From Friends to Lovers

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was evening now, and Kate had asked Josh to come over to her place, she had to break up with him. It wasn't right of her to be stringing him along, trying to fall in love with him, just to avoid her feelings for Rick.

Josh was very understanding. He was obviously hurt. But he said he knew from the start, Kate would never be his completely. Everyone in the school knew it too. Kate and Rick were inseparable.

She apologized to Josh once again, before he kissed her on the cheek and left.

The next few days went by, and Kate realized how very boring it was without Rick around.

She just hoped he was missing her the same way she was missing him. She'd fall asleep every night, thinking of him, and which part of the continent he must be at now. She even woke up one night from a racy dream about him that started with the moment he had fallen shirtless over her on her second day at Brooke high.

Finally, one day, a month after Rick had left, while sitting through 1st period, Kate was alerted of a text from Javier.
'Your boy's back, saw him running into the building late :-D'

Kate's heart was beating erratically. She couldn't concentrate on anything happening in class. All she could think about was seeing Rick again. 'Could lunch period get here any faster!?'

Rick was back home now from his little escapade. He had reached an hour after midnight, and he so badly wanted to text Kate and let her know he was back. But it was late, and so he thought he'd just surprise her in the morning at school.

He hardly slept that night. He kept thinking back on the month gone by.

He had spent every minute of his time exploring. And it gave him peace of mind. But he couldn't get his mind to stop thinking about Kate. He tried, he tried so hard to condition his heart to accept that she has a boyfriend now, to accept that all he would ever be to her is a 'best friend', but his daily attempts would all go to vain, cause at night his dreams would be filled with her. With her face. her beauty, and every other extraordinary thing about her.

So since he could do nothing to stop loving her, he had decided to come back home, and be the 'best' best friend to her every single day, and he would be her lover in his dreams at night.

He knew that plan wouldn't work for long. But at least it was something that would help him cope.

He was now siting at they're lunch table, Javi, Kev, and Kevin's new girlfriend Jenny were seated with him, listening to his stories from his trip.

He was in the middle of telling them about this funny guy he met on a train, when he noticed someone from the corner of his eye, he looked to find Kate now standing a few feet away, staring at him, with this beautiful smile on her lips.

It made his heart leap for joy to see her again 'Kate.' he said. And stood up and walked toward her, she began walking faster toward him, and her eyes shone, were they tears? He couldn't quite make out.

she was now jogging towards him, and even before he had the chance to say something, she had crushed herself into him, her arms tight around him, and so he hugged her tighter.

Oh he missed her so much. Kate, his Kate. He knew she missed him just as much, it showed in the way she was clinging on to him.

He finally spoke "now it feels like home."

she now moved to look up at him, and he realized he was right, they were tears. but she was smiling.

He wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs, "hey, what's this? I know I can be a nuisance sometimes, but I just got back and you're already not liking it"

He joked, to lighten the mood. And it worked. She hit his arm playfully, while laughing a little "shut up!"
he flicked her nose then, and asked her more sincerely now "how are you?"

she just smiled, and pulled him to sit at the table with her. The rest of the group seemed preoccupied in a discussion of their own. He took her hand in his then, and spoke just to her

"listen Kate, I'm sorry I left the way I did, so suddenly, but something triggered in me that night, and I needed some time and space to myself."

"I know. I understand Rick, but really wished you had told me well in advance. You didn't let me say goodbye either..." She frowned.

He squeezed her hand. "I'm here now Kate, and I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled at him. Then said "it was a long month, but I'm glad you're back home."
he smirked "Better late then never"
she laughed.

"so, did it help? Going away for a month, did it help?"

Rick was unsure himself, whether he had found a solution to his problems, or whether he just found a way to hide them at certain hours. So he just nodded "I think it did, yea, I guess so."

Kate raised an eyebrow at him in question.
But he really didn't want to talk about this right now so he changed the topic.

"How's your mom and dad? You think your dad will mind if I self-invite myself over to your place tonight to watch the game with him?"

Kate laughed "oh he'd love the company. He'd be so glad to know you're back. A month alone with the women was making him crazy."

Rick laughed and then asked a question he'd been wanting to ask "so will you b gracing us with your presence, or do you have plans with Josh tonight?"

she turned to him now, and with a small smile she said "no, I don't have plans with Josh..."

he interrupted, "that's awesome, we got a lot to catch up on, and I could really do with some quality time with you"

she said "you didn't let me finish, Josh and I broke up."

Rick was speechless. He just stared at her waiting for her to go on. When she didn't, he pulled her in for a hug, and softly whispered

"hey, I'm sorry it didn't work out between you two, do u want to talk about it?"

She shook her head no. She'd tell him about it soon. But right now she just wanted to listen to him, she had missed that voice, that smile, everything about him.
"No" she said, "we can talk about that later, right now I want to hear everything about your time away."

and so, they spent the whole of lunch period talking about the places he went and the things he saw.

Lanie stole a glance at them, yup, they looked like they were back to their old selves again. The smiles on both their faces were real, reaching their eyes that shone for the other. They still had a lot of things to clear up between them, but they were going to be alright.