Limerence | I

17. Wait For It

"So your brother was selling the drugs we found in Long Island?" Xavier asked with raised eyebrows. I nodded my head. We'd been sitting on his couch for hours just talking the night away. After coming to talk to me in the practice room, he suggested that I hang out with him because he didn't want me to be alone. I agreed because deep down I didn't want to be alone either. "Damn." He finished.

I had already lost track of time but I was sure it was past Midnight. "I partially blame my big brother. He's been involved with this kind of stuff since he was a teenager. I think he could have prevented all of this." I told him. Xavier didn't say anything, but I could tell he was listening by the way he kept eye contact with me. He was a great listener. "But then again, I could have done more." I countered. Xavier pressed his lips into a straight line as he carried a hard look on his face. He took a deep breath.

"I know you're not asking me for advice, but I'm giving it to you anyway." He straightened his posture. "You might not want to hear this but there's nothing anybody could have done. He got himself into it knowing what could come out of it. And yes, maybe there was something that could have been done to postpone it but it was bound to happen. It's no one's fault but his own." He tried to speak so softly so that his words didn't come across too harsh. When I didn't respond, he placed a hand on top of mine. I looked down at the floor and sighed quietly. He might have been right but it was hard to swallow. I decided not to continue because I didn't know how. "Let's change the subject." He said with a forced smile. For a moment, he looked nervous. "Have you talked to Alex?"

"Not since we were on the roof." I shook my head. He nodded but didn't respond. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

"What are you smiling at?" He glanced at my lips. I couldn't help but laugh. It was obvious that he was jealous. Alex had to have told him about the necklace he was trying to give me. From the looks of it, Xavier didn't like it at all.

"You're jealous." I teased him just to see how far I could get. He raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

"I'm not jealous."

"You can admit it, Xavier. It's okay." I poked more fun at him. He briefly glared at me but it quickly turned into another one of his million dollar smiles. I bit my bottom lip, admiring his perfection. If he smiled one more time, I could just melt. "I'm not interested in Alex." I assured him. His smiled faded and he broke eye contact with me.

"Doesn't seem that way." His voice got colder. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't the time for him to be dramatic.

"What do you care? You're the one that has a girlfriend." I spat back. I didn't realize exactly what I said until it was too late. I could already feel the tension coming back. Lately, tension was all there was between us and I realized it was because Astrid and Alex stood in our way.

"I'm not gonna' argue with you, Charli." He still didn't look at me. I was getting frustrated, not with him but because of the situation. I couldn't ignore it anymore. I had to at least tell him what was on my mind.

"What are we doing? First you kiss me on the Ferris wheel, then you ignore me for a week, and now you're jealous of Alex. Can you just make up your mind already?" I folded my arms across my chest. He chuckled but it was humorless. He was pissed off and I could tell. He seemed to be angry a lot lately.

"It's not that simple. I've been with Astrid for years and all of a sudden you come in the picture and confuse the hell out of me."

"And you think that's my fault?"

"No one said it was your fault! This is about more than just you and me, Charli. If anything were to happen between us, Astrid would get hurt and that's the last thing that I want."

I took a deep breath. He was right. I didn't want Astrid to get hurt either but it was so hard seeing him with her everyday. Especially knowing that he felt something toward me. I was sure what it was exactly, but it was something.

"All we do is fight." I said. He finally looked at me and sighed. He placed one of his masculine hands on my thigh, sending a chill down my spine. I wanted to be mad at him but I couldn't.

"It's what people do when they care about each other. And they always make up because they can't stand to let the other person go." His voice and eyes softened. He scooted closer to me. In fact, he was so close that I could feel his body heat. He used his free hand to caress my cheek. "I don't want to force anything, Panda Bear. We just have to wait and see. If it happens, it happens and if I doesn't, then so be it. Just know, that you're special to me. I don't want to ruin anything between us."

"But we never know what can happen until we try." My voice was starting to get caught in my throat. 

"Please, Charli. Just wait... It'll be worth it. I promise."

This is a transition chapter. I'm not even half way done with this book yet and there's  soooo much more to come. This is only the beginning. Tell me what you think of the chapter.