I Can't Make You Love Me

Chapter 36: Ice Cream Helps Me Think

"Hey." I say awkwardly as I approach Luke's locker.

"I waited for your call this weekend." He says while placing books in his locker and avoiding eye contact with me.

"I know, I'm sorry. I had a lot going on."

"Yeah, I bet you were really busy with your new boyfriend." His jaw tightens.

"No, stuff with my mom."

He quickly slams the locker shut and turns to face me. "Everything okay with her? What's going on?" He asks with worry.

"She kind of wants me to move in with her."

"What?" His eyes widen with shock.

"Believe me I'm just as shocked as you are."

"So are you gonna move in with her?" He asks.

"I don't wanna talk about that. I just came over here to say sorry I didn't call you this weekend when I said I would. Also, I would really appreciate it if you could maybe like just forget everything I said that night. I'm really embarrassed about it. I mean I shouldn't of even call you to begin with I was just really drunk."

"Can I come and see you tonight?" He catches me by surprise with his question.

"What, no! Were you listening to anything I just said? That night, I was a mess. Everything I said, I shouldn't of said it."

"I thought you were the one who still wants to be friends." He reminds me.

"Yeah, but -"

"But nothing. If you wanna be friends we have to hang out at some point so why not tonight? I'm coming over tonight."

"No, Luke."

"Come on Kenz! He scoffed. "Please? I miss Kenzie, my best friend. Not Kenzie, the girl I'm in love with."

"Luke!" My eyes widen.

"What?" he laughs. "Just because we broke up doesn't mean my feeling went away."

A few days ago this boy wouldn't even look me in the eye or talk to me in class. But now he's saying he still loves me.

"Does that make you uncomfortable, when I say I'm in love with you?"

I gulp, looking away from him. I do not knowing how to respond to that.

"You used to like it before, when I said it. Sorry, I'll stop it."

"You're right. We should hang out. It's just I've got a lot going on with my mom right now and everything is complicated."

"It's alright. No rush, just let me know when you have time. And Mckenzie, don't ever hesitate to call me if you ever need anything or you just wanna talk to someone. You're still my best friend. I'd be an idiot to give that up."

*************

I swallow the chuck of ice cream into my mouth like its water and dig the spoon into the carton for another.

"Why the hell are you eating like that?" Hunter squints his eyes. "Your going through that carton of ice cream like its broccoli that your forced to eat. I mean like are you even enjoying the chocolate peanut buttery goodness?"

"Mhm" I reply shoving another spoonful in my mouth.

Cameron walks into my room, joining Hunter and I. "Get out rat." He tells his brother.

"I can't believe you guys are together. That's so weird." Hunter makes a grossed out face.

"Get the fuck out Hunter!" Cameron tells him again.

"Okay, okay... You want sexy time, I get it." Hunter smirks.

"You're a fucking dick, just go away and go see your skanky girlfriend!" Cameron yells at him.

"Cameron don't be mean." I hit his shoulder.

"Wow, you really need to get laid," Hunter says to Cameron, then points his finger at me,"Make sure he's in a better mood when I get back home!"

"GET OUT!" Cameron yells. Hunter rolled his eyes at him but does as he is told, slamming shut the door behind him.

I sighed, snuggling in to Cameron's chest, as he slipped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek.

"Before you came in, Hunter was telling me his girlfriend wants to go on a double date."

"Like us and them?" Cameron asks.

"That's usually how a double date works. She says she wants to get to know us better since we're so close to him."

He pulls me in closer and remain silent for a few minutes, but finally breaks the silence. "Hey baby," he whispered. "Do we really have to go on this double date?"

"Why you don't want to?"

"It's not that. It's just I only have a few months left in town I wanna spend every minute with you, but just with you. No one else around."

"We can do that too, but after we double with Hunter and Emma."

"Okay, I guess that fine too. So why exactly are you eating ice cream like a maniac?" He questions the nearly empty carton in my hand.

"Liz told me I have to make up my final decision if I want to move in with Veronica by the end of this week. Ice cream helps me think." I say shoving another spoonful in my mouth.

He laughs. "You really are something else." He leans over and grabs something from my night stand. "So question, when exactly are you gonna open this Christmas present I got you?"

"I will soon, I just got a lot going on right now." I say as the ice cream melts in my mouth.

"Yeah, I can clearly see that." He says with sarcasm. "Open it now or I'll open it for you."

"Fine." I whine and begin to pull the wrapping off of the gift. "You know I was really getting used to having this box on my night stand. It was like a nice piece of decoration but here you come and make me ruin it. Such a shame-" I'm left speechless as I pull the gift out of the box.

In my hand is a hourglass, the inside is full of sand.

"It's sand from outside the lake house. I put it inside of a hourglass." He tells me. "The lake house is the most special place for us I think. It's where we had our first kiss as kids and where I first realized I was in love with you. It also belongs to your dad and I know you have great memories with him there. Our childhood summers were spent there and I think those were the best days of my life. Overall, whenever we go to the lake house only good things happen. I put the sand inside an hourglass because it's suppose to symbolize that all things take time. I feel in love with you it took me ten years to admit it, but I feel for you. Your mom recovered, it took time, but she did it. I guess I just always want you to look at this and know everything will be okay, it just takes time."

"Cameron, this is..."

"You don't have to say anything. It's probably stupid. I knew I should of got you like a necklace or something."

"No, Cameron. This is perfect. It's exactly what I needed right now. Thank you so much!" He smiles and pulls me in for a hug and I begin to sob in his arms. This boy is absolutely incredible.

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I hope you guys understand the whole hourglass thing. Hourglasses are used to measure time and they are full of sand. Idk, it's just this idea that randomly came into my head for the story so I just went for it. I hope you guys like it.

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