Friends Don't, But We Do

19. Let it Out

Once the weekend ended and we all went back home, it was harder to keep this all a secret.

Since Nolan and I have progressed into dating, we spend even more time together than before. And our intimacy makes keeping our distance difficult.

Kissing in greeting is normal for us now, so every time I walk into the Patrick house for dinner, I have to remind myself not to give him a quick peck. And if we're sitting next to each other on the couch, his fingers itch to rest on my thigh, but are confined to his own lap. It would be so much easier if everyone knew, because then I could hold his hand and touch his face without worrying about the optics.

It's not easy though, and we both slipped up a couple of times by now. The first was when I had let myself in through the garage door, walking into a kitchen full of the Patrick family waiting around for dinner in the oven.

Aimee was leaning against the counter closest to where I stood, and she hugged me first. After greeting the rest of the family and then standing between Maddie and Aimee and the bag of barbecue chips they share, Nolan entered the kitchen.

From across the room, I can see the smile appear on his face as he comes my way. And like gravity, I push off the counter I was leaning against and meet him a few feet out. His arms embrace me- lightly though, just two hands placed high enough on my back that it could still be innocent.

What wasn't innocent was the way we both leaned in for a peck to the lips. Like I said, it's normal for us now. But it wasn't normal for us to do it in front of other people and it caused a bit of a stir among the kitchen.

"Did you guys just kiss?" Maddie gawks, barbecue chips forgotten. My face goes bright red, as does Nolan's. "Oh my God, you guys- what was that?" Aimee adds in disbelief.

"Honey, do you have something you want to share with us?" Their mom teases gently.

I sink back to my previous spot between the sisters, cowardly leaving Nolan to explain. If he even wanted to explain. We had decided to try to keep things quiet just because we simply don't know how long this relationship is going to last or how deep it's going to go.

Nolan handles the scrutiny surprisingly well. I guess a couple years of being in the spotlight has helped him with that. He shrugs and reaches into the bag of chips. "Nope, there's nothing I want to share."

The girls roll their eyes at him strategically avoiding the real question, and he winks at me once everyone is preoccupied.

There we're a couple more events that raised suspicions. A hug that lasted quite long and was complete with a back rub. A friendly arm wrestling game that turned into him tickling me.

It was all becoming a hassle to be secretive, mostly because we aren't any good at it. When I told all this to Nolan, he agreed. And then he just stopped objecting when his parents or his sisters made jokes about us dating. They caught on pretty quick, apparently had been really excited- no doubt made his cheeks even redder than normal.

Hearing him describe their reaction makes me wish I had been there. Their excitement is a confidence booster for me though.

The next time I had gone over to the house, Maddie had hugged me when I walked in the door. "I can't believe you're dating my little brother!"

I laugh and shrug. Honestly I can't really believe it either. Aimee chirped me, saying how gross her brother is and I really shouldn't put myself within two feet of him. "I mean, have you smelled him after hockey?"

The three of us laugh, and then Aimee lightens up and says that it's about time Nolan and I dated. When Nolan joins, the jokes don't stop.

"I knew you were together way back on Canada Day," Aimee tells us, "I saw you kiss in the garage."