Chapter 19
I LIKE YOUR NEON ONES BETTER
KIARA
“So how are things with Ethan?” my mother asked, looking through the dresses and flashing me a small smirk.
It was Sunday and Mom wanted to spend some time with me and my brother, but Karan was busy packing for his university where he was flying to London for his masters in Design.
I didn’t have anything much to do except play the piano, cuddle with Ethan—or more—read a book and go through my AP English essay.
My cheeks heated up as soon as I thought about him and how we had gone out with friends for dinner and ended up in the backseat of his car before reaching home. My hand fleeted through the different flashy colors and materials as I shrugged.
“Things are good, Mama,” I said. “I like him.”
“Oh,” she tsked, walking over to me. “So, you just like him? Nothing else.”
I could never hide anything from her, could I?
I swallowed nervously. “You know I love him, Ma.” I looked around the dress section to check if he was here in the mall just to be sure. “But it’s complicated. We are best friends.”
“It’s always complicated, isn’t it?” she teased, showing me a hot red cocktail dress. I shook my head. “Kiara, love, I know that you love him. You have ever since you started speaking.”
I raised my brows and walked with her when she went to another section.
“You just realized it when he started dating that girl,” she said.
I thought about it for a while and the day when he stumbled in my room, his face flushed and a wide grin on his face.
I wanted to know what had made him so happy and when he did, I remembered feeling a little sad before being happy for him and assuring him he looked handsome for his first date.
With Ariana. Not me. My mom was right because I had complained about it to her and didn’t know how to feel about it.
“I know, Mama, but it doesn’t matter now,” I said with a heavy heart, my eyes flickering between the blue and peach dresses. “I love him, but he is my best friend and I don’t know if he feels the same for me.”
I didn’t know I was biting my lip until my mom gave me a scolding look. “Love is never complicated, it’s easy and simple. You love him?” I nodded. “Then tell him. If he loves you back, which I know he does, you’ll be together. If he doesn’t, well . . . it’s his loss, sweetheart.”
I giggled, shaking my head and wondering if it was really that easy as my mom put it.
But if I confessed my feelings for him and he didn’t have any romantic feelings for me, he would despise me and we’d stop being best friends, even friends.
I shuddered thinking about it. I couldn’t live without it knowing that I was the reason for the fallout of our friendship.
I needed our friendship more than telling Ethan about how I felt.
But what if Mom was right? What if he loved me back and somehow we made it work and started dating each other and move past the we-were-sleeping-together-but-we-were-still-best friends stage.
I was feeling heady just thinking about dating him and stop pretending that I didn’t love him or that he didn’t make me feel like one of the most beautiful girls on this planet when he gazed at me with a small smile.
“How about this? I love the lacework on this.” Mom gushed, a dimple forming in her cheek as her warm brown eyes riveted over the white dress.
When I snapped out of my haze, I walked toward her and felt the dress material between my fingers.
It was satin with lace details. The back was open, and lace etched together to the lower back and flowed down beautifully with a small cinch in the waist. The neck was a little deep with gorgeous detailing in the dress material.
“I love it,” I said without checking the price and mentally winced when my mom said we were buying it.
I followed her to the dressing room and crossed my fingers that it would fit me because this was a stunning dress.
I was grinning by the time we left the store with a bag in my hand and thanking my mom for buying me the dress.
“Listen to me,” she said, her voice soft when she looked at me with her chocolatey eyes.
“Don’t think too much about what would happen if he doesn’t love you, okay?
He loves you, sweetheart. Ethan is like a second son to me and I know he makes you happy.
So, you shouldn’t overthink for going after what makes you happy. ”
I processed her words and by the time we reached home, I hugged her. “Thank you, Mama. I will talk to him about it.”
She smiled back and gave me a knowing look when Ethan came to our house later that day and helped Mom with peeling potatoes and cooked the dinner with her, talking to both of us. Both of our families had dinner together, which we tried to do every Sunday as if it was our tradition.
I thought over my mother’s words when I sneaked into his room and cuddled with him, gazing at his sleepy smile when he pulled me closer, hiding his face in my neck and falling asleep.
