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Henry and Charlotte sat in a secluded corner of their favourite pizza place. It wasn't exactly the most romantic spot for a date, but she wasn't the kind of girl who needed expensive outings to feel loved. Besides, they both preferred the peace and comfort of familiar places, and there was something charming about their clandestine meetings at fast food joints. Here, no one who knew them would think they were a couple.
They had been secretly dating for a month, but they preferred to keep it under wraps… at least for now. They knew the uproar that would erupt in the Cave if they shared the news, and they were waiting for the right moment, wanting to be sure it was something permanent and not just a fleeting crush sparked by the teasing and joking of their friends that might have led them to believe there was something deeper than friendly affection.
As he watched her laugh at something he had just told her, Henry thought it could be something permanent. If he could make her smile and get those glances from her that sent butterflies in his stomach, he would do everything to hold on to what he felt, so he could enjoy these moments with her forever.
"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" she joked, noticing his expression.
"No, it's perfect," Henry replied smoothly, a mischievous grin on his face.
She playfully swatted his hand with the thin pizza menu on the table, but a blush crept to her cheeks. She had always seen Henry complimenting the girls he dated, and while she admitted he was charming, receiving those flattering words was different. She wasn't used to being considered as pretty as the others. She didn’t have the slender beauty or doll-like features that always looked perfect. But that wasn't what he found attractive about her. It was how easy it was to be with her and not have to think before speaking, she knew he wasn't perfect. She knew he sometimes said silly things and she let it slide; she didn’t expect him to be available 24/7 because she understood his responsibilities. She admired him for his dedication and courage, for his sense of duty, not just for his good looks—which he had, but that was just a bonus. She knew his weak points, when to comfort him, and when to let him be alone to think. He could be sure he could count on her through thick and thin.
He reached out to take one of her hands and brought it to his lips for a kiss, looking into her eyes—those lovely chocolate irises that now gazed back at him a bit shy and uncertain. He couldn't believe that this confident and sassy girl could turn to mush just from his touch, but it was something he felt proud of. She smiled sweetly at him, but suddenly Charlotte frowned, looking toward the entrance as something caught her attention.
"What’s wrong?" Henry asked, turning to look in the same direction.
When he saw Jasper and Piper in the same restaurant.
His eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he was left speechless. Here came his best friend and his sister, not only together in public but also holding hands, their fingers intertwined.
Jasper had left the Cave early, saying that Piper had asked him to help her with something. Henry hadn’t paid much attention to that because he was used to Jasper still not quite overcoming his slight fear of his sister. It was normal for her to always be looking for him for this or that, and for him to give in out of fear of retaliation. But at no point had he mentioned that this "something" involved going to the pizza place together, holding hands like a couple and acting as if Piper didn’t hate Jasper and he wasn’t afraid of her.
"Why are they holding hands?" he wondered, stunned.
"I don't think it's so Piper doesn't get lost," his girlfriend joked.
Henry shot her a look because he wasn't on the mood for her sarcasm now, but she just rolled her eyes.
"If they are holding hands, what do you think it is?"
Henry slightly widened his eyes and returned his gaze to the couple. It couldn’t be... or could it? Was it possible? But no, they wouldn’t...
"It can't be..." Henry whispered, finally reaching a conclusion. "Is Jasper... dating my sister? Why did they hide it from us?"
Charlotte stifled a laugh and elbowed him.
"Look who's talking. Have you told him we're dating?"
Henry flushed.
"Well, it's different. You know why we're hiding it," he reminded her.
The brunette shrugged.
"They must have their reasons too."
"Yeah, but Jasper is... my best friend. We're supposed to tell each other everything, especially something like this."
Charlotte smiled playfully.
"You’re his best friend too, and both of us agreed to wait."
"It’s not the same, Charlotte. It’s about my sister. My sister."
As Henry tried to process what he was seeing, Jasper and Piper approached the table on the opposite wall, seemingly unaware of who was sitting so close by.
Piper picked up the thin menu and, in a low but perceptible voice, began talking to Jasper about how much she wanted to try the four-cheese pizza while playing with his hand on the table. Jasper nodded, smiling like a lovestruck fool, ready to order whatever she wanted, his eyes sparkling as he watched their intertwined hands.
