Bainbridge Bride

Chapter 15

"Okay Gary! I'll play Call of Duty with you later!" Logan calls to her boyfriend Gary who'd rather play video games than do anything else.

"How many calories are in this?" I ask, taking in a spoonful of strawberry cheesecake ice cream.

"To hell with how many calories are in the ice cream, I wanna hear more about Kent!" Logan holds her spoon in the air. I wonder which Kent I should tell her about. The Kent that's sweet and caring or the eavesdropping asshole Kent. The choice is made.

"Kent always wants to help me. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate that. But this relationship isn't even real!" I whisper yell. Logan runs a hand through her pixie cut like she does when she's thinking.

"From everything you've told me about what happened today, it seems like he wants you to accept his help and his kindness. But you're shutting him out, which is typical for you." Logan shrugs and eats another spoonful of ice cream. Typical for me? I didn't think I shut people out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I slap her arm playfully.

"That you don't let people get close to you and you do everything in your power to keep them out of your life." Logan admits. I take a sip from my water bottle to keep from saying anything too quickly.

"Well he's already in my life and I'm not sure how to get him out this time." I choke out after a tough swallow of water and pride. If Kent wanted to be in my life then he wouldn't have dragged me into this mess. But now that my family is dry on money, I need this mess to keep up going. Who knows how long it'll take for my parents to get back on their feet.

Dropping out of school isn't an option for me.

"Paige, I've only talked to Kent once. But I'm pretty sure you're not seeing all of him." Logan's voice is firm. All of him? What is there that I'd want to see?

"All of him? I know his parents and nobody is hiding anything." I try to reason. Kent couldn't possibly be hiding something after we'd already made this stressful arrangement. If he was, he could be prepared to lose my friendship.

"Sometimes you have to dig." Logan smirks.

"Dig?" I ask apprehensively. I hear Gary pause his game.

"Dig!" Gary yells back to me causing Logan to laugh.

"Bring out the love shovels." Gary emerges out of the hallway. He walks over to sit on Logan's lap.

"Bring out the, get your butt off of me shovels." Logan answers as Gary stands up.

"Okay, okay. Hurry up and go home Paige, we have to bond over video games." Gary jokes, earning a slap on the butt from Logan. I look at them, envying their special relationship.

"I have one question for you." Logan says when Gary is gone.

"Ask away." I shovel in a mouthful of calories.

"Why'd you kiss Kent if you don't care for him?" Logan tosses her empty ice cream tub in the trash. For once I can't  answer a question. I want to say that I kissed Kent only because I felt attracted to him in that moment. But the truth is that sometimes when we hang out I feel more than just a friendship.

"I kissed him because it seemed okay. In the moment." I lie, looking away from Logan's face.

"In this moment, you should go home and talk to Kent because you know he's just trying to be a good friend. Right Gare Bear?" Logan calls to Gary.

"Actually, I think you should sleep on it. Take a break for a while, you deserve it." Gary peeks out from the doorway. I look back at Logan who clearly wanted some alone time with Gary.

"I'll let you two be alone, I'll just go home." I compromise. Logan holds out her hand as if to tell me to stay.

"No no, it's fine! I'll see you at work?" I tell Logan as I open the door to her apartment. She shrugs and walks into the guest room where Gary is playing video games.

"Bye Paige!" they say in unison. I shut the door behind me, feeling insecure and unsure of myself.
_________________
"Is Kent here?" I ask Bradley, peering into the well lit house.

"N-no. Kent went for a drive about an hour ago." Bradley explains. I play with my hands, feeling awkward here with Bradley.

"I'll just go home then. Can you tell him I stopped by?" I ask Bradley before walking down the steps. Bradley begins to close the door.

"You should talk to him, why don't you come in?" Bradley suggests. I want to decline, but Bradley is right. I should talk to Kent and work this out.

"Okay then." I walk across the threshold and inhale the familiar scent of Kent. It feels empty without his presence.

"He shouldn't be much longer, would you like something to drink?" Bradley asks.

"Something like what?" I ask. Bradley shrugs uncomfortably.

"Coffee, tea, water, maybe a juice?" he suggests. Which one will take him the longest to make? I decide it's coffee since he'll have to brew the whole pot and then fix it up. I tell him I want coffee and wait until he's gone to walk over to the bookshelf in the living room to inspect the picture album sitting on the top shelf.

The front cover is a picture of Kent when he was just born. His blue eyes are the same brightness as they are now. Olivia looks younger and Arthur looks much more kind and forgiving.

I slowly turn the pages to keep from making any noise. I feel like Logan at this moment, she constantly snoops and sneaks through things that aren't hers. I smile at the pictures of Kent and his sisters in front of what looks like a castle. Then I remember how he told me about his trips to the royal palace.

My favorite picture has to be the one where he's sitting on a throne much too large for him. Or maybe my favorite is the one where he's wearing a crown, his hair messier than ever. It seems like they took so many pictures during this one trip.

"And what you're doing isn't worse than eavesdropping?" Kent comes through the front door with a bag in his hand and a bouquet of pink carnations. Bradley walks in with my coffee to make things even more awkward. I drop the album where I found it.

"Here you go, Paige." Bradley hands me the hot mug. Kent throws the bag and flowers at my feet.

"Keep the mug, and your gifts." Kent slams his bedroom door. Looking at the pictures seemed so small.

What have I done?