The Boy Who Paints Me (18 page)

“It’s cool, we’re friends, friends have each other’s backs,” Layla added as she winked at Caroline.

“Stop encouraging her,” Megan scolded.

“But it’s fun, Mommy,” Layla mocked in a baby voice.

“Oh shut up, you French fry,” Megan said, causing us all to start laughing hysterically.

“What kind of insult is that?” Caroline asked in between laughs.

“It makes sense to me, ok,” Megan defended; only making us laugh more.

“So, how has your day been?” Layla asked once we had finally calmed down.

“Erm...good,” I said as I tried to hold back the smile.

“Oh my gosh, look at that face. She has Leighton fever,” Caroline teased as she pointed at me.

I noticed the glare that Victoria was giving me as she listened to our conversation, causing my cheeks to heat up rapidly.

“No, I don’t,” I tried to deny.

“Oh, yes you do,” Megan sang as they all started laughing again.

“How many times has he kissed you today?” Caroline asked as all three pairs of eyes were glued to mine.

I have lost count.
“Erm...more than once,” I giggled as they all screamed.

“I am
so
jealous!” Layla groaned playfully.

“You and the rest of the female population, honey,” Megan teased as her eyes drifted to Victoria’s scowling face.

“Anyway, ladies, I see a certain somebody, looking very hot and sweaty, so that’s my cue. He’s so hot when he sweats,” Caroline said as her eyes drifted to Callum, who was already watching her with a goofy grin on his face.

“Caroline, please!” Megan complained as she scrunched up her nose.

“Oh! No talking about my brother, no using my lip gloss! Rules, rules, rules, woman. Rules are
meant
to be broken,” Caroline chuckled as she ran off towards Callum, armed with a tube of lip gloss that I’m pretty sure, wasn’t hers.

“Oh, yes they are. How long do you think it’ll take for the pepper to kick in?” Megan asked Layla with a smile on her face.

“Pepper?” I asked in confusion.

“Watch,” Layla chuckled as she pointed at Caroline. I watched patiently as Caroline applied a thin layer of lip gloss and started swinging her hips as she walked towards the guys. I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for until Caroline started screaming and rubbing her lips.

“Megan!” She squealed as she ran around and dragged Callum’s bottle of water from his hands and started to pour it all over her lips.

“That was way better than I imagined,” Megan chuckled as Layla held her belly as tears trickled down her face.

“You guys put pepper sauce on the lip gloss?” I asked as I tried to hold back my smile.

“You got it, Sherlock,” Megan said as she winked at me. I couldn’t help but laugh, the entire thing was pretty hilarious. “It’ll teach her to buy her own.”

“Hey,” Leighton said as he ran up to us a little out of breath. “What happened to Caroline?” Suddenly Megan and Layla burst out laughing before continuing their own little conversation, leaving me to answer Leighton’s question.

“Long story,” I said as he smiled at me, knowingly. He flopped down next to me and he drank from the bottle of water that was in his hand.  “Did you win?” I asked.

“Yup,” he smiled proudly as he turned so that he could look at me. Sensing Victoria’s eyes, I turned to see her scowling at me again. I let out a slight sigh of frustration. “Hey, you ok?” He asked, concerned.

“I don’t seem to be your ex girlfriend’s biggest fan,” I said as I leaned back on my elbows and let my head fall back, slightly. I noticed that Leighton’s eyes travelled slightly down my neck before he quickly made eye contact again.

“Did she say something?” He asked in frustration.

“It doesn’t matter,” I lied. The truth was that the things that Victoria said did bother me. I knew how I felt about him but what if she was right? Maybe I was just filling the gap of one of their many break ups, how could I be so sure?

“What did she say, Rai?” He asked firmly, making me feel a little nervous.

“She said that you’re taking me to all of the places that you’ve taken her and that soon you’ll get bored of me and go running back,” I said as I ducked my head in shame. It was embarrassing to say it out loud.

“Do you believe that?” He asked, sadly.

“I...I...” I trailed off.

“Rai?”

“No, Yes...maybe, I don’t know.”

“I wish that you could see yourself through my eyes, Rai,” he whispered as his eyes locked on mine. “If you could see what I could then you would realise just how ridiculous she sounds,” he said as he shuffled a little closer, making me feel as though nobody else was around. “I don’t
want
Victoria, I never really did. I can’t explain what I feel for you, Rai but it’s not the same...not even close. It’s
so
much better,” he whispered before I felt the heat of his lips brush against mine. “I don’t want anybody else, and I don’t want you to want anybody else either,” he continued.

“I don’t.” It slipped out before I could even think about what I was saying, what I was admitting.

“Good, because that would have been a really embarrassing conversation if your answer was different,” he continued, causing me to start laughing. I was immediately silenced as his lips pressed firmly against mine. I didn’t refuse entry when the tip of his tongue teased my lips. The kiss was so passionate that it actually blocked out all of the sounds around me. I couldn’t hear anything but him. I couldn’t smell anything but him. All I could feel was him, and it felt great. “Nobody else, Rai,” he finally whispered as we pulled apart.

