The Baby Project

Day 19 (Part 1)

Day 19 (Not edited)

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 “What are you doing?” I yawn sleepily, rubbing my eyes.

This morning I had woken to a sound of clanging from downstairs. Originally, I had thought it was Kale looking for something. Turns out I was wrong. Instead, I find my shirtless boyfriend with a growing stack of pancakes by his side.

“Step one to making you love me,” Kale says with a wink. 

“Kale.” 

“Rory,” He sings, flipping a pancake.

“I thought we talked about this.”

He nods, “You talked, I listened, and now I’m taking action.”

Rolling my eyes, I take a seat at the kitchen counter, “Why are you so annoying?”

“And by that I know you mean amazing. No need to hide the truth.”

“Yeah, sure," I reply sarcastically. "Kale, I’m serious.”

He kisses my cheek, “Who says I’m not?”

“Kale..."

Within a second, his dark blue eyes turn serious, “What are you so afraid of?”

I look away, “Nothing. I-I just- I don’t know.”

“Do you think I’m like Liam? Because I’m not- you should know that.” An upset edge is viable in his tone. 

 “I know that.”

"Then what?"

I look at him, "Nothing."

"Tell me."

Great, now he'll never let it go. I hesitate before replying, "It's just that we've only been dating a couple of days. Isn't it too soon to say the L word?"

Kale looks away, "I told you you didn't have to say it back."

 "It's not that! It's that I feel like your forcing yourself to say things that may not necessarily be true!"

"What the fuck does that even mean?" He spits out in anger. I flinch.

"You don't have to say it just because you feel obligated to." Hopefully, he understood what I meant. There could be a chance that he was saying those things in the spur of the moment yesterday. It tended to be that people say things they don't mean to others during emotional talks and conflicts. Kale saying the L word could have easily been one of those things that people say and don't mean.

"You think I said that to you just because?" Kale scoffs, "I've done a lot of horrible things in the past Rory, but playing with someon'es feelings- yours especially- is not something I would do."

He goes back to making pancakes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way," I say ashamedly looking down. Kale was right. I mean what right did I have in saying what he felt?

My boyfriend doesn't answer me until a new pancake is made, "You know when I knew I loved you?"

Though still a little bit guilty, I look up curiously, "When?"

He turns the stove off and leans against the counter, "When we came back from that place in the middle of nowhere. You told me that night that you, me, and Kory were a family."

Warmth spreads through my body, "Why then?" I ask shyly.

"It made me realize that there's more to you than what meets the eye." Kale walks over and hugs me, "Rory, that day I wanted to kiss you, hug you, love you." I blush.