Crush: A YA Romance Collection

by Lavinia Leigh

  When she lifted her fork, she set it right back down and glanced around the table. Nobody had even touched their utensils. Maybe they were waiting for Blake’s Dad and Grandpa. “Should we wait?”

  Gram grinned. “No. Dig in. If someone isn’t here to eat when the food’s hot, they can eat when it isn’t. That’s how this house is run and they all know it.”

  But hadn’t Gram sent them to the store? Although, maybe they should have been back by now and they’d taken some sort of detour along the way. Oh well. She grabbed her fork and cut a piece of the pierogi, steam billowing into the air from the middle. She stabbed it and lifted it to blow on it before taking her first bite. She’d never in her life tasted something so heavenly.

  “So, Ari, what are your plans for school? What do you want to study?” Blake’s mom asked.

  She finished chewing the bite in her mouth, swallowed, and wiped her lips with the napkin resting in her lap. “Well, I haven’t really thought about it. My family wants me to go into something in the medical field, but I want to be a writer.”

  His mom tilted her head to the side. “A writer would be a great job, but it would also be perilous. Going into medicine would be much more stable, but remember to always follow your heart. Some of the best things in life are the hardest to obtain.”

  Arielle smiled. “You know, I kind of like you.”

  “Good. I’m expecting to see you a lot when Blake comes home to South Carolina. I will have to meet your parents first so we can arrange some visits.” She paused, glancing at Blake with raised eyebrows, then she focused on Arielle again. “I know he won’t want me to tell you this, but he won’t be able to go long without seeing you.”

  “Mom, come on!”

  She grinned. “Well, it’s the truth and you know it, Blake. You can’t stop talking about this one.”

  “Do you have a gun so you can shoot me now? Oh wait, you already hit me twice,” Blake said with a scowl.

  Arielle giggled, noticing how red his cheeks had turned. They looked like a lobster—one of those big ones sitting in the store, ready to be bought. “Don’t worry, Blake. It wasn’t a secret.”

  He tilted his head toward his lap and Arielle tried hard not to continue laughing. Inside, though, the happiness she felt left her fuller than she had been in a long time. Or maybe it had been the pierogis.

  ***

  Blake’s Dad and Grandpa came in later. His dad stood tall with tanned skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes. Arielle chewed on her nails the moment she laid eyes on him. She could see why Blake had such a hard time because the sight of him intimidated her and he hadn’t even said anything yet.

  “Hi, I’m Arielle.” She reached out with the hand that hadn’t been in her mouth. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  He shook her hand with ferocity, like he might pull her arm right out of its socket, maybe even drop it on the ground. “Nice to meet you.” Then he dropped her hand and walked into the kitchen, not saying a single word to Blake.

  A shorter man’s kind blue eyes shone at her. The top of his head was bald, but he had white hair sticking out from the sides. “Hi, Ari. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Seems to be the theme of the day,” Ari mumbled.

  Blake shimmied past her. “I was just taking Ari home. She has a Christmas Eve party tonight with her family.”

  Grandpa smiled, his white mustache touching the sides of his nose, making Arielle’s own nose itch. “So, I guess we’ll see you when we see you.”

  “Well…” Blake started.

  “Yeah, if it’s okay, I invited Blake to come to the party with me. As long as you won’t miss him.” Ari touched his hand and his eyes shone back at her. He didn’t have to thank her. Not with words. It would be nice to have him at her side, then she wouldn’t have to deal with her competitive cousin on her own.

  Grandpa shook his head from side to side with a corner of his lips turned toward the floor. “Well, of course we will miss him, but I guess we’ll see him later when he gets home. Make sure you take good care of him.”

  Arielle laughed. “I will, but I think he’s the one who takes good care of me.” She touched his chest and let her hand fall back down to her side, making sure not to linger too long. She hadn’t meant to touch him in the first place.

  “Guess we’ll see you later, then, Gramps,” Blake said.