It had been her who took the first step in their relationship. Jasper, thinking Piper only sought him out because he was convenient and that he always gave in, had never considered her true intentions. He tried not to feel special just because she always needed him for something; it wasn't that she trusted him, it was that he wouldn't say no. Yet, it was impossible not to feel affected by a pretty girl wanting him and keeping him close. Jasper was drowning in his misery, feeling unhappy because his feelings for her—she had grown into not just a beautiful but also a determined and confident teenager—were deepening, and he couldn’t stop it, knowing it would lead nowhere.
He would never have thought that Piper's reasons for always seeking him out were to spark his romantic interest and encourage him to approach her. She had noticed his changes, not only how attractive he had become—equally popular with girls as her brother but less outgoing in inviting them—but also the kind of person he was. He was loyal and reliable, keeping his brother's secret, and she could always count on him to meet her expectations. He was kind and understanding with her, even though she wasn't the most pleasant person. There were no masks with him; Jasper didn’t try to be someone he wasn’t, and that authenticity was a breath of fresh air for her, especially since she never knew when her last "internet friend" might stab her in the back for popularity. She could never tell what other kids' intentions were—whether they wanted to be popular or knew she could get them things. He showed himself just as he was, and that was all she needed. But of course, Jasper wasn't her; their personalities were different. He didn't understand her at first when she started giving him hints, thinking it wasn’t about that, so she had to be her usual assertive self and invite him over to her house.
It was funny to see the surprised look on his face when she told him that she liked him and that they were going to start dating. Jasper thought it was a joke, a hidden camera for some segment of her channel, and he asked her, suspicious of the answer, though he didn't believe her that cruel, so she had to take matters into her own hands and confirm to him that it was true. She did so by hugging and kissing him so suddenly that Jasper lost his balance in shock and fell onto the couch with her on top of him. It took him about a minute to react, but when he did... she was still blushing at the thought of that moment.
Jasper was enraptured with her, looking at their intertwined hands, still amazed that this was real, but he began to get a strange feeling that he was being watched. So he looked up out of curiosity and searched the room with his eyes until they stopped on Henry and Charlotte sitting at the table on the other side.
He froze as he saw his friend staring at them in disbelief and beginning to turn red with anger, and unconsciously squeezed the fingers of the smaller hand between his own, his face turning pale.
Piper, who looked up with a frown as she felt the pressure on her hand, turned her eyes to where her boyfriend was looking.
"Henry?" She asked.
Next to her, Jasper was staring at his best friend as if he had just seen a ghost. Sweat began to trickle down the back of his neck, and he felt a shiver of fear as he saw the hard stare the blond was sending him.
Henry stood up, dragging with him Charlotte who was still holding his hand. He walked over to them, frowning.
"What are you doing here..." Jasper began, regaining his voice, a little anxiously, then he looked at Henry's companion, "with Charlotte?"
"What are you doing here with my sister?" The blond replied, ignoring his question and looking at him expectantly for an answer.
Piper noticed that her brother and her friend were also holding hands and smiled slyly. "Hey, are you guys dating too?"
"Yes," Charlotte confirmed with a smile, showing her hand that was still holding Henry's.
It was Jasper's turn to look confused and suspicious.
"Since when did you two...?" He asked incredulously, looking at Henry and Charlotte. "I thought you told me everything, Henry."
"I thought you told me everything too!" Henry reminded him, still in shock. "What do you mean you're dating my sister, Jasper, when did I give you permission?!"
Piper snorted in annoyance. "Since when do I need your permission to do anything?"
Jasper tried to apologize. "Henry, I know she's your sister, but I love her very much and I didn't think this would bother you so much." Then he frowned a little. "Besides, you're dating Charlotte!"
Henry looked at him confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"I didn't give you permission for that either!"
"Why should I ask you?"
"Well, she's like my sister, it's the same thing," Jasper pointed out.
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"It's not."
"It is."
"You said you were helping Piper with something." Henry accused him. "And I find you here on a date."
