Filed To Story: The Perfect Spiral Book PDF Free by Ashley Constantine
“I can’t,” I whisper out, taking my wrist out of his hand, brushing his skin, and walking away. I walk down the stairs, leaving him behind. I can’t look at him.
I need to be strong and resist him. No matter how hard it’s going to be, I can’t set myself up for that again.
Ever again.
I’m going to stick with my career goals and multiply them by one hundred so I have no time for guys.
I enter the kitchen and see Kyle piling food onto his plate. Looking further down the line, I see Andy next to him, gawking at the amount of food he’s putting on his plate, and Hannah next to her, laughing at her reaction.
I walk over to them and they turn around, setting their plates down. I throw my arms around them and hug them both. They start to weep, hearing sniffles from both of them.
“You scared me, Alex!” Hannah whimpered on my shoulder.
“Yeah, me too, doll, please don’t do that again,” Andy soothed me by rubbing my back.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you both. I’m just finding it hard,” as soon as I say that, I see Knox storm into the kitchen, slamming the back door closed and walking out.
Lauren gets up from the table and shuffles her feet to follow him out in her wedges. I let go of my best friends and they smile at me, which I return.
“Yay! You smiled! I miss that smile, Alex!” Hannah beams, interlocking her hands under her chin. Next, I see Kyle’s back and I hug his waist and kiss his back.
He swiftly turns around, thinking I’m trying to get his food.
“I thought a little midget was trying to steal my food, sis!” He smirks and hugs me close to his body. I slap his back and hug him tighter than ever.
Feeling three more bodies hug us, Kyle says, “Group hug!” Where we all laugh. I hug Cole, Max, and Sam too. I see Andy’s big grin at Kyle.
He leans down to kiss her lips and I have to look away because it’s not what I want to see. I’m happy for them, but I can’t look at that without my stomach dropping.
I place some chicken and salad on my plate and head outside to everyone. My mom stands up quickly and I set my plate down to hug her.
“I’m sorry I keep putting you through this, Mom,” I whisper into her shoulder and she shakes her head.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, baby, you’re struggling. I can see it. Maybe we should look into getting you some therapy for a while?
I can see you’re not handling things very well and it’s alright to ask for help, sweetie.”
“We’ll see. I’m just going through a rough patch, that’s all. I’ll be fine in a few days, Mom,” I assure her. She seems to accept this for the moment, but warns me that if she sees me struggling again, she’ll book me in for a private session.
I settle down on the sofa next to her and Austin, who sends me a small, comforting smile. I hug him, apologizing if I scared him.
He leans in close, his voice a hushed whisper in my ear. “It’s all good, Alex. If it’s any consolation, my brother is an idiot for getting back with her. She’s the devil in disguise.”
I glance out towards the horizon, where I see Lauren’s arms flailing around and Knox looking down at the sand, his face a mask of frustration as he angrily kicks it into the air.
“Do you know?” I ask, feeling my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. He nods, a weak smile on his face. “You handled it better than I would’ve. I don’t blame you for running out!”
“I wouldn’t disagree with you about her, though!” I roll my eyes at the pair of them, stabbing my fork into my chicken and taking a bite as I listen to everyone talk about their day.
A while later, Adam comes over and plops down on my lap, playfully messing with his dad. He starts to poke my cheek, and I poke him back, making him giggle. I smother him with kisses, his high-pitched squeal of delight filling the room.
Laughter erupts around the table as I keep going, and Austin leans in once more. “It’s good to see you smiles.” smiling again, kid! I know this little man missed your
I turn Adam around so he’s facing the table, and he laughs, leaning back against my chest. I rest my head on Austin’s shoulder and thank him.
“This little man here, and those little guys over there-” I point to Noah, Eden, Lena, and Reign around the table, “-they put a smile on my face,” I tell him.
As the fireworks explode in the sky, painting it with vibrant neon colors, I anticipate the next ones. People are gathered on the beach, and the sun is about to set. I rise to my feet with Adam and place him on my hip once more.
“I’m going to watch the sunset. Does anyone want to come?”
Adam’s hand shoots straight up, along with Noah’s and Eden’s. Kyle also rises to his feet, along with Andy and Hannah.
We all carefully navigate the stairs, mindful of the kids. Kyle scoops Eden up into his arms, and Andy picks up Noah, while Hannah teases them, making both of them shriek with laughter.
Our feet sink into the soft white sand as we walk past the bickering couple. Nearing the sea, I sit down comfortably and place Adam between my legs, ruffling his hair.
Andy sits between Kyle’s legs, resting her body against his. We watch Eden and Noah play with Hannah in the water, running back and forth, trying to outrun the waves.
We smile as their playful screams and laughter fill the air. Kyle puts his arm around me and kisses my temple, whispering, “I love you, sis.” I return his sentiment, “I love you too, bro.”
“You want me to stay with you tonight?” he asks. I shake my head, laughing, which makes him grin widely at me.
“No way! And have Andy come creeping in beside you? I’m not listening to you two get it on in my bed while I’m trying to sleep,” I tease him. A tear escapes his eye, but he’s still smiling at me.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” I ask softly, causing Andy’s head to snap around to face him.
“I’m just happy to see that smile and hear that laugh again. I missed you, sis,” he admits. I wipe away his tear and smile at him. “But seeing as I have both of you here, two of my favorite girls… Andy, I want to ask you something-“
Andy shifts in the sand so she’s facing him, and I can see he’s nervous about whatever he’s about to ask. She stares at him, waiting for him to continue.
“Will you… um-” he stammers, nervously rubbing his legs and looking into her eyes. “Ugh, I can’t with those eyes, Andy-” he laughs nervously, and I nudge him, encouraging him to spit it out.
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
My eyes widen, as do hers. She’s shocked, her mouth opening and closing rapidly, but she doesn’t say anything.
A smile breaks out onto my face, and after a few moments, she starts to grin too.
“Really?” she asks, biting her lower lip. He nods, unsure of how she’s taking it. I see her head bob up and down, and she jumps on top of him, knocking them both into the sand.
She kisses him and manages to utter a “Yes” between kisses. His arms wrap around her waist, and he kisses her back. They both have goofy, lovesick grins on their faces and can’t stop staring at each other.
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