CHAPTER 10. NOSTALGIA 2
EMILY COOPER POV'
As we heard his mom's footsteps, Christopher grabbed my arm and whispered,
"Act natural – maybe she won't notice the mess... or my hair!"
Too late – she walked in to find us covered in paint, rollers still in hand,
and her son rocking a bright blue afro!
Her eyes widened in surprise, then she burst out laughing.
"Oh. My. Goodness... what happened here?!"
We both pointed at each other, still giggling.
"He started it – he painted my arm first!"
I accused.
"No way, she started it – she painted my hair!" Christopher defended.
His mom laughed even harder, holding her sides.
"Well, I think you both win the award for most creative painting technique...
and biggest mess makers!"
She walked closer, inspecting the room – and gasped again.
"The carpet, the furniture... everything is blue!"
We looked around, noticing the mess for the first time –
paint had splattered everywhere, even on the ceiling fan!
Christopher grinned sheepishly.
"Uh, I think we got a little carried away, mom..."
His mom sighed dramatically, still chuckling.
"Well, I guess we'll be painting the ceiling and furniture too...
and getting you both a bath ASAP – you're both blue from head to toe!"
His mom dragged us to the bathroom, still laughing.
"Okay, blue monsters – time to get clean!"
She turned on the water, and we both peeked in –
the tub was filling with water, but also...
our blue paint was turning the water BLUE TOO!
Christopher and I looked at each other and burst out laughing again.
His mom chuckled.
"Well, I guess this bath will be memorable – hop in, kids!"
We climbed into the blue water, still giggling –
and his mom started scrubbing our skin with soap.
But the paint was stubborn – it took forever to wash off!
Finally, after what felt like an hour, we were paint-free –
but our skin was wrinkly from soaking so long!
As we got out of the tub, Christopher's mom handed us towels.
"Okay, kids – time to get dry and help me clean up that mess!"
We nodded, still grinning – and wrapped ourselves in towels.
But then Christopher had another mischievous idea...
He grabbed the towel and snapped me with it –
then ran out of the bathroom screaming,
"Towel war – you can't catch me!"
I laughed and chased after him –
towel in hand, ready to strike back!
We ran through the house, snapping each other with towels –
until we slipped on a paint spot on the floor...
And landed in a heap – laughing hysterically again!
His mom walked into the hallway, saw us, and face-palmed.
"Towel war... after painting the entire house blue...
my kids are crazy – but adorable!"
She helped us up, then pointed to the blue room.
"Now, helpers – time to finish painting... carefully this time!
...
Mom was interrupted by the doorbell. Getting up from her spot, she walked to the door while
I snuggled deeper into the chair, hoping to escape the awkward conversation that was about to ensue.
Mariella leaned on her chair, a mischievous smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Oh really! So bad, it ended."
I shrugged, before reaching for my bowl of chewy gummy worms. The sweet and tangy taste was a perfect distraction from the topic at hand.
Mariella wasn't about to let it go though.
"You know, you can still patch things up, if you.."
I glared at her, my eyes wide with a silent warning.
I glared at her, my eyes wide with a silent warning. Mariella raised an eyebrow, undeterred.
"No way, he started distancing himself from me first. Why should I go to him? And even if I went to him, what am I going to say?"
I paused for dramatic effect, looking around the room before focusing my attention back on Mariella.
"Christopher, I am sorry, I don't know if that incident meant a lot to you. Please, I want to be friends again, let's start over and forget we ever kissed..
I mean, it was nothing, right? Just a stupid childhood mistake. We were just kids, we didn't know any better. And I know I said some things afterwards, but I was just confused and angry. I didn't mean any of it. "
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
"So yeah, let's just forget it ever happened and move on with our lives. I'm sure you've moved on, you seem happy with your life now. And I'm happy for you, truly. So let's just be friends again, for old times sake. We can hang out, catch up on old times, and just enjoy each other's company without any drama or tension."
I smiled slightly, thinking about the good old days.
"We can be like how we used to be, before… you know. Before everything changed. I miss those days, I miss us. So what do you say? Can we please just put the past behind us and move on? "
As I finished, I realized something was seriously wrong.
The whole place was dead silent. I looked around, wondering if everyone had fallen asleep or something.
That's when I saw them. My mom, her jaw dropped to the floor. And Christopher, his face slightly red from blushing.
I turned to Mariella, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Please tell me this is all a dream!"
Mariella shrugged."If confessing your feelings infront of your mother, bestfriend and his fiancee, yes Emily, this is all a dream."