Can You Keep A Secret?

Chapter Sixty-Four

       

-Stacey's POV-

            "I wish this day didn't have to end," I said, taking another lick of the bubblegum ice cream that I'd gotten on a sugar cone. We were sitting on a bridge with our legs dangling over the side, watching the sun set.

            I'd always loved that, how it turned the whole sky different colors. I wanted to jump up and grab a handful of the colors to keep. There was nothing that quite matched the beauty that nature could make – Even taking a picture doesn't get it quite right.

            This was a moment, a day that I wanted to keep forever – Keep it in a locket and never let it go. I thought of Brooklyn sitting on the slide, of him tracing the handprints on the sign of our old primary school, of how he seemed to glow and his eyes sparkled when he laughed.

            He was a keeper, for sure, and I tried to ignore how my heart sunk at that thought. What I was doing was for the best.

            "Uhm..." He started before seeming to rethink, and taking a bite of his ice cream instead.

            "What?"  I asked, swinging my legs back and forth.

            "Well...You don't have to if you don't want to, but...You could go back to the flat with me." He offered. My heart skipped a beat.

            "Won't it be crowded there?"

            "Not too bad," He said, peeking a glance at me as if judging how I felt about the idea.

            "Besides, you can stay on my bed." He blushed as he said it. "I, uh, don't mean anything by that. Just, you know, for room. Uh."

            "I know what you meant." I said, trying to save him from tumbling over his words any more. I thought that it was cute that he did, though. "As long as it would be okay with everyone."

            "I'm sure it will be," He smiled.

            "Is it okay if I pick things up at my house after we finish?"

            "Of course," He said.

            "So," I said, leaning back on one of my arms, quickly licking a drop of ice cream that tricked down the cone. "Tell me about everyone you live with."

            "Okay, so." A look of concentration passed over his face before he began. "There's Mikey. He looks kinda punk rock, but he's really a cupcake. Rye has...been through a lot lately, so he's a little quieter than usual, but he's really nice and understanding. Jack's just come back from Ireland, and he's definitely one of my favorite people ever. Andy's sarcastic and good at puns and, well, really funny, and he sort of keeps us all in line. There's Liv as well. She's Mikey's girlfriend, you'll probably like her. And, um, Blair, our manager." He showed me pictured on his phone as he described them so I would be able to recognize them all.

            "They all sound great," I said, smiling up at him. He leaned over and kissed me. He tasted like ice cream and sunshine and happiness.

            He'd always been optimistic and outgoing as a kid, and I could see that that hadn't changed much. I didn't deserve him, didn't know if I should abandon the whole thing entirely, leaving him naïve and untouched. There weren't many people like him left in the world.

            But, his touch was so soft and gentle as he pulled me closer, and I knew that I was selfish – I couldn't let this, couldn't let him go yet. I didn't know whether or not I wanted to let him go at all.