The secrets we keep

Chapter 63

I wasn't prepared for what I walked into at all.
Nate's house was a beautiful villa, nothing weird about that in LA. But the inside was.. Special.
There was a trampoline in the middle of the room and I could swear I spotted a bouncy house in the backyard. When we walked through the room I was almost run over by two guys chasing each other with paintball guns.
"Is this normal?" I asked laughing.
"I don't know what that word means anymore."
He grinned and took my hand.
"Guys! Chill for a sec!" He yelled and everybody looked at him "This is Kenna, she'll chill here for a while. Try not to kill her while she's here, please."
I made a funny face at him.
"You hungry?"

"So you just went home??" Laura was giggling so hard she could barely control herself "You" she meant Nate "You're one of the most famous and influential YouTuber's ever. And you," she nodded at me "THAT WAS LITERALLY YOUR COUSINS PARTY. How the fuck did you two morons not get in."
We shrugged and laughed. She was right, we hadn't really tried hard enough.
"I meeaaan," Nate said "Okay, yeah. I don't know either," he snorted and shook his head "I always think I'm just an idiot from Jersey."
"You are an idiot from Jersey," Nick added "But somehow that made you famous."

I had borrowed a big shirt from Nate and we had a couple of beers with his friends. They were all so welcoming and loving that I felt like I had known them for years.
We were talking, telling stupid stories and just doing dumb stuff; I ended up having so much fun that I completely forgot about everything else and fell asleep in Nate's bed.
Absolutely not a good move.
When I woke up, it took me some time to realize where I was and what had happened the night before.
„Oh god."
I shook Nate to wake him up to which he only responded by pulling me into his arms and cuddling me like a teddybear.
„Naaaate," I whined and tried to wiggle out of his arms "You're cute but I really need to go. If my brothers find out where I am they'll kill me."
"What're your brothers' names?" He asked and finally stopped pretending he was sleeping.
„Jackson, Liam, Tyler."
„Oh damn," he ruffled his hair „I've met them before I think. Didn't know they had a sister."
I climbed out of bed "Yeah, common mistake."
"I can drive you home if you want?"
"I just need to find my damn phone..." I searched the whole room till I finally found it in the bathroom.
"God. Look at this," I showed him the wave of messages I had gotten from my brothers.
"Damn. They don't seem too happy."
„Yeah, no shit."
I picked up my dress and turned to go to the bathroom.
„What're you doing?"
„Going to change, duh."
„You can change here," he suggested with a smirk.
"Oh, you wish."
"I do."
I shook my head and chuckled as I closed the bathroom door.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told Jackson on the phone "I know! I'm sorry. I totally forgot and then I couldn't find my phone," he was yelling at me so I put him on silent „Stop being so loud! I'm coming home, chill." Jackson yelled at me for about ten more minutes, saying how something could've happened to me and that I was irresponsible. Looking back I realized he was right. I was naive to just leave with some guy I didn't know.
Jackson sent Liam to pick me up, so I went to Nate's room while I waited.
"Put your number in my phone," he handed me his phone and I raised my eyebrow.
"You think you deserve to get my number?" I nudged him and grinned.
He playfully pushed me down on the bed and held my hands over my head "You really think you can live without me?"
"Yeah, works fine with me."
He made a pouty face and I laughed.
"Well, I'm not letting you leave, then." He joked.
"Of course." I nodded.
"I'm serious!" He said but couldn't hide his grin "Don't leave."
"You're like a toddler!"
He blew me a raspberry which made me giggle.
I giggled. I never giggle. It sounded so weird.
"You're cute."
"I know."
"Ohh c'mon. You really don't like me?"
„Nate, c'mon don't be a dick. Please. We literally met yesterday. I don't even know you."
„Most people think they know me without ever meeting me."
„Well, I don't," I sighed „Look, this was fun. Really. But.. My life is so complicated already and I don't want to have any more drama in my life."
"I promise. I won't cause any drama." He gave me his biggest puppy eyes.
"Nateee..." I groaned "It's just like, I don't know... If the situation was different; If we both had normal lives.."
"So because our lives aren't normal, we can't get to know each other?"
"It's not that easy."
"Kenna. If you don't like me, that's cool, alright? But like don't let the fact that your life isn't what other people think is normal keep you from making friends. Like, it's your choice. I don't wanna annoy you into giving me a chance." He was dead serious all of the sudden. I hadn't seen him like that. He had been goofing around all night which was fun of course, but it was nice to see he could be serious too.
"Okay fi-,"
The doorbell rang.
"That's my brother," I told him and got up. That was a clear sign from the universe that I was about to make a mistake.

I quickly made my way to the front door to receive my brother.
"You are soooo dead." Was the first thing he told me. "