All Chapters of When Best Friends Kiss: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

(RORY’S POV) “Hey, Candy,” Laurel said, his usual annoying smirk lingering on his lips. I was definitely not expecting Laurel at my doorstep. He had been to my house before—twice when I had a small birthday party thrown by Todd, and three other times when Todd dropped by with him. “What do you want, Laurel?” I asked with a glare for calling me ‘Candy.’ Laurel realized I wasn't finding this amusing and straightened up immediately, looking as serious as one could look when standing in front of a parent. “Can I please come in?” he asked me in a tone that felt too serious to be his. “Of course,” I said, my tone softening. A smile lit his features as I gave him way to step in. “How are you?” he asked as I led him away from the hallway. What do you think? I wanted to ask, but his tone was gentle, which was very unlike Laurel, who usually can’t spend a few moments being serious. “I’m okay. Thank you,” I said, giving him a shy glance as we walked. “Rory.” It was Amanda making her way

(RORY’S POV) I have been in Todd’s room a thousand times, but for whatever reason, the same room suddenly felt different. Tense, kind of. It still smelled the same, of Todd and lavender incense. I sat down carefully on his comfortable bed and Todd did the same, just beside me. It was natural for us to do that, sit side by side. But somehow, the proximity felt too close, like it was intoxicating… “Why won’t you look at me, Rory.” Todd’s smooth voice sliced through my thoughts. I had not even realized that I was not looking at him and I was staring down at my jeans instead. Slowly, I brought myself to look up at him, and when our eyes met, I felt it. The undeniable jolt of attraction that he made me feel, constantly. Todd sighed softly. “Hi,” he greeted softly. “Hi,” I greeted back. There was a moment of silence and then, “I want-“ “Rory, I-“ We stopped and then smiled, like it was an inside joke. “You first,” he encouraged. I gave a nod and then proceeded. “I… I want to ap

(RORY’S POV) I was biting my lip and swinging my hands as I walked into the house through the hallway. I wanted to take the stairs back to my room with the intention of cuddling up with my phone and talking to Todd. Maybe before or after that, I would have chosen to intentionally daydream by repeating the almost-kiss moment in my head. And right in the middle of my jolly good moment, someone cleared her throat and interrupted me. “Why do you look like you got away with stealing a million dollars?” Rosalie asked. I saw that she was dressed in her pajamas even though it was only a little past six thirty pm. Her beautiful ebony curls were wound up in a pretty bun that made her emerald eyes look more obvious, even though she was wearing a greenish face mask. She was holding a bag of chips in her hand and eating them, of course, as her eyes ran over me with skepticism. If not for her dark hair and her really small figure, Rosa and I would look very much alike. “Good evening

(RORY’S POV) “Awww! Are you serious?” Amanda said in a very low tone, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. We are seated in the back of English class and Amanda has forced me to spill everything that happened with Todd. I don’t spill everything, of course. I conveniently leave out the part about the almost-kiss because of how embarrassed I feel. But I don’t think it matters because I still feel very embarrassed with how she is taking the bet story. “I feel like this boy has deep, deep feelings for you. I mean…” “Miss Keyes,” came a warning from our teacher, Mrs. Harris, and immediately we straightened ourselves. Amanda muttered an ‘I’m sorry,’ then she paid attention as she sent me a frustrated look that lasted almost throughout class, making me suppress the laughter bubbling inside me. At the end of the class, she had her arms wrapped in mine. “I do think he really likes you. I mean, who does that? And he never spoke about it; he must have been feeling so awful,” she

(RORY’S POV) The air in the car changed immediately, and I felt myself drawn so deeply into the intensity of Todd’s sharp blue eyes. My throat felt too tight for words and my body too numb for movement. “We haven’t gone to a dance together since middle school,” I managed to say when he would not stop looking at me with expectation. Todd looked unfazed, and for a moment I wondered if he was even blinking, he was so solely focused on me. “I know,” he responded with a shrug. I moved to the next question, the most important one. “What about Leslie?” I asked him, and a smile found its way to my lips. Todd hissed in annoyance. Just like that, the serious tone in the car died immediately. Rosa and I used to tease Todd all the time about how seriously Leslie took public parties, especially the Halloween dance, which is the upcoming one. “I told you, we have broken up,” he said, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. “Wait, what does this even have to do with Leslie?” It was my tu