Ada

I woke up to an empty bed, my cheeks instantly flushing at what I'd worked up the courage to do last night. I didn't sleep with him, but we did more than we ever had before and the smile wouldn't leave my face.

That was until I heard the knock on the door. I quickly pulled my leg back under the cover and pretended to only be waking up when the door opened; revealing Jacob.

I struggled to maintain the small smile I offered as he sat on the edge of my bed, an action of which I inwardly cringed at. Hayden had been here not three hours ago, and the secrecy hurt more than I'd have liked.

"Hey," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

I frowned, blinking my eyes as if it would help me recall. "What are you talking about?"

"Your headache from last night?"

"Oh." I had forgotten all about it. It was my cover for going to bed so early, not that I was expecting Hayden to come over. I was just in a bad mood because I knew I wouldn't see him, and I didn't want my family to question me. "Right. Yeah. I'm good. Just tired, is all." I pulled myself into a seating position as I fumbled for my words, hoping it would sound like I was only tired.

"Okay," Jacob said, his smile as soft as his words. "Well I'm headed to Hayden's for the morning. You should get some more sleep if you can."

The casual use of his name made my heart stutter, my mind continuing to forget to remind me of the fact that it was my brother's best friend that I was dating.

"I will. Thanks for checking up on me."

He walked over to the door, paused to say "No problem," and closed the door behind him.

I let out a sigh of relief, falling back into the covers. I wanted someone to talk to about him, someone who could understand what I was going through without having to know who I was going through it with. Someone who could help get Jacob off my tail if he suspected anything, which could happen if I kept making mistakes like I just had, and someone who would be supportive no matter what I said.

One person popped into my mind and I resolved I would make a trip to her place around lunchtime, but first I felt I should inform my boyfriend that my brother was going to be at his house soon. He would have gotten home only a couple of hours ago, and would still be sleeping now.

A: jay jay is headed ur way

He didn't respond, unsurprisingly, and I figured I would hear from him when Jacob arrived and woke him up.

This was already getting complicated, and I didn't like complicated. I had no idea what I was going to do, but going to see Kaia would surely help.

Hayden

A fly was harassing my leg; only it wasn't a fly it was Jacob's fucking toe. I rolled over to lie on my back on the couch, in the basement I had crashed in what felt like two minutes ago. I rubbed my eyes and pointed them towards my best friend, before cussing him out.

"It's Saturday morning, are you fucking kidding me? I'm trashed, fuck off." My language was so classy, I'm sure my mayor mother would have been proud.

He laughed, holding out something to me that I recognized as a coffee cup from the drive through place between our houses. At least he'd thought to bring me the one thing that might make me a bit brighter.

"Suck it up man," he said as I accepted the cup, sitting up so I could drink it. The caffeine was nothing compared to what I could have been waking up to if I had stayed just a little longer.

I groaned; not because Jacob was forcing me out of bed on a Saturday but because I'd had the best night of my entire life and I now had to pretend it didn't happen, so the secret would be safe.

Fucking secrets.

"I fucking hate you sometimes," I told him, the double meaning obvious to me but invisible to anyone else. I hated that he was so overprotective of his little sister that if we told him about us, well, I wouldn't like to think what he'd do. Being an only child, I didn't know what it was like to feel that way, but I could guess it wasn't his choosing. It just happened, and I couldn't blame him for it. No matter how much I just wanted someone to blame.

"I know," he chuckled. "Just get your ass up and let's go."

He took my spot on the couch when I got up, sluggishly moving about my house to shower and dress and get back down to the basement. All the while there was only one girl on my mind; a girl who had surprised me in a way I never thought possible.

I spent the last two minutes of my shower with the water ice cold, and then I returned to rewatching Daredevil whenever Ada popped into my consciousness.

Jacob drove through the rain, the rain that was killing my mood and making me into a fucking grumble bum. I just wanted to be out of the rain cuddled up with Ada watching a movie somewhere no one could find us.

It reminded me that I hadn't responded to her text, one which was a warning about Jacob's arrival.

H: I just wanted 2 sleep ffs

H: hey, want 2 hang out this avo?

A: watcha thinkin?

H: movie?

A: ur place?

H: ill txt u when he leaves and u can come over any tme after that

A: sounds good. I have to do something first so ill c u mid avo ish

H: lookin 4wd 2 it :)

Despite my incredibly enhanced mood, I was still shitty about the weather.

"Rain? I thought it was summer. This is bullshit."

He rolled his eyes. "Well someone's in a fantastic mood."

I didn't respond, so he turned the radio up until he realized he had something else to say.

