I'm sitting on the coffee table, watching 'Drya and Alex sleep while everyone else is in the yard playing and hanging out. They're the only ones still asleep at 8:45. I take a huge gulp of OJ and put the nearly empty cup on the table, standing up. I place one hand on the back of the couch, leaning over them and poke her. She bats at my hand, saying something in Spanish and keeping her eyes closed, but her brows furrow. "Cassandrya," I softly call out and her eyes fly open, quickly cursing me out.
She looks around and realizes we're at Justin's house. "What?" she tiredly says.
"It's almost 9am, when is their thing today?"
"Uhhhhh, Alex said something like 10:30."
"Quarter past ten," Alex mutters, half asleep and joining us in the waking world, yawns included from both of them. "We should get up and shower, get ready to go. Howie's going to want to head out around 9:30," he explains, stretching. "We cuddled all night? Is Chris going to kill me?" he asks, worried he did something wrong or offensive.
"I'm the guy that gave stipulations along with my approval. Nothing happened, there's no reason to be angry at you," Chris announces from just outside the living room doorway in the hall, scaring the shit out of me and annoying 'Drya at the same time. Alex tilted his head back to look at him, she hadn't even sat up yet.
She straddles his lap to get off the couch and heads for the bathroom, he quickly rolls onto his stomach to watch her walk away. "Chris, I don't see myself letting her go any time soon," he confesses, a lovesick look taking over his visage and I groan.
"Shut up, you're the same way with that Nikki girl."
"I didn't begin saying that I want to be with her for a long time until recently, not two months in!" I argue.
"She's felt this way for a long time about him, I've overheard the conversations she's had with Britney and Christina in our yard and on the phone. Doesn't help it's written all over her face, but at least you had enough balls to come ask our moms and I if you could have permission to even date her," Chris reminds him and my jaw drops, this being my first time hearing about it.
I squeak in surprise and they both look at me odd. "She never told you I spent a whole weekend answering every possible question her aunt could ponder up, being as honest and thorough as I could be?" Alex inquires.
"Not a single word," I admit.
Chris raises a hand into the air. "That's my fault, I never told her the truth about why you were there. I told her you had stopped by to talk to me about a girl and to get some advice."
"Why not just tell her, no, never mind," Alex says, shaking his head.
"Tell who what?" the subject of our conversation walks in, drying her damp hair with a towel and in a new change of clothes.
"Tell you that I love you because I haven't yet today," he smiles, pulling her into his warm embrace and pressing his lips to hers.
"Chris lied about why-" Chris flicks my ear and Alex shoots me a nasty glare over her head, smiling down at her moments later. I rub my ear and glare at Chris.
"He doesn't know what he's talking about," he convinces her, referring to me not knowing why Alex had been at Chris' that weekend before he had asked her out.
"Can I ask how long she had made you wait for an answer?"
"A couple days."
I witness them talk between each other, just loud enough for the other to hear and if I were him, I'd count myself lucky to not only be with her, but also for her having a friend that wears clothes I like that fit me just right. Justin's letting him borrow a set of windbreakers and a guys' tank, socks to boot. They're waiting for Howie to make sure everything is still set to happen and to calm each other's nerves. It's so sweet, I might be getting a cavity and it's making me sick to my stomach. What does she see in him? Why does Chris tolerate him? Someone please explain this to me! Wait, why do I care? I'm with Nikki.
'Drya is going to spend the day with her boyfriend and I'm starting to think I should do the same with Nikki, distance myself from 'Drya before I do something I'd expect Justin to do, regretting it in the end. I'm wearing blue windbreakers and a white t-shirt with my black sneakers. I spot Lynn as I realize I've been sitting in the recliner as if I had a problem or I'm angry, quickly getting up. "Lynn, could I use the phone to call Nikki?"
"Of course, Josh," she says with a smile.
I call her and we plan to meet up around 11 at my parents', it being between her place and Justin's. Fifteen minutes before they leave, I count down. I prepare to leave as they finish getting ready to jet, for my taste of personal freedom. "JC!" Christina yells at me.
"Huh? What?" I startle, being jostled out of my thoughts.
"What are your plans today?"
"Hanging out with Nikki away from you," I retort.
She sticks her tongue out at me and I quickly return the gesture. "Talk about mature," 'Drya teases, leaving right after.
The whole drive to meet Nikki, I rack my brain as to why her and Alex being together bothers me as much as it does and all I can think of is that I want to be the one to kiss her, hold her, make her laugh, be the reason for her to smile each day, all in all that should be me.
Nikki walks up to the Jeep and greets me with a longed for kiss. "I've missed you, baby," she tells me.
"You've been on my mind," I tell her, sort of lying.
"You want to go to the mall?"
"Sure." It's the opposite direction of where she had been headed today, of course I'll hit the mall!
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