It was only at that point that I turned my head and took in the looks on Megan, Caroline and Layla’s faces. They were watching us as though they had never seen anything like it before.

“That was the hottest kiss that I have ever felt, and believe me when I say that I
felt
it,” Caroline exclaimed, causing Leighton and I to chuckle.

“I think that the whole park felt it,” Callum added as he stared down at Leighton.

“Erm...do you have a sister?” Jason asked, causing everyone to start roaring with laughter.

“You are such a loser, Jas,” Caroline said as everyone continued laughing.

“A guy has got to ask. I want some of that, it looked pretty hot, and it was only a kiss,” he added.

“Well, as long as you don’t try to kiss
her
, I don’t care. These lips are mine,” Leighton said, causing me to blush profusely. I noticed the look that he gave Victoria before she stormed off and suddenly I felt a little annoyed too. Was Leighton just putting on a show for her purpose? Was it to prove a point?

“I ‘m ready to go,” I said sternly, causing Leighton to lift his eyebrows in confusion.

“Erm...ok,” he said, looking at me questioningly. I ignored him.

“Are you ok?” Megan mouthed as she looked up at me. I nodded my head since I didn’t want to worry her.

“See you later guys, it was nice meeting you,” I said to Jason and Liam. “See you later,” I said as I turned to face Callum, Caroline, Megan and Layla who all shared the same confused look on their faces.

They all muttered their goodbyes along with Leighton as I made my way back to the car. When I got to the car, I jumped in, slamming the door behind me. I was mad. I had been used for the past three in ways that I didn’t even want to think about and to even think that he was using me to prove something to Victoria made me feel dirty. We sat in silence as I felt him staring at me.

“Did I do something wrong?” He asked quietly.

“No.”

“You’re going to have to help me out here, Rai because one minute you were laughing and the next...I don’t know.”

“Just take me home.”

“Rai?”

“Home, Leighton...please.”

“Fine.”

He finally drove off in silence as I kept looking out of the window, watching the beautiful sky pass us by. I didn’t know what he was thinking, and he didn’t say anything. I felt empty not speaking to him, I felt lonely. I wanted to talk, to explain but I didn’t want to know if he had kissed me to prove something to Victoria because if he did then I was going to have to stop feeling again. I was going to have to bring back Rain, and I didn’t want her to come back. I wanted her gone.

We had been driving in silence for ten minutes before Leighton finally spoke. “I like this.” I was a little startled since I wasn’t sure what he meant. It was only when I watched his hand slip around the volume button and the music fill my ears that I understood what he meant.

I instantly recognised the song. I loved it. It was one of my mom’s favourite songs. She used to listen to it before Mitch, before he took away everything. It was called
I Just Knew
by a group called
Better Than Ezra.
My eyes closed as I remembered the smile on my mom’s face whenever she would listen to this song. I used to laugh at her when she would dance around and sing like she was the lead singer. ‘One day, you’ll understand these lyrics’ she’d smile and say, leaving me watching her in fascination, wondering if she was right. It wasn’t until this very moment that I actually listened to the words of the song.

When you walk in the noise disappears

Where you begin is perfectly clear

All this time I felt so confused

Then came you and I just knew

Well I fell out when you picked up the phone

When we'd go out, yeah, it'd feel just like home

Do you think that I'm alright

Shining through and I just knew

And I just knew

There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you

How about making it for real

Something changed but I just knew

And I just knew

It wasn’t until I felt a familiar touch that I remembered that I wasn’t alone. As I opened my eyes and watched how perfectly Leighton’s hand fitted in mine, a sudden calm feeling washed over me. Something felt...right. So ridiculously and unexplainably right. I turned to look at him and felt him squeeze my hand gently. Then I let my eyes close again. One thing was absolutely clear in that moment...my mom had done very little in the last three years but she was absolutely right...one day, I would understand the words to the song. It was true, I didn’t know how or why but I just knew...knew that for whatever reason, I needed this person next to me more than I had ever needed anyone in my entire life. I had no idea if he felt the same but I didn’t care as long as I had this moment...nothing mattered.

“I know what you were thinking back there, Rai. I didn’t kiss you because of her, I would
never
do that. Every time that I kiss you, it’s because something feels right. Whenever I’m touching you, it just feels right. I feel...together...complete. I can’t explain. Whether I kiss you in the most private place or in front of the entire world it still makes me feel the same. It changes nothing except the fact that every time that I kiss you, I leave a little bit more of me behind, with you, and I don’t want you to give it back to me. I need you to keep it, ok?” He whispered. I understood every word. Leighton hadn’t given me one reason not to trust him, and I didn’t want him to either. I didn’t want to compare him to anyone in my past because he was so much better.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I turned to look at him. Suddenly he pulled the car over and turned to face me. The look in his eyes captured me and made me freeze in place. There was so much passion, and I knew that there was so much more to Leighton’s past than I knew but right now, I just wanted to feel him.