  “Guess you will. Stay safe.”

  Blake nodded, grabbed Arielle’s hand, and pulled her out the front door. “Thanks for inviting me tonight,” he said when he slid into the driver seat.

  Arielle shrugged. “It’s not a problem. I think it might be kind of fun.”

  Since Blake had taken the step to introduce her to his parents, she’d reciprocated by inviting him to join her family party. Arielle wanted to show she was still interested, but didn’t want to come out and say it because she didn’t want to get hurt again. She hadn’t gotten over him. Quite the opposite.

  Blake no longer had a girlfriend, which meant she didn’t have to play it safe, but she would because her heart could still be broken again, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t recover as easily this time. Going down this road again with him might prove to be the stupidest decision she’d ever made, but making mistakes would teach her something, right? She had one life to live, so might as well make the most of it.

  ***

  Blake and Arielle walked next door and beat her parents, who’d driven. Aunt Margie greeted them at the door. “Hey, Arielle. Oh, you brought a friend. Come in. Come in.” She ushered them both inside, peering out the door. “Where are your mom and dad? And Reed?”

  “They’re right behind us in the car. And this is Blake.”

  She turned around and smiled. “Thanks for joining us, Blake, but I have to shoo you guys away. This kitchen is too small and I have a few more things to cook.”

  The kitchen really was tiny. The large table in the corner took up so much room, along with the fridge, stove and counters. Arielle and Blake had to turn sideways and inch their way through the space.

  Her aunt had this house built, so it surprised Arielle that she hadn’t chosen a larger kitchen, but Aunt Margie didn’t cook much so it shouldn’t have come as such a shock. Since Arielle lived next door, she saw all the pizza and Chinese deliveries that came. She missed a lot of them, she was sure, but it seemed like a new delivery car showed up every night.

  “Follow me, Blake,” Arielle said, leading him into the dining room. It was cold outside or she would have suggested sitting on their back deck, but instead she turned, walking past a large wooden hutch and into the upstairs sitting room.

  Of course, she found her cousin Kim sitting there.

  “Hey, Kim, this is Blake.” Arielle gestured to him. “My friend.”

  Kim raised her bushy eyebrows. “Friend, huh? This the same guy who’s been hanging around your house all these nights?”

  Arielle nodded. “Yup. Sure is.” She grabbed Blake’s forearm, yanking him downstairs to the living room where the TV blared. Nobody sat down there yet, so it remained semi-quiet.

  “Sorry about Kim.” Arielle sat on the dark blue couch. “She’s kind of a pain. Which is kind of why I’m glad you’re here.”

  “She’s your cousin?” Blake asked, sitting beside her.

  Arielle nodded. “Also my competition, according to her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Arielle leaned closer, keeping her voice low even though Kim shouldn’t be able to overhear her. But she didn’t want to take any chances because no way did she want to start any drama on the holiday. “Well, she is always comparing herself and her things to me and mine. Everything is a competition with her. Grades. Guys. You name it. And the sad part is, most people like me more and then she gets mad at me because they do.”

  “Of course they like you more. You don’t have the personality of a stick.” Blake laughed. “Whoops. Maybe it’s too soon for me to joke about her.”

  Arielle smacked his arm, keeping
it light and playful. “Man, remind me to stay on your good side if you can say something so mean about someone you just met.”

  Blake looked down at the dark blue carpet. “Sorry. Sometimes I say things—”

  Arielle cut him off. “It’s okay. I’m kidding.”

  He tilted his head up toward her, his eyes twinkling with humor. “You got me pretty good.” He paused, rubbing his chin. “Wonder what I can do to get you back.”

  “Not much, I bet.”

  Arielle jumped back as Blake’s hands shot out, straight into her sides. He moved his fingers, tickling her like crazy, and she burst into loud laughter, the kind she couldn’t even breathe around. He didn’t let up, and she squirmed and even kicked, trying to get away from him, but he was relentless. It felt like old times and she couldn’t get enough of the feeling.

