Too Close

Chapter 9

Olivia's P.O.V

"Remember when your dad walked in your room and handed me a box of condoms right in front of you?" I cringed, remembering the day. Kyle and I were sitting on the stools at the kitchen island, catching up. He came over an hour ago for my help with finishing his calculus homework. Everyone else, Tyler and his friends, were out in the pool enjoying the last hot day of the month.

"And whenever you came over he always asked if he should leave or not," he continued.

"Yeah, the complete opposite of your mom." Kyle and I had been friends since the beginning of our Freshman year and like a typical high school cliché we eventually dated, briefly. Kyle, who had strong feelings for me, tried his hardest to make it work but I didn't feel the same. I realized I couldn't love him, I didn't feel the same and I was way too young at the time. Love is a word so certain and sure of itself that I wasn't sure if I was even ready for it now, three years later.

Kyle was the only guy I ever got close to and the only person I had ever been with. It was nice still having him come around, he was funny and kind-hearted.

"Why aren't you guys out there enjoying what might be the last hot day of the year?" Tyler asked, walking in and going straight to the fridge.

"We were just reminiscing," Kyle answered.

"So you two knew each other before I transferred to Charlotte?" Tyler asked.

"Yes," I answered and glanced out of the corner of my eye at Kyle.

"Cool," Tyler replied as he took the cap off his soda and walked back out into the hall toward the pool.

"We should get back," I said and hopped off my stool, swiping my iced tea from the counter. Kyle nodded and closed his notebook. We went out and sat on the sun chairs by the poolside. "So tell me about Blair." Blair was a girl from school Kyle told me he was crushing on. She and I shared a class together and she sat at our lunch table one day next to Kyle.

"Well she actually showed up at Frank's party," Kyle said.

"Really? I'm surprised."

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't think I've ever seen her out before so I didn't pitch her for the party type." I took a sip of my drink.

"She's not, but she showed up and we went upstairs to an empty room."

"Skip the sex part," I interrupted with a wave of my hand.

"That's the thing, we just hung out and talked."

"Really?" Kyle was like all the other guys here that I've come to know, a player when single. Even Tyler became the most talked about guy at school but he claims he's "only slept with one girl" since he's been here. And as it turns out, he and Kyle knew each other since they were kids and had been childhood best friends when he moved to Charlotte from Colorado.

"Yeah," he nodded, sounding surprised himself. "Then we went out to the movies one night, it was chill."

"Hmm, so you didn't try to make the Kyle Move on her?" I raised my eyebrows playfully and nudged him with my elbow.

"I don't think it's gonna work out," he sighed. He laid on his back on the sun lounger next to me.

"Why not?" Who would not fall for Kyle's charm? I mean he and his crowd of friends were completely studs honestly, but Kyle was the most sensitive and sweet guy I've ever met.

"She likes me but she needs time to sort some personal stuff out," he said. He put an arm over his eyes to block the sun. "I don't think she wants anything to do with me, she's probably heard all the shit about me in school and decided she didn't want to be involved."