Adopted by Phan

Chapter 89

Jay's P.O.V.

"I think I might like you."

I sat still, stunned for a few seconds before even attempting to reply. I hadn't really thought of her as anything other than a friend but as I went back over since I had first met her, which was just over 4 months maybe, things started to make sense. I had felt wobbly around her, going red on occasion and I really, really, looked up to her.

"Ummm-" I frowned, trying to think of what to say. After all, I'd never had a crush before and didn't really know what it was, being starved of romantic love for basically all of my life. "I- I don't really know what to say?"

I saw her face fall but I reached out and squeezed her hand, my head still tilted to the side. She was still avoiding my eyes.

"It's just, well, I've never really thought about you as anything other than a friend but..." I had seen her face fall even more, almost turning completely away from me. "But... I- I think this could work out."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide in confusion.

"Wait what?" I squeezed her hand.

"I like you too you numpty." She opened her mouth in shock before throwing her arms around me in a huge hug and squeezing me tighter than I had ever felt. I squeezed her back, more gently, but buried my head in her shoulder and listened to her breathing as it started to slow.

"Thanks Jay." Then it was my turn to be confused.

"What? Why? You don't need to thank me for anything?" She pulled back, looking me straight in the eyes with a solemn look on her face.

"I do have to thank you, because I had no idea how you'd take it and I was really scared, so with that-" She squeezed my hand, now smiling. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

I grinned and flung my arms around her, nodding.

"Yes!" She hugged me back, one of her hand across my back and her head in the crook of my neck. I closed my eyes happily.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do you want another cookie?" I nodded, taking the one she was offering to me and curling up further into her side. We were watching a movie, the fourth Harry Potter movie, and had been for the past hour or so, just waiting for either Dan or Phil to call us down or come up to find us.

We had several blankets and duvets thrown over us, the bag of chips in front of us and my laptop playing the movie, throwing the light over us. I was practically lying on top of Anais playing with her hair underneath her headscarf and attempting to plait it although it was quite difficult.

We were both lying on our stomachs on the bed, trying to remain comfortable while resting on our elbows, which wasn't the easiest thing to do but I was okay with it.

"Jay! Anais! Dinner!" I sighed, hearing Phil calling us up the stairs but paused the movie and pulled the blankets off our heads, Anais grabbing my hand and leaning over the side of my head for my crutches. I took them from her, making my way to the stairs and then down them.

I could smell what I thought was butter chicken from the hallway and Anais took in a deep breath, smiling.

"I think I smell butter chicken!" And I nodded, still heading to the kitchen.

Dan and Phil were sitting at the bench, already eating their dinner, and there were two plates already dished up waiting for the two of us. I looked up at Anais and notcied that her headscarf was starting to fall to the side, so I reached up and adjusted it for her, before taking the plate off the bench.

It only took two seconds before I realised that I couldn't walk, hold my spare crutch and the plate at the same time so Anais reached over and took it off me, while I was glaring at her, and we made our way to the couch to sit down. Dan and Phil also took their plates and sat down on the other couch.

"What were you two doing?" I shrugged.

"Watching a Harry Potter movie, the fourth one." Dan nodded, we had watched the third one together after I watched the first two on the plane too and from America.

"Sounds fun." I nodded, Anais seemed to have picked up that I didnt want to tell Dan and Phil about us just yet, so she didnt mention it, just squeezed my hand underneath the blanket that was lying across our laps.

"Do you know when you're going home Anais?" She shrugged.

"Probably right after this, I'll walk home." Dan looked up.

"I can drop you home if you want." Anais was about to shake her head but I squeezed her hand.

"I can go with you." I knew enough about the Muslim religion to know that young women weren't supposed to be alone with men that weren't family, their husband or family of their husbands. She gave me a quick smile, before nodding towards Dan.

"Thanks, that would be great."

Another thing that Dan and Phil had managed to do in the past few weeks was get a car. It was a little one, a cheap and crappy one that was in need of major maintenance and Dan was the only one of the two who had even got his licence so only he could drive.

The car wasn't a permanent thing, just something to hand onto and then resell in a few months once Phil had his licence and they got everything sorted out more. It was most just for emergencies, to pick me up from school if Officer Briny couldn't come in because he was on shift or to do a quick emergency grocery run.

They'd only had the car for a week and a bit, having picked it up while I was a school one day and it had mostly been sitting in the garage since then, Dan only driving it back from picking it up.

We finished our dinner in around half an hour, Dan turning the television onto the news so we had something to do in the somewhat awkward silence that we were sitting in. Later, Dan stood up and nodded in our direction, meaning it was time to go.

"Alright, see you later!" Anais was nodding in Phil's direction, who wasn't coming with us, and smiled at her, giving her a little salute before turning his eyes back to the television.

Dan was already in the car when we got to the hallway so I gave her one last huge hg, squeezing her hand and walking to the car where we both got in and prepared for the short ride to Anais's house.

And then I realised that I still hadn't told her about the baby.