After She Left

THIRTEEN

"Don't let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of yours"

-Unknown

"Psst," someone was poking me.

I groaned, hiding deeper under sheets.

"Hey!" he tried pulling off my sheets, but my death grip resulted in me moving with them and nearly falling out of bed.

"Leave," I whispered, climbing further in my bed, but the person sat on my butt, meaning I face planted the bed.

First I noticed the Diesel perfume, the Australian accent soon following: "Pooki, wake up."

"f**k," I swore, "what are you doing here?"

I felt him climb off me and throw me around so I could face him, but I refused to open my eyes. If I saw him, things would get back to bad when I finally felt it was getting better.

"Pooki," Dylan sang, "make me some breakfast, I'm hungry."

"That didn't answer my question," I said, "besides it seems you gained a few pounds in the last 3 years."

"Shut up," he slept on me, hugging me, "I missed you."

I couldn't help but smile as I wrapped my arms around him, finally opening my eyes: "I missed you too, Pooks."

He leaned back, grinning like a little kid. If there is one person apart from Hanna that was my closest friend ever since I was little then it was Dylan. I, him and Hanna were like a messed up version of Charlie's angels. At least until high school.

We were like Oreos, me and Dylan we're the two cookie sides meanwhile Hanna was the icing in the middle. You see, Dylan's family was my family's competition. No matter how friendly they were between each other, as far as business went - we were supposed to be as far from being friends as possible. So once high school came, Dylan moved back to Australia in order to avoid the media blow-up that would eventually happen if someone was smart enough to figure out Dylan was the future CEO of "Argent".

Yes, the hotel we were staying in was also one of his companies made places. Which had originally made me confused, because staying here wasn't supposed to be good for publicity.

"Wanna tell me what's going on?" I asked, "I thought we were supposed to stay out of each other faces for like forever?"

He rolled his brown eyes: "as if. I missed your burnt toast and eggs. So come on, get up and make me some."

I sighed, grabbing his hand in mine as we walked out of the door.

"By the way," he said, "I heard you have another boyfriend?"

I stopped dead in the tracks: "say what?"

"Pooki, you should read the news more. The internet is full of pics of you and this brown-haired guy. "Dreamy green eyes" my ass," he laughed at his own words, shaking his head.

I then realized he still had no clue of my sexuality, considering he had last met me when I still believed the silly lies I fed myself. But then again, I hadn't met Eden back then, and she was the one that made me realize I was actually into girls, so I suppose there is no right way to go about it.

"We should probably talk.." I said as we walked downstairs to the kitchen.

"Speak of the devil," the tone of Dylan's voice changed as he pushed me gently to the side, "Pooki, would you let me talk with this one alone?"

I looked at wide-eyed Luke standing in front of us with a spoon in his mouth and jar of peanut butter in his hand. His head was c****d to the side in confusion.

Who knows how long I stood with my mouth slightly ajar, before I finally knocked out of it. I laughed awkwardly, putting a hand on Dylan's chest as he took threatening steps towards Luke: "don't be silly Dylan. Let's just make some breakfast."

"You okay, mate?" Luke asked, seemingly concerned, "is he your friend, bella?"

"Bella?" Dylan's voice raised, "she's got a name, mate."

I couldn't help but laugh together with Luke: "I'm fully aware. Once again, who is the guy and is he on something?"

"No, no, he's fine," I shrugged, slowly pushing Dylan outside, "we were just leaving. So see you later, okay?"

Dylan poked my side, which made me jump aside: "what is it, Pooki? Too ashamed of your boyfriend to introduce to your best friend?"

There was a moment of silence before Luke sighed heavily: "best friend who? I am so confused."

Dylan took a step towards him: "you've been dating her for what? A month? No wonder you wouldn't even know about the most important people in her life."

Luke wasn't laughing anymore: "dating? Now that's something. Besides most of her closest people live in this house, yet, for someone who claims to be so important, I don't even know who you are."

Dylan looked at me: "you haven't told him about me, pooki?"

I raised my hands in surrender: "a lot has happened lately, ok, pooks? Mentioning your name when I haven't seen you for 3 years just didn't come in my mind."

"So telling me you have a boyfriend also didn't.."

I interrupted him: "pooks, you're being a little extra a little too early."

"Fine, I'll keep myself on the leash," he sighed, "but can you at least introduce me to the guy you've been f*****g?"

"Dylan!" I shouted, pushing him to which he just replied with laughs.

"Ru, anything you want to tell me?" Luke squinted his eyes at me.

Most likely I looked like a dead fish at the moment, because I truly was dumbstruck. I don't know why, but I felt this wasn't the right time to come out clean to Dylan. Considering how he reacted to me possibly having a boyfriend.

"We haven't really made it official," the lies smoothly rolled off my tongue, while I looked at Luke with a desperate stare, "right, Luke?"

He immediately responded with a grin, placing a hand around my waist and pulling me into him: "whatever you say, bella."

"Guys, we're home!" I heard Lilly's voice and a couple of manly voices in the background.

