Dedicated to Grayy_Wolf for being such a great supporter!

Yay!! It's my birthday month - October. I am one of those who gets super excited about birthdays!!  

Chapter 4.

It's not like you have a boyfriend hidden here

~~~

It had been three days since Rylee had got Aahan's number but didn't have the courage to send a single message.

Rylee stared at her phone screen. There, open on the screen was Aahan's contact information and beneath it was the messaging icon, mocking her.

She pressed her fingers to her forehead, trying to fight the upcoming headache.

"Why is this so difficult?" She asked the minion soft toy next to her.

The soft toy didn't reply. Although if it would have, Rylee would have had a heart attack.

"So tell me Bob. Should I send him a message?"

Bob the minion just grinned at her, showing tiny teeth and big brown eyes.

Rylee sighed. "I'll take as a yes."

She quickly a typed a message. 'Hey Aahan, this is Rylee Miller. Thanks for your number again.' Before she could overthink and change her mind, she pressed send.

As soon as she heard the delivered notification tone she squealed, threw her phone on Bob and ran downstairs. Too terrified to face his reply.

Daisy looked up from her episode of Sex Education. "Did you see a ghost or yourself in a mirror?"

Rylee didn't response she was busy frowning at her sister's watch list. "What the hell are you watching?"

"Something educational."

Rylee wrinkled her nose. "You are too young for this."

"I am 14!"

"So young!"

"Relax it's not like I am having sex." With that Daisy went back to playing the episode.

Rylee stared at her sister wanting to stop her from watching it but knew she couldn't. This was Daisy Brooks after all, she always did whatever she wanted.

That young retarded donkey.

"Just don't see it when mom's around."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "I am 14 not 9. I know what not to tell mom."

Rylee felt a wave of worry for her younger sister. She was getting far too smart for her age and a lot more confident and rebellious. Rylee shook her head with a sad smile. "You are going to be such a mess when you grow up."

"I'll have you to clean it up." Daisy said in a sing-song voice, stuffing the popcorn in her mouth.

Rylee didn't reply to that. She took some biscuits and chips from the kitchen cabinet and walked upstairs to her room. A part of her was scared to see the reply and a part of her was very excited. She felt like she was 14 years old again, desperately waiting for a boy to reply. It was not a good feeling.

With shaky hands she opened the notification tab.

One notification.

She breathed in.

Opened the message.

She breathed out.

'Hi Rylee. I thought you had lost my number.'

Rylee stared at the piece of paper lying next to her pillow where it had been for the past three days. Somehow looking at his neat cursive handwriting before sleeping made Rylee feel better and sleep better.

'I didn't. I was a little busy.' She texted back.

His reply came within a few seconds and she liked that. A fast texter is always a good sign. 'Oh can I ask busy with what? Or would that be me prying in your personal life?'

'You can ask.'

'Cool. So you were busy with what?'

Rylee had no reply. She couldn't quite possibly reply that she was scared to message him first and she was busy thinking of scenarios that would happen if she did. So she replied. 'Just family stuff.'

'I understand.'

She stared at the message. "Do you?" she screamed at the message and dropped the phone on her lap, eating a biscuit, and thinking of how to continue that conversation. Every time she seemed to hit a dead wall with Aahan and for some reason that didn't stop her.

Aahan luckily decided to continue the conversation. 'Can I ask you a question?'

'Of course.'

'Why did you want my number?'

"Huh." Rylee snorted rereading the message. Her shoulders slumped and she stared at the ceiling with a scowl. "Now I wish I hadn't wished for the conversation to continue." She bit her bottom lip trying to come up with a valid reason.

The truth was she didn't have a reason. She just felt like having his number and against all her sensible thoughts and retorts, she asked for it. Maybe she hoped to be his friend. Especially since he didn't seem to have any.

But she couldn't let him know that. That'd put her in the vulnerable side. 'Just in case I have any doubts in literature.'

'We have biology and art together too.'

She couldn't remember seeing Aahan in both the classes. Which was odd since she noticed him quite frequently. 'We do?'

'Yes, you sat with Nina for Biology and with Penny for Art.'

Rylee lips formed a small giddy smile. "He notices." He said to Bob. "He notices me." she hugged Bob and didn't fight the huge grin. Her heart was ecstatic and her stomach took a huge dip before feeling the butterflies in it. "Did you hear that Bob? He notices me! He knows with whom I sit."

