You Gotta Love Life... Right?

Chapter 25

The next day Maddi is in a better mood, but she refuses to talk about Adam with us. Jackson comes over around one, and is let in the door by a, way-to-excited Kira. I get up from my chair and head over to give him a quick, half hug, before turning to the group.

"This is Jackson, but you guys know that I guess." I say, "Jackson, that is Kira, Maddi-" I roll my eyes as Maddi wiggles her perfectly manicured fingers at him, "- and Morgan."

Morgan gets up and shakes his hand, "Hi, how's it going?"

"Pretty good." He seems happy with the household so far, "Happy to not be around a bunch of screaming six-year-olds, at least."

"Ugh, one of them is enough, I would know, I have a few younger siblings myself too, it's a good thing I love them to bits." She laughs and I drag him away from the door by his wrist.

"You wanna move," I explain, "we seem to have people streaming in and out of this place twenty-four seven."

He looks curiously at the door, as if it might come off the hinges and shake his hand too, "Okay..."

"I'll give you a tour, c'mon." I say, dragging him further into the apartment.

After what most people would call lunchtime (I call it fend-for-yourself hour, and that's if you're even hungry), someone knocks on the door.

"Deacon!" I yell, at the same time as Morgan yells "Alex!" and Kira and Maddi groan in unison. Jackson looks back and forth between the group of us. Kira gets up and peers through he peephole, "Pay up Emma, it's Alex." She says as she opens the door.

"Hi humans." Alex waves and steps inside, "What was that all about?"

"Betting on who it was on the other side of that wonderful portal to the outside world." I explain, handing Morgan a toonie.

"Oh." She spots Jackson and waves, "Hiya, I'm Alex."

"Jackson." He smiles nervously.

"Emma's boyfriend!" Maddi explodes next to us.

"Really?" Alex looks between the two of us and I slide a hand down my face in fake embarrassment, Jackson still smiling in wonder.

"Okay, cool." I how Alex doesn't overreact, at least not to your face, "Anyway, can I borrow your Maze Runner books? I was going to buy them, and then the next Dead Kid came out."

"Oh, sure!" I hop up and head to the bedroom, Jackson and Alex in my wake. I steered clear of the hell-hole for Jackson's tour, and Alex stays far away from it for obvious reasons. I step through the mess of pillows, clothes, charger cables, and sketchbooks as they look around in wonder. I kneel next to my bed and pull an old-fashioned trunk out from underneath. I sift through layers of too-small concert t-shirts and scrapbooks to reveal about fifty novels stacked on the bottom of the trunk. I lift out a boxed set of the Maze Runner series and hand it to Alex, who thanks me and walks out of the room. I'm about to put the layers of shirts back on top to protect the books when a hand stops me in my tracks.

"This is insane!" Jackson says in a hushed voice, taking his hand off mine, "I thought you just read comics, but you have a whole library in here!"

I laugh, "Yeah well... I love books, what can I say? Small apartment, lots of roommates, I need to put them somewhere."

"Speaking of which... what's this trunk?"

"It's a Harry Potter set piece replica." I explain, "Amazon. Two thousand bucks for this beautiful sucker."

"You're crazy."

"You're dating me." I point out.

He turns his head away from the books, his blue eyes burning into mine, I can't look away. "True." He whispers.

I blush, then reach up and touch a strand of his bleach-blonde hair, "You ever think of dying it blue?"

He starts a little, his gaze flicking between my hand and my face, "No... but maybe I should."

"You should."

"You're the one with the degree in fashion."

I bring my hand down from his hair and start to pack my shirts up again, when he stops me again, this time with words, "Emma?"

I sigh, "Are you ever going to let me finish?" I tease.

"Sure, after this." I look up, confused. When his face comes closer to mine than I expected, and he kisses me.

Like, on the lips.

And no, I'm not describing it, because that would be like you're kissing him too, and sorry, not sharing my boyfriend.

Anyway, when that over I kind of just sit there, "Um..."

But clearly he had that planned out, because he gets up to look up at a poster of Kira and Deacon on the door, that Maddi created for Kira's birthday. It's a normal photo, except she made Deacon look like a demon, with red eyes and a devil tail, using the power of Photoshop. I sigh again and finish packing up. When I'm done I stand up and push the trunk back under my bed.

"You really think I should dye my hair blue?" Jackson asks, obviously feeling more confident than normal. It's all I can do to not put my hand around his neck and strangle him so he passes out for a good half hour.

"Yes." I manage.

He smirks, a real smirk, something I've never, ever, seen on his face before. He walks out of the room, grabbing my hand and pulling out behind him. Brave move, because I was so ready to punch him.