Chapter 11

Gil kissed her back, his hand cupped her slightly damp cheek and he had to try really hard to not melt. Or cry. He had waited so long to kiss her. He wasn’t mad that she kissed him, that was excellent too, but the timing felt wrong.

He worried that she kissed him just because she was an emotional wreck over loosing Wonder Bread. But part of him didn’t care. She came at him. She wanted this.

Or was she too distressed to think?

She pulled away first and Gil saw the fear in her eyes. For just a moment, his brave, wild, confident and fiery girl was afraid of rejection. Afraid of not being good enough for someone. Gil had to wager that she had probably never looked like this at a boy before.

His lips quirked in a grin. “Wouldn’t that have been a bad moment for your parents to walk in.”

She shook her head at him and didn’t look pacified.

“Liz I think now is as good of a time as I’m doing to get. You were right, like you always seem to be about me. I’ve loved somebody for a really long time now. And I do mean, love. But you don’t have any competition Lizzy…because it’s you. It’s always been you. That’s why I hit Roderich. I had talked with him to tell him to back off. He said I had missed my chance. And he was probably right. Who was I to compete with the guy of your dreams? Then we fought and I…I realized I’d rather have you as my friend, than not at all. I’d rather see you be happy with someone else than to cause a fight and hurt you. So that’s why my flirting stopped. That’s why I might have acted strange. Because I too fell hard, for my best friend.”

Liz’s eyes widened. Gil couldn’t imagine why.

“I’m not your dream guy. I lack all the qualities of your dream guy. But I…I do love you, unlike any other guy could. And if that kiss was just a spur of the moment thing…it’s ok. I will always be here for you. In any way you need me.” His voice was thick with emotion and his red eyes burned

Liz hugged him tightly again and whispered against his neck. “Oh Gil…I never knew…” She couldn’t imagine how much it had hurt him to see her with another guy. But she had meant that kiss. She fell hard for Gil. So hard, she could barely touch Roderich while she tried sorting out her feelings. She cared about him. She loved him too, and she had never been so sure of that than she was now.

“So…Liz this is serious. You left Roderich-”

She cut him off. “I wasn’t lying. I did leave him because he was jealous, and clingy, and boning. I wasn’t fabricating it. I did realize I loved you while I was dating him. I know now that I like you because you’re fun. You are exciting. You’re my best friend. Isn’t that what your partner should be, your best friend?” she took his face in her hands. “Gil I’m emotional but I’m positive about how I feel. My brain thought I wanted Roderich. My heart always wanted you. Now…they’re on the same page. Gil don’t pull away now. Please.” Her lip quivered as she realized that maybe now was actually a bad time to admit how she felt. She hoped Gil listened to her and didn’t try to be noble or anything.

             He regarded her for a long moment before he nodded slowly. “Fine. I won’t pull away.”

            She nodded and held onto him, kissing his cheek. “I need you now. I need you to be my friend, and I want you to be my boyfriend too.”

            “Right after a big break up?”

            “Gil I left him for many reasons but one of them was you. Why wait for a few weeks? Why let someone else get in the way? Roderich is already a thing of the past. You are the present. And I hope…the future.”

            Gil looked in those beautiful green eyes of hers and he knew how sure she was. They were sure of each other. They needed and wanted each other. She was right. Why wait?

            He was just leaning in for a kiss when she jerked her head towards the door. Footsteps were coming. It was bright out, they had missed sunrise. Liz should have been getting ready for school already.

Liz’s eyes widened. “Gil my parents are up, get in the closet.”

“Excuse me?”

            “Get in the fucking closet!’ she hissed, pushing him off the bed.

            Not that he had much of a choice, he staggered and jumped into her closet and pulled the doors mostly shut.

            In about three seconds her mother walked in ask why she wasn’t up for school. Liz faked being sick, and considering she had just been crying and up all night, it wasn’t that hard to do. She left but Gil didn’t come from the closet. He really didn’t think being caught in her closet would do anything to make her parents fans of him.

