She bursts out crying again, this time even harder, and my heart breaks for her. I get how she feels, but I’m also certain that Gabby knew full well who she was when she approached Kate. It was obvious to everyone except Kate.
“You know what Layla told me? Apparently it all started as a bet. The other girls on our squad dared Gabby to try and get Carter to date her because so far they’d all failed. I think that’s why she befriended me, you know. I think I was just part of the plan. I wonder if any single aspect of our friendship was even real.”
I wipe away her tears as best as I can and push her hair away from her face. I knew Gabby had an ulterior motive of some sort, but this is even worse than I expected. “Don’t cry, Kate,” I whisper. “I promise it’ll be fine. You don’t need her anyway. You’ve got me, babe.”
She nods and hugs me tightly as she chokes on her sobs. She can barely even breathe because she’s crying so hard. She clings to me tightly and I stroke her back in an effort to calm her down, but nothing seems to be working.
“I was so horrible to you, too. Gabby didn’t like you because you’re so close to my family and Carter, and I stupidly pushed you away to try and please her. I can’t believe I did that to you, Milly. She kept telling me that you must be in love with Carter and that you were using me to hang out with him, when all along it was her that felt that way. I should’ve known you’d never do that to me.”
She tries to inhale deeply but fails, and a fresh bout of tears run down her cheeks. “You’d never do that to me, would you?” she asks. I nod reassuringly and wipe her tears away with my thumbs. Seeing her cry this way breaks my heart. I hated who she was around Gabby, but she’s still my best friend. She’s still the girl that I grew up with, the girl that I’ve shared everything with in the last seven years, and that has never hesitated to share everything with me in return, her family included.
“Promise me, Milly. Please, promise me. Promise that you’ll never ever start liking Carter. Don’t ever fall for him, please.”
Fat teardrops fall from her eyes and I nod without thinking. I always knew Carter and I could never be together. I always knew it would jeopardize my friendship with Kate. It’s the reason I pushed him away after our weekend at the cabin when all I wanted was to pull him closer.
Kate holds up her pinky and grabs my hand to entwine hers with mine. “Pinky promise you’ll never ever fall for Carter,” she whispers. I close my eyes briefly and nod while crossing my fingers behind my back. It’s far too late for me to be making such a promise solemnly, but I’ll do all I can to prevent Kate from ever finding out.
“I promise, Kate,” I whisper. She exhales in relief and looks up at me gratefully. “You’re my best friend, Milly, the only friend that’s stuck with me through thick and thin. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you for putting me first, Milly.”
My stomach twists uncomfortably. I feel like I’m stabbing her in the back by keeping silent about what’s been going on with Carter, but if I tell her, our friendship will never be the same again, if it survives at all.
I nod at her and try my best to smile. “I love you, Kate,” I tell her, and I truly mean it. The issue is that I’m pretty sure I love Carter too.
Chapter 27
Carter
I have no idea why Emilia has been looking so miserable when it’s her birthday. Her sixteenth birthday, no less. She’s been counting down the days, yet I’ve barely seen her smile today. Mom and Kate have taken full control of entertaining her today while Emilia’s dad, my dad and I have been tasked with picking up the cake and decorating the house.
“Kate just texted me to say that they’ll be back in an hour,” I tell John. He nods and claps me on the back. I can barely look him in the eyes these days. I guess sneaking into his house without his knowledge will do that to you. If only that were the only thing I’ve been doing. I haven’t stolen any kisses from Emilia recently, but I’ve wanted to. I’m pretty sure her dad would murder me if he knew what I’ve done to his daughter underneath his roof.
My mind instantly flashes back to the day Gemma sent me that godawful photo of her tits that made my Minx cry. That was the last time I kissed her, and had it been up to me, we’d have done much more than that.
“I’m afraid there’s been a mix-up,” the girl at the cake shop tells us. “I can see you ordered a chocolate cake, but your order note is attached to a strawberry one.”
