Noah,
I fell asleep to the perfection of Kate. I could feel her breathing against me, her chest rising and falling against mine. I could hear the little murmurs she let out in her sleep, and I could feel her arms tighten around me as she slept, curling up around me so tight that I couldn't move. But I didn't want to. Her hair fell on me. I could smell the signature, sweet smell of Kate.
Everything was absolutely perfect.
I didn't get to enjoy it too long though. With Kate using me as a pillow, it didn't take me long to get drowsy. I couldn't fight off being tired, no matter how much I loved looking at how cute Kate was when she slept. I fell asleep pretty early on, and I slept soundly, better than I had in a very long time.
Even more, there were no worried dreams. No tossing and turning. No deep frowns or holding Kate too tight that it hurt her. I woke up with a smile, my arms gently wrapped around her where it didn't hurt her, and a great happiness rising inside of me.
Consciousness began to come back to me slowly, and I could feel Kate in my arms as she began to wake up. She stirred, slowly moving to where she was lying on her back, and I grinned, kissing her shoulder. She let out a cute "Hmmm" as her eyes blinked open, and she suddenly let out a shriek.
Shocked, Kate leaned up against the headboard, her eyes wide at whatever had caused the panic, and I sat up to get a glimpse at the problem.
Oh.
My.
Gods.
Standing at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed happened to be my best friend in the entire world, my roommate, my coworker, my teammate, and the brother of my girlfriend.
As Sam looked down at me, I felt like I was a sixteen year old getting caught with a girl in my bed by my parents coming home early. I was petrified for the consequences even though I had found Sam with a girl in his bed numerous times at the apartment.
I was nineteen years old. I lived on my own. I had a job and paid my own bills. I was an adult. I could be with a girl if I wanted, especially if that girl was the one that I had been in love with basically since I was four years old. But there had always been a sort of reserve on Kate that, until now, I had forgotten about.
She had been my best friend, yes. We had been very close, yes. I was in love with her, yes. She was close with my little sister, yes. But she also happened to be the baby sister to my best friend.
"So, do you want to explain yourself?" Sam asked, glaring down on me, and, if I thought I felt like a sixteen year old getting caught a minute ago, I had been wrong. Now I did.
"Sam, I'm eighteen. You don't get to say anything about who I date," Kate glared at him, her arms crossed in the same manner as her brother.
"Date?" Sam raised his eyebrows, looking over at me to confirm it.
I wrapped my arm around Kate's waist, somewhat trying to calm her and somewhat using it as a sign for Sam.
"I love Kate."
A small smile appeared on Kate's angry face, and she leaned into me, her hand finding mine on her waist and squeezing it.
Sam did not have the same sweet reaction. His jaw dropped. He began to panic from the new information, and I suddenly got a glimpse at the small protective side of Kate that I hadn't seen since Sam turned eighteen and moved out of the house. Together, we had once gotten rid of boys from Kate's life. We didn't want her to date. Now I realize we each had our own reasons for that…
It had once been that the new boyfriend of Kate was our target for a while. If he could handle it and was proved to be a good guy with good intentions towards Kate, then we eased off though never completely. But, until that moment or if that moment never came, he was basically enemy number one. And, as I sat in the bed holding Kate, I realized that I was now enemy number one.
You could hear running outside the door. People must have heard Kate scream. But I didn't care about the running or even really the people outside. This was about Sam and seeing if I had just lost my best friend. Sam's mouth began to open just as the door opened with Charlie standing at the doorway. She was ignored though.
For the first time in a very long time, she was ignored, and I think she may have even liked it.
"That is my sister!" Sam yelled, angrily pointing at Kate and then to me.
"I'm not five!" Kate yelled out, glaring at her brother. The familiarity between this and the fights we used to have when Kate was sixteen was frightening, and I just kept looking between them just like I did so long ago, unsure what to do.
"You're my best friend, how could you date my sister?!" Sam ignored what Kate had said. His anger was now focused on me, just like I had always feared that it would be.
"I love her!" I yelled, anger rising up inside of me.
