Chapter Five: Between Bracelets and Goodbyes
1391 Words
The last two days, I hadn’t really spent much time with anyone. I’d been keeping to myself, mostly because of… well, Leo.
But this morning, I woke up early—despite not sleeping even a single minute last night. His words had replayed in my head on loop.
So, instead of lying in bed and overthinking (again), I decided to do something different—something warm and nice.
I tiptoed downstairs and started making breakfast.
Pancakes were my specialty. I made a big batch for everyone, golden and fluffy, just the way they liked. Luke and Alex weren’t the biggest fans of pancakes, so I made some toast too—just in case anyone else felt the same. Then I poured fresh orange juice into glasses, decorated the counter with little napkins and cutlery, and stood back to admire my work.
It felt good to do something for everyone.
“Good morning! Come down for breakfast!” I called in a sing-song voice, loud enough for the whole house to hear.
“Wow! Look who made us breakfast!” Shayla grinned as she walked down the stairs. She was Alex’s girlfriend and one of my closest friends in the house. She loved my pancakes, so her excitement made me smile.
Soon, the others started filing in—Alex, Luke, Asher, and Marcus.
“You really make good pancakes,” Marcus said with a mouthful.
“Thank you!” I replied with a soft smile.
“Luke and Alex are so lucky. They get this almost every day,” said Asher.
More thank-yous. More compliments. But… still no sign of Leo.
Half an hour later, Leo finally dragged himself downstairs, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
“Wow, early birds. Your laughter literally woke me up,” he said, voice groggy.
Then he noticed the table.
“Wait… who made all this? Did we order out or…?”
Everyone turned to me.
“Iris made it,” Shayla grinned.
Leo looked at me. “Wow, you really are multi-talented.”
I just gave a tight-lipped smile and turned away, not even responding. I didn’t want to grow more attached—not now, not when he was leaving.
Trying to change the mood, I asked, “So what’s our plan for today?”
Alex chimed in, “We’re heading to the farmer’s market this afternoon. And then later, there’s a beach party happening nearby. You girls can go shopping if you want. Us guys are just gonna chill here with some video games.”
“Totally fine,” I said casually.
“I could drop you girls off,” Leo offered.
“No, it’s okay. We’ll drive,” Taylor—Luke’s girlfriend—cut in quickly.
“Sure, babe,” Luke replied, wrapping an arm around her.
After breakfast, I spotted Millie smiling in the corner, so I went over.
“Hey, what’s up Millie? Haven’t talked to you since yesterday.”
“Oh, it’s all good. I’ve just been hanging out with Marcus a lot.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oooh, are you and Marcus hitting it off?”
She blushed slightly. “Maybe. We’ve been talking since last year… but now that we’re here together, we’re kind of figuring things out.”
“Well, keep me updated, okay?” I said with a cheeky grin.
“Of course,” she laughed.
Feeling a sudden pull of longing, I realized I hadn’t called my best friend Rhyme in days. I rushed upstairs, dialed her number, and pressed the phone to my ear.
“Oh. My. God. Where have you been?!” she screamed.
“I’ve been calling like crazy!”
“I know, I know. Things have been a little… intense here.”
I told her everything—about Leo, about the “sister” thing, and about how confused I felt.
“Girl. Stop,” she said immediately.
“Team Leo all the way. Long distance can work, okay? And seriously—what guy makes you lemonade if he’s not at least a little into you?”
“He literally told everyone I’m like a sister…” I sighed.
“Exactly! You think he’s gonna announce he’s into you in front of everyone?! Don’t be dense. He’s trying to play it cool. But actions speak, babe.”
Before I could argue more, Shayla called for me downstairs.
“Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow. I’ll send you pics, promise,” I told Rhyme.
“We have a beach party tonight!”
“YESSS. Keep me updated. Love you!”
Back downstairs, I joined Shayla, Millie, and Taylor for a shopping trip. We browsed the cutest beachside shops. I found a stunning baby pink bikini with a tiny starfish charm in the center, and a flowing white mini skirt with dripping lace on one side—it looked straight out of a fairy tale. I added gold hoops and beachy arm cuffs to my cart.
Shayla bought me adorable shell clips, and Taylor surprised us all with matching anklets.
Later, we met up with the boys at the farmer’s market.
There were stalls full of fresh fruits—I picked up a bunch of peaches. We also bought bread and seafood.
At one bracelet stall, I saw a light blue one with starfish and shell charms. It was gorgeous. I reached for it, smiling.
“Hey,” said a voice behind me.
It was Leo.
“What are you getting?”
“Just a bracelet,” I replied.
He leaned closer. “For yourself, or… someone else?”
I gave him a look. “What a creative way of asking if I have a boyfriend.”
He laughed. “Okay, fair. So… do you?”
“Nope.”
“Good to know.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
“No. But…” He paused.
“There is someone I like. Kind of. Haven’t known her long though.”
My heart skipped.
Was he talking about me?
I didn’t say anything. Just smiled.
He picked up a matching bracelet and asked, “Should I get this one too?”
“I was going to buy it…”
“Then let me get it for both of us.”
He paid for them before I could protest. I thanked him quietly and stepped away to grab one more bracelet—for Rhyme. It was pink, with more shells and tiny gold snail charms. So her.
On the way home, Asher mentioned he wasn’t feeling great and had already driven back. That left only two cars.
The couples and the boys went in the same car.
Somehow, Leo and I ended up alone in the second car.
We stopped at Michaels to grab snacks. Takis, Cheetos (my fave), chocolate bars, and a bunch of Diet Cokes.
“I’ll pay,” Leo said, waving me off when I pulled out my card.
After he paid and headed to the car, he stopped.
“Let’s grab a cake. I want to cut one with everyone before I leave.”
My heart tightened, but I nodded. We picked out a small, cute cake.
When he went to pay for it, I pretended I had to grab something personal and sent him to the car. Instead, I ran back to get him flowers and a card. The flowers were soft and colorful, and the card had a sweet printed message—because I couldn’t find the words myself.
I shoved them in my bag and met him at the car.
Once we got in, I pulled them out.
“These are for you.”
He stared, touched.
“This is the first time I’ve ever received flowers in my life.”
“Really? So I’m the first?” I said with a small laugh.
“Of course you are.”
He held the card to his chest.
“I’ll keep this safe. Thank you, Iris. You made this grocery run actually fun.”
We jammed to songs the whole way back. For the first time, I didn’t hate grocery shopping.
When we got back, the others were lowkey mad at us for being late—since it was almost time to leave for the beach party.
But me?
I was glowing inside.
And I couldn’t wait to get ready.
- Writer
