Jared greeted my kiss eagerly as he wrapped his one hand around my back, pulling me even closer into him, and his other on my cheek. I ran my hands down his chest, gliding along his body, before moving them onto his neck and slightly pulling his hair, knowing exactly how much he loved that. The heat in my cheeks rose as our tongues danced with one another. With him, our kisses were always dances; graceful but passionate, expressive yet intense, sweet but intimate. 

There was an urgency to our kiss; an urgency that I had never felt before. Somehow, something so wrong felt completely right. Everything about Jared felt right, and I couldn't understand it. 

It was as though I was craving Jared in every way. A thousand words couldn't describe the way I was feeling in Jared's hands, with his lips kissing mine.

A phone buzzed in the other end of the room, but this couldn't stop us. We were entangled in one another. Nothing else in the world had matter except that I was kissing Jared. Jared moved his hand down my back, grazing my butt, and lifting my leg against his hip, lightly caressing my thigh as he held it. 

My breath quickened as my body filled with desire. Desire for Jared. Jared began to slowly move the strap of my bikini top lower as...

"Brrrrriiiiing, briiiiing, brrrrrrinnng," my phone ringed.

Reality soon set in as I acknowledged that it was my phone ringing. Oh no. Maybe it was Cleo?

Maybe something was wrong?

I had to check. 

I pulled away from Jared's kiss, and Jared looked at me with a broken and confused gaze. It hurt me to stop this; I didn't want our kiss to stop, but I couldn't help but think that Cleo may have been in trouble. How selfish would I have to be to ignore my friend?

I moved myself out of Jared's hands and out of the pool towards my phone. Once I reached my clothes, where my phone was placed, Cleo was calling me.

"Hey," I answered, slightly out of breath. My heart had been pounding a thousand miles for minutes or something to that extent.

"Hey, are you home? I forgot my keys to the house," Cleo asked. It was clear that she was in her car, since I could hear that I was on speaker. I assume she's coming back from the doctor's office.

"No, but I can be there soon." I replied, looking around to find Jared still in the pool; he was waiting patiently in the water, his face still perplexed, as I spoke with Cleo. 

Was I messing with his feelings?

God, why did I kiss him?

Why do I have to purposely complicated my own life?

"Great. See you soon." Cleo said as she hung up the phone. I turned around to Jared. The tension in the room was...intense, to say for lack of words. 

"We have to go," I said, quietly, almost scared to hear what his next reply would be. Jared simply nodded and headed out of the pool, coming towards me and dressing himself up. I hastily got dressed as well. We left the pool, without saying a word to one another, as we walked towards Jared's car.

As Jared drove home, we rode in silence. While I was sitting in Jared's car, I looked out the window in hopes of avoiding Jared's gaze. I didn't know what to say to him. There wasn't much to say. But, at the same time, there was so much to say. Why did I kiss him? Why? There had been no need for me to do that, so why did I? Everything was going great between us and now I messed it up with this out-of-the-blue kiss. 

Wait.

OH MY GOD. 

LUCAS!

In the mist of all this, I completely forgot about Lucas. Oh no. Was I a cheater? Had I cheated? What would I even say to him? How am I going to explain that I made out with Jared, the guy he immorally hates? I've literally complicated my own life for no reason.

But why did that kiss feel so right?

All I know is that when I kiss Lucas, I don't feel nearly as much passion and heat as I do with Jared, so that had to mean something, right? Or maybe it just felt right because it was in the heat of the moment? I don't know.

I don't know anything anymore.

Jared broke the silence as we were moments before my home. "Soooo, you want to talk about what happened back there?"

"Nope," I affirmed. More like hell no I didn't want to.

"Valerie, I think we should talk." Jared reassured as he pulled up into my driveway. I was not about to have this conversation with him right now. I couldn't explore what that kiss meant right now. I can't even comprehend what it meant. I don't understand what's happening.

Right now, all I wanted to know is if Cleo was pregnant. I can't think of anything else. I don't want to think of anything else. 

I quickly opened Jared's car door, walking towards the front door of the house and unlocking it. I closed the door behind me. Maybe Jared would take the hint that I didn't want to talk right now. 

But, as always, he didn't. Not long after, Jared came through the front door and searched for me.

"Valerie," he said as he found me sitting on the couch.

"Nope," I once again affirmed. Turning my back towards him. I felt like a little child; turning my back to Jared was so immature. But I really couldn't do this right now. My head was spinning with confusion. 

"Valerie, please." God. His pleads always got to me. I turned my back to him to find his beautiful, breathaking face in agony.

"Valerie, I think I'm in l-"

Before Jared could finish, Cleo walked through the front door. Thank God! I wasn't ready to have any serious talk with Jared. I just couldn't do it.

"Cleo!" I squealed. "Please, tell me what the doctors said." I stood up quickly and walked towards her. I could see that from the corner of my eyes, Jared looked upset that I hadn't listened to him; I couldn't. Not today.

"Well," Cleo sighed. "I'm six weeks pregnant."

"Oh," I huffed. I could see that Jared was looking at Cleo, speechless, just as I was.

Oh shit. 

This was official. Cleo really was pregnant. 

"So, um, what do you think you're going to do?" I asked, sincerely. Wow. How is this going to affect her life?

"Honestly, I have no idea." Cleo said as she sat down on the couch next to Jared. Unlike the past few days, though, Cleo didn't seem upset by this news. It seemed as though she had... possibly accepted what has happened to her. 

Jared and I looked at each other, unsure how to comfort Cleo. This was like a serious adult problem that we were both unqualified to help with. Not to mention, this was Cleo; a person who was important to both of us. 

"I have to talk to Theo about this. I mean, he should be involved. It's his child, too. Or it will be, I guess. I don't know." Cleo said as she looked at her phone to check if she had any messages.

"When will you talk with him?" I asked, still standing where I had stood when Cleo walked in. I refused to sit next to Jared on the couch. I don't know how I'll react to being so close to him...

"We have a date Friday, so I guess I could talk to him then." Cleo assured. 

"That's good," I nodded my head towards her. 

"I need to go," Jared added, abruptly. He stood up quickly, avoiding my gaze, as he walked out the front door. I felt terrible for choosing to ignore Jared's plead to talk, but I just couldn't handle this right now. My head was spinning. Not to mention, I needed to figure out how I was going to tell Lucas what had happened. 

"That was weird," Cleo looked at me inquisitively, preying for information.

I shrugged my shoulders and went into my room. As rude as it seemed, i didn't want to talk to Cleo either. There was just too much going on in my head.

Closing the door, I headed towards my bed and plopped face-down onto my bed. Ugh. What have I done?

I guess I should've let Jared talk, though. I feel awful for not letting him talk to me, but this was all too much for me to handle. 

But I guess I owed him an explanation for that kiss, even though I didn't have one. I just went for it. You know, like spur the moment; kind-of like Carpe Diem, but you know, with severe consequences afterwards.

Fine.

I will drop by his house tomorrow, uninvited, of course, because he always drops by uninvited, and talk to him. He deserved to be heard. Maybe he's just as confused as I am?

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So, what do y'all think about this chapter ;)

Sorry I had to break Val and Jared apart from that kiss, though, but Cleo was calling haha😝

What do you think about Jared though?😟

Vote if you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks❤