Page 39 of Honest With You

Ava’s eyebrow quirks up but she doesn’t say anything. A ghost of a smile dances on her lips before she drops my hand and grabs a pill bottle from the array of medicine and vitamins sitting on one end of their long marble island. She tosses it to me as she rounds the counter to rummage through a walk-in closet. She comes out with a long pillow that she then sticks into the microwave.

Aheating pad?

“Reese got her period for the first time this morning and apparently caught a bug that’s been going around her school too so she’s had a fever and nausea all day. We couldn’t leave her or have her go to school when she’s in so much pain. Stephen was going to stay home as well but he has lab today and he can’t miss that.”

I can tell by her rushed movements that her worry about her sister is causing her to spiral into a panic. I meet her halfway and grab the items from her overflowing arms before she trips or hurts herself.

“Is Reese okay with me being here and knowing all this?” I ask her as we make our way out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, I asked her if it was okay to tell you and have you stop by. She didn't mind.” She pauses, “Do you?”

I shake my head in surprise, “Why would I? It’s a perfectly normal bodily function. I know it sucks and I'm lucky that I don’t have to suffer through that every month so whenever you need anything, just holler. I got you.”

Ava abruptly stills in the middle of the hallway, right before the curve that would lead us back into the living room. She whirls around, her hand cupping the nape of my head.

For the second time in less than 24 hours and for the third time ever, she kisses me.

It’s nothing close to the liplock we shared just hours ago, and more like the one we first attempted in her kitchen all those years ago.

Soft, tender… warm. Just like Ava.

I really,reallylike this girl.

“Thank you,” Ava whispers against my lips before pulling back, her fingers grazing my jaw in a sweet caress. She steps back taking all the warmth with her as she once again makes her way back to her sister.

I follow her, too helpless to do anything else.

Jesse groans, tossing Reese another small box of chocolate-coated marshmallows.

“Eat yourMallowsand shush, brat. I can’t read the subtitles and listen to you list all the ways the actors are hot at the same time.”

I sputter a laugh at the indignant way my sister huffs and rips the package apart. She sticks her tongue out at Jesse, who ignores her, while she absolutely stuffs her face with the six-pack ofMallows. I should be worried about her junk food intake, but honestly I’m just happy she’s not writhing in pain anymore.

We’re currently binge-watching a K-drama about achaeboland an employee falling in love, or rather, Reese and Jesse are watching it while I revel in watching the sideshow they are putting on.

They hit it off as soon as Jesse mentioned he watched K-dramas with his mom, and they’ve been bickering ever since. Like siblings do.

At least one of my siblings likes Jesse.

The jury is still out on Stephen, only because he caught me sneaking out of the house and making out with a boy.

I smile contentedly as I run my fingers gently through Reese’s hair, carefully tucking strands behind her ear, her head on my lap. Jesse is sitting on the other end, not minding one bit that Reese shamelessly put her feet up on his knee. I attempted to scold her for it but Jesse simply smiled at me, giving me a thumbs up.

Leaning my cheek on the couch, I watch as his brows furrow, his eyes dancing across the screen as he reads the subtitles.

Somehow, that just makes him even more attractive. I love the way he is just so comfortable around me. He lets that mask fall right off and show me sides of him I doubt anyone else knows. Like his surprising love for Korean dramas, which he swears is just something he does for his mom. He made Reese and I swear to keep it a secret but deep down, I can tell this is something he truly enjoys to his core.

He’s reaching for his mangomogu moguwhen I catch him stealing a look at me. I bite back a smile but it unleashes a knowing one on his. He winks at me, his gaze dropping to my lips and then back to meet mine. His eyes are darker now, the black swallowing the ocean, holding a promise oflater.

My breath shallows remembering our kiss this morning, and I quickly look away before I do something crazy like lean across my little sister and kiss him.

If I’m being honest, I’ve recounted the kiss at least twenty times today. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him like that again when he first got here, but given that he and I have yet to even have a conversation about the sudden shift in our relationship, I’ve been holding back until we both got some clarity. He deserves it. I need it.

I kissed him in the hallway because the urge couldn't be silenced, which is a little dramatic and it scares me. I have never felt this desperate for another human being in my life.

The way he looked at me this morning after I kissed him, like he yearned for me more than the oxygen he needed to breathe, I knew at that moment that I was already so far gone for him.

Now all that’s left to do is tell him that.

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