She shows it to us and indeed, it says Happy Birthday, Emilia. My dad and I both groan but Emilia’s dad just shrugs. “It’s pretty enough. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
I shake my head instantly. “Emilia hates anything that’s strawberry flavored,” I tell him. I look at the employee that’s helping us through narrowed eyes. She looks familiar, but I can’t quite place her. One of Gabby’s friends? As far as I’m aware Gabby and Kate have finally stopped being friends. I hate how Kate is all over Emilia now, as though she didn’t ditch Emilia the second a more popular girl befriended her. I love my sister but I hate the way she’s been behaving. I can’t believe Emilia lets her get away with it so easily too.
“That’s nonsense. Emilia loves strawberries. She eats them all the time,” John says.
I close my eyes and sigh. “Yeah, she loves strawberries. She just hates anything that’s artificially strawberry flavored,” I explain. She can’t stand the fake flavor, but she loves the real thing.
“It’s alright, John,” my dad says to Emilia’s dad. “We can just get a refund on the deposit for this one and get her another one.”
I nod in agreement but Emilia’s dad shakes his head. “No, this’ll do. I don’t want to get her one of those supermarket cakes. I think this’ll be fine. She’ll like this better than anything else we can get her on such short notice.”
He hands over his credit card and I sigh. I can’t believe this. I know for a fact that she’s going to hate this cake and that she does, in fact, have a thing for the chocolate cake at the small bakery down the road. I wish we hadn’t trusted John to pick a cake. It’s obvious he doesn’t know his daughter at all.
I’m about to interrupt when my father shakes his head at me. He throws me a look that tells me to shut up and I bite down on my lip. It’s her sixteenth birthday, for God’s sake. She should at least have a cake that she’ll love. I know it’s not our place, but it’s clear even my dad knows Emilia better than John does.
I’m stewing as we make our way back to the house. I’ll need to find some time to grab her a chocolate cake, because I know she’ll just hate this one. I’ll be very surprised if she even takes a single bite. I’ve got a surprise planned for her tonight, and I hope everything goes to plan.
We make it back to the house just minutes before the girls do. Thankfully we decorated everything before we went to pick up the cake. All three of us are in a rush to get the final things done, but we just about manage.
I’m oddly excited when the front door opens and Emilia walks in. On cue, all three of us pop our party poppers, sending confetti flying everywhere. Emilia jumps in fright and then smiles when she spots us and the decorations around us.
“Happy birthday!” we all yell. She giggles and we all hug her one by one. I’m delighted when she lingers in my arms for just a couple of seconds longer, and I press a covert kiss to her neck.
My mom throws an arm around her shoulder and pulls her towards the living room. We’ve got dozens of balloons against the ceiling and her birthday cake on the coffee table. She gasps as she looks around, her eyes finding mine. I wink at her and she giggles.
Her dad starts singing happy birthday while my mom lights the candles. Emilia falls to her knees on the floor and stares up at all of us, her face lit up with pure delight. I’m relieved to see her enjoying her day. This morning it seemed like she wasn’t having a good time. She walked in with bags underneath her eyes and she was in a mellow mood. She’s been a bit odd all week, come to think of it. I’m worried about her. Gabby has finally disappeared from our li
ves and I thought she’d be happy about it, but she’s just been in a weird mood instead.
Emilia glances up at me before blowing out the candles, and just for a second I wonder if she thought of me when she made her wish. She and I only have a couple of months left together before I’ll leave for college, and I hope she wants to spend them with me the way I want to spend them with her.
Emilia cuts the cake and frowns just a little. She looks up at her dad with disappointment, but hides it instantly and smiles brightly. She hands everyone a slice of cake and then take a bite of her own slice. She struggles to mask her disgust and her smile just looks straight up awkward, but it seems like only Kate and I notice. Kate discreetly swaps her empty plate for Emilia’s and I sigh in relief.
“Told you she’d love the cake,” her dad says, pointing at her empty plate. I blink in disbelief and nod slowly. How can the man be this clueless?
