Fake Bully, True Crush

Tousled Reaction

I slapped Noah on the cheek.

I felt out of place. Like I didn’t belong anywhere. A sunken feeling in my heart only told me how I needed to escape this situation. Noah’s stormy eyes turned into rich silver as his stare hardened at me. He didn’t expect the slap, and my body’s reaction didn’t expect the kiss.

The kiss was too good to be true, I didn’t believe that he had the audacity to do this in front of everyone, it made me feel like I was caught doing something bad, the guilt of the kiss sunk deep in my stomach, it truly made me feel angsty and queasy around the stares of the people who were silent. The silence was deafening, I faced a shocked Noah as he held the side of his face and stood still. I could feel the place tightening around me, my anxiety intensified after Ava ran off. Although Ava was a bully to me, I didn’t want to be a part of someone’s destruction, that kiss was wrong on so many levels. His jaw tightened and he looked paler than before, his orbs narrowed at me as his ego took the hit. He didn’t like how he got slapped but it was what he deserved for trying to use me for attention.

I didn’t want it to happen like this. I had an entire life waiting for me, I couldn’t just follow what my heart said when my mind was annoying me that whether Noah liked it or not, Ava was still in his life, and I didn’t want to be the centre of attention. Not only he stated a big lie, but he outright admitted that he loved me and kissed me. In front of everyone, that was what irked me the most.

In summary, the kiss confused the heck out of me. And I didn’t like it that way, I didn’t like how it messed up my head about it.

All I knew was that I had to get out of here. With that in my soul, I sprinted out of the bar with tears in my eyes, thankfully, Noah didn’t follow me. I willed myself to push my legs forward as I breathed heavily at what just happened.

Mia gave Aiden a rushed goodbye and left the birthday party for us to go back to her apartment.

The rain was a drizzle now, and Mia unlocked her car for me to get in. I was taken aback at the whole surprise; I would never expect Noah to do that to me. Mia started the ignition and looked over at me to make sure if I was alright, but I wasn’t when my fingers touched my swollen lips. I was like a lost soul, barely holding on to any sanity left, I tried to breathe as much when the cool air whipped by us when Mia drove to her apartment.

“Are you okay?” she questioned on our way back. All I gave her was a simple nod. I watched the drizzle that slipped down the windows in utter silence. I felt drained, and I couldn’t imagine what Ava was feeling.

The tall, hollow trees shook within the passing storm, I let the wind hug me as my emotions tumbled out of my body when I fidgeted in my seat, I was soggy and uncomfortable.

Mia worriedly glanced at me before she focused on the road since the ground was slippery and her apartment wasn’t that far. She parked her car expertly in front of the building and I wrapped my arms around my shoulders as Mia brought me closer to her side with her arm around my waist to comfort me.

Her apartment was quiet, it seemed like the temperature in the house dropped, even noisy Luca sat at the dining room table and ate the food in silence. Mia didn’t want to upset me, so she stayed as silent as the apartment, she didn’t ask any questions. Mia sat down with me on the couch. I felt the atmosphere of the room turn weird. So, I shattered the silence and asked Mia, “so, what’s the gossip? I saw you and Aiden giggling in the corner.”

When Luca heard “Gossip!” he had all his ears and moved his little butt on the couch quietly to listen to us with wide eyes, but Mia caught on to her little brother and kicked him back to the other room so he couldn’t hear us. When the mumbling little Luca came back to his room, he suddenly shouted in his baby voice, “Don’t you get pregnant, Mia!” and pointed right at me, “and you too, Emma! You are mine; I will marry you in the future, never forget that!”

I laughed at crazy Luca as Mia glared at her annoying baby brother. Luca was hilarious, if it wasn’t for my lunatic state, I would have enjoyed his company with us.

Mia pretended to hit him; he finally closed his bedroom door. After finding that I looked at Mia, she blurted out: “Aiden asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes, totally YES.”

“That’s amazing, I am glad that you two are together. My ship has finally sailed.” I jokingly declared with my hand over my heart as Mia’s blush tainted her innocent cheeks. She had lights in her eyes, the kind where I wished it would never fade off her.

I was happy for Mia and Aiden; they were perfect for each other. Mia continued to share funny stories that Aiden told her. I loved watching her talk animatedly about her new boyfriend, at least one of us was content in their love life.

“He told me about the day he travelled to Hawaii, they booked the house and everything for the vacation, then he lost the keys to the house that his parents gave him,” she giggled as she covered her mouth with her hand. I chuckled at that; Aiden seemed like the type to lose anything. I just hoped he didn’t lose Mia in his life.

“In his last birthday, he. . . and... Noah,” when she mentioned Noah, she knew it was still sensitive to me, but she resumed when I gave her a small smile, “they had drunk so much, and they stole a dog by accident and dance with that dog all night! The next morning, the dog was so tired and he slept all day.” Mia exclaimed as she giggled, I couldn’t stop laughing, I doubled over in laughter with Mia’s arms around me, then I cried loudly in her embrace.

I hugged Mia and sobbed, my voice croaked out in my best friend’s arms as I let her hold me while my shoulders shook: “Mia, I am so scared that kiss is a lie, I can’t bear it. I can’t help myself that I like Noah, what do I do?”