Yes, I was angry. Yes, this was the moment I had feared for so long. Yes, my mom was in the house and my sister was standing at the door. But it felt great to say it. To admit it to the world.
"Right, you love her. Now you love her. What happens in six months when things get boring and the love fades? You'll break up, and the whole family will be screwed up!" Sam glared at both of us like we were idiots who had just risked everything.
I guess we were. If this didn't work out, it would be a big deal. But, in our minds, there was no way it wouldn't work out.
"That won't happen!" I shook my head. It just wouldn't.
This was it. This was the girl. This was my future. Kate was going to be my wife. We were going to move to New Athens when I retired. We would have a family. We would be happy…
There wasn't a break-up. There was no need for a transition girl. There would be no need for cheering up from friends or family get-togethers to be separate. There would be no need for any of that because Kate was the one for me. I wasn't going to lose her. I loved Kate…
"How do you know?!"
"The same way you know with Swift!" someone yelled, but it wasn't me.
Our eyes flew to the forgotten doorway and the forgotten people standing by it. Aiden, who looked as though he might have been comforting Charlie a moment ago, suddenly moved past her. He came into the room, his eyes trained on Sam.
"Swift is my sister. But I'm not screaming at you. I know my sister loves you. I know her well enough to see that. And I can tell that you love her, too. Do you think it won't work between the two of you?" Aiden asked, his eyes trained on Sam's, and I suddenly understood Sam's complaint that Aiden was scary. He actually was.
It wasn't just his strength or his rank in the roman military. It wasn't the fact that he was close to someone important in our lives and that we shouldn't get on his bad side because of that. It wasn't even that his cause just so happened to be right.
It was that look he gave Sam.
It was the fact that Aiden was not afraid to get in the middle of this.
Part of me began to wonder if Aiden was doing this so that, if he should ever be with Charlie in the future, I could recall how he stood up for me now and couldn't really get mad at him for the same thing.
"I know it'll work," Sam's voice was smaller.
"So do I," I tightened my grip on Kate.
The three of us looked to each other, and it was in that moment that I suddenly realized just how alike we all were. We each had sisters we loved and tried to protect who wished that we would ease up on that. We were each in love with the other's sister (of course, I am not sure if Aiden was "in love" with Charlie. At least, I hoped not).
Sam didn't say anything. He took a long look at the two of us before storming out, Charlie moving to make way for him. There was a silence as we watched him leave. There might have been a million things to say, but none of them came to our lips.
Aiden looked at us and nodded a silent goodbye, walking towards the door and motioning for Charlie to leave with me.
"I told you Noah liked you," Charlie grinned at Kate right before she disappeared, making Kate laugh, and I forgot all the screaming that had just taken place because of her laugh.
Kate,
My wet hair dripped onto the pillow as I leaned down on it, looking up at Noah as he walked around in a towel looking for the sweatpants and tee shirt he had gotten from his room to sleep in. He could have gone into my room and gotten my clothes, but I honestly wanted his.
I wanted the girlfriend experience of wearing his old tee shirt made perfect by years of lilac-scented fabric softener. I wanted to see his grin as I put on his clothes. I wanted to have that little fantasy of dating Noah that I had wanted for years.
And this was it. I had just gotten out of shower. I was in a bed we would be sharing soon, and I was wearing his shirt. He was walking around in a towel for crying out loud.
"So, you said we can't until I've healed more… I think I've healed," my eyes ran over him, and he laughed, walking over to me. He leaned over, his wet black hair dripping slightly onto me. His beautiful blue eyes looked down at me with such adoration that it warmed my heart.
"Am I that absolutely sexy that you can't even handle it?" he grinned, stroking my cheek before pushing my hair out of my eyes.
I rolled my eyes, kissing his nose, "Go find your clothes."
"I am taking that as a yes," Noah grinned, and he continued to look around for his sweatpants and tee shirt. As he finally found them, he went back to the bathroom to pull them on, and he quickly reappeared.
As he plopped down on the bed with me, Noah's arm automatically wrapped around me. He had a small smile on his face, and he kissed my cheek happily.
