Summer Letters

Chapter 23

Lena took Jensen's advice and had a long talk with Peyton as soon as they got home. Peyton tried to avoid it by telling her she should call Jensen instead, but Lena insisted. They sat in Lena's room to talk.

"I'm sorry," Lena started, "because I've been terrible when it comes to keeping in touch with you. I don't come home often and when I do we're usually doing different things. I haven't put as much work into staying close with you as I should. I kept my family life and my school life separate when I should have been mixing them. I'm really glad you came today. You met the other important people in my life and you got to see where I live. I did always want you to see it."

Peyton smiled, "You did?"

"Of course! Burmingham is incredible and the people I've met there are incredible too. I wish you could go there to experience it too. If it helps, I am beginning to mix these parts of my life by having Jensen come over during this break."

"You are? You want to bring him here?"

Lena nodded, "We're planning to tell our families about each other, that part already happened a little back at Burmingham, but we also didn't want to go a month without seeing each other. He says he thinks he can borrow a family member's vehicle to come here."

"How did that happen?" Peyton asked, "You didn't speak highly of him before, even over the summer."

Lena smiled, "My relationship with Jensen started very complicated. He liked me, but I hated him. Turns out, I only hated him because I was in denial about getting to know him. When I got to know him, I realized how amazing he was. We slowly became friends and worked slowly on telling our friends about us."

"I can see that you're different. Is this new you going to stay?" Peyton asked.

"I hope so," Lena smiled. "I feel happy... and comfortable. I've never felt this comfortable being myself before. What would you say to a weekly video chat when I'm back at school?"

Peyton smiled, "Really? Are you sure you want to?"

"Yes," Lena nodded, "I promise, I want to."

"Okay. Can I ask you more about the guy?"

Lena laughed, "You wouldn't be my sister if you didn't."

"Do you love him? How else do you explain the intense hate to love in four to six months thing?"

"My relationship with Jensen is hard to explain, as I already said, but I think I do love him. It took me forever to see it, but I'm willing to accept it now."

Peyton replied, "Have you told him yet?"

"No!" Lena exclaimed, "We have not been dating long enough for me to tell him. I might freak him out if I say it too soon."

"Why?" she asked, "Isn't this the same guy you told me about that's been bothering you about dating him for years now?"

Lena laughed, "Yes, that's true."

"If you want my opinion, and you can't stop me from giving it, then I think you were friends with him long before you wanted to admit it."

"What do you mean?" Lena asked her.

"You've been hanging around with him for years even if it was just because you had the same friends. You've talked to him every day during the school year and this summer you talked to him almost every day too. You told people you hated him, but you never stopped yourself from talking to him. That still sounds like a friendship to me."