“I guess we should get the other two…we can grab dinner than go to the airport and pick Glen up.” Madison nodded and the two went to get Spencer and Ashley.

*          *          *          *

Kyla sighed; she had no clue why she was standing in front of Aiden’s door at eight o’ clock at night. Her nervous was shot and she wished he hadn’t called her to come over, or did she call him, now she didn’t even remember. Moving her fingers from fists to straight out to back to fists she tried to work on knocking. As if reading her mind Aiden opened the door, he was wearing track pants with a t shirt that had a small hole forming at the bottom and socks.

“Hey,” he gave her a weak smile while motioning for her to come in.

“Hi…” Kyla didn’t know what else to say to him. The last time she saw him she’d beaten his chest black and blue in a library and now he wanted to see her, after weeks of disappearing. She sat on the couch, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

“So…uh…how have you been?”

“Fine, you?”

“Good,” awkward silence followed. Neither knowing how to open up or say what they really wanted to.

“Is there a reason you called?” she asked finally as the silence got to her, the words came out harsher than she intended as she watched him flinch, “Sorry.”

“No, it’s all right. Yeah um…remember how I told you I was transferring?” she nodded for him to continue, “Right well my parents don’t actually want to transfer me so I’m going to King again and I know no one wants me there so yeah high schools going to be a drag but um…I was hoping that we….could still…well…if you wanted to…”

“Be friends?” she finished for him since he could hardly breath being this close to her after so long. He wished he could have seen the amazing girl he had with him the entire time instead of drooling with his lower region for her sister. He nodded afraid to look her in the eyes, keeping a few inches between them to remind himself how he lost her, “It’s not going to be easy but…yes I’d like that.”

“Really?” his head snapped up and a real genuine smile crossed his lips for the first time in months.

”Slow Aiden, I mean it…not like before,”

“Right, no I get it slow…definitely…I can do it, I want to do it…not it ‘it’ but no you get me the friendship thing.”

“Aiden?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up,” Kyla smiled and kissed him on the lips causing him to pull back with shock. Had she really just did that? No he had to be dreaming, it was the only thing on his mind…how her lips tasted, the feel of her skin, “What?”

“You…kissed me?”

“Yes, that’s what girlfriends do…”

“But I thought…slow, friends?” Aiden scratched his head trying to under stand her girl logic.

“You’re a boy, I’m a girl and we’re friends exactly but I’m warning you this is the last chance you get and when I mean taking this slow I mean it.” She pecked his lips again but nothing deep before getting up and heading for the door. Once he realized what happened he hopped up and met her at the door.

Before she closed the door she turned, “You should come to Mr. Carlin’s birthday tomorrow…around five.” She closed the door not really giving him a chance to decline. He knew it was a bad idea, everyone he hurt would be at that party but if Kyla wanted him there, if she needed him there he was there no matter how humiliating or painful it was going to be. Aiden knew one thing, he didn’t love Ashley, he was IN love with Kyla.

TBC.