"Paris! Oh my gosh, I love Paris." Loralie did a spin as the whole class began to walk into the hotel, all Loralies fears and drama seemed to melt away as she breathed in the air. "The air is different here, Charlie. It smells different, taste different. I can even breath better! Paris...ugh, I just love Paris!"

"I think she loves Paris." Issac joked as him and Charlie shared a chuckle, Loralie bouncing her way into the the hotel lobby.

"Mr.Farouk and I will be in room 203 if you need us!" Mr.Ajayi announced to the loud students. "Please stay with your roommates!"

Roommates. Loralie completely forgot about who her roommate had been. Her face fell as she immediately turned her head, already seeing Elle had been staring at her.

"Let's go!" Tara grabbed Loralies hand with a bright smile, dragging her with her up the stairs.

"Elle." Loralie looked back when she heard Tao's voice, looking down the stairs as he stopped the girl in green. "Do you need a hand?"

"No." she simply said back, gripping her bag more as she went back up the stairs. Her and Loralie locked eyes again, the Flowers girl playing it off like she was looking elsewhere. When Elle walked past her, Loralie looked at Tao. He'd already been looking at her, giving her an awkward smile. Loralie rose her hand just slightly as she turned back....man, did he look good with his new haircut.

When Loralie made it to the room, it was made clear there'd only been two beds. Of course, Tara and Darcy had been sharing. Elle hesitated as she looked at her, standing in the doorway in her orange headband. "I didn't know which side of the bed you wanted."

"Oh." Loralie nodded as she kicked the door shut with her foot. "Is the left okay?"

Elle nodded, Tara and Darcy caught up in their own conversation as they gaped out the window. Loralie dropped her suitcase on the left side, looking back as Elle got her phone plugged in. "Elle?"

The curly haired girl looked at her, Loralie smiled at her softly. "Thank you for last night...I was a mess."

"Oh course." she promised her with a half smile. "You were a mess."

Loralie had to laugh as she sat down, face to face with the other. "I'm not even sure who's shoulders I was on the entire night."

"Couldn't be worse than the crowd surfing." she agreed, the girls laughter made Darcy and Tara happy as they tried not to stare too much. Loralie grabbed Elle's hand as it rested in the middle of them, Elle's smile dropped slightly as she looked at her. Loralie nodded her head softly. Unlike Tao, Elle hadn't said anything to her that hurt her. Elle did what she had to do, she went with someone who didn't confuse her endlessly. Loralie wasn't mad at her...she missed her.

"Paris." the Flowers girl smiled at her again. "I could just talk and talk and talk all about Paris."

Elle kicked her shoes off as she crossed her legs, staring at her softly as she nodded. She rose her eyebrows. "Well...let's hear it."

She really did miss all Loralies words, and all the lack of breath's she took in between.

Loralie stared up at the ceiling a she slept next to Elle, chewing on her bottom lip. She turned some, not finding a comfortable position to lay in. Her body was still getting use to the hard bed, having trouble falling asleep without her pillows. She slowly got out of bed, rummaging through her bag in search of the sleep gummies she packed with her. After a good few minutes, she realized she'd likely dropped them on the bus.

"Seriously, Loralie?" she spoke to herself in disbelief, pulling on the pair of shorts and her slippers to go with it.

She snuck out of the hotel room, skipping down the steps as she headed for the lobby. Her hair tucked behind her ears as she walked, the cardigan wrapped tightly around her. The thin layer on the tank top she wore not providing much warmth. As she walked outside, she was unaware of a pair of eyes following her. She completely missed the late night visitor that the lobby had, her mind on one thing only.

Loralie found the bus in no time, sighing in relief when the door was unlocked. She slipped inside with a laugh. "Smooth as butter."

She shrieked loudly and spun around when the doors were pushed open again, much harsher than she had. Tao held them open as he stared at her, his face looked like he'd been angry but it really was just concerning. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Did you follow me?" she stared in disbelief, holding her chest as her heart rate lowered. "You almost gave me an aneurism!"

