Why Wait?

21

~~~Strike's dressing room~~~
Ty decided to play Twister with me and Luke so things just got more complicated.

"It hurts," Ty complains.

"I can't hold on any longer," Luke says.

"Don't you dare," I say. "You'll fall on me."

Ty laughs, causing both of us to laugh, making Luke fall on me. I groan under his weight. "You're killing me."

He rolls off me. "Who's idea was it to play this game?"

"Yours," Ty and I say simultaneously.

We hear footsteps coming from the hallway then stop.

"What are you guys doing?"

Ty grins. "Hey, Alex. You just missed us playing Twister."

He shakes his head. "I don't even want to know," he mutters, walking towards the fridge.

Slowly, I get up from the floor.

"Do you want to play again?" Ty asks us.

I shake my head. "I can't. Cody's sister's birthday is today."

Luke cocks his head to the side. "That idiot has a sister?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes. And she's nothing like him so I have to be there."

"Do you want us to tell Austin?"

I purse my lips. "I think he knows."

As I was leaving through the door, Alex catches up with me. "Kelli," he says. "Wait up."

He stops in front of me. "We need to talk," he tells me.

I look away. "I have to go," I say quietly.

"Let me ask you a question first."

I hesitate a while before finally nodding. It probably has something to do with the kiss.

"Did you kiss me back because you felt like you had to?"

The question caught me by surprise. What do I say to that? "I just... I--"

"Kelli," I hear Austin say. "Cody is--" He stops when he sees us. "What are you doing?"

We ignore him. I stay quiet for a while before sighing. "It was perfect," I whisper. "But there's no way things are going to work out."

I say all of this slowly, because I need him to understand.

"Alright," he mutters after a few minutes. "I guess I'll see you around."

And that's all he says before leaving.

Austin sighs from behind me. "Cody is waiting," he says quietly.

I let out a small groan and walk past my brother.

~~~Myrtle Beach~~~
Montana, Cody's little sister, runs up to me. "You came!"

I wrap her up in a hug. "Of course I did. Happy birthday."

She beams at me. "Thanks."

I walk with her towards the gazebo Cody had rented. He was standing near the presents watching everything. He smiles when he sees me. "Hey, babe," he says, giving me a soft kiss.

I wrap my arms around his waist. "You look stressed."

He lets out a chuckle. "Thats the understatement of the century."

"Whats wrong?"

He sighs. "The entertainment people decided they couldn't come. So now we have no entertainment."