Summer Love✔️

Far Too Long

Chapter Twenty-Four: Far Too Long

I laid sprawled across Lani's bed. It was a queen-sized four-poster canopy bed with a black duvet, similar to the rest of her room with her black walls, and black furniture. We both had the day off from guarding and decided to spend it together. We were on hour two of girl talk, and I was having a hard time containing yesterday's events from her.

I knew if I told her, she would throw a fit as she wasn't Mitchell's biggest fan, to begin with. After I told her the whole story of how we used to be best friends, how he blocked me on everything and never said goodbye, it was safe to say she was thoroughly unimpressed.

And when I told her his reasoning of being young, stupid, and immature, she still was not satisfied. "That's bullshit," She had said, "Complete and utter bullshit... but whatever, as long as you're happy, so am I."

Lani was across the room- her room was ginormous- sitting on her black leather couch, right under the wall of her gymnastics trophies and medals. When I asked her why she hadn't taken them down, she told me it was because they were a reminder of her old life and who she used to be.

"So Hallie, how are things going with Mitchell?" Lani asked me, and I sat up on her bed to look at her.

"Umm, they're good, yeah." I answered with a smile. "Things are good."

"Are you sure?" Lani asked suspiciously.

"Yep, all good. Things are great." I replied, putting on my best convincing smile.

Lani simply raised her eyebrow questioningly and my facade broke.

"Okay fine, so maybe there are some things- one thing- going on, but otherwise, things are good." I replied, this time more convincingly because I was telling the truth.

"Spill," Lani said with a wary look on her face, and so I did. I told her all about everything that had happened yesterday, omitting the number of times I had pushed on Mitchell's chest to get him to stop.

"-but he was super understanding of it. He held me in his arms, and he told me it was okay. I just don't even know what happened." I finished, looking at her for advice.

"Wait, so the two of you were kissing on his bed, and things were getting serious, and then you told him to stop, and you apologized to him?" Lani asked.

"Well yeah, I mean I always used to do that type of stuff- and more- with Connor, and I never had any problem with it. I don't know why I felt so weird yesterday." I replied shrugging my shoulders.

"Hallie, you shouldn't ever apologize for telling someone to stop, and if something feels wrong and you can't put your finger on it, there's usually a reason." Lani told me seriously, getting up from her spot on the couch to come sit next to me on her bed.

"But there really was no reason! I mean everything about Mitchell and I is just so right." I replied, shaking my head. I knew there was nothing wrong, and there was no reason.

"He wasn't upset when you made him stop, was he? And he stopped when you told him to?" Lani questioned me further, still looking concerned and not quite buying my response.

"No, he wasn't upset at all, a little surprised maybe." I replied, looking down and thinking back to what happened yesterday, "He was perfect, it was my fault really."

"You didn't answer my second question," Lani said lowly and my head shot up to meet her gaze, "Did he stop when you told him to?" She asked, this time more slowly and pronounced.

"Well, I pushed on his chest a couple times lightly, but as soon as I said stop he did." I told her, quickly adding, "Like the second I told him to stop, he backed away from me."