Finding Laila: Some Changes are Necessary (8 page)

“Mom. Dad,” I call out, running down the
stairs, “Haden’s here—heading to Cole’s.”

“See
you there,” Dad answers but Luka stops me.

“Lala,
can I come with you?” she asks from her seat in the living room with a sweet
smile.
Well, others think it’s sweet. I
think it’s shifty.

Usually,
my stock answer is a solid “no,” but looking at her dressed in her play
clothes, it’s easy for me to consider. Besides, I have an ulterior motive: if I
take her with us, then she will serve as a distraction for the rest of the
group.

“Ask
Mom,” I tell her, knowing that Mom will definitely welcome the break.

“Make
sure you have her booster” is all she says from the kitchen.

I knew she was listening.

“C’mon,
brat, let’s jet. Haden’s waiting.”

She
walks over and takes my hand, and for once I let her. I know I sound like an
awful person, but I really do love my sister; she just annoys me.

Every
.
Day
.

I
catch her going through my purse, or sneaking into my room to try on my shoes.
The kid is five; we have nothing in common. But for whatever reason, when I’m
home she shadows my every move.

Haden
opens his car door when we step onto the front porch and flashes a huge smile
at me. I watch as his eyes move down to Luka before he looks up at me and cocks
his head to the side. He raises an eyebrow and I mimic the gesture before he
crosses his arms over his chest, revealing his chiseled biceps, and I lose the
rest of my thoughts.

Well played, Searle; you
win this round, Searle.

Maybe
Mom was right… maybe I never really did get over him.

“Hey,
Lukadoll!” He walks over to her and picks her up for a hug and seemingly
dismisses me. “You comin’ with us?”

“Yeah,
Mommy said I can but I have to get my booster.” She smiles as he sets her to
the ground. She runs off to get the seat from the minivan, leaving us alone.

“What
was that?” He nods his head to the porch where I was standing moments before.

“I
don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie with a smirk.

“Thought
you’d bring your sister to protect you from me, huh?” he grins.

Busted!

“What?
No—” I can’t seem to defend myself appropriately. “She wanted to see her
boyfriend.”

“I’m
not her boyfriend, Lai. I hope that I’m already taken.” He looks at me
sincerely. “Unless this is your way of telling me no.” He raises his eyebrows
in question and leans in to whisper in my ear, “But I really hope it’s a yes.”

My
eyes flutter shut and I know that it’s a yes. There’s no sense in fighting it,
but I’m only able to nod.

He
steps back and worries his lip with a nod of his own. “So you don’t even want
to try?”

“Yes,”
I answer without hesitation. “I do want to.”

“Want
to what?” Luka interrupts and looks between Haden and me.

His
smile is back in place and he reaches down to take the booster in one hand and
picks up my sister in the other. “She wants to be my girlfriend,” he tells her
with a huge smile on his face.

I
open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

“But
I’m your girl, Haden,” she pouts.

He
kisses her cheek and she laughs. “Yes you are. But your sister’s been my girl for
longer. She just didn’t know it.”

Luka’s
little lip juts out, but she nods her understanding and laughs when Haden blows
a kiss onto her cheek. I lose myself watching him buckle her in, and find the
last twenty-four hours to be the most active and confusing of my life.

“You
comin’?” he asks when he’s buckled Luka in her seat.

I
nod and smile before making my way to the passenger side, but he beats me to
it.

“What
are you doing?”

“Being
a gentleman.” He winks.

He
opens the car door, but before I can get in, he takes me in his arms and gives
me a simple kiss—that is not so simple at all. Those butterflies everyone
talks about when they kiss, the shivers I’ve read about in books, the hot
flashes—yeah, I have every single one of those things happening to me at
one time.

We’ve
officially taken the leap that could spell disaster for our group of friends
and our friendship. Yet the fact we are both willing to take it makes me feel
like maybe it will work out.

“Thank
you.” I lean up to kiss his cheek but he turns his head and my lips are on his
again.

“Gross,”
Luka calls out, interrupting the moment.

“Yeah,
Haden. Gross,” I mimic her tone and slide into my seat, but not before mouthing
to him, ‘Later.’

He
shuts the driver side door, fires up the car, and I turn to see Luka covering
her ears because the radio is too loud. Haden turns the volume down and looks
through the rearview mirror.

“You
okay, Lukadoll?”

She
shakes her head and I turn to look at her, too.

“What’s
wrong?”

“Nothing.”
She looks down at her lap and I see her little
lip stick
out again.

“Luka?
Do you not want to go?”

She
shakes her head no, but refuses to look up at either of us.

“Haden,
can you give us a second?” I ask and he nods his head before stepping out of
the car. I wait until he’s away before turning back to her.

“Why
did you take him away?” Her voice cracks like it does when she’s about to cry.

I
never feel guilty for the things I say or do to Luka, but this—her little
heart breaking—is too much for me.

“I
didn’t mean to. I know you love Haden, but he’s been my friend for a really
long time. I know it’s hard to understand, but I we’ve always loved each other.
I guess it’s just a little different now.”

“What
about me?”

“Haden
loves you, you know that.” I reach back and rub her knee until she finally
looks at me.

“Do
you?”

I am the worst person in
the world.

I
know I’m a jerk to her and she’s done nothing to deserve it, other than being
born.

“Of
course I do,” I finally say and actually mean it. “Will you still love me if I’m
Haden’s girlfriend?”

She
nods and gives me a small smile but I know her heart is still hurt.

