Yeah, I Hate You Too, Sweetheart.

Chapter 24 - Justin

Justin

           Nick was smoking out on the back porch when I finally found him after at least fifteen minutes of searching. He leaned back against the back railing, a cigarette between his fingers, a contemplative look on his face.

   I made a sour face, leaning against the porch railing beside him, gesturing towards the cigarette.

 "I thought you stopped smoking," I said to him.

  Nick shrugged, taking a drag on the cigarette before flicking off a bit of ash. "I did, for the most part. But my dad offered me one, and I didn't want to be rude, of course."

  Right. Smoking was a big European thing, wasn't it? Plus, Dimitri Petrolas was from Greece. He constantly said that he was thankful he'd mostly gotten rid of his "embarrassing" accent, as he liked to put it. 

   I shook my head, fighting back a disgusted shudder. There was a lot of things I'd be willing to try in this world, but smoking wasn't one of them.

  "How'd Laila take being told she had to room with Maggie?" Nick asked conversationally a minute later.

   I wasn't sure whether I should be bursting into laughter or shaking my head in sympathy.

"I think she was expecting it," I answered. "She didn't look too surprised. But not at all happy."

 Nick laughed, taking a drag on his cigarette. "I don't blame her. Thank God I've never had to share a room with Maggie."

  I grimaced in agreement. Too right that was.

"I wouldn't worry about Maggie, though," Nick said, catching my attention.

 I gave him a curious look. "And why not?"

"Mainly because Laila's got you wrapped around her finger," he said with another shrug.

  I laughed loudly, trying to pass it off as a sarcastic noise. "Yeah, right. I am not  whipped."

Nick arched an eyebrow, giving me a dirty look. "You hate PDA. And you kissed her in the middle of an airport?"

  I frowned. He did have a point there.

"She looked sad," I trailed off, sort of lost. "I was.... cheering her up?"

  Nick barked out a laugh, nearly dropping his cigarette on the porch, which could've been disastorous. 

   "So that's what they call it these days?" he said, his eyebrows practically shooting up his forehead. "Cheering up?"

  I rolled my eyes, giving him a derisive look. 

"Just admit it, Justin," Nick sighed, taking a drag. "You like her."

   I sighed heavily after him, throwing my hands in the air.

"Yeah, okay, so I like her."

   I fell silent, glancing up at the quickly darkening night sky, a few stars starting to make themselves known with a few twinkles.

   "I like her a lot, actually." 

Nick ground his cigarette out thoroughly on one of the logs in the fire pit before tossing the discarded thing over the side of the porch.

   "Yeah, I know," Nick said simply. "So go do something about it."

  But before I could really do anything  about it, I heard my mother's familiar voice shouting to the two of us outside frantically.