After that horrible embarrassing moment, we all horsed around and told more embarrassing stories. Then Steph wanted to join us so we played a game called shark, she made it up. We were the sharks and she was the human. She had to escape before we got her. But it was no fun being a human alone so then Lu and J were humans as well. To my surprise Blythe was even playing along, I think she was actually enjoying herself.

“Food’s ready!” Tye called.

He, my mom, and Ron were sitting down and enjoying some beers as well as some drinks they made. Via my mom’s stash.

We all ran over to them dripping wet ready to eat.

“Am I burning?” Blythe asked looking at her shoulder.

“A little,” I admitted.

“Ugh.” She groaned.

“I can put more sunscreen on you if you want.”

“After we eat.” She pecked me on the lips.

My mom looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I sighed.

“It’s complicated,” I mumbled sitting next to her.

“Right.” she dragged out the word.

It felt so good to be normal and do normal family stuff like that. Picture this, us “kids” sitting around on a log by the lake talking about anything. My mom jamming to 80’s music with Ron and Tye. Steph resting on Lu’s lap, she fell asleep. It was perfect everything about it was perfect.

“We should do this again soon.” Riley smiled getting into the truck.

“Yeah, Chica you’re not so bad.” Lu laid Steph down in the back seat.

“I look forward to an eventful summer with you, better not disappoint,” J said hopping in the passenger seat.

“I’ll try not to, see you guys around.” I smiled.

Ron and Tye packed up their car and Casta got in our car followed by Blythe.

“Mom, you're buzzed let me drive,” I said.

“Am not.” She pouted.

“Mom.” I eyed her.

“Fine, you win.” She handed me the keys.

On the way home, she fell asleep in the car. When we got home Casta took a shower first and I woke my mom up. She yawned and went to the kitchen to take some aspirin.

Blythe and I sat in my room.

“You staying the night again?” I asked.

“Depends am I going to be rudely awakened again?”

“I’ll tell Casta to back off okay,” I smirked.

“Good.” She kissed me.

“Blythe.” I pulled back.

“Stop fighting it, I know you want it. Just say it, just say Blythe we are together again.” She pouted.

“I don’t want to mess this up again. And I know I’m not ready yet. If we get back together now we will just find ourselves back in that horrible place. You know I’m off my meds, I need to learn how to control myself all over. Plus I still have undealt with baggage about Rose, and I just, I can’t be what you need right now.” I held her hands.

“When did you become the responsible one?” She pouted.

“I’m sorry. I want too, god knows I really want to, but I also don’t want to hurt you ever again. Seeing you cry and hurt like that, it broke me. It made me hate myself even more than I did. I swore I would never hurt you ever again. You deserve better, and I want to be better.”

“Stop making me love you even more.” She kissed my cheek.

“When I’m ready I’ll come for you. And if you will still have me then we can be together again. You don’t have to wait for me if you don’t want to. You can date other people, I’m not going to hold you back from being happy.”

“You are the only person I’ll ever want to be with.” She ran her hand across my cheek.

I leaned into her touch.

“Showers all yours,” Casta said coming into the room.

Blythe glared at her.

I grabbed her hand in my own and kissed it. She smiled at me before getting up to take a shower. She bumped shoulders with Casta on her way out.

“What’s her problem?” Casta frowned and sat next to me.

“She gets jealous easily. Plus I have a history of being unfaithful. So it’s not unjustified.”

“But you guys aren’t even together right now.” She pointed out.

“I know, but she still loves me, and I still love her. It’s complicated.” I sighed.

“If you love her why did you cheat on her?” she asked.

At the thought of Rosey, I felt my mood darken. She could easily sense it.

“Does it have something to do with that girl you bumped into at the mall?”

“I don’t want to talk about her. Or it, or anything related to her. It’s too painful.”

“Why?”

“Casta please.”

“Alright, alright, jeez.”

“Fine. I loved her okay. I loved her a lot and she, she didn’t love me, or maybe she did. I don’t know. It’s just so fucked up.” I felt tears welling up.

“Hey, you can tell me.” she placed her hand over mine.

“She’s my stepsister,” I said.

Her eyes went wide.

“I know! And we got caught and things got ugly between us. I cheated on her with Blythe, then I cheated on Blythe with her. It was all so messed up. I can’t, I can’t talk about it. It’s too much. She hurt me, she hurt me bad.”

“Okay, thank you for telling me.” she wiped a tear that I hadn’t even noticed I shed.

I looked up at her and she was sitting too close.

“You know you can always tell me anything. We’re close, we have a connection. You and I get each other.” She said.

“I know, I just I don’t want to talk about my messy love life. I think I like being single right now. I just need time for it to heal.”

“Okay, well I’m here for you. No matter what.”

“Thanks.” I smiled.

I saw her face blush. I pulled away from her.

“One more thing,” I said.

“What?”

“Please, please, please, stop messing with Blythe. Believe it or not, this is her on her best behavior. You don’t want to get on her bad side.”

“Alright, alright, but only because you asked so nicely my noble knight.”

“Why thank you, my fine lady.”

We giggled.

I was the last to take a shower after my mom. Casta had already fallen asleep on the couch by the time I got out.

“Why doesn’t she go home?” Blythe asked as I laid next to her.

“She can’t, I won’t let her,” I said.

“Why?” Blythe sounded irritated.

“Her dad beats on her and abuses her. I’ll die before I make her go sleep at home.”

She was silent for a while.

“I love you,” Blythe said.

“Love you too.”

“I didn’t know.”

“She didn’t want you to know, she doesn’t want anyone to know. She doesn’t like people looking at her with pity. She’s strong, and when she graduates, she promised me she is getting the hell away from him.”

“I’m glad you are the way you are. Don’t ever change. Don’t ever let anyone close off your heart. It is the thing I love most about you.”

I turned and looked at her. Then I kissed her. She kissed back. I rolled on top of her and we made out. Each kiss making a soft sucking sound in the room. Her hands slid up my side and she relaxed into me.

I kissed my way down her neck before pulling her shirt off. She moaned softly as I made my way down her body. I pulled her shorts off and admired her naked body. She spread her legs on her own in anticipation.

I let my tongue slip in between her legs and up her wet slit. She shuddered. Then I repaid her back what I owed her and we had sex. Quiet, and soft sex. Making sure not to wake anyone else in the house.

All in all, this goes down as one of the best days I’ve ever had.