My Boyfriend Is A Geek ✔️

53: Shame on you, Brooke, shame on you

“I love you,” she breathed. Although she was quick to add, “and just know I'm not saying that again.”

“Just shut up and get in here, little bitch,” came the reply, leaving her chuckling. But she still went in for the hug anyway, the both of them beaming all the while – something which I knew would end the moment they pulled away. And then, they'd probably go on about how they never wanted to repeat the action ever again.

“My bet is five minutes,” Shay remarked from beside me, leaving me to stare confusedly at her. “Five minutes before they go back to finding each other annoying.”

Getting her meaning, I felt my lips twitch with a smile. “I say, three.”

She pretended to consider it before saying, “ok, but four tops.”

“Yeah,” I mused, both of us chortling at the truth of it. And with another glance at the sister-duo, we were leaving them.

Yeah, Jessica did come around, she even apologized for what she said the other night. And now, they were having their cute sibling moment which usually lasted long enough for them to go back to finding each other ‘annoying.’ But still, it was clear that those two sure loved each other.

Talking about love, I found myself asking, “so, what's up with you and Mike?”

At that, Shay’s countenance immediately shifted from its earlier lightness, with her arm which was linked with mine, loosening a little. 

“He uh...he asked to get back together. Yay!” The sarcasm in the last word was clear as day.

“What did you say?”

“No.”

“What?” I stopped from walking at that, eyeing her as though she were possessed. Because that had to be the only explanation I could think of for why she’d turn down Mike. 

I mean, I could still remember how giddy she’d been when they started talking again a while back. And then there was that ‘friendly date’ they had, and how she’d been so excited for it. Hence, my surprise at how she was able to go from that, to turning him down.

“I know it sounds crazy, right?”

“Hell yeah!” In the face of her playful glare, I found myself chuckling as I made a hurried addition of: “hey, you asked.”

Despite herself, she betrayed a small chuckle as well. But in the decline of the throaty sounds, she was saying, “all this time, I thought I was really happy about getting another chance with him. I thought I still loved him, you know?”

I nodded, even though I wasn't sure I knew.

“But when we kissed…” 

I let out a low whistle at that. “Shut up,” she chided lightly, both of us chortling. However, she soon went on with what she was saying. “When we did, I just didn't feel the way I imagined I would, or should I say, the way I used to feel. Does that even make sense?”

“It does,” I answered, truly meaning it. I knew something of reality not matching up to expectations.

“And when he asked me out, I don't know…I just couldn’t find it in me to agree even though I knew the person asking was Mike who I’d spent all of sophomore year being totally crazy about.”

She really was crazy about him. Back then, he was all we heard for weeks. One time, Beck even threatened to cut off her tongue if she heard his name for another second.

“But that was then,” she continued, voice earnest. “And now, it’s not the same. But I guess loving him became a habit, and I was stubbornly refusing to accept that I’d broken out of that habit. I don't love Mike anymore – I don’t think I even have in a long time. But because I was so stuck on the idea of loving him, it wasn’t easy for me to realize how I truly feel.”