"Great," I mumbled, massaging my temples, "here it comes."

"Hey, guys!" Lilly walked in, giving me a kiss on the cheek and Luke a hug, but then she noticed Dylan, giving him one of the "I'm imagining you naked right now and doing nasty things with you" looks, "and who is this eye-candy?"

Dylan looked shocked whilst I and Luke cracked up: "excuse me? Did you just sexually objectify me?"

Blake, Andre, and Eden walked in the kitchen with multiple grocery bags in their hands.

"Angel went back to NY," Blake said, "mind introducing everyone to Dylan?"

"You know him?" I raised my brows.

"Do you really think he'd be here if I hadn't done maximum research on the guy?" Blake rolled his eyes.

"Of course you did," I sighed, "everyone, that's Dylan, my best friend from primary school. Dylan the creepy stalker guy is Blake, the guy I'm with is Luke, the eye candy chick is Lilly, the other is Eden and the last guy is Andre."

Everyone greeted him, yet Eden threw death stares at me: "the guy you're with?"

Before I could reply, Luke beat me to it by placing a kiss on my cheek and grinning like an i***t: "can y'all just chill? We're not making it official yet, it was just the easiest way to introduce me."

I was about to roll my eyes, but Dylan's stare at me made keep up my act. Lilly noticed the obvious non-sense happening and grabbed Dylan by the hand: "I'll show you around the house, babe. My bed is seriously the most comfortable thing and trust me the walls are thick enough."

She practically pulled him away, and as soon as they left, Eden was ready to jump me: "what the f**k, Ru?"

"It's a long story," I sighed, "can we all just pretend Luke is my boyfriend while Dylan is here? I'm sure he'll be staying a day the most."

"Is it because of the news stories about you two being together?" Andre asked.

"You knew about them?" I nearly shouted, "We should've done something so they would be taken down."

"We all thought you knew," Blake shrugged, "it's 2017 and you have a phone."

I facepalmed myself: "I'm not on any social media nor follow news, my dad has always kept me away from all the bs they post to protect me."

"Oh.." they all said knowing they messed up just as much as me.

"Why can't you just tell him you're with me?" Eden asked, "he's supposed to be your best friend, isn't he?"

"Perhaps because we're not?" I shot back. Besides I couldn't understand why my gut was telling me to keep my mouth shut.

"Let's just do whatever Ruby needs us to, okay?" Blake said, giving me a wink.

He obviously knew something was up too.

"Can we go out somewhere? I'm sick of the house," I offered.

"I'm on it, time for a vacation," Andre said, leaving the kitchen.

"Has anything unusual happened recently, Ru?" Blake questioned.

I thought back to the accident next to the "Gold" building but shrugged: "no, why?"

Eden looked between the two of us, focusing on analyzing me which made me slightly uncomfortable.

"It's nothing, I'll leave you two to making breakfast while I take care of some things. Don't kill each other."

"Why did you lie?" Eden asked as soon as Blake left.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ed," I rolled my eyes.

"So you're hiding stuff from me again?" she question, receiving no reply, "and you're also expecting me to be fine with you pretending to be with Luke. That guy better leaves soon, because there's no way I'm allowing this act to go further than kisses on the cheek."

"It's not like I need to ask for your permission, we're not together so you have nothing to do with it," I shrugged, checking the grocery bags for some snacks.

"Pretzels in the furthest one," she said, "and we both know I have a lot to do with it."

"Please enlighten me, how it's and of you're business," I laughed, finding the pretzel bag, "found them."

She placed a hand on my shoulder and my eyes instinctively closed, as she ran fingers against my collarbone and neck until she landed on my chin, moving my face to the side: "you really think it's none of my business when you react like this to my touch?"

"It proves nothing apart from maybe me being horny," I smirked, opening my eyes and noticing she was just a little too close to a point where if I moved a few inches forward, our lips would be touching.

"Whatever you say, Ru," she smiled that heart-melting smile as she leaned forward and kissed me softly.

This only reminded me of how much I missed this. When I could see it in her eyes there was no other person in the world for her apart from me. It made me wonder if I looked the same way at her? When she would smile, the dead butterflies would come alive and kick me in my non-existent balls.

We both pulled away eventually and I asked: "don't you think it should be easy?"

"It can't always be what you wish for, can it?"

"At moments like this it's perfect and I wish it would never end," I said, "but then, most of the time we spend together consists of fighting. A constant battle with each other, for each other, against the other. And we get nowhere. It has led us back to nowhere."

"So let's not do that again," she smiled, kissing my nose, "there's nothing worse that could happen after everything we've already been through."

"Okay, let's not," I gave her a peck.

I heard Lilly's voice in the distance, and moved a little further from Eden, making her sigh loudly.

"Ru! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Lilly came in the kitchen, her arm linked with his forcefully.

"Tell you what?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"That the hottie over here is staying us for the whole week, silly," she grinned from ear to ear.

I stood there like a deer caught in headlights, completely unprepared and confused.