  “Okay, okay.” Arielle’s words cut out through the laughter. “I’m sorry. I won’t ever do it again.”

  He pulled his hands back and Arielle realized he’d pretty much shifted to lay on top of her. She swallowed hard and held her breath while her heart raced. Their faces were inches apart and their eyes were locked on each other’s.

  A throat cleared and Blake jumped off her, back to his own side of the couch. Arielle saw her dad with a hint of a smile lining his lips. “Nice to see you two having so much fun, but why don’t you see if you Aunt Margie needs some help, Arielle.”

  “She made us leave the kitchen, Dad.” Arielle’s cheeks warmed up and she fanned herself with her hand.

  “All right, then. Remember I’m watchin’ the two of you.”

  Arielle dropped her forehead into her hands. “Oh my God. How embarrassing. Is he gone?”

  Blake wrapped his arm around her. “Yup, but Kim sure is interested in what’s going on.”

  Arielle glanced upstairs, rolling her eyes as she saw Kim staring down at them through the bannister, a gleam in her eyes. “Oh my God. See what I have to deal with?”

  Blake smiled, then, like a snake striking, he kissed her cheek.

  She scrunched her forehead at him. “What was that for?”

  He shrugged. “Just because.”

  Blake had upped his game. He’d made his intentions clearer, but not transparent. She couldn’t trust that a kiss on the cheek meant anything because he’d proven how fickle he could be. Arielle would have to wait and see what came of the rest of the night, and patience had never been her strong suit.

  Either way, she wanted to be with him and she would make sure he knew that. She wouldn’t hide in the corner and let life pass her by. Blake had come at the beginning of the year, and ever since, her life had changed. She’d never felt so strongly for anybody before, almost as if she’d met the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Of course, she’d keep that to herself for a bit, not wanting to scare him away.

  For some reason, falling for Blake was par for the course with Arielle, and heck if she had any fight left in her.

  Chapter 13

  New Beginnings

  After they ate, ham sandwiches and cheese and crackers, Arielle and Blake sat around the Christmas tree that was lit with golden blinking lights and tons of red and green decorations. A popcorn garland wrapped around the branches, too, which her cousin Kim had made one year and Aunt Margie had kept and reused for at least three years.

  All in all, it was beautiful. Arielle opened her few presents, a couple gift cards and some sweatpants, which she loved to lounge around in. After presents were done, everyone spread out through the house. Dad and Mom went with Aunt Margie and Uncle Dan to sit around the huge dining room table, playing cards. Kim went downstairs, so Arielle decided to brave the cold and went outside with Blake. The cool breeze tickled her warm face, giving her hope that her cheeks might not be red forever. Large gatherings equaled too much heat, at least in her experience.

  “Your family is so special.” Blake sat down in one of the plastic chairs.

  Arielle sat in the other one and leaned her elbows on the green table. “They are pretty great, but they have their moments.”

  “But…” Blake paused and looked away, out into the woods behind the house. “There is a lot of love between them and you can see it. It’s kind of great.”

  Arielle could hear the sadness in his voice. Blake’s family, at least his dad, wasn’t close with him. She didn’t know what kind of hardship that played on the other members of his family, but her heart ached for him. Although she didn’t want him to know. She didn’t want to pity him because most people didn’t like being felt sorry for. So instead, she kept her mouth shut and placed her hand over his on the table. “Every family has their strengths, as well as their weaknesses. You have to make the strengths shine by playing to them.”

  Blake met her gaze. “Maybe. But it’s hard. Especially when you don’t know how.”

  Arielle squeezed his hand and stood up. “Well, you have to figure it out. You’re a smart guy. I have faith in you.” Her lips quivered and goosebumps broke out down her arms. “But you’re going to have to figure it out fast because I’m freezing.”

