PAUSE

Seventeen.

"Paige, you don't get it!" I say in exasperation while finishing Melody's final braid.

I'm at Raz's house just to hang around, I miss being a stowaway.

"I don't understand what the issue is! He said he loves you and you said it back, the feeling is mutual! What is the problem?" She asks while bouncing Thiago on her knee.

"You know the idea of love makes me want to vomit and I've known him for what, four months? Is saying 'I love you' even allowed before eight months of being together?" This has been on my mind since I said those dreaded four words a couple days ago.

"The drama! Just try not to worry about it too much, unless you don't love him, then you need to stop saying it," she shrugs.

"I don't think it's possible to love him already," I throw my body back onto the couch.

"Well, you must really really like him because if you're not with Raz, you're with him. You don't even spend that much time with some of your friends."

She's right, before, if I wasn't with Raz, I was alone. Since I've known Trent, we're joined at the hip every free moment we had.

"And you slept with him, so that has to count for something. You didn't even sleep with Laca and you were happiest with him until he came to the Prem," she gives me a knowing look.

"Ugh, va te faire foutre Paige," (fuck off) I roll my eyes.

"Language!" She retorts, covering Thiago's ears.

"He's not bilingual sis, he's barely unilangual," I narrow my eyes at Paige.

"He can read vibes, and your's is very negative. I've never met a more negative person in love."

"Love?" Raheem raises his eyebrows at me coming from around the corner.

"I think he's calling you Paige," I deliberately ignore his question.

"Nah, don't pass this on me," she throws her hands up in surrender.

"You're in love with Trent?" Raheem comes and stares me right in my eyes.

"Who's Trent?" I feign ignorance.

"You know what, get out of my house," Raheem laughs while pointing to the door, tired of me playing dumb.

Just then, Dele texts me saying he's outside.

"Gladly!" I shout behind me as I grab my purse and head out the door.

I'm greeted with, "Hey, big head," when I open the door to Dele's car.

"Aw, babes, don't be like that," I kiss him on the cheek.

"Ugh get off of me," he moans with a straight face and I burst into laughter as he pulls off.

He loves me, so it's fine.

"So what did you tell Raz we're doing?" He asks.

Dele is coming with me to find Raheem a birthday gift, but I couldn't tell Raz that.

"I told him that you finally confessed your love for me and I decided to give you a chance," I say without flinching.

"I don't know whether or not to be more insulted by you not noticing my passionate feelings toward you prior to this moment or that the idea of me being secretly in love with you is so believable," he glances away from the road to look at me and laugh, I join.

"Dele, you were camped out in my messages for months, don't play dumb!" I say in a joking manner, rolling my eyes.

Dele and I catch up on our drive to Selfriges.