The Art of Stealing Hearts (On Hold)

8. The one with Jealous Kisses

~|Chapter 8|~
•The one with jealous kisses•

"This party is like the most awaited event of the year."

         I could agree. There was excitement, laughter, good music and beer. What else could anyone possibly want? I was glad I'd decided to come after all. After Jake scaring Mary out of her mind with his stylish new haircut, I was witness to his and Mary's fight, along with the others. It mostly included Mary shouting at the top of her lungs at a bald Jake, who stood quietly in a corner, while the rest of us were crowded behind Mary, silently pitying Jake in our minds.

"You're grounded! I don't know what you thought when you decided to try out this new look-"

"You can't ground me for changing my hairstyle!" Jake protested.

"But why on earth would you do something like this?" Mary demanded.

"I like my new look, mom," he said finally. "Now, will you finally let this go?" He stared at Mary, who had no choice but to give in.

She sighed. "But you had such beautiful hair."

That was the end of it. I had always thought that with so many people, personal space must be a foreign concept. But, that's the thing. Mary gave space to all her sons. And that was one thing that I admired about her. There were bound to be different interests in such a giant family, but she managed it all extremely well.

Then when the aforementioned day of the party rolled around, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. I was the one who helped the twins win the bet, but did that mean the invitation was extended to me as well? I wasn't sure. So when Dylan and Drew were excitedly getting ready, I was in the sanctity of my room (again).

"Aren't you coming with us, Joey?" Dylan asked, when he saw me sitting in a comfortable pair of shorts, pretending to do something on my phone. 

"I don't think so," I told him, looking unsurely from him, to Drew, to Aaron, who was watching the three of us in silence. "You guys go and have fun." Did my attempt to sound enthusiastic fail as miserably as I thought it did? 

"You could come with us," Drew tried.

I shook my head, but before I could say that I was too tired (my best excuse that I had been giving the guys from the time I moved here), Aaron interrupted. "Why don't you let me talk to Joey?" 

He shooed the twins away from his former room and came to sit next to me on the bed. "Now Joey, why don't you tell me what this is all about?"

I didn't try to act all innocent like I had no idea what he was talking about. Right now, I felt the closest to Aaron, more than I did with any of the other guys. He reminded me of Lincoln and the way that he cared about me. So I confessed, the same way I would have done if I was with Lincoln. "I don't think me going is a good idea. Tyler and I aren't always on the best terms, and I don't want to be a buzzkill." I stopped, waiting for Aaron to absorb all this.

"Look Joey," he finally began, "I won't lie and say that I know what you are going through, but I know it is tough, whatever 'it' is. I know because I can see how hard it is for you to smile and the efforts you make to believe that everything will be all right. And eventually it will. But to get there, you need to keep trying. Because nothing will go back to the way it was unless you try."

I didn't know whether to smile, cry or throw my arms around him. This guy sitting next to me was like my very own guardian angel. 

Aaron seemed to know what was going through my mind, because he himself wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest and muttered, "You might just be the sweetest guy I've ever met."