"An aneurism?" he tried not to laugh. "I believe you're looking for the word 'heart attack' but aneurism works too."

He got into the bus as the doors shut behind him, the darkness of the bus only welcomed by the moonlight and street lamps. Still, enough to make each other out. "I was in the lobby and saw you sneak out here. What are you looking for?"

"I dropped those sleepy gummies and can't sleep." she went to the seat her and Charlie shared, kneeling down as she started to look under the seats. "Why were you in the lobby?"

"Couldn't sleep either." he answered, starting to help her look. "Why couldn't you?"

Loralie ignored him, not wanting to say why. "How come you couldn't sleep?"

"Dunno." he at least said that, even if they both had the same reason. "God, Loralie. Where else would you have dropped th-"

They both froze when the locking sound echoed, sitting up on sync. "Was that-"

Tao hurried to the door and gave it a yank, revealing they'd been trapped. "It's locked."

"Oh my God." Loralie walked back and tried to push the back door open. "They must have realized they forgot to lock it and did it from the hotel room."

"Great." Tao scoffed. "I didn't bring my phone either. Can you call Charlie?"

Loralie turned around with a guilty look, the pair on completely different sides of the bus. "I didn't bring mine either."

Tao huffed as he pursed his lips. "That's great. First night in Paris...trapped on a bus."

Loralie rose her eyebrows. "Could be worse."

"Could it?" he questioned her in disbelief, watching her make her way through the isles. "Please enlighten me."

"Could be trapped with Harry or Ben." she joked, a small snort to go along with her words. Tao had to agree, the pair decided to sit across from each other in opposite seats. "For some weird reason, Harry actually carried me to the cab last night. After I passed out."

"Yeah, you looked a mess." he stated the obvious, a half smile to go with it before it turned into frowned eyebrows. "Why'd you do that?"

Loralie was quiet as she shrugged, knowing he knew exactly why she had. Tao was quiet too as he messed with his pajama bottoms. "I didn't..."

Loralie looked at him hopefully, those brown eyes impossible not to give into. Tao exhaled in defeat as he looked at her, crumbling under the stare he always did. "I didn't mean the things I said to you. I was just angry and said whatever I could...you know I do that."

"I know." she had to nod her head. "But, why were you so angry with me, Tao? I know it was bad timing...but I didn't even get to say everything I wanted to before you just bit my head off. I'm sorry for trying to ruin your date, I just couldn't..."

...couldn't finish her sentence, it seemed.

"Because, Lori." he exhaled like it was the most obvious thing ever. "I've liked you for years and nothing ever came out of it, just endless unlabeled things. I started to like Elle too last year, not very long now. If it wasn't going anywhere with you, and I liked her just as much, I wanted to be with her."

Loralie had to give him props for his honestly. But, none of them had been talking lately, so he really had nothing to lose.

Loralie frowned. "That was my fault for all the unanswered things. I literally lead you and Elle both on for years now. But, especially you."

"You knew you were doing it?" that seemed to really piss him off.

"Of course I knew, Tao. I have the biggest freaking crush on you in the world." she stared at him in complete disbelief, her eyebrows frowned together like she was annoyed. "I never did anything about it because I didn't want to mess up the friend group, exactly like how we are doing right now."

"You have a crush on me?" he looked at her with the same look. "I mean...I kinda figured after our fight but for how long?"

"For forever long." she argued, her tone hadn't dropped from annoyed. "Literally since I moved here and Charlie invited me to the first movie night. Literally everyone knows this, Tao. I've known this."

"But, you've dated other people." he pointed out.

"Of course I have, because I knew it couldn't go anywhere with you. Doesn't mean I just stopped." she answered, feeling the weight getting lifted more and more. Like him, she had nothing else to lose, so she wanted to say it all. "And I'm sorry for constantly being all over you the way I am. I should have stopped when I knew it wasn't gonna go anywhere instead of holding onto that feeling I got by pretending."

Tao was letting it all sink in, he seemed shocked and floored. "Everyone knows this?"

