Our Year Together - Book One

Chapter 2

"Hey, do you think Kim has a thing for me?" I asked the next day as I come out of my bathroom dressed and fresh from a shower. Caleb coughs and sputters as he chokes on the chips he'd been munching on. Since the girls had decided to do their own things tonight I figured that I'd hang with him.

"You're kidding, right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and an expression that reads 'You're not a complete moron, are you?'. The expression ticks me off and I toss my towel onto the back of my desk chair.

"What? I'm being serious here."

Caleb shakes his head and sighs, his hand rooting around in the chip bag once more as he says,

"God, you two are so identical."

I snort and run a hand through my damp strands of hair.

"Funny, your girlfriend said the same thing yesterday. If you ask me, you two are the peas in a pod."

Caleb gets a lopsided smile no doubt taking what I said as a compliment. I sigh and plop down in my desk chair, already tired from this conversation that's just started.

"Kim is into you," Caleb said and my body freezes up. "She's super into you. I'm surprised that neither of you has made a move on the other even though you two so obviously share feelings for one another. It hurts to watch sometimes."

"So sorry." I spit out, bitter that our feelings are clear to others yet seem to be invisible to us.

Or are we just that dense?

Caleb chuckles, amused by how easily I get annoyed whenever we have this conversation.

"I don't understand why you don't just tell the girl how you feel. I mean, really Keith, what's the worst that could happen?"

"She turns me down and never talks to me again." I shudder at the mere thought of never being able to talk to Kim again. It's painful and something I'll avoid at any cost. Kyle and Kaley only solidify this fear.

The two at school had been thick as thieves when they were younger and, a lot of the time, people thought they were dating and just keeping it on the down low. Apparently, that hadn't been the case and one day they just stopped hanging out with one another. No one outside of their small group of friends knows what happened.

I see the way Kyle looks at her, though. That longing in his eyes like he's a lost pup and she's his master. God, it hurts just watching.

"Impossible," Caleb said flat out, dismissing my fears in a second and shocking me. "That is one hundred percent impossible. Kim is into you more than you know. You should have seen her today when Charlie and I were talking to her."

I raise an eyebrow at that, curious about this conversation they had without me. Caleb smiles like a bandit when I lean forward, my curiosity no doubt manifesting on my features.

"You wanna know what we talked about?" There's a taunting note to his voice and I wonder just how much he plans on making me beg for this conversation.

He can be one hell of an asshole when he wants to be. I suppose that's why we're such good friends, though. Birds of a feather and all that.

"Obviously."

Before Caleb can say anything my phone vibrates on my desk and I check it. When my eyes scan over Kim's S.O.S. message I bolt from the chair, knocking it down. Caleb jumps, startled.

"I've gotta go."

"Wait, what's wrong?" There's concern in his voice that only has me pausing for a moment as I meet his eyes to reassure him.

"Don't worry, Charlie is fine. I need to get to Kim." I don't explain anything else because I'm freaking out on my own. My mind is running in over drive, one thought alone repeating like a mantra.

Please be okay.

I begged as I rush out of my room and towards the girl I'm in love with.