fantasty kiss, raj say hello [bill gates best books .TXT] 📗

what Devin and I were doing and it was starting to get aggravating. They’d never fought like this before.
He placed his hands on my hips and pursed his lips in a begging expression.
“Tell me what’s bothering you.” He mouthed.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I contemplated telling him. Could he handle it. I mean it couldn’t get any more uncomfortable, right?
I pulled him closer and whisper their secret into his ear.
When I released him, he straightened slowly. The expression on his face was clearly confused.
“Do you know who it is?” He asked.
I looked towards the end of the hallway then back at him. Shaking my head, I mumbled a no.
He then did something I didn’t suspect. He kissed me again. He brought his mouth down to mine hungrily and walked me across the small hallway, pressing my back against the wall.
He left me breathless as he released me and I let out a heady giggle.
“I love you more than anything.” He placed his hands on my arms and slowly slid them down to my hands.
“I love you, too.”
I wasn’t sure why he was so affectionate but I wasn’t complaining.
As I began to walk back to the kitchen he pulled me back causing me to raise an eyebrow at him.
“Guys finish first.” He shrugged.
“Yeah but I left first.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s a rule or something.”
After shrugging and rolling my eyes at his childishness, I let him go back to the kitchen first. I waited a moment before following suit.
Though I expected things to be…a bit more tense, I was wrong. Devin actually tried to talk with my father and Rebecca. Not about her affair but about anything. Both replied back to him but never initiated a conversation nor did they talk directly to each other.
This was the worse I’d ever seen it get.
At least until my father finally began a topic.
“I was going to wait until after company left to tell you but I guess now’s a good a time as any. I talked it over with my supervisors and, though they weren’t too thrilled with it, they’ve decided to postpone my move. That is, if you all still are not ready in time for our actually leaving. They are still hiring people for positions so they don’t technically need me until the end of May, early June.”
“Next year? So…that means La-you all won’t be leaving until school lets out?” Devin looked my way and tried to control the smile that was creeping over his face.
I, on the other hand, was still a bit shocked. Devin was right, that meant I could graduate with my classmates and figure out a way to stay with Devin. If I decided to change my college plans and go somewhere nearby I could stay in the State. I didn’t think my father would mind so long as I was taken care of, living in a dorm, had a stable job and promised to contact him daily.
It would take some getting used to but there was no doubt in my mind he’d be able to handle it. He’d have to anyway if I was leaving in a year or two.
“Yes,” my father answered. “Which will give you two time to adjust to the situation.”
I knew my father wasn’t talking about Devin and I but it felt that way.
“I understand that it’s a drastic change for the both of you, specifically Rebecca since she’s never been out of the country before. For Layla because you’re leaving a lot behind. But this will give you time to say your goodbyes, graduate and we’ll be able to start fresh somewhere else.”
I looked over at Rebecca and saw that she still wasn’t too pleased with the arrangements. I knew she wouldn’t be happy until he said we could stay here permanently. And I knew my father. He was doing this to benefit all of us in some way. He was trying to help us all financially, to help Rebecca’s relationship with my father and to bring us all closer together as a family.
But what he didn’t realize was that there was a possibility he was pushing us away. More importantly, pushing his wife away. Or was she already pushing away? Maybe that was why we were moving. Like he said, to start fresh.
I did my best to smile and seem happy. I mean, I was happy that Devin and I had more time. There were no buts in this scenario. I was happy.
“That’s…that’s great news papa. Really, it is.”
“Yeah, it is, Abiden.”
My father raised an eyebrow at him.
“Mr. Bungah, sorry.”
Devin then busied himself with his food causing me to shoot my father a stern look.
He was treating Devin as if he was a teenage boy when he wasn’t. Devin deserved a bit of respect. He was twenty-four, not fourteen.
My father’s puzzled gaze didn’t fool me. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Dinner, or rather our late lunch, went a lot smoother after my father’s announcement.
Everyone but Rebecca spoke to each other. And surprisingly my father initiated conversations with Devin.
He wanted to know how I was doing in class and if Devin was enjoying teaching.
Devin gave a lighthearted yes to liking teaching then went on to explain how well I was doing and how bright I was. He definitely recommended I attend college for writing.
“Actually I’m teaching a course on creative writing during the winter break if you’d allow her. I’d talked to her once about it but she turned it down.”
My father looked at me as I tried not to give Devin the fiery eyes of death. “And why would you do that?” He asked truly curious.