"I said Piper needed me for something," Jasper corrected. "I didn't tell you in detail what we were going to do...and you two told Schwoz just yesterday that you were just friends, who's the hypocrite?" he defended himself.
"We have a good reason for hiding it." Henry said.
"So do we." Piper interjected.
"Oh, yeah? And what's that?"
"You."
Henry was outraged by his sister's words, but she gave him a cheeky grin and went back to checking the menu.
Charlotte sighed and tugged on her boyfriend's hand while she used the other to pull another plastic chair from a nearby table and placed it at her friends' table, intending to sit there.
"Henry, don't be so dramatic, Piper's not a child anymore." She pointed out.
"Thanks Charlotte." Piper replied.
Eventually, the girls forced them to change the subject, convinced them to sit at the same table, preventing the boys from sitting next to each other, and they all shared a pizza together, where the initial tension slowly dissipated. Even though the boys still looked at each other a little offended, they couldn't deny that their secrets weren't so different after all.
"How long have you two been together?" asked Piper curiously.
"A month," Charlotte replied. "And you and Jasper... how long have you two been together?"
Jasper blushed, avoiding the look Henry gave him.
"About a month too." Piper smiled in satisfaction and rested her head on Jasper's shoulder after giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"I guess we don't have to worry about how we're going to explain ourselves to each other anymore." The boy said, trying to laugh at the situation.
Henry snorted, still trying to get over the shock of seeing his sister and her friend exchanging such displays of affection. His girlfriend smiled sweetly, tugged at his hand to get his attention, and gave him a kiss on the lips that made him relax.
At the end of the evening, as the two couples left the place, Charlotte laughed softly.
"Maybe we should do it again." She suggested, glancing sideways at her boyfriend with a mischievous grin that disarmed him.
Piper nodded. "We could go to the movies next," she mentioned, linking her arm with Jasper's and holding on to him.
Henry and Jasper looked at each other.
"Were you planning on doing anything else after this?" asked Charlotte to her friend.
"We were going to the lake." Piper replied, giving her boyfriend a suggestive look.
Henry stopped dead in his tracks, his face contorting again in disgust. He knew exactly why most couples went to the lake. He had done it himself.
"Oh, of course not." He decided.
Piper, far from submitting like the younger sister, raised her chin defiantly. "And who's going to stop me, you?" she asked sarcastically.
"Yes!" Henry asserted. "You're not going to the lake to do... that."
Piper, smiling sharply, tilted her head to the side and looked at him as if she didn't understand. "Do what exactly, Hen?"
Henry, blushing at having to explain himself to her, snorted in frustration.
"You know what I mean."
"No, you have to be more specific." Piper said, giving him a teasing little smile.
Knowing that the siblings were only going to prolong a pointless argument if they continued, Charlotte decided to intervene.
"Let them, Henry, as if you haven't done that too, with me." She reminded him.
Her boyfriend grew redder and embarrassed. "Charlotte!"
Piper and Jasper laughed - Jasper tried to hide it. Henry looked at them, annoyed.
"There you go." The blonde brushed her hair back with a smooth motion of her hand and a satisfied smile. "Come on, Jasp, the lake awaits us."
"And the last episode of my show is waiting for us," Charlotte explained, pulling her boyfriend's hand in the opposite direction. "Let's go, Henry."
His face showed that the last thing he wanted was for his friend to take his sister to that place. But at the same time, he knew that there would only be the two of them at Charlotte's house that night and he didn't want to make her angry and risk going home frustrated. He sighed and resigned himself to the fact that for the sake of his mental health he would have to ignore thoughts of what those two would do.
"Okay, just... Jasper!" Henry called to his friend before walking away. The latter turned around, slightly startled. "Careful with what you do with my sister, if anything happens to her, you'll be dealing with me," he warned seriously.
Piper rolled her eyes and muttered that her brother was overreacting. Jasper nodded and licked his lips before issuing his own warning to Henry.
"Same goes for you, dude." He replied, pointing at Charlotte.
The girls exchanged glances and shook their heads before walking off in opposite directions. Boys.