"It's been the most obvious thing since the existing of time." Loralie looked at her knees, drawing small circles with her finger. "But, I was like you. Here recently, I started to get feelings for Elle too. I like her so much, and it's different. How I like you and how I like her have the same root of love but are entirely different."

The most romantic words from a soul that loved two individuals.

"But, I knew it would mess everything up if I did anything with her, too. So, i've just been leading her on and confusing her until she said something and I freaked out." she spoke honestly with an exhale, shrugged her shoulders. "All this hope on not ruining my friendships has gone to complete shit."

Tao hesitated. "Did you stop liking me because you like her?"

"No." she didn't even hesitate. "Of course not. I liked you both the same amount, just at different times."

He waited for her to elaborate, and by the look on her face, she was going to. "With Elle, it's so new so it's like this huge honeymoon phase. Everything she does it like magic to me, like no wrong could come to the two of us. With you, this has been brewing for years now. How I felt never went away but I saw it differently, I held it on a level that didn't compare. It was like this mature crush, like we've been together for years. We never had that honeymoon phase because we were just us since we met, and I loved that. I love that."

Tao stared, Loralie gave a questionable look. "What made you choose Elle over me?"

"Stupid google." he rolled his eyes. "It told me to go for the second person I liked, because if I really liked the first one, I wouldn't have liked the second. That was a lie!"

"That's stupid." Loralie had to agree with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, very stupid because it didn't feel right without you there." he admitted. "I like Elle, I wanted to be there with her, but I wanted you there too. It's like...I wanted you both. I can't just choose one if you because it doesn't feel the same unless it's all three of us. That's not fair and if that's how it's gonna be, then i'm just not gonna be with either of you."

Loralie was quiet. "That's how I feel too."

Tao waited, he saw something swirling in her head. Thoughts that weren't being formed into words. "Loralie."

She met his eye as he leaned up some. "What are you thinking about?"

"Something that might be crazy, and that maybe you or Elle won't be on board with." she exhaled and scooted to the edge of the seat. "Do you remember when I went on that date with that couple? When I started to think that maybe my relationships were...developing."

Tao nodded. Loralie hesitated. "I'm crazy about you, and I truly like Elle so much. You like me, but you like her too and don't feel like you can choose between us. I could never choose you over Elle or Elle over you, I'd always be thinking about the other one."

Tao watched her thoughts keep going, waiting. She met his eye. "If we're all willing to have to go through endless explaining, weird looks, sexual jokes, and a lot of learning...I'd do anything for the three of us to be together. I'm at my happiest when it's both of you, that's all I want. It's the only time it feels right."

Tao let that sink in, realization spreading across his face. "Oh my, God. Why did I not think of that?"

Loralie had to laugh at his face as Tao slapped his forehead. "Seriously...how did that not cross my mind?"

"You're the cutest, Tao Xu." she climbed out of her seat and got into his. He straightened his legs, using his hands to help her climb into his lap. Loralie placed her hands on the side of his neck, his hands resting on her hips as they both fell nervous but comfortable all at once. Nervous because they never did what they both knew they were about to, but comfortable because that's how they were. For years now...Loralie and Tao both thought about it that it felt like it had already happened.

Loralie leaned her forehead against his as Tao smiled, shutting his eyes as he felt her heart beating from the way their chest were pushed together. "Will you tell me again how much you like me?"

Loralie laughed slightly. "I'll tell you every single day, as many times as you want to hear it."

Tao smiled, Loralie did too as her eyes shut and their lips brushed. He wanted to say so much but wasn't as good with words as she'd been, they didn't form the way he wished they would. "I've wanted to do this for five years."

"Better not wait too much longer than." she mocked him slightly. Tao reached up and pulled her face in, pushing his lips against hers as Loralie grasped his wrist and kissed him back. It was needy from waiting so long, but faded into gentleness when they realized they had no need to rush it anymore. Five years they both wanted to do that...five years was all fixed in one single moment. Loralie took his hands and put them on her hips again, cupping his face with her hands this time and smiling against his lips.

•

kylie speaks

worth the wait??