The Very Thought of You

Chapter 8

The first week of school flew by. Before I knew it, we were already heading into the weekend. After throwing dishes per Myles' request, I've felt myself being able to breathe more lately. Even dealing with Remy. Talking to her was something I never wanted to do. But being in the same room with her didn't enrage me anymore.

From the seat beside mine, Myles stretched and yawned. We haven't had any alone time since Monday. Hopefully we can find time to spend together over the weekend. Although I didn't think I was ready for anything physical, I liked being with him just talking. We could always talk about anything.

"Hey, Myles," Remy asked from behind me. "A few friends of mine are going to the beach tomorrow. You should totally join us. You'll have the best time."

"Yeah, I'll pass." He responded, without looking at her. I packed my notebook into my backpack acting as if I was oblivious to their conversation. Did Remy have to be interested in every guy that I took interest in? I rolled my eyes annoyed by her pushy behavior.

"Raincheck?" She begged. "Just the two of us, of course."

"No," Myles said as the bell rang. "Catch you at school on Monday."

"She's always so persistent." I said to Cyrus as we exited the classroom, "She did the same thing with Trevor."

"I remember how that bothered you." He said shaking his head, "You should speak up for yourself."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he was right. In the past, I'd always avoided saying anything when I saw her all over Trevor. Even though it made me sad, bringing that to her attention seemed pointless. She knew I had been Trevor's girlfriend, but she flirted with him anyway.

"She nearly blocked off the exit to the classroom. That girl is crazy." Myles said, catching up to us, out of breath.

Cyrus laughed at him, "She's never going to take the hint until you get a girlfriend who makes her stop."

I almost shoved Cyrus. Why would he even joke about Myles getting a girlfriend? He knew enough to know the two of us were in a... situationship?

"Do you guys have plans for the weekend?" Myles asked ignoring his comment, "My dad is having a barbecue on the beach with some fireworks. It's Shane's birthday and she hasn't made a lot of friends yet so it'd be cool if you guys could stop by."

"I'm in." Hanna said, joining us. "If it's okay, I'll bring my little brothers. They're around the same age."

"My sister just turned seven too, so I'll bring her." Cyrus offered.

"That's actually great," Myles beamed before turning to me, "Are you going to come?"

"Yeah, definitely." I said with a smile.

"Are you going to come?" Hanna asked, mocking Myles and I as we all exited the building, "Yeah, definitely."

Used to her personality by now, Myles laughed at her impersonation.

"You know what," he said when we reached his car. "How about I take Elease home. I'll give you some alone time with Cyrus."

Cyrus and I burst into laughter. Not expecting this comeback, Hanna's head tilted sideways, and she smiled goofily, "Damn, Myles. Remind me not to mess with you again."

"You two have fun." He teased, opening the passenger door to his car, "Not too much fun."

"Look who's talking." Hanna giggled before walking off, "See you later, Ellie."

"She's definitely sweating bullets." I told Cyrus.

"I know." He said with a smile before catching up to her.

"How long have those two been like that?" Myles asked, as we left the parking lot.

"Since they've met," I chuckled. "They're always at each other's throats. But they do that to hide how they feel."

"Is that how you and Trevor were?" He asked looking ahead. I turned, staring out my window into the busy streets. My relationship with Trevor wasn't like that.

"No," I said after a while. "Trevor had this big outgoing personality. Everyone lit up like a Christmas tree whenever he walked into a room. But when it came to me, his presence didn't light me up. It made me feel seen."

"He saw you." Myles said slowly.

I nodded, my chest heavy, "I thought we saw each other. But I didn't fully see him."

"Does this have anything to do with, Remy?" He asked, treading lightly.

"Yeah," I admitted for the first time out loud. "Enough about that. Why did you and your ex break up?"

Although it finally felt good to get some of it off my chest, I was still embarrassed and telling the whole story to him now made me feel guilty, angry, and sad all at once.

His jaw tightened as he pulled into my driveway. He shut off the car before, he sat back into his seat, his eyes focused on the ceiling.

"I had a group of friends like yours once," he said slowly. "We all went to the same elementary school and so on until high school. Ever since I could remember, I'd always liked Ameerah. And at the start of high school, I finally managed to build up enough courage to ask her out."

"What happened?" I asked after a minute of silence.

He sighed heavily, "The guy that I thought had been my best friend since kindergarten happened."

"She cheated on you." I realized, my heart beating wildly. The pain I'd felt a year ago suddenly was brought to life inside of me. Not wanting to explain the reason behind the tears, I held them back.

"I walked in on them kissing," he stated, finally looking at me. "On my bed, in my own house."

"Oh, Myles," I sighed, noticing the pain in his expression.

Wanting to comfort him, my hand absently reached for his face. A warm feeling rushed over me as he leaned in closer. The thumping of my heart filled the silence in the car when he placed his forehead against mine.

"She's an idiot." I whispered, trying to take my eyes off his lips as he licked them. Was he about to kiss me? The thought of it made me think of Trevor. Instantly I pulled away, swinging my backpack over my shoulder.

"Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I almost got carried away."

"I think we're both partially at fault." I said, not wanting him to feel bad. Someday I knew I wanted him to try again. Maybe next time, I won't think of Trevor. We looked at each other and laughed, easing the tension.

After saying goodbye to Myles, I went into the house where I found both my parents peeking from the window. Obviously, they'd seen me coming inside and still had chosen to get caught in the act. They've been pestering me about the details with Myles ever since he picked me up for the housewarming party that day.

"That was Myles' car." My mother asked suspiciously, "What took you so long to come inside?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Since when do care? I used to stay out way longer than that."

"We know," My father said, trying to prevent the argument brewing. "We're just happy to see you back out there dating again."

"Myles is a friend." I said, knowing that I'd probably want more in the coming future, "We're not dating."

"You can't just give up on love after that slimeball did what he," My mother started.

"You see why I don't talk to you anymore!" I screamed, running up the stairs. The feelings I'd suppressed after hearing about Myles' getting cheated on rose to the surface. I let the tears slide down my face as I slammed my bedroom door.