Here Comes the Light (Cambrooke #1) (19 page)

“Stop it!” I shout through a giggle.

“Not so bad now without your water gun are you?” He teases. Then his eyes connect with mine and his face grows serious. He quits tickling me, but still has a hold of my wrists with his one hand. My heart speeds up and I get a little warming sensation in my stomach. The way he is looking at me… does he want to kiss me?

Just then cold water splashes on us. I turn to see Isaac now has the hose and he is still laughing. “Hey don’t get me.” I yell at him. I am relieved that awkward moment is over. Declan jumps off of me and takes off running after Isaac. “Run Isaac, run!” I yell.

I can’t forget Declan’s eyes, did I misinterpret that? I don’t know. We are just friends. Maybe he is my best friend now, but just friends. I follow behind the boys into the front yard. Declan has Isaac in his arms trying to pry the hose from him. Garrett is hanging on Declan’s back taking Isaac’s side on this one.

“What is going on?” Randy says as he shuts his car door. Everyone stops and looks at him. We are all drenched along with everything else in the drive way and front yard. All of us look at each other and laugh. Not answering Randy’s question. Randy shakes his head. “Teenagers.” He grumbles as he stalks into the house.

Declan drapes a towel around my shoulders as I shiver sitting on his front porch steps. “Thanks,” I say pulling the towel closed around me. 

“Brought you some lemonade.” He says as he hands me a glass lowering himself on the step beside me.

“That was so much fun,” I gush as I turn towards him
. “I wish I had siblings.” I take a sip of my lemonade.

“A lot of good did me…” he laughs as he nudges me with his shoulder. “They took your side.”

“You had an unfair advantage, unlimited ammo.” I laugh.

“Only at first.” he smirks at me again. My teeth begin to chatter. “You still cold?”

“A little.” I try to nod my head as I shiver.

“You can wear one of my shirts, at least you’ll be a little bit warmer.” H
e says as he stands and offers a hand to help me up.

I stand cocooned in the towel outside Declan’s bedroom while I wait for him to find me a shirt. Being much cooler in the house goose bumps cover my body. Declan comes out of his room with a smile and hands me clothes.

“I don’t know if the shorts will work or not, but they have a drawstring so you may be able to pull them tight to keep them up.” He laughs.

“Quit laughing at me, I’m cold.” I speak through chattering teeth.

“Well then go change.” He
chuckles as he points to the bathroom. I scoot into the bathroom with his clothes cradled in my arms. I pull my wet clothes off and ring out my hair in the sink. I dry myself off with the towel. Even wearing the dry clothes I am stuck in wet underwear.  I’m definitely not going to walk around his house without a bra on. I swim in the Declan’s large t-shirt when I pull it over my head. I look ridiculous I wish I had an extra hair tie to tie the bottom and make it a little more fitted. I do feel safe and warm in it, it smells like him. I look at myself the front of the black tee has a giant wooden cross on it and it reads
He was man enough to die for you are you man enough to live for him.
I giggle a little. “I’m not a man.” I whisper to myself.

I tug on the shorts, pulling the strings as tight as I can and making sure I double knot them there is no way I can lose these babies and expose my pink polka dot panties to the entire Light family.

I laugh at myself before pulling my hair back up in a pile on top of my head. I wrap the towel around the wet clothes and make my way out of the bathroom.

“Hey nice shirt.”
Garrett laughs, looking up from his videogame just for a second.

“That is the only clean shirt I could find.”
Declan nudges him before standing up. “I can put your clothes in the dryer for you.” He says taking them from my arms.

“Thanks.” I speak softly at the kind gesture.

“Miley are you staying for supper?” Robin pops her head into the room.

“You might as
well, your clothes are going to be in the dryer.” Declan shrugs.

“Yeah, I’ll be here, Robin.
” Declan disappears down the hall with my wet clothes and Robin slips back into the kitchen; leaving just Garrett and I in the living room. I flop down beside him. Garrett is engrossed in his game.

“What cha
playin’?” I ask and pull my feet up underneath me.

“Need to Race.” He replies and leans his controller to the side as well as his body. I watch as he swerves in and out of traffic. “You
wanna play?” he asks not taking his eyes off the television.

I laugh at this. “I don’t know how to play.”

“What?” everything on the screen stops and he turns towards me. “Go grab a controller.” He nudges his head. I stand and retrieve the controller from the shelf above the television. I know a little weird I have never played videogames. I don’t have a brother and the only game Hudson wants to play around me is tonsil hockey.

Garrett restarts the game when I sit back down beside him. He explains the million controls to me. Right, like I am going to remember this. Once he helps me pick my car and starts the race all I can seem to do is drive in circles.

“What are you doing?” he laughs at me.

“I don’t know.”  I say jabbing him with my elbow.

“Ouch.” Garrett says rubbing his arm. “D, your girl is beating me up out here.” He shouts down the hall.

“I’m not his girl.” I correct him and hope my cheeks don’t tell him something else.  I try to figure out how to get this stupid car to just move forward.

After a few minutes I feel the cushion move beside me and I automatically can tell Declan is there. It’s not lost on me that he never did correct Garrett. He didn’t hear me correct him so he doesn’t know I didn’t. He has a controller in his hand.

“Restart Gare, I want to show Miley how this is done.” He sits so close to me our shoulder and legs are touching. I wonder what he thinks about us. Does he see me as anything more than a friend? Before long Isaac is joining us.