But I could still see it.
He was shaken up by Sam today. He was hurt by it. They were closer than friends. That was his best friend. They had been like brothers for as long as I could remember. Though he had prepared himself with the fact that Sam was not going to like it, there had been this little hope that maybe Sam wouldn't care. Maybe Sam was over being protective of me and knew that Noah was a good guy who would be good to me.
That hope was very, very wrong.
I could see the worries running through Noah's head. He was wondering how they would proceed to live together or even if they would. He was wondering if this would blow over or if they could ever really be best friends again. He was wondering if this was it for them after all of these years. Would this be the issue that ruins everything?
A small bit of guilt ran through me that I was the reason for all of this, but it wasn't even enough to make me wish we hadn't gotten together. Just maybe that my brother hadn't found out by us spooning and Noah kissing me when we woke up together.
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, stroking Noah's cheek as I looked into his eyes.
"Of course, I'm okay. I'm with you. I am wonderful," he kissed my lips tenderly, and I smiled as he gently pulled away.
"You know that isn't what I'm talking about," I ran my fingers through his wet hair.
Noah frowned, and he shrugged.
"I'll be okay. He's my best friend. I'd still choose you over him, and that was just what I did I guess," Noah shrugged, and I kissed his forehead as I hugged him.
He smiled, and he shrugged once more.
"You know, if it comes to me having to move out, you could move in with me," Noah grinned, and I laughed.
"How about I think about it?" I smiled.
"You'll say yes, I know you will," he nudged me, and I rolled my eyes.
"You don't even know you'll have to move out. Don't get too ahead of yourself, Noah," I laughed, curling up closer to him. His grasp was so comforting that I wasn't sure I would be able to leave it. I wasn't sure I would ever be able to get out of this bed and go back to the real world.
Knock. Knock.
"Who is it?" Noah smiled, sitting up, and I pouted, sitting up with him.
"Sam."
I froze, afraid that we were in for more screaming. But his voice sounded different. Sadder. More serious.
"Come in," Noah stood up, afraid to be on the bed with me I suppose after what had come about earlier today.
As the door opened, my brother stepped through, and the image felt like something I would have seen when my mother had made him come and apologize to me for breaking my toy. It was honestly scary how similar it was. As if we were all back to children. Noah was picking my side during a fight, and Sam was hesitantly coming to apologize. But I doubted we would all go outside and play soccer after this.
"I wanted to apologize to the two of you," Sam looked from me to Noah, not sure who he should be facing during this, "You're my baby sister, Kate. I am going to be overprotective of you, and you're my best friend, Noah. It was a shock. You had always been like a brother to me, and I thought you were like a brother to Kate…"
I glanced at Noah, thinking back to when he was like a brother to me. It had only been a few years, but it felt like a lifetime.
"I've been thinking about it, and, Noah, you are exactly the kind of guy that I would have wanted my sister to be with. And you both seem to really love each other," he nodded nervously, "And now you actually can be my brother. So, it seems like a win-win."
I laughed softly, and I glanced at Noah, silently questioning if my brother had now earned forgiveness. And Noah was smiling.
"Thanks, Sam."
"You'll be a much better brother-in-law than Aiden…" Sam laughed, clapping my brother on the back.
"That kid actually is scary," Noah shook his head, laughing at it.
"I told you!"
And they were back to normal.
I smiled wider, laughing.
"Oh, but, by the way, while we are talking, there is one thing we need to talk about. When Kate sleeps over, please try to hide it or something. Just please," Sam looked to me and Noah, and I blushed as I cupped my mouth to hide my laughter. Noah was blushing bright red.
"Alright, we will," he nodded.
"Wait, you two haven't-" Sam began to laugh, "That was the first thing Swift and I did," he clapped Noah on his back, shaking his head.
Though the new image of Sam in bed with Swift was suddenly making me want to throw up, I couldn't stop laughing as I looked at Noah's embarrassed reaction.
"Well, I think I have made it awkward enough. Goodnight, you two," Sam grinned, and he left just like that.
