Stay Gold {O2L}

9 Days

CANDACE MILLER

I woke up feeling brand new. It was as if I turned a page and the chapter of my life with Connor was over. Now I was just excited to see what happens next.

"Hey girls, what are we doing today?" I walked out my bedroom to see my two best friends and little sister all sitting on the couch eating breakfast.

"If you guys don't mind, I was thinking about going out with Sam. He's going to teach me how to surf" I saw the way her eyes lit up when she spoke about him, and I felt a twang of pain for only a second. Turns out the chapter may have been longer than I thought.

"Yeah, sounds fun actually. How about you two?" I looked at Katie and Amber and they both refused to look me in the eye.

"Um, well, Kian and Trevor invited the two of us to an Ariana Grande concert. But if you don't want us to go we can totally cancel!" Amber said.

"But they are front row seats" Katie continued, and Amber jabbed her in the side with her elbow, causing Katie to spill her cereal all over herself.

"No guys, it's totally fine. Maybe I'll do some sight seeing before I have to leave" I said and smiled, happy that they were all happy.

"You should totally call JC! He alone today too because Ricky is shooting a music video in San Diego and Connor, well the two of them aren't talking to each other" Melinda said and the two other girls nodded in agreement. I quickly ate my breakfast while texting JC, wondering why he decided to shun Connor. JC and I weren't close at all, and Connor and him were practically brothers.

I showered quickly and let my hair air dry as I put on a t-shirt and some jeans. I grabbed a random pair of Vans as I walked out the door, realizing that I was already fifteen minutes late for meeting up with JC. I walked down to the apartment complex lobby and saw him leaned up against the wall, looking effortlessly casual.

"Hey, thanks for hanging out with me today" I went up and gave him a hug, and for some reason I felt a little better. 

"My pleasure. Where to?" He asked.

"I have an idea" I said and began walking forward, JC walking closely behind.

"Ice cream? Candace, this might be your best idea yet" He said and I laughed. Not a fake laugh or a forced one, an actual laugh. It was nice to hear.

The two of us ordered and sat outside, despite the southern California heat. We talked for hours, getting up and walking down Sunset Boulevard. He showed me everything worth seeing in walking distance, and before I knew it it was nighttime.

"Thanks JC" I said randomly as we started making our way back home.

"I already told you, I was happy you texted" 

"No not for that" I started, "It's just that, for the first time since the whole Connor incident, I feel like me again. I'm really happy, not just faking it to make Katie feel better" I said and he just smiled happy, wrapping an arm around me give my shoulder a light squeeze. For some reason I didn't want his warmth to leave.

"I'm happy to hear it Candace, and don't think about Connor anymore. He's not worth your tears or even your words" He said with a jaw clenched at the end.

"Yeah, I heard you two weren't talking. I really hope it's not because of me"

"I just don't know what would compel him to cheat on a girl like you" JC said as we got into the building, "You're beautiful, funny, sarcastic and caring. I'm angry at him I guess because if I was in his shoes, I knew I wouldn't be that stupid. He really messed up, how do I know if I can trust our friendship if he isn't even loyal to the girl he was supposedly in love with? I would've treated you better" The elevator doors opened to our floor when realization hit me: maybe Connor wasn't the one. Maybe I was looking at the one right now.

"Are you saying that you, um, like me?" I refused to look up because my cheeks were so red. I was currently looking at his shoes, a thousand different outcomes of this conversation running through my mind.

JC lifted my face up as the doors of the elevator closed yet again because we both neglected to get out, "I'm saying I've been fascinated by you since the moment we met. I'm saying that I would never, ever do the things Connor did to you. I'm saying that you should give me a try. And above all, I'm saying that we should kiss" 

His gaze was inescapable. I knew it was wrong, I knew that there couldn't be something between us, I was leaving in 9 days. He was a free spirit. It would never work. We would never work.

But that didn't stop me from grabbing the back of his neck and kissing him passionately, just as I heard the elevator doors open. I didn't care who was watching us, I was caught in the moment.

The two of us stopped to catch our breath, our foreheads touching as our chests rose and fell in sync. I heard someone clear their throat, and when I turned I almost fainted.

"You guys make a lovely couple" Connor said, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for the main floor, "I'm going down, how about you two?"