Forbidden Love

Chapter 23

Half an hour passed and then Tim shouted out over the noise of the youth centre, "There's Joe!"

I turned around to see Joe had come in, with Michelle next to him.

My heart sank inside me and I filled with jealously. I tried to keep my emotions off my face and I turned around so I wasn't facing them.

"Are you ok?" Ethan asked me.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I noticed my voice came out very hard, much harsher than I intended it to.

"Umm well, no reason I guess." He stuttered out giving me a strange look.

Joe came over to us with Michelle following after him.

"I'm free!" He said in excitement standing behind my chair.

A lot of the guys stood up to clap him on the back or say hello to him.

I ignored him.

He pulled up a chair next to me. I noticed Michelle pulled up a chair a few seats round at our table too.

"You not going to give me a kiss?" He asked me with a happy smile on his face.

I just looked at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked seeing my face.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Olivia."

He said my name and all my emotions came to the front. I almost felt like I was going to cry. I had to look away and fast.

He took my hand and lead me out the back so we would have privacy.

"Tell me what's wrong." He said gently sitting down on a bench.

I sat down next to him, "how could you just turn up with her and not even tell me?"

"I thought you'd be happy!"

"Why?"

"I'm out of the house! That's something to celebrate!"

"I came to your house to see you but instead I saw your mum looking all excited to let Michelle into your house and then you turn up with her here like it's the best thing in the world! Why is she even sitting with us? She has her own friend!"

Joe frowned, "I'm sorry. I should have thought. I didn't know she was going to come. My mum told me when I got home from school. At first I was mad but then when she said I could leave the house I just thought about things going back to normal."

"They're not normal though are they? Michelle is involved. What's normal about that? What does she even want?"

"All she talked about on the way down here was how her family is struggling at the moment and how none of her friends understand. They expect her to be together all the time but she's finding it hard. And then she asked if she could hang out with us for a little bit when we got here and I said she could as long as she was nice to you and Ethan which she agreed to. But I don't want to think about or talk about Michelle. I want to think about you."

I felt torn. I was sure her family was struggling and I felt awful for what they had to go through but at the same time I just didn't buy her story for why she wanted to spend time with Joe.

"Fine." I said.

"Good." Joe pulled me against him into a hug, "let's go inside and have some fun."

I didn't feel like having fun but Joe sounded so excited I put on a smile and took his hand and followed him inside.

The whole evening Michelle stayed with our group. She was quiet and watchful, something very unlike her from what she's like in school. I tried my best to ignore her and focus on Joe being back but it was difficult.

When the evening came to an end Michelle announced that her mother was at Joe's house waiting on her.

"Perfect." I muttered under my breath, no one heard me.

The walk home that used to be just Joe, Ethan and me was now Michelle, Joe, Ethan and me until we came to the street that broke us apart. Michelle and Joe would go one way Ethan and I another.

I pulled Joe into a longer than necessary kiss, "I'll see you later," I said to him, "love you."

"I love you too," he smiled at me, he knew exactly what I was doing. I knew he liked my jealousy sometimes, he gave me another quick kiss and walk off with Michelle.

As I was just about to go to sleep that night I heard a noise on my window. I ignored it. Then I heard another one. It sounded like someone was hitting my window. But they couldn't be I was on the first floor.

I got out of bed and opened my curtains to see a small pebble collide with my window. I smiled and looked out into the street where I saw Joe standing.

I pulled a coat on over my pyjamas and quietly made my way down the stairs and out the front door.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered with a grin even though we were outside.

"You said I'll see you later, I thought I'd make that come true." He shrugged.

I gave him a shove, "you idiot! I meant like tomorrow or something!" I pulled him into a hug anyway, "it's freezing!"

"What are you wearing?"

"Do you not like my pyjamas?" I asked in fake outrage pulling back my coat to reveal my dark navy pyjamas covered in penguins properly.

"Oh no, they're amazing, beautiful even."

"Shut up." I pulled my coat back around me.

"Stunning on you." He said pulling me in for a kiss.

"Thank you." I said when we broke apart, "but it really is very cold." I was shivering now, "do you think we can go inside?"

"I've never seen your room."

"So that's why you snuck over here in the middle of the night!" I said in fake outrage, "just to get into my bed!"

"I said your room, not your bed!"

"Ok, ok." I took both his hands in mine and lead him into the house.

I lead him up the stairs holding my breath as we walked across the hallway past my parents and my brothers closed door. If any of them chose that moment to go to the bathroom or get a glass of water I was dead.

We made it to my room and I closed the door as quietly and as gently as I could.

When I turned around Joe was lying on my bed with his shoes off , looking very comfortable, looking around the room.

I crept over and lay down next to him, "I thought you said not my bed." I whispered.

He shrugged, "things happen." He said very nonchalantly.

"Oh, do they?" I asked, now drawing shapes across his chest.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "nothing you can do about it." He moved so he was whispering right in my ear, "nice room." 

I leant up and whispered right into his ear, "thanks."

He then kissed me.

We kissed like we needed each other and in that moment maybe we did.

We pulled away and he said, "you know I love you so much, don't you?"

I was lying fully on top of him and I looked up so I could see his face, "I know." I said placing a kiss to his exposed neck.

"I wouldn't do anything to ruin this. Nothing."

"I know." I continued to lightly kiss his neck.

"If I'm talking to Michelle, it doesn't mean anything. I'm just trying to do the right thing."

I pulled away slightly. After a moment's hesitation I said, "I know."

"Nothing can stop the way I feel about you."

I moved so I captured his lips again.

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