Why does it take so long to open a freaking door?

I slam my fist against it again. I could ring the bell, but I want to save Minho from that jump scare, as he's definitely rotting in bed with a hangover right now.

I text Vi, impatient. It takes another minute for her to finally open the door.

Out of breath, she greets, "Hi."

Automatically, my eyes trail up and down her body. They stop at her pants for a second. I feel my eyebrows furrow, then raise when I look back up. "Morning," I say. I can't help but grin.

The white pants have long cuts at the sides, pretty much all the way to the waistband. Now it just looks like she's wearing that waistband with four loose pipes connected to it. Like an octopus or something.

"New pants?" I ask.

She looks down. In a second, her gaze darkens. She frustratedly runs a hand through her hair, but it's so knotty and messy that it gets stuck and she has to reverse the step.

"I had to hurry to open the door," Viviette announces.

I smile a small smile as I step inside. "Right."

"I swear," she adds, spinning around to start making her way to her room.

"Mhm."

I'm not going to be the one to tell her that the pockets aren't on the pants yet, meaning that there isn't a lot of coverage for her... bottom.

Gosh, why did I even notice that? I slam my head against the wall as she's distracted with walking up the stairs.

"So I'm gonna put on something else. You go... I don't know." Quickly, she—

"Watch out," I warn. "There's—" crash "...boxing gloves."

She ends up sprawled over the stairs, and she's wincing as she pushes the gloves away.

With her cheeks burning from embarrassment, she turns her head. I need to press my lips together to suppress a laugh at her way of falling and her current face expression, though it looked pretty painful.

"You alright?" I ask, once my laugh has faded.

"Yeah."

She casts a quick look and for sure a fake smile at me before she disappears in her room.

Well.

Again, I slam my head against the wall. I can't look at her like this. Just keep my eyes on her eyes; don't immediately... check her out. I mean, her outfit. And I shouldn't have noticed those back pockets either.

I have a girlfriend, one I love with my whole heart, and I want to stay loyal. Well, I am loyal, because it's not like I'm doing that inappropriate shit, but still. It's wrong to notice things about Vi that best friends don't notice.

Though it's probably not weird for girl best friends to notice things like this while they have a boyfriend. But that's different because I'm a boy and she's a girl and I have a girlfriend. But on the other side, it would be the same case if I notice things like this about Newt, because Newt likes boys, and I like both.

Okay, it's getting too confusing.

Conclusion pulled: I should just pay this sort of attention to Tes and Tes only.

A 'miauw' sounds below me before I feel Willow's head press against the pipe of my pants. "Oh, hi." I bend down to the ground, running my hand across the gray hairs on his back.

Willow is actually really fat but I'm not allowed to say that because Vi says it might hurt his feelings.

Mango isn't fat because I take her with me on runs.

Can you take cats on runs? Probably not.

That's why Mango is just way better than Willow.

I don't even think he likes me. Maybe he feels that I like dogs better.

So will he also feel something when I tell Viviette he's fat? Is that what she means?

Yet I pick him up and take him onto the couch with me, petting his head. Eventually, Dahlia, Vi's mom, shows up, multiple bags of groceries in her hands.

"Hey," I greet.

"Hi," she replies, clearly not surprised by my presence. I continue attempting to make Willow like me as Dahlia puts things in the fridge.

Viviette walks back down the stairs, now dressed in gray sweatpants and a dark red, long-sleeved top that I just said I wouldn't look at, but alright.

"You're eating with us, Thomas?" Dahlia asks.

I force my head towards her. "If I may, yes."

"Sure. If you help set the table."

"Got it." I jump up to do the task, flashing one smile at Viviette, mixed with a grin at her still red cheeks.

I start putting plates on the table. One, two, three, four, five for the family Lee, one for me, and another one for the new member, Aris.

Just as I finish doing that, Viviette calls out, "Hand me an ice pack?"

I turn my head, eyebrows scrunched.

"Think I hit my knee pretty hard when I fell," she explains.

Of course.

I grab an icepack from the bottom the freezer. Her face falls when she realizes I'm not going to throw it. Instead, I crouch down beside her.

"Which leg?"

What. Am. I. Doing?

"Eh, left," she stammers.

I roll the pipe of her sweatpants up and press the cold pack against her knee. "There?"

She swallows deeply, "Yeah."

Usually, I can read her emotions. Swallowing means she's either nervous or uncomfortable. I'm not sure which one it is right now. I don't really want it to be either of them.

"Wait. I'll wrap it in a towel so it's less cold." I get up to do that, then return, holding the pack on her skin again.

I look up at her face. She's staring right back, hooded eyes wider than usual. Her eyes have a plain brown color, but that doesn't make them less nice. I really like them.

But I also love Teresa's eyes. Those have a bright blue color. Not scary. Well, maybe sometimes, when I do something dumb and she gives me that look. But they stay beautiful no matter what.

"I, er, I got it," Viviette announces, swallowing again.

"Alright." I continue setting the table.

Simply, because what I just did, was also just a simple act. I can treat her knee.

But I can't be sad after she said she can handle it.

My feelings are so wrong and so confusing. I love Teresa. I don't even have to repeat that in my mind, or remind myself of it. I just know I love her and nothing will change it. And I also love Vi, in another way. But that way is starting to feel different.

So now I don't know what to do. I don't want to ruin things with Teresa but I don't want to neglect Viviette in any way.