I wait patiently for the evening to end. It’s not obvious to anyone but me and maybe Kate, but Emilia is definitely not having a good time. She was delighted at the start but her excitement waned quickly — her mood is back to what it was this morning. Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes and she looks impatient for the night to end, but I’ll be sure to change that tonight.
Chapter 28
Emilia
I’m tired. Exhausted, really. Ever since Kate made me promise to never fall for Carter my heart has just felt broken. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. All I can think about is him, and how badly I want to be with him. I’m not even excited about my own birthday, and until a week ago I’d been counting down the days diligently.
I get into bed eagerly. I absolutely can’t wait for this day to just be over already. Kate and Helen have tried their best to give me a good day, and the spa day we had was really fun, but I just couldn’t enjoy myself. It’s like no matter how hard I try, my heart isn’t in it.
I’ve only been in bed for a few minutes when I hear my bedroom door open. I sit up in surprise. My dad seemed dead tired when we got in, so I didn’t think he’d come to my room. My eyes widen when I see Carter standing in my doorway.
“Are you crazy?” I whisper shout. He and I are both dead if my dad catches us. Carter shrugs and holds up one of his hoodies. He pulls me out of bed and pushes the hoodie over my head. “Your birthday isn’t over yet, baby,” he whispers. Carter pulls me along and out of the door quietly, pausing just long enough for me to get my flip flops on. He leads me straight to his car and grins as he buckles me in.
“What are you doing? Where are we going?” I ask. Carter smiles and bites down on his lip. “It’s a surprise,” he tells me. I’m instantly excited. I love surprises, but I guess I’m also just excited to spend some alone time with him. He and I haven’t spent a single second alone since Kate made me make that promise, I made sure of it. But tonight, I’m weak. Tonight, I need a high enough dose of Carter to sustain myself for the foreseeable future.
Carter is quiet as he drives us towards the nearby woods, but his excitement is palpable. I can’t help but be ridiculously excited too. When we finally reach our destination, Carter takes out a flash light before running around to get me. Rather than helping me out of the car, he lifts me into his arms. Carter pushes the car door closed with his hip and carries me into the woods, one arm underneath my knees and one arm supporting my back.
“Hey, are you murdering me and burying me here?” I whisper.
Carter chuckles and winks at me. “Only one way to find out.”
I giggle and hide my face against his neck briefly. Carter laughs and I hug him tighter. I can see some sort of light in the distance and I peer at it, trying to figure out what it is. I gasp when Carter carries me into the clearing.
He’s set up a large blanket surrounded by pillows, with a large hanging sheet in front of it that seems to act as a big screen. He’s somehow created a small little private theatre for us, lit up by dozens of lanterns. It looks ridiculously romantic and my heart melts. I can’t believe he did this for me.
“This is amazing,” I whisper, hugging him even tighter. Carter smiles at me indulgently and puts me down on the blankets carefully before joining me. He grabs one of the folded blankets and throws it over my bare legs. When he abducted me I was wearing sleeping shorts and a tank top. His huge hoodie is comfy and warm, but my legs and feet were indeed a little cold.
Carter seems nervous and flustered as he fidgets with a bag that he had hidden away here. “Just how long did it take you to prepare all this?” I whisper, truly awed. Carter shrugs. “Not that long,” he says, clearly lying. Eventually he reveals what he’s been hiding, and I gasp.
“You got me a chocolate cake,” I murmur. Carter bites down on his lip and nods at me nervously. He puts it down in front of me and sticks a candle in before lighting it. He clears his throat awkwardly and then starts singing, his voice low and soft.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday, my dear Emilia… happy birthday to you,” he sings, his cheeks bright red. My heart beats a thousand miles an hour and I wish I could capture this moment. Then I realize I can, and I fish my phone out of his hoodie to take a photo.
“Smile,” I whisper, making him pose with my birthday cake. He looks like he wants to decline but in the end he indulges me and does as I ask. He shakes his head while I stare at the photos I took happily.
