We talk for hours and hours on end and before I know it, the sun decides to go down.
"It's already dark," I say.
"Yeah," he replies. "I wish we could talk more."
"Well, you could just not go to school and call me every day for the next 2 years," I bring up and he laughs.
"I love you," he says and my heart literally just skipped a beat. "I've never stopped, you know."
"I know," I say. "And so have I."
He breathes. "I..."
"What?" I ask. "Say it."
"I'll tell you when I see you in a couple of days," he says. "Good night."
"Good night," I say. "Miss you."
"I miss you too, Stella."
And the line goes dead.
I can't help but wonder what he was getting at, but I don't have much time to sort through my thoughts, as a new call comes in.
Jeremy.
"Hey lover boy," I pick up. "How was your date?"
"I'm at your window. Let me in," he says. I look around my room, making my way to the window and opening it up.
"What's up?" I ask as he crawls into my room. I hurry to lock my room door.
"It was so awkward," he starts before he takes a seat on my bed. "We barely even talked."
"What do you mean you barely talked?" I ask. "That's the reason I left."
"Really?" he sounds annoyed. "Because it seemed like you left me there for a different reason."
"Like what?" I ask, knowing full well what he's talking about. What he's getting at.
"Your ex."
I look away from him, but this time he has his eyes dead set on me. I stay silent.
"You left me there, with the girl that ripped out my heart so that you could talk to him?" His voice is getting louder.
'Seriously?" he continues. "That's some serious bullshit."
"Why do you care anyway?" I speak out. "Last time I checked, you said you were cool with her around."
"Sitting next to her at a movie is different than having lunch with her!"
"Don't shit yourself. You know she had you whipped."
"Whipped?" he laughs at this. "For using me to get with my best friend?"
I don't speak.
"No," he continues. "I wasn't whipped for her. And I'm over her, just like how you should be over Jaime."
"Well, I'm not!" I say and I let a tear fall. "I'm not over him. I still love him, okay?"
It's Jeremy's turn to stay quiet now. "Oh," is all he says.
It takes a while before I can bring myself to look at him. "I can't forget about him."
Jeremy gets up and begins making himself over to me. I standstill. "Then let me help you forget."
And before I can make a movement of anything around me, his lips come crashing upon mine, rather abruptly. Just like before. Instead, this time, the kiss is strong and wanting.
I try my best to restrain myself, but as he continues his slow torture on me, I grow more and more impatient. Not with him, but with myself. Before I know it, I kiss back, hungry and powerful, making sure no part of him is left untouched.
Just pretend. Pretend he's Jaime.
He switches our position of me backing him against the wall to him backing me against the wall. We hit the wall with a loud thud, but neither of us seems to notice or hear a thing. We continue to harass each other, both knowing this is wrong, as if we were to get caught, it would be hell.
Good thing my door is locked.
He breaks the kiss, but moves from my lips to my neck, making sure to devour me in kisses and smolder me in small bruise-like marks. I cock my head back to give him more space and more room to work with.
My head is full of thoughts and my vision is getting blurry.
I think of Jaime. I think of us.
This is Jaime. This is us.
I move my hands from his face to his chest, making my way down before he takes my hands in his and breaks the kiss.
"What?" I asked in a whisper, regaining my vision, and apparently my sense of hearing as I hear a soft knocking on my door.
I look from Jeremy to my door.
Phew. Locked.
"Coming!" I say before giving Jeremy one last kiss on the lips.
I then whisper to him, "You should go. You know, just in case."
A smirk is playing on his lips. "See you tomorrow." He then gives me a kiss back.
"And at least make friends with the girl," I wink and he chuckles, before leaving the same way he came.
Fuck.
I open the door and instantly roll my eyes. "Yes?"
"We need to talk," my uncle Jermaine says, entering my room. "I don't like the way you've been treating me, Danielle."
"It's Stella-Rose," I correct him. "And I haven't been treating you in any way, but keeping you from trouble."
He takes a seat on my bed. His eyes look sad.
"Danielle, I'm gay."
The moment he says this, my heart stops.
"Don't say that!" I command.
"Danielle..." he starts.
"No, you're not!"
"Danielle, I am gay."
Tears begin to form from within me and I can't stop them from making a pool on my shirt. "You can't be."
"But, I am," he says, getting up and embracing me. "And I'm ready to face the consequences."
"No you aren't," I say.
"I'm not? Or are we talking about you right now?"
"Mom can't lose you. I can't lose you. Not after dad." By this point, I am a sobbing mess.
I can barely look him in the eyes, but I can tell he is contemplating this choice. Of being ready to face the consequences.
"It's just banishment," he says, but his voice is breaking and his heart is pounding. I can feel it through the thin cotton he's wearing. "I'll be fine."
"But what about me and mom?" I ask as my breathing begins to set back to normality and the tears begin to cease.
"You two will be fine," he replies. "And I can be settled and happy outside of this dumb town, free to do what I want to do. And you know what?" He looks down at me with his hazel eyes and a smile. "You can come to visit me all you want."
I muster up as much of a smile as I can. "You know..." I start.
He looks at him with emotion in his eyes. "What is it?"
I continue. "I don't think that you're weird. Being gay and all."
He smiles again. This time with pure happiness.
"And the people that think you're weird can suck balls."
He laughs out loud at my statement. "That's why you're my favorite niece."
"I'm your only niece." I punch his shoulder and laugh.