"Hey, where'd you get to last night?"

I wasn't in the mood or the frame of mind to make up some elaborate story as to why I left the party, even though it felt like years ago that I was even there. I said "Nowhere" and stuck with it.

"Bullshit," he called.

"Fuck off."

"Were you with the girl?" Despite being an unobservant little shit – and I mean that in the nicest possible way – he knew me pretty damned well.

I blew out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah."

"And that's why you're tired?" Suggestion was layered in every part of his tone and it made me mad, mad enough to punch him in the arm without a second of thought. He had no idea what he was talking about, or the fact that it was his sister. If he knew.. Oh god, I wouldn't want to imagine.

But I think I got more pissed with the fact that he insinuated I slept with her, which made me feel like the jerk I wasn't. Not anymore.

"Shit. What the fuck, man?"

"I didn't sleep with her," I defended myself, and her, and his sanity for when he found out the truth.

"Okay..." He trailed, sounding confused as hell but I didn't give a shit because it's not like he'd guess what was going on anyway.

After a couple of minutes he suggested we head to a maze in the park, perfect for vandalism, he said.

"Sure," I shrugged, not really that into it.

"Are you okay?" We were at the park, the tires crunching gravel as we pulled up. I wasn't sure what I was mad at, but it wasn't Jacob and it was unfair to be taking it out on him.

"I'm fine," I admitted. "There are some things in my life that are currently not but I can't talk to you about those." The things that were not fine being the fact that I couldn't talk to him about Ada.

"You know I won't judge you or tell anyone or shit, right?"

"It's not that," I sighed, hating myself. "I just can't tell you." I was being pathetic. I was hanging out with my best friend and we were about to vandalize public property, one of my favourite activities, especially of the illegal kind, and all I could think about was Ada, and that my not being with her was fucking annoying.

Jesus. Pathetic was an understatement.

"Can't?" Jacob asked and I noded.

"Can't."

"Okay. I ain't going to push it. Let's just chill, okay?"

"Alright. Grab the black bag."

I should have been more appreciative that I had such a good mate, so I worked hard to get out of my shitty mood so that I would feel like a less shitty person.

We spray painted the wall Jacob had thought of and he was right, it was perfect for what we were doing. We worked together to create a beach at night, with the moon reflecting off the water.

I sprayed the lyrics all that you are is all that I'll ever need over the top of it; thinking about her without even trying.

"Ed Sheeran?" Jacob asked.

"Don't."

"Pun," he said, referencing the Ed Sheeran song which got me to laugh.

"Aye there he is. How about we go grab some real breakfast and maybe play some pool?"

I tried my best at a grin as we headed to the car. "Nothing like a good ass kicking to cheer me up."

He shoved me. "In your dreams."

It was then that I realized we had to tell him. It was the only thing that was fair, to him and to us. The longer we kept it from him the worse the outcome would be, and I didn't want my best friend hating me over a girl. Even if the girl was undoubtedly the best one on the entire planet.

We had to tell him; and I had to tell that to Ada.

Ada

Kaia took me out for coffee upon hearing my troubles were about a guy. She bought me a hot chocolate after I argued I could buy my own and we sat at the corner booth.

It was quiet for a minute, until she finally asked what we were both waiting for. "The guy?"

I gulped.

"You can't back out now," she breathed a laugh. "Spill your beans."

"I'm seeing someone." It came out before I had the time to think about it and I frowned, looking down into my mug.

"No shit Sherlock."

I raised my eyes. "You knew?"

"It involved a guy so it was one of two things, and I'm pretty sure you're not pregnant." Kaia was enjoying this, but I could see underneath that she really did care and was here to help. It still didn't help that she joked about something like that.

"Funny," I deadpanned, and she just grinned in response.

"The guy?" She prompted again.

I took a deep breath and had to lie my way through the first bit, to make sure she wouldn't assume that it was Hayden. She was sharp, and it would be harder to deceive her than it would my brother.

"Not that you'd know him, but for argument's sake lets call him Fred."

"Fred. Yes," she accepted this. "What's he like?"

"Perfect." Another word that seemed to spill of its own accord. "Well, he's not. He's far from it. But we just click really well, you know?"

I wanted to say, he's perfect for me, but I figured that would be a little tacky.

She nodded, seeming to understand what I was talking about. She acted sort of like an older sister without the judgment siblings hold, which I was grateful for.

"So what do you need help with?"

"I'd really like it if you could get Jacob off my trail," I admitted. "I think he knows something is up-" after this morning's mistake "-and he's really protective. I know he tries to pretend he's not but he is. The less he knows the better."