  As Arielle put her hand on the door handle to slide it open, Blake grabbed her shoulder. Before she could say anything, he wrapped her up in his warmth, hugging her. His lips touched her neck and tickled her skin there as he whispered, “Thanks for inviting me tonight. It’s nice to be a part of it.”

  Arielle shivered, but this time it had nothing to do with the cold. She stepped back a hair so she could look in Blake’s eyes again. She caressed his cheek with the tips of her fingers. “I care about you, Blake. You know I do, I’m sure. It kills me to be with you like this but not with you.”

  She couldn’t believe she’d told him her feelings, but she had to. They had been eating away at her insides like a cancer, killing her, even.

  Blake turned around, dropping his warm arms from her and wrapped them around himself. Arielle’s whole body drooped because he wasn’t going to respond. She slinked away from him to go inside as the cold hit all the way to her bones.

  “Ari, it kills me too.”

  She spun around, narrowing her eyes at him. She placed her clenched hands on her hips, tired of all the excuses. “Then do something about it.”

  She waited. And waited. He didn’t turn around as she stood there, looking like a fool. After what seemed like a good five minutes, she had enough. She’d tried. She’d done what she could by telling Blake how she felt, but it hadn’t mattered. They were destined to be friends and she was destined to hurt every time her gaze met his.

  The fates must have been having a good laugh up there.

  She slid the door open, but it slammed closed right in front of her. Her dad watched for a minute, then winked and turned his back to her. Blake spun her around and pushed her back up against the siding of the house, out of view of the door. He pressed against her, his face right in hers. Then he kissed her. It wasn’t all roses and romance. No, this kiss was fire and ice and everything she’d ever wanted. This kiss…well…it did things to her she wasn’t comfortable talking about.

  When Blake pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. Arielle stared with her mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then blinked, which woke her up. “What was that for?”

  He grinned. “You told me to do something. I did what I had to, what I’ve wanted to do every single day since I forced myself to break up with you.”

  Arielle sighed. “A nice thought, Blake, but seriously? You got another girlfriend, like, three days after we broke up.”

  He pushed against her again, tilting his head so his lips were on her cheek. “I got another girlfriend as a front so I wouldn’t go down this path with you, but I can’t help myself.”

  Arielle tilted her head to the side, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight to one foot. “You didn’t want to go down this path with me, but it was fine to go down it with her? What are you talking about? Do you even hear yourself right now?”

  Blake frowned. “Ari, I didn’t me
an anything bad. I didn’t want to get hurt. How is this going to work between us? When I leave, I mean. We are, like, hundreds of miles away from each other.”

  “Well, guess it’s a good thing your mom wants to talk to my parents about setting up some visits. Plus, you drive, which means you can come up some weekends.” She shook her head, playing with the zipper on his coat. “I haven’t thought about all of it, Blake, but I know no matter what, if this,” she gestured between them with her hands, “is supposed to be, it will be. It’s called fate.”

  He chuckled, drawing his hand up to cup her cheek and running his thumb back and forth over it. “I don’t know if I believed in fate until I met you, but I know I do now. It’s like I was supposed to come here, not because of the issues with my dad, but because I had to meet you.”

  Arielle placed her hand over his on her cheek, leaning into the caress and closing her eyes. Her heart raced and butterflies flapped their wings in her stomach with no inclination of stopping, but she had one more thing to say. She opened her eyes wide and pulled Blake’s hand down, holding it at her side. “You need to listen to this because I’m only going to say it once.”

  He nodded, waiting.

  “This is your last chance. If you screw up, I won’t give you another one. I can’t go through this again. I know everything at the beginning of the year happened fast…but you’ve had time to think this through, right?”

  He nodded again.

  “Are you sure you want this?” She held her breath, scared for his answer.

  He nodded, biting his bottom lip as his smile spread wider and wider. “I want this more than I want anything. I’ve never in my life felt this way about anyone.”

  Arielle rolled her eyes. “Okay…you’re seventeen? Almost eighteen? That is barely a life.” She chuckled at her response. I sound like my dad.