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With her hand still in mine, I get back on my knees and scoot closer to her. My chin goes to the top of her knees. I’m so close that she has no choice but to keep her eyes on me.
“Why are you embarrassed?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
She wrinkles her nose and gives me a look that says I’m stupid. “Because it’s weird and makes me feel icky. I hate it.” Her voice drops. “And I’m scared you’ll think differently of me.”
My eyes nearly bug out of my head at her crazy statement. “What?” I ask loudly. “Why would I think differently of you?”
Her shoulders lift and drop. “I don’t know,” she mumbles.
Shocked that she would think such a thing, I get up from the floor and sit on the bed beside her. I pull her arms from around her legs, throw my arm over her shoulders, and pull her side against mine.
“There’s nothing that would ever make me feel differently toward you, North. Nothing. You’re my best friend, and you always will be.”
She wraps her arms around me and snuggles closer. Vanilla drifts up and surrounds me. The smell is nice. I close my eyes and take several deep breaths.
“Told you it was stupid,” she says quietly.
I don’t reply because her thinking I would feel differently toward her for something she has no control over, something that’s natural, is stupid. Relief rushes through me, grateful the problem wasn’t something more serious.
“Can we go to your house and watch a movie instead of going out?”
I look down and see Aislin staring up at me. She looks tired, her eyes still red from being upset. It hurts my heart that she felt she couldn’t come to me with her worries.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
Her smile is small. “Yes. My stomach’s been hurting today.” Her cheeks turn pink, and I know she’s referring to cramps. I’ve heard both my mom and sister complain about them before.
I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “We can do whatever you want. Today is your day, remember?”
“Thanks. Can we do the dinner and movies in a few days?” I nod, and she turns quiet for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry for not telling you. I just kind of freaked out and didn’t know what to say.”
My arm squeezes her shoulder. “Just promise me you won’t keep me in the dark like that again. I was scared.”
She leans her head against my chest and sighs. “I won’t. I swear.”
A few minutes later, she pulls back, gets up from the bed, and grabs the paper bag from the floor. She turns to leave but walks back over to me. This time she drops to her knees before me. My legs are bent and spread apart about a foot. She scoots and wedges her body between them until we’re only inches from each other. Her stunning green eyes shining up at me, she throws her arms around my middle. Her head lands on my chest while her chest meets my stomach.
The innocent position isn’t different from what we’ve done before, but this time, it feels different. It feels like more. It takes me a minute before my arms slide around her, my turn now to feel awkward. Confusion sets in when the sensation of her against me feels perfect and right. I close my eyes and try to make the feeling disappear. It doesn’t work.
When I open them again and look down, Aislin is gazing up at me with bright eyes. “Thank you, Niko. I was stupid to worry so much.”
“Never be afraid to come to me. I’m here. Always.”
“I know,” she says, smiling.
She releases me and steps back. “Come on. Let’s go find a movie to watch.”
I nod. She grabs my hand and drags me out the door, the feel of her hand in mine making my stomach do flips.