I was still laughing like a little kid, and Noah got on the bed, lunging for me and tickling me to get even.
"Stop!" I laughed even louder, trying to swat at his hands.
"Say you're sorry!" Noah laughed, tickling me even faster.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I laughed.
"Good," Noah stopped, kissing my temple, "I love you, Katey-Cat."
I rolled my eyes at the very annoying nickname I had heard for so long.
"I love you, too," I smiled.
Charlie,
Kate and Noah hadn't come out of the guest bedroom that Kate's bags had been taken to when we arrived at JoJo's Bel-Air mansion. After she got hurt, Noah hadn't left her side, and he took it upon himself to be the one to take care of Kate as she tried to heal.
Something had happened today, but I had no idea what it was. Noah drove off pretty early, and, suddenly, Kate came downstairs with the keys to the Jeep and said she needed to get somewhere, even asking Henry for directions to a coffee shop. As soon as she got them, she was off, and she wouldn't answer my questions of where she was going.
Roughly an hour later, Noah had arrived home covered in blood (both crimson red and golden) and was carrying a beat-up Kate. Noah had used literally every method we had heard of in Survival Class at Camp Half-Blood. He had given her ambrosia. Poured nectar on the wounds, and even wrapped them in nectar.
Noah had been shaking so bad I thought he was going to pass out, and I was still worried for him to be honest. I hadn't seen him that shaken up before, and I had been there for just about everything in his life.
And now I could say I had been there for this I had been there (well, not really there per say) the day that he told the girl he had been in love with since he was four years old that he loved her. I witnessed the altercation between someone who had been like a brother yesterday as the sibling bond was broken by the realization that they weren't brothers but could be when Noah would most likely marry Kate.
I stretched myself out on the couch, the soft hum of a melody I didn't know that was kept under the "Meditation Tracks" on the stereo system running through the dark living room. The TV was tuned to re-runs of Henry's show, and I had turned it down low to where I couldn't hear the talks of how to get your body ready to show off this summer. I had found a book on one of the bookshelves, and I just started reading it.
It was a book about the history of being health conscious and what we need to do to make sure that it continues into the future. It was one of the most boring book I had ever read, and I finally just put it down, putting my head on a silk pillow.
The air was the perfect temperature. It had been adjusted so that it would be just right for everyone. But it felt so cold, so lifeless. There was no happiness. No memories. It was just a house, not a home.
I was tempted to go to the garden and use the fountain to call my parents, but what good would it do? It would kill them tonight. I had to tell them where we were going soon, and it wouldn't be too much longer.
They would be upset. So would I.
It wasn't the time.
For tonight, I needed to be on my own. I needed to just have time to myself. Take a breath. Breathe deep breaths. Calm down. Enjoy some relaxation.
I left the book on the floor as I stood, and I walked towards the doorway where you were supposed to take off your shoes before walking on the super-soft carpet. I slid on my shoes, gently breezing through the house.
There were libraries. Displays of modern architecture. Plant rooms. Relaxation rooms. Just rooms and rooms full of nothing but furniture. They lacked memories. They lacked emotion. They lacked the happiness my house had.
This was just a house with a couple that wanted it for appearance. They wanted to go on with their public lives, having the modern mansion to prove it. They wanted to continue their health fads and new relaxation trends. They wanted this space to do it, but they didn't seem to really live here…
Before I knew it, I was out one of the many doors and on the deck, moving past the party area and pool and going to the garden. The big, lush garden was illuminated with hanging lights and Zen lanterns. It was perfectly manicured and seemed to even sparkle in the moonlight.
And there it was.
My tree.
My beautiful, peaceful little tree.
I took a deep breath, my hands running over the bark, and I slid down to the bottom as I took a deep gulp of the fresh air. For right now, this was my salvation. This was my relaxation. I didn't know that, soon, this tree would be a reminder of the opposite.
I noticed a dark figure, and I adjusted my eyes to the light, smiling as I figure out who it was.
"Hey, you," I smiled like this was a friend. It was a friend.
But things were different now…
But I didn't know that.
I wish I had known…
