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Cara fumbled with the key to their house, before realizing the door was already unlocked. Stepping inside, they locked up behind them, school bag weighing heavy on their shoulders.
They dropped it on the ground, letting out a sigh. A month left of High School, and they could forget about toting that bag around. Summer vacation was just around the corner—could it still be called a vacation when there was nothing waiting on the other side of it for them?
Thinking about the future and what life would hold for them was a little too much for them to handle. They physically shook their head as if to dislodge the thought. They would focus on their last final exams, and then enjoy the summer. Anything else was a bridge to cross once they got to it.
Sunlight streamed in through the open windows, and they could smell the sea breeze. They took a long breath, just happy to be home.
Cove had driven them home from school, and he was getting ready for his shift at his part-time job.
They felt a pang in their chest, and frowned. That seemed to happen whenever they thought about Cove, which was a lot.
Heading into the kitchen, they hopped up on one of the stools along the island counter. Ma gave them a friendly grin as she was putting the dishes away.
“Need any help?” they asked.
She shook her head, and ruffled their hair with a fond smile, “No, I’m just finishing up.”
They nodded, and checked their phone, replying to a text from Miranda.
Mom came downstairs, laptop in hand. Ma pressed a kiss to her cheek as she wiped the counters down.
Cara glanced up to see Mom sitting down beside them, and they greeted her with a grin.
“What’s up kiddo? Busy texting your friends?” she grinned.
Cara put their phone away, “Oh you know, just discussing our plans for world domination.”
Mom chuckled, opening her laptop and adjusting her glasses.
They drummed their fingers on the countertop, feeling restless.
“How…” they started, but then trailed off.
It was enough to get both of their parents attention however, and they glanced their way expectantly.
Plunging ahead, Cara took a deep breath, “How do you know if you’re in love?”
Mom’s eyebrows rose, and the two of them shared a knowing glance.
“Oh, well,” She tilted her laptop screen down as if removing a barrier between them, “Usually you just…know.”
“Are you happy around them?” Ma cut in, shooting Mom a glance.
“Always,” Cara replied, a smile tugging at their lips.
“Could you picture a future without them in it?”
They shook their head vehemently.
“Do you think you’re in love?” Ma asked, taking a seat with them.
Cara wrung their hands, “I—I don’t know what I’m feeling.”
“And that’s okay,” Ma told them gently.
“It’s like…it’s like, what if you’ve always loved someone, for almost as long as you’ve known them. They’re your best friend in the entire world, and they’ve always made you happy, and you’ve always thought about being together forever. How do you know that what you’re feeling is—is romantic love instead of just friendship?” they stumbled over their words in a rush to get them all out.
Cara laughed a little weakly, swinging their legs, “I’ll bet you’ll never guess who I’m talking about.”
“Who could it ever be?” Mom grinned, and then a look of mock shock, “It couldn’t possibly be the boy-next-door, could it?”
Ma gave her a pointed look, and then smiled softly at Cara, “Oh sweetie, we’ve known you’ve been in love in Cove for a long time.”
“How could you?” they asked, blinking, “I’ve only known for less than a year!”
They both laughed at that, and Cara slumped in their seat.
“You did take him on a date to the Country Club,” Mom pointed out.
“That was for practice,” they protested, “It was supposed to be fun, not an actual date. I didn’t like him like that then.”
At least, they think they didn’t, though they really weren’t sure about anything anymore.
“You said you were going to marry him when you first met,” Ma grinned behind her hand.
“I was eight!”
They buried their face in their hands, but couldn’t help but laugh.
“But—how do you know?” they asked, “I think I’ve always loved him, but recently as we’ve grown older it just…it’s just so weird and complicated now. My chest hurts when I think about him or when I’m with him.”
They frowned, looking down at their hands, “I just want things to go back to how they were before.”
“Do you?” Ma asked, eyebrows drawn together.
“Not really,” they admitted, “I guess I just wish it was easier to figure out.”
Mom shrugged, “Welcome to adulthood. Life gets weird.”
