Secrets and Stolen Kisses

07

m a d e l y n

When my mom went into her senior year of high school, she promised herself she wouldn't fall for anyone because she didn't need any distractions. Like two months in, she got to know my dad, and look where they're at.

That's why I decided that was the last thing I'd promise myself. Archer basically said screw it and decided the more distractions, the better. He promised himself he wouldn't get tied down to just one girl in high school. We'll see where that gets him.

"Mimi, what are you thinking about?" Nate poked my cheek as I played with his hair.

My whole family was out doing their own things, and I thought it would be a great time to hang out with my boyfriend.

Of course, we were at his house. I was feeling a little bold putting myself in a room with just us, but I wasn't bold enough to be in my own home. I didn't know what time any of them finished up, and they could walk in on us doing who knows what. We would screw ourselves over.

At Nate's house, that wasn't much of a problem. Mr. G was at the office 'til seven, Quinn was out with my mom, and apparently they were gonna have dinner together, and Jake was at soccer for the next few hours. The only person, other than Nate and I, at the house was the maid who we knew wasn't gonna say a word. We could share all the stolen kisses we missed out on.

"You know how I told you about my mom's promise to herself in her last year of high school?" I began.

"Yeah, what about it?" he scrunched his eyebrows together.

"Nothing, just thinking about how that did not happen for her at all," I laughed.

He laughed with me, sitting up and holding me in his arms. "Do you ever regret not getting together sooner?"

I thought about it for a while.

Nate and I both liked each other way before we confessed, apparently. What would things have been like if we hadn't been such wimps and just went for it?

"I've thought about what might've been," I revealed. "But I don't regret getting together when we did. We weren't ready then, but we're ready now. Granted, I would've liked the whole Archer situation to be solved before the relationship started, but one can only hope, right?"

"I agree," Nate kissed my temple. "We'll take it day by day, Mimi. When the time is right, we'll tell Archer, and he'll be a little mad that we didn't tell him sooner, but he'll be happy for us."

He was right. I was just a little worried my brother would find out some other way and blow up at us. That or he could see through me and my lies better than I could keep the secret from him.

"Stop worrying, my love," he hugged me tighter. "I can tell you're working yourself up."

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I can't help it. I don't usually hide stuff from Arch."

"And I do?" he laughed. "It's okay. As long as we're in this together, it'll work out."

"Pickle?"

He hummed in response.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mimi. So much."

Yeah, I had to be frank, him saying those words always made me feel some things.

~~~

"Where were you at?" I threw my car keys at the table in the foyer.

"I could ask you the same thing," my brother eyed me as he walked by. "For all you know, I could've been home all afternoon."