“Make a wish, Minx,” he says. I nod and lean in, making the same wish I made earlier today. I wish for Carter, Kate and I to all be happy. I blow out the candle and Carter hands me a spoon. “I forgot to grab plates, but I’ve got a spoon,” he whispers. He smiles awkwardly and I take it from him. I hold out a bite for him and his lips close around the spoon. He takes it from me and then holds it out in front of me to offer me a bite. Just as I’m about to lean in, he smears cake all over my lips.
I gasp. “You... you devil!” I shout. Carter bursts out laughing. “I’m sorry, baby. I just couldn’t help myself,” he whispers. Carter leans in and pinches my chin gently. My heart starts racing when he smiles at me intimately just before kissing the edge of my lips. I feel his tongue glide over my skin and I inhale sharply. He sucks on the edge of my lips and groans softly.
Carter makes quick work of the smeared cake, and I’m all worked up by the time he’s done with me. So close, yet he didn’t actually kiss me. I sigh when he pulls away. He’s blushing, so at least I know he’s as affected as I am. Carter reaches back into what I’ve dubbed his bag of mysteries and takes out a small cardboard box. I frown when he puts his phone inside it, only to look up in amazement when I realize that the flimsy little box acts as a projector; a pretty good one, at that. The hanging sheet instantly transforms into a movie theatre screen and I look at it excitedly as Carter puts Netflix on.
“So, I have it on pretty good authority that The Notebook is the cheesiest chick flick out there, A.K.A Google told me. Do you wanna watch that, or should we watch something else?”
I hesitate for just a second. I actually don’t even like The Notebook all that much, but I’ll watch anything with Carter. “Yeah, let’s watch that.”
Carter puts it on and then rushes back to me. I lift the blankets and he joins me underneath them while he props some pillows up behind us. I lie down in his arms and look up at the screen, but all I can think about is how close he is to me. He’s wearing sweats and a tee, and all my mind can focus on is how easy it’d be to get those off. We haven’t gotten together in months now. We’ve both done our best to stay friends and nothing more, but I know he wants me as much as I want him.
Carter squirms a little when I shift in his arms. Every time I get closer, he pulls away just a little. It’s frustrating as hell. Eventually I get the hint and push away from him. I try my best not to pout or to sulk. I don’t want him to feel pressured into giving me something he doesn’t want to. I wrap my arms around myself and hug my knees to my chest, turning myself into a little ball. He’s salvaged the train wreck that was my birthday, and I still have the gall to feel upset. Maybe my
dad was right. I really am ungrateful.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Carter asks. I look up at him and shake my head, trying my best to smile at him as innocently as I can. I don’t want him to know how rejected I feel. Carter frowns and pulls me back to him. He lies on his side so we’re both facing each other.
“Tired?” he asks. “I know it’s late... we don’t have to do this. We can just go back if you want. I didn’t really think about how tired you might be. I literally pulled you out of bed.”
My body is so close to his and my heart is racing. He looks at me with his gorgeous hazel eyes and I fall a little deeper. I’m done for. My hand cups his cheek gently and he blinks, startled, but he doesn’t move away from me.
Would it be okay if I’m just selfish tonight? Would it be okay if I just forget about Kate and our families for a single night? I bite down on my lip in contemplation and Carter’s eyes follow my every movement. His breathing accelerates and he swallows hard. I’m as acutely aware of him as he is of me. My eyes drop to his lips, and I move in just a little closer. Just one kiss. Would that be too much to ask for?
“Emilia,” he whispers. I look into his eyes and find the same desire that I’m feeling reflected in them. I lean in just a little closer, until my lips brush against his. That’s all it takes for Carter to snap. He captures my lips with his and rolls on top of me, pinning me down with his weight. I moan in delight when he pushes his hard on between my legs.
“Fuck, Emilia,” he whispers. His tongue slides over my lips and I open up for him, tangling my tongue with his. I’ll never get enough of the way he kisses me. His hands roam over my body until they find their way underneath his hoodie and I moan. Carter holds me right below my chest. I whimper a little and he chuckles as his fingers glide over the underside of my breasts. I didn’t think he could get any harder, but he does. The way he’s pushing against me is almost painful.
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