“What
if I make you a deal?”

“What?”
She widens her eyes and waits for my offer.

“As
soon as you’re old enough, you can have Haden. I’ll just be his girlfriend
until you’re older. Okay?”

“Really?”

“Really.”
I smile. It’s a simple solution to an unrealistic crush and she seems to accept
it.

“Thanks,
LaLa,” she smiles.

I
look over at Haden’s who’s been watching the entire time, and since the window
is down, I’m pretty sure he’s heard the entire exchange.

He
walks back to the car and sticks his head in. “Can I come back?”

Luka
nods her head. “LaLa is going to be your girlfriend until I’m older, and then I
get you back.”

Haden
looks at me like he’s trying not to laugh, but I widen my eyes and shake my
head, silently pleading for him to get in the car and drive us to Cole’s house.

He
seems to understand my cues and does exactly that. They only live a block away,
so he leaves the windows down and plays Luka’s favorite song as we go. I’m
caught off guard when he reaches out and takes my hand in his.

We’ve
been friends for so long and we’ve held hands.

We’ve
hugged.

I’ve
kissed his cheek.

This
is not any of those; this is new and different, but I’m excited to see where it
takes us. I thread my fingers through his and catch him glancing down at our
hands, but my bliss is interrupted all too soon when we pull into the
Camerons
’ driveway half a mile down the road. Luka
unbuckles her seat belt and hugs the headrest of Haden’s seat.

“Can
we go in now?” She rocks back and forth until Haden lets go of my hand and
turns the car off.

“Yep,
let’s go.” I clap my hands and open the door before leaning the seat up so she
can get out.

I
step aside so she can get to Haden, but she surprises me when she stays by my
side and holds my hand instead.

“Aren’t
you going to walk with Haden?”

“I
wanna go with you,” she says and hides behind my hand. Haden watches the
exchange and is as confused as I am. I shrug and he starts walking and meets me
in front of his car.

“You
ready?” He nudges my elbow.

“Not
at all,” I say truthfully.

“Good.
Let’s do this.” He grabs my hand but I pull it back and watch disappointment
take over his face.

What are the guys going to
say?

“Not
yet.” I shake my head slightly. “Let me talk to everyone first. I want to give
them a heads-up.”

He
relents and waits for me to walk ahead of him. “Fifteen minutes, then I tell
everyone myself.” He grins and walks past me, grabbing my little
sister—a.k.a. my shield—along with him.

“Hey,
she’s with me,” I protest.

“Nope,
she’s my date now.” He grins and continues walking off.

Cole
opens the door and I’m frozen where I stand. Haden carries on like it’s any
other day, swooping Luka into his arms and walking past our friend, offering a
brief hello.

“I
need to talk to you,” Cole says and walks toward me. Haden stops to check but I
wave him on and he continues without another word.

“Something
wrong?” I ask, unsure why he’s acting so weird.

“Yeah,
what’s up with you and Searle?”

I
don’t have to pretend to be shocked, because I am shocked. “Cole—”

“No.”
He puts his hand up to stop me from speaking. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Okay,”
I concede.

“No
wait, on second thought, I do want to hear it.”

“I’m
as shocked as you are,” I start, but then he starts laughing. “Wait, who told
you?”

“Um,
Joey?”

“I
had no idea,” I drag out slowly.

“Where
have you been?” He walks over and wraps an arm over my shoulder, and walks me
to the steps. “He’s always liked you.”

“Why
is it that everyone knew but me?”

“Because
you were too busy being, well—you.”

“What’s
that supposed to mean?”

“Lai,
you are always so worried about everyone else and looking after everyone. But
you don’t see when things are happening to you. It’s actually kinda cool
because you don’t realize how awesome you are.”

“So
it doesn’t bother you?”

“Nope.
Just don’t let me see y’all making out all the time and we’re good. Oh yeah,
and you still have to set me up with someone.”

“With
who, one of my many,
many
female
friends? Oh wait, I don’t have those.” I stand up and walk into the house with
him hot on my heels.

“C’mon,
Lai, take one for the team, and by ‘team’ I mean ‘me.’ There’s gotta be someone
who doesn’t hate you, right?”

“Thanks,
Cole,” I deadpan.

“I’m
kidding,” he drags me into the kitchen where his mom and stepdad Chris are
waiting.

I
walk over and give them both hugs. They ask about my parents and I let them
know they’ll be over later, but Cole drags me away before I’m wrapped up in
parental conversations. When we step out onto the back deck, Luka runs over and
drags Cole with her to talk to him and Joey about being Haden’s girlfriend.

My
new boyfriend—
it’s so weird to even
think of him like that
—walks over to me to see how I’m doing.

“Just
waiting to talk to Brax,” I tell him before he walks over to join the
conversation held by my sister.

“Hey
pretty girl,” Braxton calls from behind me, and I turn to give him a hug. “Be
careful, I don’t want Haden getting all jealous.”

“So
you already know, too?”

“Yeah,
but it’s no surprise, really. Just a matter of time.”

“Well
thanks for filling me in, don’t I feel like the idiot.”

“You
should. I can’t believe you didn’t know. I figured you were just playing along
for the sake of the group, I didn’t know you really had no idea.”

“Brax,
I thought he was gay,” I mutter from the corner of my mouth. “I mean, he hasn’t
dated anyone, how was I to know?”

“I
can’t argue with you there,” he smiles. “Maybe it was just obvious to us
because we knew about it for so long. I think he did a good job of keeping
things low-key.”