Why Wait?

48

"Kelli," Austin says. "You need to talk to us."

I look up from my phone. "I know," I mutter.

He lets out a sigh of relief when he realizes I actually talked to him. "How are you doing?"

There is rarely a time when I tell my brother anything anymore. Before the tour, we were inseparable. During the tour, I've seen a side of him I never want to see again. But I need to talk to him again.

"I'm sad," I admit. "And angry."

He nods. "I understand."

"I don't want to go to therapy again, especially a dietitian. The modeling agency won't let me model if they find out I got into trouble again."

Austin puts his around my shoulders and I continue talking. I tell him about how I felt whenever Cody told me he had gotten Connie pregnant, how I felt when Sidney started avoiding me - I don't even know why we aren't talking anymore - I tell him how I feel about dating Alex - like I expect him to mess up, like I'm waiting for him to hurt me. And I tell him I am not anorexic, that even though I've always been underweight, I never felt like I had to starve myself.

After I was finished pouring out my heart, he tells me he believes me. And that I should probably go and talk to Alex and Sidney, tell them how I feel. I haven't talked to Alex since the day of the hospital. He called me, and texted me, and he's tried to come and see me but I never went out of my way to talk to him.

"I love you," I tell my big brother. "Sorry I've been such a pain lately."

I take a quick shower and get ready before I go out of the tour bus for the first time in a week and walk to Alex's dressing room. I took a few minutes to compose myself before walking in the room. The four guys are sitting on the couch staring at the ceiling. I smile softly. "Is this what you do when I'm not around?"

They sit up, then their eyes widen when they see me.

"Kelli!" Luke exclaims, throwing his arms around me. "You're alive."

I chuckle. "Hey, Luke."

I catch Alex's gaze and he smiles cautiously. I give him a small smile, letting him know I'm not mad anymore.

"So what brings you here?" Ty asks, standing.

"I need to talk with Alex," I say.

The guys all nod and they - except Alex - go to leave the room. Luke stops in front of me. "Take it easy on him," he whispers. "He's been through a lot."

I nod, giving him a sideways hug. "Thanks."

I wait until  they're gone to sit down. Neither of us said anything, just stared at everything but each other.

"I'm sorry," he whispers after a few minutes.

I look at him, not replying.

"I just... I knew you would hate me for saying those things about you. I didn't mean to hurt you, Kelli. I was just telling it how it was. And Ty, even though he sounded rude, was right. Cody left a huge scar in you. I know you're still hurting. We can all see it. And you may not think so, but therapy really will help you."

After a while, I nod. "I know," I say quietly. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you. It wasn't fair to you. And I knew you just wanted to help."

He nods, sitting closer to me. "Kelli, I'd never want to hurt you on purpose. You know that right?"

I nod slowly. "I guess I got tired of being told the same thing over and over again. He isn't the first doctor to think I need to go to therapy. And you aren't the first person to agree with him. I don't want to be told I need to go to therapy every time I go to the doctor."

"I understand," he tells me. "Are we still together?" he asks seconds later.

I look over at him. "If you still want me."

He nods. "You and no one else."

Someone groans from the doorway. "Oh my gah, just make out already."

Luke was standing at the doorway with his brothers ad Austin. They all had a bag of popcorn.

"Don't make out," said Austin, glaring at Alex.

"What?" Luke demands. "Why not?"

"Because it's gross," my brother counters.

"But they've been fighting for a week. They need a makeup kiss."

Austin was about to argue back when Ty stops them. "I swear, Luke. You watch way too much Disney."

Luke's face reddens. "I do not. It's not my fault if I wan to see them live happily ever after."

Alex covers his face. "He's like a five year old," he mutters, and I chuckle, placing a hand on his back. He looks at me. "What do you think? Should we appease the crowd?"

I give him a smile and he leans in, lightly pressing his lips against mine. It was a sweet kiss, and we could hear them stop talking. Seconds later, there was cheering.

"We should probably start planning the wedding," Luke exclaims, handing us bags of popcorn.

"You couldn't have waited until I left the room?" Austin mumbles, sitting beside me.

Alex rolls his eyes. "Why wait?"

Hey, guys!!! Last chapter of the book! Sorry it's so short. The epilogue will be longer, I hope.

Thank you guys sooo much for being so patient while I take forever posting an update. And thank you so much for being so supportive.

The sequel for this book won't be up until sometime in July. It is titled Patience is Key so be sure to look for it!!

Thanks for reading!