Page 43 of Honest With You

“You guys are really close now, huh?”

I smile brightly. I’m uncertain about a lot of things, and mostly everything gives me anxiety, but the one thing I know without a doubt is that the bond between me and my siblings is unbreakable. We will forever have each other’s backs.

“We really are.”

He squeezes me tight. “I’m glad, Ava. I know you were worried about that back then.”

Emotion clogs my throat at the knowledge that this boy really took everything I said to heart and remembered every single thing I told him.

He eases me deeper onto his chest and we lay there for a while, content with simply being together and holding each other.

I have never felt this more relaxed in my life. Like nothing existed beyond this bubble we created.

I forget about the pain of missing mom.

Definitely not worrying about my absentee father or the weight of being his daughter.

The responsibility of raising my sister is not weighing me down here.

I’m not thinking about deferring to lighten Stephen’s load.

I’m just here. In my new boyfriend’s arms. At peace.

Until he shifts restlessly and squeezes my hip.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Like I want to know if thechaebol’sgrandpa finally figures out his grandson is dating his employee.”

He smiles sheepishly at me. Shaking my head, I sit up and pull him with me.

I roll my eyes at him “Let’s go wake Reese up and finish the dang K-drama.”

He chuckles, then surprises me when he bends his knees, his back to me. He pats his back, looking over my shoulder at me.

“Let me give you a ride.” He waggles his eyebrow, giving me a long sweep of his gaze. “I want to feel my hot girlfriend pressed up against my back.”

I stutter a laugh, climbing onto his back.

“Hold on tight, spider monkey.”

“Did… did you just quoteTwilight?”

His answering laugh as he sprints across the backyard while I ride piggyback is my answer.

My gaze sweeps the parking lot until it lands on a certain raven-haired beauty whose existence has dominated my every thought and dream since she walked back into my life.

She’s not wearing her usual dresses. While those drive me nuts with the way they displayed those legs I often fantasize about, there’s something about the fit she has on today. She’s wearing acid washed jeans that hug her curves, a black camisole, a matching cardigan and platform sneakers.

Cute and comfortable. My favorite combination on her. Sexier than the barely there outfits Margaret used to wear. She knew all eyes would be on her and I would go crazy with jealousy, so she used that to her advantage.

With Ava, there are no mind games. Everything is real. Honest.

It’s been almost two months since she kissed me outside her house and we made it official between us. And every single day, I fall for her more and more.

We didn’t have any classes together today, so this is the first time we’re seeing each other since her brother dropped her off at school. We technically have lunch together but we try to hang out with our own friends during lunch since we’ve been spending time together after school.

On weekdays we’re at her house, hanging out with Reese. A few times, Stephen had come home early enough to hang out and have dinner with us before he made sure I was out the door by nine.

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