You Get Me :)

Chapter 32

"It's always been you too, George."

Clay leaned in and pressed his lips against mine, a feeling I had been longing for. My fingers tangled into the hair on the back of his head as he smiled into the kiss.

"George listen to me."

I looked up and into his eyes, a concerned look crawling onto my face.

"What is it?"

"We need to trust each other, alright? I know a lot has gone on between us, so the most important thing to have is trust."

I nodded and looked back out into the cold night sky. I just needed to trust Clay, but the last time I trusted him, I ended up in AJ's bed. I pushed the thoughts out of my head and turned back to Clay, who had been looking down at his hands.

"I trust you, Clay."

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I woke up to Clay's alarm. His arm was across my chest, and he was still sleeping. I sat up, letting his arm fall onto the bed. I walked into the bathroom and looked up into the mirror. The red mark was still visible on my neck, it was a miracle that Clay did not notice it yet. I sighed and walked back out into the bedroom to get changed. Clay was still asleep, so I changed and then shook him awake.

He slowly got up and we made our way downstairs to eat. Henry and Matt had been sitting at the counter already while Clay's mom made breakfast.

"Good morning boys!" She said to us, turning around from the pancakes she had been making.

"Good morning." Clay groggily said back before yawning and sitting on his chair.

"Oh, George, since Halloween this year is on a Saturday, and your birthday is the next day, why don't you have some friends over for a sleepover on Halloween? I think it would be fun."

I sat down next to Clay as she slid a plate of pancakes over to me. I cut off a small piece and ate it, chewing slowly.

"Yea that would be fun. I'll ask them today."

Clay's mom smiled and nodded as she slid plates to the other three. Clay rubbed his eyes and let his head rest in his left hand as he ate, trying to keep himself awake.

We all finished breakfast and walked into the chilly morning air. I hadn't walked to school with Clay in a long time, and it felt nice to be with him again. Matt and Henry walked in front of us, laughing at the various jokes made. Clay looked down at me and smiled, sliding his hand into mine, interlocking fingers.

He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, and my cold fingers became warmer. Now that I was experiencing this again, I realized how much I truly missed being around Clay. His presence pushed away all of the negative feelings inside of my brain, and he just made my life brighter. Although it was hard to forgive him, being with him was the right choice.

We dropped Henry and Matt off at the middle school before arriving at the high school. We walked into the cafeteria to see Nick, Enzo, and AJ all sitting at the normal table. I took a deep breath before walking over and sitting down. Clay only had knowledge of AJ and I kissing once, and I wasn't about to tell him what else happened. My fear of the awkwardness between Clay and AJ disappeared after Clay said hello to him, as if nothing had happened. It felt as though a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

"Hey guys, do you want to sleepover on Halloween? My birthday is the day after so it would be fun if you all celebrated with me."

Nick and Enzo nodded enthusiastically. I made eye contact with AJ who had a worried look on his face. I nodded to reassure him which seemed to help. Clay also smiled at AJ, which seemed to have surprised AJ as much as it surprised me. I expected tension between the two, but Clay didn't seem to be mad.