26| I think I just want dessert.

Behind you, all your memories.

Before you, all your dreams.

Around you, all who love you.

Within you, all you need.

Kathy's POV

A few weeks went by, and soon it was summer break. Cece, Alessia, Michael, Anthony, and I decided to hang out today for lunch.

"Hurry up, Sunshine." I hear Anthony say from my bedroom.

I roll my eyes and say, "Chill. We'll probably be the first ones there if we leave on time."

Outfit:

I step out of my bathroom, and Anthony shuts off his phone. "Finally." He says without looking at me.

He glances at me and softly smiles. Weird. I raise an eyebrow and ask, "What?"

He grabs my arm and pulls me down onto my bed. Fuck ya! "I don't think they'll mind if we're a little late." He says, pinning my wrists above my head.

I laugh and say, "I thought you were hungry?"

He smirks and responds, "I think I just want dessert."

I tried to smack his arm but forgot he pinned me down. I pout, and he presses his lips against mine. "You are a dream come true, Sunshine." He says before reluctantly letting me go.

When we leave my apartment, he opens my car door into his car, and I choose the music we listen to. When I finally select a playlist, Anthony places his hand on my upper thigh. "I know what you're doing," I murmur.

"I'm just admiring my girlfriend." He says with a smug smile.

When we arrive, Anthony opens the door for me and takes my hand. I smile, and he places a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You're beautiful." He beams. I've fallen in love for the millionth time.

I feel my face flush and murmur a thank you. He kisses my forehead, and we walk toward our friends.

I see Michael and Cece already at the booth, and it looks like they're arguing. "Already acting like a married couple." Anthony jokes.

"Shoot me if we ever turn out like them," I answer.

He smirks and whispers in my ear, "What are you implying, Sunshine? You think I'll be marrying you?"

I continue walking toward them and keep my head held high. "Continue being my boyfriend, and we'll see," I whisper.

"I'll hold you up to that." He whispers before we get to the table. My heart flutters and I try to calm myself down.

"Finally. I was stuck with this douche for 10 minutes." Cece complains.

I slip in beside her, and she gives me a quick hug. "Do you guys have any summer plans?" Anthony asks.

Alessia appears out of nowhere and says, "My family is going to the Bahamas."

She slips in beside me, and we grab the menus. "I'm going to Florida next month," Cece says.

"I'm looking for a summer fling," Michael says, looking at Cece. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"I have a boyfriend." She lies.

"I can get rid of him," Michael answers with a wink. Anthony and I automatically glance at each other and laugh.

The waiter comes to take our order, and soon we all have our food. Regarding the bill, we let the waiter pick which credit card to use.

"I swear if I have to pay again, I'll be broke," Michael says.

The waiter grabs the red card, and Michael groans, "Son of a bitch."

Everyone laughs, and Cece sticks out her tongue. Michael glares at her and sighs.

"We should get ice cream!" Alessia says excitedly.

We all agree and drive to the closest ice cream shop. I realize this is the same place Anthony got hit on and frown. Geez, I'm sensitive.

Anthony notices and asks, "What's wrong?"

I try to think of a lie, but he shakes his head. "If you're worried that I'll just dump you because of that worker, you're dumb."

I scoff and murmur, "I'm not dumb."

"Sunshine, I've been hooked on you since you had a tea party with Jasmine." He says. That was only like 15 chapters ago. Stop with this bullshit about books!

"Really? That's early." I snort.

He pouts, and I lean over to kiss him. "When did you realize?" He asks.

"That I had feelings for a loser?" I ask. "Hmmm..." I glance at his face and see he's serious. I swear if you make a rude joke, his heart will break.

"Um... Do you remember when you smushed ice cream on Jasmine and me?" I ask shyly.

"How could I forget? You guys slapped ice cream onto my face." He says with a chuckle.

"You put it on us first!" I exclaim.

He laughs a little harder and pulls me into a hug. I rest my head on his chest and say quietly, "So ya... That's when I knew, I guess."

He's silent for a moment and twirls my hair between his fingers. Being in his arms makes me feel at peace, and I hope this can actually last.

"We should go inside. They might murder each other if we don't intercept." I joke.

"Michael would never. He's not so subtly interested in her." He says.

I chuckle and say, "Let's go. I might need to save my best friend from him."

We walk in, and Cece sighs with relief. "Thought you abandoned us for a second." She says while Alessia takes a free sample.

I laugh and say, "Never."

Michael walks in behind us and says, "You all better be paying for your dessert. I can't afford to keep hanging out with all of you."

"Awww, do you need me to buy you ice cream?" Cece asks with a fake pout.

"No." He mumbles with a glare.

"What can you afford?" Cece asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Two scoops of rocky road with a side of you?" Michael asks.

She rolls her eyes and says, "I wouldn't date you even if you were the last guy on Earth."

"Rip the human species..." Alessia says. "But understandable." She says, motioning to Michael.

"What about you, Sunshine?" Anthony asks me.

"I think this time I'll get cotton candy with sprinkles," I say.

"I'm getting orange sherbet." He says.

When it's our turn to order, she winks at Anthony. He grabs my hand and says, "My girlfriend will have cotton candy with sprinkles in a cone, and I'll have the orange sherbet in a cone."

"Ooh! Orange sherbet is my favorite." She says, overly peppy.

Anthony doesn't even respond, so she smiles wider and rings us up. "Will that be all?" She asks while fluttering her eyelashes. I could beat this bitch up.

"Yep," Anthony answers, not even glancing at her. He pays for our ice cream, and he wraps an arm around me while we wait.

He notices I'm still glaring at the worker, and he bites back a smile. "Shut up," I mutter, lightly punching his arm.

"Jealousy looks hot on you, don't worry." He says with a wink.

I playfully glared at him, and the other worker handed us our cones. "Thank you." We both say, grabbing our orders.

Soon, we all receive our orders and sit at a table. Cece gets stuck sitting in between Michael and Alessia, and I laugh.

"This is our last summer before college!" Alessia says excitedly.

"It's going to be epic," Michael says.

"This is the first summer I've actually had a girlfriend," Anthony says to me.

"No way," I say, surprised.

"You should have seen him in freshman year." Michael chimes in.

"At least I got my braces off that year." He says, rolling his eyes.

"Don't worry. I assure you this won't be the last summer." I say, noticing his happy grin.

"I can't wait to spend this summer with you guys," Cece says. She glances at Michael and says, "Well... most of you." Michael glares at her, and she laughs.

I look around the table and rest my head against Anthony's shoulder. "I can't wait for this chapter in our lives," I say.

This was the last "real" chapter! 😊

If you've made it this far, thank you. ❤️

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Byeeeeeeeeee! 👋