High School Treachery | ✓

36 | Jealousy

3 6
Jealousy

"I am so sorry—"

"Baby, you don't need to apologize," Jalen quickly cuts me off, turning to me. "You took several hits for us with my parents. This is the least I can do after all of that."

I pause. "Well, I'm glad you're acknowledging that. But, uh, that's not what I was apologizing for. I was gonna say sorry for my sweaty hand."

"Oh," Jalen says, face going blank. "Um, okay. No need to apologize for that either."

"Really?" I ask, tilting my head. "Because I'm grossed out by how slippery they're getting."

I try moving my hand from his grasp to emphasis my point, but Jalen's hold tightens. "Nope, it's fine," he tells me, smiling as he squeezes my hand.

I smile, too, then lean up to peck his cheek before we continue walking up the front porch. "Thanks, I appreciate that. Even if you don't really mean it."

"I mean it," he tells me, tightening his hold once more.

"Aw, that's cute. You got bad at lying in our time apart," I coo.

"Lyndon," he scolds, visibly cringing at the reminder of our break. "Can we not..."

"Let it happen again? Got it," I tell him with a nod.

He shakes his head, smiling briefly before reaching for the doorbell.

I lean my head onto his shoulder as we wait, and he lightly rests his head on top of mine. I take in a deep breath, enjoying the content feeling this small moment brings me. Then, I say, "I will always mention it, though. Just so we never forget."

Jalen groans, removing his head from mine, but his hand never loosens its grip on mine. "You will be the death of me, I swear."

I shrug. "As long as it's a happy death, it's okay, right?"

He chuckles, flashing me that delicious dimple. "Yes, of course, dear."

"Oh no," I say while shaking my head. "You did not just dear me."

Nodding his head, Jalen says, "Yes I did. And every time you bring up the... past, I will dear the shit out of you."

I stare into his eyes. "Okay, so I'm just gonna replace dear with fuck to make this better."

Jalen's eyes widen, before his tongue quickly wets his bottom lip. "Don't talk to me like that when we're standing in front of your fucking parents' house."

"What're you gonna do about it?"

The single step he takes closer has my knees already feeling weak, and if the door didn't swing open right then, I'm one hundred percent sure we would've left.

"Exactly on time. Color me shocked," a sarcastic voice greets at the door.

My mind races for some type of rebuttal, but I can't think of one. Not when my father is standing there, and Jalen just finished moving away from the close position he previously was in.

Dad had to have noticed it.

His almost-white eyes move from me, to Jalen, to our intertwined hands. He looks up, and brings those similar eyes to mine. With just that one look, I know he noticed.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Prince," Jalen says, while extending his free hand.

Dad's eyes flicker to the outreached hand, before he slowly raises his own and accepts it. They shake hands for less than a second before they both pull away.