The Exchange Student, the Pop Prince and the Raffle Tickets

Chapter Forty-Five: Kevin!!?

Kevin had arrived at my door fifteen minutes ago with a goofy happy smile on his face, a bunch of flowers, Starbucks coffee and a suitcase. I stood in the doorway mouth wide open in shock at the sight of him.

It didn’t mean that I wasn’t happy to see him, because I was. It just meant that I wanted to separate my two lives – the rebellious exchange student who was always confused of her feelings with the hard working 20 year old with a loving boyfriend. I wanted to be able to be with Kevin but settle everything in America; be the same but different person because it seemed so simple that way.

The answer to my obvious first question, what was he doing in the doorway of this apartment was that he wanted to be with me through my family emergency. Kristin had told him that Eden had taken so much time off from work was due to an family emergency in America and as soon as Kevin heard that he wanted to come and support me, Kristin didn’t stop him but instead encouraged him.

My so called best friend, Kristin, told my boyfriend where I was so he could surprise me. And yet, I was so completely unhappy about it I didn’t really know what to do with myself.

I put the kettle on in the kitchen, Kevin seemed to be a little surprised by the fact that no one else was home, expect Bindi was wandering around and Jesse was doing something American Football themed. He was also really upset that I wasn’t as happy to see him as he hoped but was trying not to show it.

I was about to jinx myself but thinking that this situation couldn’t really get anymore awkward but Jesse was about to walk into the room. Of course, I sighed.

Jesse compared to Kevin was so different from height to the hair colour to the way they walked. You couldn’t get any different. Kevin’s curly brown hair, Jesse’s manly blonde hair kept in perfect place; the adorable brown eyes to the deep swimming pool blue ones to the way I looked at both of them. It was impossible to say that I didn’t swoon when Jesse walked into the room but I knew that when Kevin walked in, I gave a little smile too, a smile that said ‘there he is’.

I turned away from the boys swearing under my breath before putting on a brave face and introducing them. The boys shook hands politely and made small talk about themselves, what they did, how long Kevin was staying so I sneakily snuck away wanting a talk of my own.

“This is a very expensive phone call…”

“You snake! You told him where I was.”

“I mean a really expensive phone call…”

“Kristin, I am about to blow up here, there is literally smoke coming out of my ears. You better start talking.”

Kristin was quiet. “It would have been cheaper to Skype me…”

I screamed down the phone at her. A very, very long rant about the deals of friendship, the secret code of best friendship and how very much she was breaking every single one of those rules right now, not to mention how upset Kevin is with me for not greeting him the way he thought I should have.

“Finished?” She spoke when I finally quieted down. I didn’t speak. “It was time for you to face the music sweetheart. You know face this hexagon love thing you have going on… I’m just your trigonometry teacher sorting out your equation. Enjoy.”

I let out a loud scream.

When I got back, Kevin was slumped down on the sofa thinking hard, looking confused. I slumped beside him. Kevin commented I looked the way he was feeling. We both didn’t really know what to do.

“Shall we get out of here?” I suggested as brightly as I could muster. He asked if I was okay when he heard me give a heavy frustrated sigh. I smiled a yes and gently kissed him. “Hello.”

“Hi.” He whispered back.

We hailed a taxi to a nearby Italian restaurant and Kevin proceeded to update me on work, how he had been promoted to manager and bought a new car with his bonus. The massive work party that had our boss in a drunken state, crawled on the floor in the bathroom and how everyone saw two senior members have a heavy make out session even though both were supposedly happily married to others.

Kevin edged the conversation to my ‘family emergency’ but I was having none of it.

“It’s a hard subject… they’re basically family, let’s leave it at that.” I told him plainly.

“Kristin said it was a hard subject too, but she said to come here anyway… I want to be a part of your life Eden, through the ups and downs, and that includes your… extended family.”

I stared at Kevin suddenly feeling defensive. “Well, it wasn’t up to my bitch of a best friend because she never knows when to stop meddling. Kevin, it’s a long story, the shortest way to put is I’m here to try to fix it...”

“Fix what?”

“My life…” I let out a deep frustrated sigh trying not to get angry or upset. I wanted to say I was here so that I could be a better girlfriend, a better person, have a better life.

“I don’t get it.”

I snorted. “It’s probably best if you didn’t, trust me.”

“You’re here with extended family, to fix something and then what? When it’s somewhat accomplished you can come back to me?”

I nodded. We finished our gelato desserts and though I tried to be romantic, holding his hand, snuggling up against him it felt odd. I felt odd. I felt as though I shouldn’t be having fun, when I had so much to sort out. I didn’t deserve a boyfriend. When I told him I didn’t deserve him, he laughed saying that not even Pippa Middleton deserved him; he was way out of our leagues.

Kevin was fine with sleeping on the sofa until Bindi, who instantly took a real liking to Kevin which surprised both Jesse and I, told him to sleep in the same bed as me. It was what couples did. Thankfully, the sofa had a pull out bed and Bindi slept on that.

As I kissed Kevin goodnight, I compared everything I had in England to America. I knew that I couldn’t stay in America and I was always planning on going back to England, it had Kevin in it, and dad, Lily, even my bitch of a best friend.