At dinner we relive our water war as we tell Randy and Robin about it and I feel a sensation that is foreign to me. Looking around laughing along with Declan, Garrett and Isaac as we retell the story, I feel like I belong.

“I love your family.” I gush as I look out at the street. The sun is just now beginning to set and Declan and I are on his porch swing. I am back in my own clothes. “You’re really lucky.” I say leaning forward resting my elbows on my legs.

“Luck has nothing to do with it.” He says.

“What?” I tilt my head towards him.

His deep blue eyes meet mine. “It is God who gave them to me, not luck.” He states all seriously.

“Oh,” I say staring back at the street. Nova now comes to my mind, her and Hudson. What will it be like to see them together? This afternoon has been a nice distraction, but I have to go home sometime.

“Are you alright?”
Declan’s voice breaks the silence between us.

“Nova and Hudson are seeing each other.”  I can’t believe I am telling him this, we haven’t talked about Hudson since the morning he hit Declan.

“Wow that was quick.” He replies.

“I feel betrayed.”
My voice barely audible.

“That is understandable.” He nods.

“I’m sorry.” I turn towards him, “this is normally the type of thing I talk to Nova about.”

“Why can’t you talk to her?” He asks like this is a simple answer to my problem.

“I don’t want him back or anything.” I lean back into the swing and sigh looking at the setting sun. “I just want to get over it and move on.”

“
You don’t think Nova would understand.”

“Yeah, I do. She deserves to be happy, D, and if he is who makes her happy…” I stop mid-sentence. I am such a hypocrite. Why was I with him for so long? He didn’t make me
happy. I look back at Declan he is staring intently at me. He makes me happy. My heart skips as I think this. We can’t be together. I shake that thought to the back of my brain. There is no future beyond friendship between Declan and I.

“People don’t need other people to make them happy, Mi.”

“But it helps if the person you are with doesn’t make you miserable.” I joke.

He laughs at this, “Well yeah, but you shouldn’t be looking for someone to make you happy, Jesus is the only one who can do that. If you wait on him he will send the perfect person to you.” His intent stare makes my heart pound.
I don’t respond; don’t move I just stare into those bright blue eyes. “Am I helping at all?”

“Well yeah,” I laugh and try to shake off the butterflies in my stomach. “You have been helping ever since I got here really. His eyes stay on mine, those pure blue eyes. I feel like he is readin
g my soul with them seeing deep things that I have never let anyone see before. Fear rises in me. I hear a voice in my head.
You don’t really think you can trust him do you? You know you aren’t good enough for him.
I take a deep breath and look away. I know this is true. He is way too good for me. “I have to go.” I say standing up quickly.

“Well, let me give you a ride.” He says standing up beside me.

“No, I really need the walk, thanks.” I rush away.
 

Chapter 17

“M
iley, I am so glad you’re back.” My dad smiles as I walk in the door. He and Penelope are on the sofa his arm draped around her smiling widely at me. I was hoping she would be gone before I got back.  “We picked a date for the wedding, July 4
th
right here in the backyard.”

July 4
th
that is only like a few weeks away. They both look at me with waiting smiles. I don’t know what they expect from me, do they want me to jump for joy? “Great.” I say sarcastically with a fake smile. I then look up at the ceiling and sigh. “I am really tired, it has been a long day.” I look back at my dad, who is all happy looking. I grit my teeth she better not be using him. “I ‘m going to go to bed now.” I point to the stairs.

“Goodnight, Sweetie.” My dad says all nicely.

I race up the stairs he is never this sugar sweet with me. I hate being around Penelope. I wish my dad would have given me more time to come to terms with this. I have less than a month and this woman will be living here. With me, I’m the one who’ll have to live with her, not him because he lives at work. 

I’
m thankful the day wore me out because I don’t think I could handle my mind wandering. I don’t have to think about Hudson and Nova, or my dad and Penelope. Declan and how he would be the perfect boyfriend if we were meant to be together, but we aren’t. 

I float around my pool, ignoring Declan’s calls all day. I don’t know why I am. I just want these weird feeling I keep having towards him to go away. I have never been in a relationship with anybody but Hudson. Maybe all these feelings are just a response from me being on the rebound. I know I’m done for good this time. I have to move on. It can’t be with Declan, even if he was a possibility I don’t want him to be the rebound guy. I would want him to be more.

Wait a minute….do I want to be more than friends with Declan?
I finally decide because of my confusing feelings that I am going to stay away from him for a few days. The days are kind of lonely. I don’t have any real friends now, Nova is with Hudson or Jess most of the time. I sulk in front of the television watching sappy romance movies. Why am I torturing myself like this? I don’t know. I wish Hudson and I could have had the happily ever after that these girls get with their troubled boys.  Why do movies lie to us and make us think that if only we can be desirable enough the guy will change everything just to be with us?

“I cannot believe you talked me into this again.” I say as I look at the blur of trees passing by.

“You know you just want to be around my awesomeness.” Declan puffs his chest out as he drives.

I roll my eyes with a small smile. “Yeah, that’s it.”

“I knew it.” He pumps a fist in the air keeping hold of the steering wheel with the other.

I playfully slap him on the shoulder as I giggle. After a few days of ignoring him, I started thinking about Hudson again and I knew it was safe to start talking to him. He didn’t act like it was weird I had ignored him for the last few days. I still felt guilty so when he asked me come to church again, I felt obligated to say yes.