They huffed a laugh, leaning on the counter.
“It’s just different now.”
“When you listen to love songs, do you think about him?” Mom asked with a grin.
Cara laughed, rolling their eyes. They thought about it for a moment, and realized, “Yeah, I have.”
“Well there you go, one point in favour of ‘being in love’,” she grinned, “Have you thought about kissing him?”
“Mom!” they laughed, head in hands. Their face burned a bit when they realized the answer.
“…Maybe,” they choked out.
They heard their parents laughter again, and joined in, even if they were a little embarrassed at the admittance.
“When I first had that thought,” they swallowed, “I didn’t know what to do about it. I thought it was just some weird passing thing, but it didn’t go away. I’ve tried to ignore it but I can’t. So I haven’t said anything to anyone.”
“We’re the first to know?” Ma asked, brightening.
They nodded, “I mean, you did promise I could come talk to you about this kind of stuff.”
“And we meant it.”
“Him and I have been friends for so long, and I’m so scared of messing that up,” they admitted, a little frantic.
Ma took a moment to collect her thoughts, “Cara, I don’t think there’s much you could do in this world to make that boy stop loving you.”
They were taken aback, but sat quietly.
“Because he does love you, you can see it clear as day.”
“And maybe because we’re a step removed we can see it,” Mom added, “But it’s obvious in everything he does, what you both do. You’ve been so good to each other.”
Ma looked at them, patting their arm, “And— well, I know you had a hard time making friends growing up. You were a lot more reserved than you are now. But as soon as the Holden’s came into town, and you had someone to look after, you blossomed. Watching you grow into the caring, loving kid we have today has been nothing short of wonderful.”
Cara ducked their head under the praise.
“But he’s been a good influence, just as you’ve been for him.”
“Cove’s always been there for me,” they whispered.
She nodded, “You have so much love in your heart to give. What’s a little more to him?”
Cara nodded, taking it all in.
Mom leaned over with a playful grin, “Now, it’s not like our opinion matters or anything—”
Cara laughed.
“—but know that we’ll support you no matter what. We really couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law.”
Cara sputtered a laugh, “I’m not proposing to him!”
“The wedding is going to be beautiful,” Mom wiped away a fake tear.
“We’ve never dated or anything, he doesn’t even know I like him,” they protested.
“Doesn’t he?” Mom asked.
“I—”
They really hadn’t considered that Cove might have noticed that they had changed while around him. The realization made their face warm.
“I don’t think he does?” their voice cracked with an uptick at the end.
“And it’s okay either way,” Ma assured them quickly, “And it’s okay to tell him. Even if the very unlikely event he doesn’t feel the same way, do you really think that can erase ten years of friendship?”
“I don’t know,” their shoulders slumped, “I just don’t want to risk it.”
“With that lovesick way he looks at you? I don’t think it’ll be an issue,” Mom grinned.
Cara buried their face in their hands, trying not to laugh, “Does he really look at me that way?”
“Yes,” they both answered.
They were quiet for a moment, sinking back in their chair.
“Thank you,” they finally said.
“Oh sweetie of course,” Ma told them, giving their hair another affectionate ruffle.
“Anytime,” Mom said, patting their shoulder, “And hey, after all this time we’ll actually be joining our families together!”
Cara laughed, but then a sudden thought struck them, “Oh no. You can’t say anything to Liz.”
They all laughed as Cara exaggerated a groan, “She’s going to be insufferable when I tell her.”
“She will be, but only after being absolutely ecstatic about being proven right.” Mom pointed out.
Cara let out a sigh, and hopped off the stool, “Thank you again. That…actually really helped.”
“Be sure to send us invitations to the wedding,” Mom grinned.
They rolled their eyes, but they had a fleeting thought of them and Cove getting married. Seeing him across from them, hand in hand.
They snapped out of the daydream, a blush forming as they hurried pulled their phone out as if it would create a layer of protection.
They heard the sounds of their moms laughing and talking as they went up to their room.