Her eyes didn't waver as she took a sip from her mug, so intense and intrusive that I felt she could read my mind. "There's something else."

It was uncomfortable how she could do that. "I really don't like you sometimes."

"I know." She wasn't phased. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Only twenty four seven... I couldn't help but run a hand through my hair, hating to admit that "I'm dying to."

"Then d-" she started to say but I shook my head.

"But I can't."

Kaia didn't try to make it better. She didn't ask why I couldn't or try to understand, she just nodded with sympathy and said; "It's the worst when that happens."

"It is," I groaned, letting my head fall into my hands. The action which reminded me of Hayden because it's exactly what he did last night before... "I really like him, Kaia."

"Liking someone isn't a bad thing."

"I know. I just fel sort of pathetic. I see him every day but I still want to talk about him all the time." And be with him even after an hour of us being apart.

"I'm always here to listen when you do."

We started talking about him then, and I didn't have to lie, telling her the truth that he was in my friend's class – my friend being her – and that we met here, at Coffee Bean. But then I caught sight of the time and realized I was supposed to be meeting him soon. He'd said to meet him at the Pirate Park for a reason he wouldn't tell me, and it was five minutes from the time I said I'd be there. It was about that far to walk.

I apologized profusely for leaving early but Kaia waved the matter away like it didn't matter. It mattered to me, but she just told me to go so I did.

I rushed to the park through the wet streets, although at least the rain had ceased to fall. I adjusted my ponytail as I came close, observing the abandoned car park and the lonely looking play ground. The swings hung limp, there was a puddle at the bottom of the faded yellow slide and the wooden pirate ship had darkened from the moisture. It looked sad, but it also looked empty, which was exactly what I wanted.

Hayden came up behind me, in a way that I think was supposed to surprise me but he failed to realize he was stepping on gravel that crunched under every step. His arms wrapped around my middle and he kissed my cheek, the feelings of warmth and comfort and joy instantly enveloping me.

"I thought we were going to watch movies," I told him, turning in his arms to look up at him. His whole face was covered in excitement, like a four year old on Christmas morning, so I figured it was something important to him.

"Come see." He released me from his hold but slid his fingers through mine, tugging me towards the maze to the left of the play equipment. We weaved through the high walls until we reached the centre, and my breath caught.

I was staring at a piece of art, in the middle of a tired maze brought down by the rain. It was of a beautiful ocean, swirling in purple and blues with the moon reflecting off it, and the words all that you are is all that I ever need scripted elegantly across the night sky. It was breathtaking.

"Do you like it?"

"It's incredible," I whispered, wondering how it got here in the first place. It wasn't like vandalism was unheard of in our town, but it was rarely this beautiful. Rarely this artistic and inspiring that you take a minute to truly admire the talent.

"Aw, you're making me blush." His voice was light and joking, but that's not what I heard from it. What I heard was that Hayden had created this masterpiece.

"You.. did this?"

He grinned and, with a nod, turned me gently back around to look at it. I leaned my back to his chest and we stood looking at it for who knows how long.

"You never said you could..." I didn't know what to call it.

"Vandalize public property? No, I thought leaving out illegal activities would be a smart thing to do."

I wasn't amused, contrary to Hayden's amusement. "I didn't know you were artistic."

He paused to consider this, but I could hear him shake his head. "I would say I'm artistic-"

"What the hell is this then?" I shook my head in astonishment. "Jouzu.. .Totemo jouzu," I muttered.

"I must admit, your brother did part of it."

"He struggles to draw stick figures." It was true. While in Celti, we had our first and last game of Pictionary when Jacob and Milena were challenged to draw a person riding a bicycle. You couldn't even see a person in Jacob's drawing, and I doubted he would be able to create something of this caliber.

I felt Hayden's laugh through my back as he shook with it. "God no. He sprayed the sky. He just wanted to be a part of it."

I was still struggling to comprehend that I didn't know Hayden had such talent in this field. I was blown away, and also a little miffed he'd neglected to tell me.

"You're drawing me something when we get home," I told him and he just laughed again, but with a promise to do his best.

"That actually reminds me of something," he said on our way back to his house. The clouds were looming overhead and while it wasn't freezing, I would have rathered be in the comfort of his house. "We need to tell your brother about us."

I took a minute to contemplate this but couldn't argue. It was only fair to tell him, and the sooner we did it the faster we could be us around everyone. It was a big step, and one I'm sure neither of us looked forward to, but it was necessary.

"I know," I admitted, walking through the gate to his house. "We'll tell him soon."