* * *
"Who's ready to learn about human miracles today?" Katherine asked when we gathered around her locker after lunch.
"Sex?" Rio asked, raising his brow, and Volt snickered.
I smiled when Ethan smacked his best friend's head. "She means human birth, idiot."
"Why babies? Wait.” I gasped dramatically, placing a hand on my heart. "Please tell me I am becoming the godmother of your sweet, little children . . . z."
It was my dream to hold the adorable babies of Katherine and Ryan and be their godmother.
She gave me a poker face. "No, Kiara."
"Oh."
"Aw, come here."
I willingly accepted the half-hug from Ethan and leaned back on his chest as his spicy cologne wafted in my nose. Men and their cologne.
Ethan glared at the guys when they coughed 'whipped' looking at us and told Katherine to continue. My back was now resting on Ethan's toned chest while his arms loosely wrapped around my neck and his chin on top of my hair.
"In about ten minutes, we have to get to the auditorium. We're getting a lecture on 'teen pregnancy' and free condoms." She beamed.
I leaned toward Ethan's ear and whispered, "I like your neon ones better."
Grinning, he winked at me. "I bet you do."
After settling in the auditorium in the last row with Ethan on my right at the corner seat, we found out that this was happening because a freshman got pregnant. Her boyfriend, who was a senior, didn't use protection even though he pulled out. What about the pre-cum, honey?
"This is boring," I groaned under my breath, leaning back in the chair.
My skin jolted with tingles when Ethan's palm landed on my knee and I raised my eyebrow at him. His warm fingers pinched the hem of the dress, tugging it and keeping his palm under the cloth.
"What are you doing?" I whispered, my body shivering with tingles.
He gave me a devilish smirk with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Making this less boring.” I shivered when he squeezed my thigh and whispered, leaning closer, "Give me your underwear."
Eyes wide, I gaped at him. "We're in school, Ethan."
"So?"
I met his daring eyes. "Fine."
Luckily I was wearing a summer dress, so it was easier to remove the thong.
Raising my hips, I looked around if anyone was looking.
It was already dark as the lights were shut down and all the teachers were in the front.
With a deep breath, I tucked down my thong past my knees.
Removing it with a lump in my throat, I handed it to him.
He smirked, tucking it away in his pocket, and I shivered when cold breeze brushed my aching, naked core.
I need to get a grip on my hormones. Really bad.
Releasing a breath, I crossed my legs, clenching my thighs looking forward to the stage when our principal started speaking. We were the last students seating in the corner, so I couldn't see her because of the jocks, but I could hear her.
"Spread your legs."
I did without asking a further question.
The chairs were placed together, so it wasn't difficult for Ethan to tease me by brushing his fingers on my thigh. I could feel my heartbeat increasing with my breath as his hand dived under the dress. I held my backpack in my lap so that if anyone looked at us, it'd look like we were listening.
"Ethan . . ." I muttered, his hand inching closer to the center where I wanted him.
He seemed like he was listening to the principal until he brushed his fingers to my clit, making me squeeze my backpack taking a sharp breath.
"What, Kiara?" He turned, smiling innocently as he squeezed my inner thigh, teasing me. But the look in his eyes was far from innocent.
I gulped nervously. "What if someone's watching?"
Ethan looked over my shoulder and noticed a scrawny guy who might have been sophomore sleeping soundly.
"No one is looking."
I bit my lip when I felt his thumb flick my little bundle of nerves.
"Unless you want me to stop?" he asked, taking his hand away and raising his brow at me.
I put his hand back in place and glared at him. "Don't you dare stop now."
He chuckled under his breath and pecked my jaw, leaning away as his hand went back to town, making me spread my legs a little bit more. The auditorium turned pitch-black when the speakers blared with some music and a slideshow about pregnancy started.
"Holyshit," I cursed under my breath when I felt the tips of his fingers teasing my nether lips. I gripped my backpack tightly and took a sharp breath when I felt his digit slip inside me.
I looked up to see Ethan, who was watching the slideshow, but his attention was toward my dripping core because a faint smirk tugged his lips. I closed my eyes when he added another finger, stretching my walls and slowly, started fucking me with them.