If Bob could speak he would have replied with a flirty 'And why do you care?'

Rylee felt more confident in messaging him now. 'Oh, maybe I'll sit with you next time.'

'Oh, no that's fine. You don't need to. I am happy to sit alone.'

Rylee's giddy smile turned upside down into a frown. "Huh?" she couldn't figure him out. "Wasn't his last message the code for - I notice you so you should notice me too? What am I missing here? what game is he playing?"

She suddenly didn't want to reply to that message so she threw the phone on the bed and rested her head on her pillow eating chips and staring the ceiling.

Since when did texting get so difficult for her? It was usually so easy, not much thinking involved and guys were clear about what they wanted. She understood their hints perfectly but with Aahan, she couldn't come to a single right conclusion. Which was scary.

The sudden ting of notification made her grab her phone to see the message. "Eh." She groaned. Why was she wishing that it was Aahan who had texted her?

She reread Harvey's message. 'Supp? Any weekend plans?'

She glanced at the packets of junk food and the Harry Potter book on the bedside table. Unlike most people of her age, she preferred to laze on the bed and have a good read in her PJs rather than dress up, drink way beyond capacity and have a headache the next morning. 'Not really.'

'Come to our party.'

Rylee furrowed her eyebrows. She hadn't heard of any party. 'What party?'

'Oh yeah my sis doesn't want you so she didn't send the invite, but I want you. So come? It's tonight.'

Rylee scratched her neck. 'Its fine, I have to help around the house a little.'

'Please Ry-Ry. Eloise is just being a bitch like always. Ignore her. Come on, it will be fun. It's our first come back party, the whole school will be there. You'll feel left out after you see all the posts on Instagram.'

Harvey made a good point. Even if she didn't want to go to the party she would feel jealous when she saw all the drunk and happy images of her friends over all social media. She'd feel deserted, abandoned.

She groaned, giving in to the social norms and her desire to be included in all social gatherings. She quickly typed a message to Mikaela. 'Hey, coming to the Blanc party tonight? Don't say no.'

It was only after she had sent the message that her unfocused mind realized something horrid. She quickly opened the message again to delete it but it was of no use.

Message read by Aahan.

"Oh deary crap! Oh crapity crap! Oh Crap of Lords!" Rylee swore, stuffing her face in the pillow and screaming. "How the hell do I manage to humiliate myself every time it comes to Aahan?"

Aahan's response was instant. 'Um. I would like that but I have social anxiety.'

Rylee stared at the message not expecting that reply. She was expecting a flat-out rejection. "Really? You?" she said to Aahan's display picture. It was a picture of him sitting on a park bench with a serious face. He looked rather cute, handsome even. She paused to think of her options, if she replied that the message wasn't actually for him it would hurt him but if she told him to come to the party, she would have to stick next to him.

'How about ice cream instead?'

Rylee almost fainted after reading the message. Did Aahan Miller just ask her out on a date? Admittedly it wasn't exactly a date, just two new friends meeting for ice cream but her treacherous heart didn't get the memo.

Rylee once again screamed into the pillow, this time for cheerful reasons. She fanned herself, trying to stop from blushing, her cheeks were already tinted pink.

She opened Harvey's chat and replied – 'Sorry have plans. Maybe next time.' And for the first time she knew that even if she were to see all the posts from their crazy party, she wouldn't feel jealous. Not even a little.

She then replied to Aahan. 'Sounds good. At Benny's?'

Benny's Ice cream Parlor was the Ice cream shop right down their school lane. Famous of their original flavors and 24*7 service.

'Okay. At 5.30?'

'Sure.'

'Okay.'

That simple one word had the effect for a hundred words said by other guys. Her mind raced and her body burned. She was nervous, excited, jubilant, all at the same time. She glanced at the wall clock, it was just over 3. She quickly jumped off the bed and opened her closet. She tapped her chin with her forefinger. "What to wear? What to wear?"

Just then her sister came in.

"Daisy learn to knock." Rylee complained.

Daisy just rolled her eyes. "Why? It's not like you have a boyfriend hidden here."

"Because it's manners."

Daisy just waved her elder sister off. "Are you going to the Blanc party?"

Rylee's jaw dropped. "What the hell? How do you know about it?"

"The whole school's invited."

