Chapter 45

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I stare back at his distinguishing green and warm shade of eyes. His lips have curved in the usual sweet and charming way as they always did when he graced me with one of his smiles. It has been a while.

"Here," Daniel's voice breaks me out of my reverie and he hands the man the money before getting the pizzas on his hands. My nostrils fill with the characteristic smell of the place we have always ordered pizza when we had a movie night. He walks down the path of the front porch of my house disappearing in the shadow of the night. Jenna's figure is still visible from her window, bathed in the yellow light of her room.

I glance back at George but before I can understand what is going on, he buries me in his tight embrace. He sways us both a few times. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I, hesitantly and slowly, put my arms around him too.

"I can't believe you are here," He whispers as he drinks me all in; his eyes traveling up and down. "You are taller, thinner..."

"That's called growing," I giggle and he grins. "I haven't changed that much." He surprises me as he places his finger above my heart.

"I think you have in here," I nod in his assumption.

"Are you coming in you two?"

"Shut up," George shouts back and I frown. He was always the sweet and innocent boy, he never rose his voice to anyone for anything, he never cursed. Maybe he has changed too. He hugs me and pushing me inside the house, he shuts the door behind him with his foot. His movement isn't so smooth and controlled as I'm used to lately. I crawl back from his tight embrace.

"I need to help," I murmur, and I'm rewarded by his broad grin. I walk into the depths of the house towards the kitchen and I don't miss the frown on Corbyn's face. This isn't going to evolve pleasantly.

"I got it," I say to Emma and Hannah who have entered the kitchen to bring some plates. They start murmuring negatively but detecting something or rather someone behind me, they agree instantly. The discussion from the living room distracts me a little. I close my lids and head to the cupboard to get some plates when I hear his voice.

"So, how have you been?"

"Good," His laugh makes me swirl around as he drags a chair and sits.

"That's an understatement," I offer him a small smile; it certainly is. As my mind revisits my memories of this year, so many things have happened that I have trouble putting them in the right chronicle order. More lifetime memories than I had all my life.

"We used to talk to each other, remember?"

"It was an interesting year," I claim.

"Why didn't you contact us?" He asks.

"I did," My words unsettle him. He purses his lips together in a thin line as if he bit something bitter. He's referring to himself. "I had to move on. Staying glued to the past wasn't good for me. I had to forget and let all the loose ends in the past. It was painful, don't tell me I had to make a different decision."

"Hey, no," He stands up and approaches me with two rapid strides. "I-I'm sorry," He closes his eyes. "I just didn't want you to vanish like that. You talked to Clary and Emma, but what about me?" His expectant eyes await an answer I'm not sure I can provide to him.

"I need to..." I glance in the plates in my hands and walk past him towards the living room.

"It's really good," Tobias comments with his mouth full. "Can you fetch some beers?"

"Sure,"

"I didn't mean it like that," George defends himself when I return in the kitchen. "Why didn't you call once?"

"I needed to move on,"

"So, we didn't mean anything to you?"

"You are one of my best friends," His expression falls at my choice of words. "You mean a lot to me but I had to move on, alone. I couldn't talk, I had so many things to handle, and believe me, you didn't want that kind of mess in your life," He stares at me, not uttering a syllable, and I leave again to bring the beers to the table. I debate either to sit down but when my eyes find him leaning in the frame of the kitchen door, I know we need to talk in order to clarify all those things I was avoiding for nearly a year. I don't dare to look towards my angel knowing I will regret it immediately. I enter the kitchen and sit opposite the chair he was sitting on.

"Ask," He sits opposite me, resting his arms on the table, he leans towards me as his eyes seem to pierce into mine; there's only one pair of blue sapphire eyes that have that magical effect though.

"You didn't talk," He states and I nod, waiting for the brewing storm to come and crush me down. "For how much?"

"Seven weeks or so,"

"Is that why you didn't call?"

"One of the reasons, yea," I agree.

"Your cousins?" A smile forms on my lips.

"They are amazing, I feel like I have brothers now," I recall the doubts I had when I heard I will be living with three boys I never saw before; my anxiety was totally unnecessary.

"You don't have any problems with your aunt's family, then?"

