly full and refilled mere minutes ago, but they don't object.

Tip-toeing into the kitchen, I place the bowl on the counter, quietly turning towards the door and looking through the peephole. KK.

Months later...

KK's POV

"I think just Gracie and Isla-" Tate's interrupted by a loud Katie sprinting from the bathroom, sliding into the living room on her socks and jumping on top of us, cuddling on my couch.

"Isla?!" She shouts excitedly.

"Yes, Isla," Tate rolls her eyes, smiling as she texts what I assume is one of her group chats with her best friends.

"Baby, be nice," I tell her, rubbing her back and then smirking, turning towards my roommate. "Katie just has a crush,"

"Shut up," Katie responds, her excitement quickly deflating as I try to embarrass her.

*A/N*

hey guyssss! last chapter!! i hope you enjoyed and im so excited to see you in the future. im still debating if i am going to write the katie spin off, i think i might but idk. i think i left the ending lowkey ominous, but kk and tate are together!! also, i ai checked all my work after i use Grammarly and before and it like shows over 50% ai???!!! im so mad because i use it at school and now i like can't. but anyway, thank you so much and please remember to vote!! see you next time! ❤️L