"You are not." Rylee directed in a final tone. She couldn't believe that the seniors were dumb enough to invite freshmen students too. They were far too young to be involved in their drunkard lifestyle.

"You are not my mother."

Rylee raised her eyebrows and put one hand on her waist. "Do you want me to tell your mother?"

Daisy scowled at her sister. "You are mean."

"No, it's called being a good sister, you should try it sometime." Rylee sassed. "There will be seniors over there and I know my classmates. They are all dirty drunk people. So I will not have my baby sister mingle with them."

"Baby?" Daisy scoffed. "I am 14! Four-teen."

"And I am still elder than you. So you will listen to me. I am doing this for your sake. You will thank me later."

Daisy's nose fumed in anger. She narrowed her eyes at the open closet. "Well, if I am not going neither are you."

Rylee smiled in satisfaction. "I am not going."

Daisy was taken-aback at that. Her entire argument banked on the fact that Rylee would be going to the party. "Really? You aren't going?"

Rylee nodded. "Yep."

"So why are you dressing up?"

"Just going for ice cream."

"Hah." Daisy sneered. "I know that's a lie."

Rylee removed her skinny light blue jeans and grey top. "I am wearing this. You think I'll wear this to a party?"

Daisy stared the bland clothes and placed two fingers at her eyes then pointed them at Rylee in the motion of 'I am looking at you'.

Rylee rolled her eyes. "Whatever." And pushed her sister out, closing and locking the door behind her.

She took a nice long bath and dried her hair. She looked in the long mirror, a small smile on her face. "Is this a date?" she mumbled to herself. "Maybe not. Maybe yes. Who knows..."

She wore the jeans and top. The jeans fit her perfectly and the top was a little low, she liked it. It was perfect for a not-date with Aahan. "It could be just two friends meeting each other and talking. Oh talking, what would we even talk about? Gosh, I should have googled topics to talk about. I just hope I don't embarrass myself more now."

Rylee tried to think of anything that she might have known about him in the past three years but she came up blank. There was only one thing she knew for sure about Aahan and that was he loved reading books.

She looked at the Harry Potter book on her nightstand. "Maybe we can talk about Harry Potter or Percy Jackson."

Rylee applied very little makeup, she didn't want to overdo it. She combed her hair and took deep calming breaths. Once she was satisfied with how she looked, she walked downstairs grabbing the black boots.

Daisy was still on the couch, stuffing her mouth with a sandwich and watching Lucifer this time. Rylee scowled at her sister.

"Do you not have any studying to do?"

"It's just been a week since school started. I don't even know the teacher's names yet." Daisy grunted, barely glancing at Rylee.

"Whatever. Let mom know I'll be home by 7."

"That's early. Such a small date?"

"I am not going for a date or the party."

"So you don't mind if I tag along?"

Rylee froze, her eyes widening in ultimate horror.

Daisy had paused the episode, raising her eyebrows at her sister in challenge.

"It's." Rylee struggled to find a valid excuse, she swallowed the air. "It's just a few friends meeting for some ice cream and talks. Mikaela will be there." She lied through her gritted teeth.

Daisy never got on much with Mikaela, they were both hot headed, immature and dominant. Daisy turned her attention back to the screen, losing interest in coming. "Just know that I'll know if you are lying. I follow all your friends on Instagram and they are all social monkeys who put up a story every time they see a pretty flower."

Rylee swallowed hard wondering how she was going to lie her way through this. Over the years her sister had gotten smarter at catching her lies and she did not like that.

"Whatever." Rylee said, shutting the door behind her.

She glanced at the time. It was just over 5.20, it was a fifteen minute walk to the ice cream shop.

She should be there by 5.35.

Aahan on the other hand was already standing outside the ice cream shop. With both hands stuck in his jeans pocket he looked around for any sign of Rylee.

He still couldn't understand what had made him ask her out for an ice cream. He couldn't quite pin point what that emotion it was. It was a first time for him too, being so bold.

He stared at the faces as they walked past him but except for that kid grinning at a balloon and the small child crying. He couldn't understand the any other emotions. Maybe they were good at hiding or maybe he was bad at figuring it out.

Either way one thing was for sure.

This was his first time out with a girl in years and he knew the emotion he felt - apprehensive.

~~~

I love how sassy Daisy is!

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