Looking down at my nearly finished food, I shrugged. “I doubt there will be a lot of people signing up.”
“I’ve already gotten five definitely.” Devin chimed in.
“Are there any expenses?”
Devin shook his head at my father question. “No. None.”
“Then you might as well, Layla. It wouldn’t hurt. It could only prepare and help you.”
“I guess.”
I wasn’t too thrilled with the fact Devin had brought this up. I liked writing but I liked knowing it was my thing. Finding out other classmates liked to write or possibly wrote better than I did concerned me a little.
Devin didn’t know my fears which was why he brought it up in the first place. He was normally pretty in tune with my feelings so it surprised me that he couldn’t feel the heat radiating from my body.
I wasn’t angry that he’d told my father about the classes, but I was a bit upset.

Chapter Forty-Three
“I don’t understand why you are so upset.”
I closed my eyes and sighed for the umpteenth time since I’d reentered his classroom fifteen minutes ago.
“I’m not upset. I’m fine.”
“You’re lying. Your eye is doing that twitching again.”
As I placed a hand over my right eye I said, “I’m fine. Not angry, not upset. I’m fine.”
But I wasn’t. This thing with my father and Rebecca had me on edge. I hadn’t really noticed how unhappy they were before. But now that I knew their secret, I could tell every time they were upset with each other. They wouldn’t talk with each other, my father would spend all his time in the living room or spare bedroom and Rebecca would either come in late or leave early.
Even though my father had changed around some of his life for this woman she didn’t care. But when the coin was reversed?
My father cared for this woman enough to talk with his bosses and see if he could our trip postponed. Rebecca cared enough for my father to marry a man who could possibly have to move across the world in a split second. I knew they both loved each other, at least a little or else they wouldn’t have gotten married. It was just…
I wasn’t sure where it went wrong, it just did.
School had resumed and they were still at each other’s throats. Well, not literally. They were doing more ignoring each other than actual fighting. Which I was a bit happy about. I didn’t need them yelling at all hours of the night, every night. But it was doing more upsetting me than actually making me happy. I liked that they were at odds but not at the expense of my father’s happiness.
My father was upset, even though he was trying his best to hide it from me. I could definitely tell. I mean, if my wife was cheating on me I’d be upset, irate even.
Devin cupped my face with his hands and made me look him in the eyes. He knew eye contact was the key to making me tell the truth. My eyes were also my tells and I knew it. Which was why I tried my best to look him in the eyes and not avert them. I failed. Which caused him to smile devilishly then place a gentle kiss on my lips.
“I understand if you don’t want to tell me what’s up. But if it was something vitally important going on with you…you’d tell me right?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
He looked at me for another moment then asked, “Have you given anymore thought about my offer?”
I took hold of his hands to remove them from my face as I backed away from him.
“I’m not trying to pressure you.” He told me. “I’d never try to do that. But in light of the news you father gave us…I would kind of like to know if-”
“Why?” I asked turning away from him. “Why do you want to marry me? You know I may be leaving , you know this thing between us will never work out. We will always be the odd couple. So why?”
“Because-”
“Don’t say because you love me-”
“Why is that not a good answer or reason?”
I didn’t have to look his way to know that he was becoming angry but I did anyway. It showed in his eyes along with his tone and posture.
“Yes, I love you. Is that such a bad thing? Is it such a bad thing that I want to be with you?”
“I. Am. Eighteen. We’ve been…dating, sleeping together, seeing each other, whatever it is that you want to call it, since I was seventeen. What part of that do you not think is wrong? What part of that do you think the law is going to approve of? So…forgive me if I’m not picturing the happy ending like you are. It’s not like was can just come right out and say we’re in love because it just doesn’t happen overnight. They are going to want a story. And what do we tell them? Hmm? What exactly do I tell my father that will not make him want to come after you with a wet brick and beat the hell out of you? I just can’t see it. I can’t And I’m not trying to start an argument. I’m just not, so you can wipe that angry look off your face. Go on, wipe it off because I just want you to think about it. You are such a happy go lucky man, Devin. You think of the good, your really do. But you have to think of the bad too.”
He smiled a bit. “You know you basically just described yourself, don’t you. These are your fears not mine. I am not afraid of your father.” The look I gave him made him backpedal a bit. “Alright, I am a little. But he is just a tiny dot on my radar compared to how I feel about