            So he sat there, next to Mt. Everest of shoes, under a few dresses, and next to something in a long garment bag. Her parents left for the lower level in what felt about like ten minutes, and Liz opened the closet door.

            She put her finger over her lips and he got the message. Quietly they crept back to bed and she gestured for him to lay down in it.

            Gil was pretty tired, having maybe three hours of sleep for the whole night. So he didn’t complain and curled up with her, both of them still in their clothes.

            Just as he got comfortable there came footsteps on the stairs. Liz kicked Gil so hard he nearly yelped. He rolled out of bed and hit the ground on the far side of the bed, hidden away from the door. For good measure he tried jamming himself under her bed.

            Her mother returned with a glass of something that thunked when it was set on the nightstand. Then a pill bottle rattled as it was set beside it.

            Liz was faking sleep so the footsteps receded without conversation. Gil worked on wiggling out from under the bed, when he found a stack of big books. Black books, that didn’t have nearly enough dust on them.

            Liz had a secret stash of the Twilight Saga that were recently read. Oh that would be a fun one to tease about.

            Finally he got out from under the bed and glared slightly at her. She giggled softly and pulled him back on the bed.

            “Ludwig needs a ride to school.” He whispered.

            Liz nodded and got out her phone and texted Felica. What a nice surprise for Ludwig. Ludwig got rides to school from his girl. Gil got shoved in closets and jammed under the bed.

            Her parents left the house and they stopped being so quiet. “I think there’s a nap in order.”

            Liz agreed. “Up here or downstairs?”

            Sure Gil was pretty pleased he had spent the whole night in Liz’s room on the bed with her but now wasn’t a time for his brain to go in the gutter.

            “I guess up here is more comfortable.”

            And so they both lay back down and Gil focused on sleep. They curled into each other without really asking each other. It was mutual cuddling.

            Gil couldn’t help but think about how it felt to have her in his arms. He wanted to remember how it felt it have her breathe against his forearm, and how her body filled his with warmth. He wanted to memorize how her hair fell over her pink cheek in a cute way. He was pleased how her body fit against his, it was perfect. In every way, they fit perfect together.

            It was about two in the afternoon when he woke up. He rolled over and detached himself from Liz. She woke up in a few minutes, most likely because she lost his warmth.

            “Tired still?” he asked with a yawn

            She nodded and started to finger comb her hair.

            “Do you want to go over to my house? I’m really over getting shoved in closets.”

            She laughed” Gil you can’t blame me for that, you would have done the same. Anyway my parents won’t be home for a while.”

            “Still, they wouldn’t be happy to see me in the house would they?”

            Liz sighed and nodded. “Fine, we will go.”

            That’s when Gil’s eyes fell on the open closet and the garment bag. “What’s that?”

            She blushed a bit and looked away. “It’s my prom dress.”

            “Oh no, you mean I forgot to go dress shopping?” he gasped in horror and clapped his hands on his cheek.

            She laughed and went to grab it, and she showed it to him. It was black. That’s all Gil got. It was black and looked like it might be floor length.

            “So, if we are dating now. Do I technically have to ask to go to prom with you?”

            Liz glared, and that was an intense glare. “If you don’t ask me I will find another date. Gil that is like half of prom, how the dates are asked to go. It better be something cute and creative.”

            The pressure was on. “And if it’s not?”

            “Either you re-do it or again, I find another date.”

            He whistled and shook his head. “Vicious.” Gil had more to say, but his full complaint was cut off by lips. Her lips. On his. Again.

            He decided that if she kissed him every time he complained, he would be doing a lot more complaining. He kissed her back, but this time was different than last night…or technically earlier today. He held her in his arms, his arms around her, hands flat on the small of her back. And her arms were around his neck, one hand just started to play with the start of his hairline.

