『meant to be』ON HOLD.

1.

kenzie's pov

i slowly open my eyes, squinting to adjust to the bright warm light swarming its way through my blanket. i shrug the blanket off and see that my roommate and best friend nadia is awake, cooking and singing to herself. the window is wide open, which explains the light.

"hey babe." i smile at nadia as i stretch.

"look who's finally up." she giggled. "i'm making pancakes for us."

"thank the lords." i praise her, knowing fully well that her pancakes are absolute heaven. she only laughs, flipping a perfect strand of wavy orange-red hair over her shoulder.

"so todayyyy." she hums, piping my curiosity.

"what's happening today?" i question, rising from the bed and walking over to my closet.

"today jay is visiting la." nadia tosses out calmly.

"what?" i shriek. "will i finally get to meet your secret canadian boyfriend?"

"yes!" nadia laughs, clearly excited. "i haven't seen him in so long!"

"i still don't know what he looks like!" i accuse as she shrugs.

"doesn't matter!" nadia beams as she flips two perfect pancakes onto our plates. "you know what he acts like, and how sweet he is. and that he's basically my one and only."

"it's weird, that's the total opposite of my ex." i giggle. nadia knows i used to date this kid named johnny, and we were in love. oddly enough, he was also from canada. however, his last name was dawson, while nadia's boyfriends last name was orlando.

"oh, shut up. wasn't he super sweet at first?"

"it was all an act." i shrug, the lie rolling easily off my tongue. truth be told, the reason he dumped me was totally selfless. it was for my own good, and he knew it. but it's easier to pretend he's an asshole. it's easier to move on from him that way.

i change into mom jeans and a yellow tube top, with a white bralette, tying my hair into a messy bun held with a pink scrunchie.

"breakfast is ready!" nadia sings, and i see that three pancakes are now stacked on both of our plates. i grin and sit down at the kitchen island, drizzling maple syrup over my pancakes.

"you. are. an. angel." i moan as i swallow my bite. i'm seriously in love with nadia's cooking. she giggles and takes a bite of her own.

"so where and when are we meeting your boyfriend?"

"the park, 10am." she sighs happily. "and his sister lauren will be there. she's one of my best friends, you'll love her!"

"i cant wait!" i giggle and swallow the last of my pancakes and head off to the bathroom. i smack my head mentally; i just changed before showering. what's the point in that? now i have to change twice and i'm far too lazy for that. sighing, i strip off my clothes and jump into the warm shower.

two hours later, me and nadia are slipping on our shoes and getting ready to meet her boyfriend.

"today's a stairs day!" nadia laughs and pokes her tongue out at me.

"fuck." i say, realizing she's right. nadia prefers to take the stairs when we leave the apartment, and i prefer elevator. so we alternate days now, and yesterday was an elevator day. nadia sprints to the stairs and i try to muster some energy as i follow her down the staircase.

she talks about jay the whole way to the park, telling me every detail about the day they met. i nod and smile at hopefully all the right parts, but honestly, i'm tuning her out. i love the girl, but she talks way too much for me to handle sometimes.

"and then i was like, maybe–" she continues before i cut her off.

"hey look nads, there's the park!" i point out gratefully. she squeals and grabs my hand, pulling me behind her as we enter the park. i admire the lake and the green grass happily; this was my favorite place as a child. i sigh, closing my eyes and soaking it in.

"stop that!" nadia smacks my arm. "we're gonna be late!"

"sorrryyyy." i groan, jogging slightly to catch up to her pace. "where is he?"

"they." she corrects me. "remember, his sister is here too!"

"right. what's her name again?"

"your memory sucks, kenzie." she laughs. "lauren."

"oh." i squint. weird. johnny had a sister named lauren.

"oh my god!" nadia screams and drops my hand, running towards two kids standing facing the lake. they turn around at the sound of her voice, but there's so much chaos that i can't even see their faces. i give them a minute to catch up before shyly approaching the trio.

"hi, i'm-" i start.

"mackenzie." jay says. startled, i look up and get my first look at his face.

it's johnny.

an/ maybe this is rushed? idk man lols
but wooo new book i hope u guys enjoy! i tried to be a bit less cliche this time? comment ur ideas & feedback xox
-ria <33