"None,"

"I was making my applications the other day," He starts and my heart clenches. "Remember?" I shake my head not wanting to admit it. "Are you applying there?"

"I haven't figured it out yet. Still thinking," I add.

"Why? We always wanted to go there. We had planned it," He argues and his eyebrows furrow in confusion and disappointment.

"A lot has changed since then," My phone rings distracting my train of thought. "Hey,"

"Hey, is Corbyn around? I have been calling him for the last five minutes but he isn't picking up," Jacobs says through the phone.

"Yea, wait a sec," The moment I appear in view, his blue ocean eyes pierce through me and the welcoming fire of my angel emits inside of me in a nanosecond. God, I love all those emotions. His eyes don't leave mine even when I sense George following me.

"Jacob wants to talk to you," I tell him giving him the black device in hand. He doesn't take it, instead, he grasps my hand and places me on his lap. His arms encircle me rapidly, trapping me, before he rests the phone on his ear.

"What's up?" He doesn't leave his gaze off of me, though, I don't give up either. I know our private time with George might have upset him. I pass my fingers through his hair, freeing his forehead from his soft strands. He seems to relax and I can't help but smile knowing that it is my effect on him. The chatter of the room has ceased and quietness has blanked it. I sense stares at us but when my heavenly angel is looking at me, I can't glance elsewhere.

"Is everything okay?" I ask after he hangs up. He nods, pulling me closer.

"Which of your cousins is he?" George questions. I turn to find him perplexed, trying to understand what is occurring in front of him with unsuccess.

"I'm the boyfriend," Corbyn exclaims as he leans his head on the top of the sofa, appearing relaxed but I know he is far from that. George's eyes shoot to mine directly.

"You have a boyfriend?"

"yes," My voice is small as I expect his reaction. We were best friends since junior high school. Later, we decided to explore the erotic area and find out if there was something more between us; I ended it after four weeks.

"How long have you been dating?" He pushes. His whole body has hardened and turned in our direction. His eyes widen as if he's attempting to find the joke that will put him at ease. He rests his elbows on his knees pursing his lips together.

"I..." I turn to Corbyn.

"Since the start of the school year," Corbyn replies.

"More or less," I whisper to myself considering the time we took apart a few times.

"Months," He concludes as his eyes narrow staring at Corbyn. I'm sure he compares our time together with the one I'm in a relationship with Corbyn; there's no comparison though.

"You started it?" Emma asks. Her expression appears neutral, barely, while she tries to learn more about it. Nobody is too happy with the news; I can't understand their disapproval.

"Uhm..."

"Me," Corbyn cries and I frown.

"Well, maybe yes," I mutter thinking that I couldn't talk, and he's the one that first kissed me and followed me when Edward was after me.

"But you said you weren't talking for seven weeks?" George leans up shaking his head in disapproval.

"I wasn't, when we met," His eyebrows fly upwards.

"You were together when you couldn't even talk? What is this?" His tone unsettles me. They are all staring at us, waiting for a reply as if they can all sit and judge our life.

"At the beginning, we got close when she didn't talk but it didn't last. Officially, we started dating after she began talking." Corbyn explains staring, furiously, at George. His voice, though, is stable and formal as if he doesn't care about the conversation; it's boring him.

George chuckles, affectedly, as if he's about to vomit. He rocks his head side to side and falls back on the couch. Though, I'm burning inside. Their disapproving stares and words make me angry; I don't appreciate people judging me or my life choices when they weren't aware of the options I had.

"Why are you all..." My sentence is being cut off by Tobias. He was always the one sensing an awkward situation and the best fixer of it.

"I'm gonna start the movie. It's amazing." The rest of his murmur of the success of the new film in the cinemas turns into a mute whisper that only moves his lips. They switch off the lights and the starring actor's names appear on the screen.

I take a deep steadying breath and nuzzle into Corbyn's embrace; I wouldn't rather be anywhere else right now. I smell his scent with sealed lids trying to calm myself down. I look up at him and meet my favorite twirling blue eyes staring back at mine. He leans down and whispers in my ear.

"I love you,"

"I love you," I say back and snake my arms around my angel before hiding my head in his neck. I focus on his breathing as his arms caress me in a rhythmic and relaxing manner. And before I know it, I drift off.

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