Page 79 of This Is Love (The Light to My Darkness 3)

"Behave yourself."

I

shrugged my shoulders in what I thought was an innocent way. But I wasn't planning on behaving. I was planning on annoying Julie to no end and getting sent to bed early. I had this babysitter thing all worked out. It was the same every time.

My dad ruffled my hair once more, and then they both walked out the front door.

Finally. I closed the door behind them. Phase 1 was complete.

"Hey, kiddo," Julie said as I turned around.

I hated when she called me that. I wasn't a kid anymore. Time for phase 2.

***

"And he bought me these," Julie said and stuck her foot out from under the table so I could see her new Converses. "Aren't they awesome?"

"Mhm." But they weren't really. They just looked like any other pair of shoes. My bunny slippers that my dad had bought me were much more awesome. I glanced under the table at my fuzzy slippers. My feet didn't reach the floor, so the bunnies' ears sagged slightly forward, which made the slippers look even cuter.

"Jacob is seriously the best boyfriend ever. I'm so lucky. We already got our tickets for homecoming and it's not even until the end of the month. He bought a tie to match my dress. I can't wait to show you pictures."

"What color is your dress?"

"It's this really deep purple."

"What color shoes did you get?"

"Silver. They're really pretty. They have these little gems on the straps."

"Is he going to buy you a corsage?"

"I think so."

"Do you love him?"

She laughed. "What? I don't know. We haven't really talked about that yet."

"Really? How long have you been dating?"

"Just a few weeks." She took a huge bite of her pizza. It looked like she was thinking.

"So how long does it usually take to know if you love someone?" I was purposely trying to push her buttons, but it didn't mean I wasn't curious about the answer.

She swallowed her mouthful of pizza and gave me a stern look. "At least a few weeks longer than that."

Hmm. I wasn't sure that was true. I had fallen in love with Miles Young the first time I ever saw him. My family had moved here two years ago. The first time I saw Miles, he was riding a bike without a helmet. Just the thought of it was thrilling. I loved him before I ever even spoke to him. "What about love at first sight?"

"That's only in fairy tales, Summer. What Jacob and I have is real."

"But how do you know?"

"I can feel it."

"So are you getting married?"

"I'm only 17. Of course I'm not getting married."

"Then it probably isn't love."

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