            It was a far more genuine kiss. There were no tears. There were no alter motives. Liz was done with Roderich. She said she had fallen for Gil while being with him. And he had loved her since fall. There was no point to putting it off. She made the move twice. This time, she was not emotionally over strung.

            But both times, she had meant it.

            So this kiss was a more powerful one. He didn’t hold out, and neither did she. It was a chick flick kiss, the long hot one between two soul mates. His hands slid up her back, her hands slipped into his hair, and they pulled each other closer until their bodies met with hardly a gap.

            Gil couldn’t say how long that kiss lasted. All he knew is that sometimes one pulled away to breath, but then they were back at it. Slowly, they parted and stared into each other’s eyes.

            Neither one of them could stop smiling. Whenever they tried, the smile crept back. They were two friends, so tangled up in love, they could never drift apart if they tried. And finally, they both came to terms with it.

            “So, should we be telling people?” he asked as they walked out of her room.

            “I think we should just kiss in the hallway tomorrow and see what happens.”

            He laughed and took her hand, walking towards the door. They would go to his house and relax there. Gil was serious about not wanting to be shoved places.

            “I think we should at least tell Luddy and Felica.”

            She considered it and nodded. “How about we just kiss in front of them?”

            They got in his car and he grinned. “That’s perfect. I want to see their reaction though!”

            He drove them over to his house and thought about the whole adventure. “You know, when I got shoved under the bed…I found your dirty little secret.’

            She looked over at him confused. “Excuse me?”

            “The Twilight books. I found them. No dust. Really Liz?”

            She blushed darkly and didn’t say anything.

            So being a pain in the ass like he was, he smirked at her. “Team Edward or Team Jacob?”

            She looked utterly mortified. “Team Never Speak of This Again.”

            He laughed as he pulled into his driveway. “Ok, fair. Your secret is safe with me.”

            Together they walked inside and Gil looked at her.

            “What?”

            “How are you going to tell Roderich?” He wanted to be there, and maybe film the boy’s hissy fit.

            “I guess he will just see us kissing like everybody else.”

            Gil thought for a moment how pissed he would be. Roderich would probably be hurt about the break up. Then he smirked in a real pleased way. It would really put a twist in Roderich’s panties to see Liz dating a new guy so fast, especially when that new guy was Gil.

            The door opening broke Gil from his thoughts. Ludwig walked in with Felica and he stared. “Thanks for leaving with the car this morning.”

            “Liz told Felica to come get you.”

            “I was almost late to first hour.”

            Felica broke up the boy’s argument with “So why did you miss school?”

            Liz sighed a bit and said “Well, I broke up with Roderich. I didn’t feel like going to school.

            “Gil, why did you miss school?” Felica asked, looking over at him. She was sitting with Ludwig, holding his hand. Ludwig looked really interested in this conversation. His eyes settled on his brother.

            “Because my girlfriend was upset.” he answered easily

            Ludwig and Felica both stared at them, then they glanced at each other. By the time they looked back at Gil and Liz, the two were kissing. Not just first date pecking, but getting at it kissing.

            The kiss brought Ludwig to blushing, and he looked away with a groan.

            Felica squealed excitedly and shook her hands, and Liz broke away from Gil.

            “Team Gil for the win!” she yelled excitedly, in the same tone of a fangirl whose OTP just became canon.

            Liz stared confused. “Team…Gil?”

            “Despite it being named after me, I had no part in the formation.”

            Felica came over and hugged Liz excitedly and Ludwig smiled at his brother.

            Gil couldn’t say the last time that he had felt so happy. This was something amazing, and he would never let go of this moment, or this girl. If his life was a fairytale, then this was his happily ever after.

            For the first time ever, the thought of prom brought a smile to his face, instead of waves of anger.

            Yes, Gil was excited to don that suit and buy a girl flowers, because that girl, was Liz.

So not too much left of this story, so hey, do that voting and commenting huh?

what do you think?