Chapter 11

Natalie pulled her long, wet hair back into a braid, throwing her clothes back on over her wet swimsuit. Everyone piled back into the car again, the girls all squishing in the backseat. She saw Hadley giving her a sideways glance as Ryan turned up the radio, talking to Bruno.

“What?” Natalie asked, glancing away from her slightly, knowing what she was thinking.

“You’re such a bad liar,” Hadley said with a funny smile, trying to break Natalie’s lips into one as well.

Natalie shrugged her shoulders. “I told you I didn’t know…”

“So now do you know?” Hadley asked, raising an eyebrow at her, causing Natalie to blush.

“I don’t know,” Natalie replied with a small, thoughtful smile, shrugging her shoulders again. She saw Hadley roll her eyes at her response, trying her hardest not to laugh loud enough so that the boys in the front could hear her.

“That’s a yes,” Hadley said as she shook her head, smiling suspiciously at Natalie.

“Not necessarily,” Natalie tried to retaliate, failing at keeping a straight face.

“Yesssss,” Hadley replied nudging her on the shoulder, purposely trying to embarrass her. “Whatever, Nat,” she added, still shaking her head. “Say what you want, but I’ll believe what I saw from you two.”

Just then Ryan pulled up to Savannah’s house, dropping her off as they all bid their goodbyes. Everyone was silent as he drove off again, the only sound coming from the radio.

“Natalie are you going home or…?” Ryan asked after a moment, wondering if she needed a ride home too.

“Uh yeah, sure—“

“Noooo,” she heard Bruno’s long-winded voice cut her off. She glanced over to him as he tipped his head back in the passenger seat, looking at her, upside down. “Come over for a little,” he said, his face quite amusing at the angle he had his head tilted at.

“Bruno, it’s almost dinner…” Natalie began, knowing her parents usually liked her home for dinnertime.

“You can eat at my house. Mom never minds when you eat over. You know she loves you,” He replied, bringing his head back to facing in front of him. Hadley turned to give Natalie an I told you so look as she smiled, shaking her head.

“So…are you going home or—“

“No,” Bruno quickly cut Ryan off before Natalie even had a chance to think about the question. “We’re going to my house,” he said with a small laugh, knowing that he was beginning to get to Natalie.

“…Alright then,” Natalie said with a small sigh, shaking her head, defeated.  Ryan continued to drive until they dropped off Hadley, finally making it to Bruno’s house.

She stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind her, waiting on Bruno. It took him a good minute before he finally stopped talking to Ryan so that he could get out of the car as well. Bruno took both his surfboards from where they were secured on the roof of the vehicle, dragging them both across his lawn as Natalie followed.

“Mom’s not here right now,” he said as they walked through the garage where he set the boards down. “But I’m sure she won’t mind…” he added with a shrug as he walked through the door to his house.

“Oh hey Natalie,” Bruno’s younger sister, Presley said as they walked through the kitchen. She paused for a moment, staring at Natalie and then back to Bruno. She shifted her head slightly as she wrinkled her forehead in thought. “Oh hey Natalie,” she repeated in a suspicious tone, giving Bruno a strange look.

Natalie saw him blush slightly for a moment before he put his hand on her back quickly, leading her in the opposite direction. “We’re going downstairs,” he said quietly with a cough, dodging through the doorway and down the stairs.

“Why do you do that?” Natalie asked, trying not to laugh at Bruno’s reaction when they got into his basement.

“Do what?” Bruno asked as he sat down on a sofa, scratching his head.

“Act all suspicious and stuff…she’s just your sister,” Natalie replied as she sat down next to him, still smiling.

“Yeah, I don’t want her to think of anything. She’s my little sister. That’s weird, Nat.”

Natalie laughed as she turned to put her legs overtop of his, now facing him sideways. “Well don’t you think eventually people will start thinking things anyways?”

Bruno shrugged his shoulders, glancing at his feet for a moment.

“Do you not want people to?” Natalie asked, curious as she scanned over his face.

“No,” he said quickly, glancing back up at her. “Well I mean, I don’t really care. I just figured you wouldn’t want many people seeing you with the short, music dude.”

“Oh shut up,” Natalie said as she slightly punched him on the arm. “That’s so not true and you know it. You’re just wanting an excuse for me to say I would want to be in a relationship with you.” She let the words leave her lips far too soon before she realized what she actually said.

Natalie saw Bruno shoot his eyes back up to hers, a sudden, sly smirk breaking out on his lips as he tried not to laugh. She rolled her eyes, hitting him again. “Only you…” she said as she continued to shake her head. He’s so obvious, she thought as she began playing with a button on the collar of his jacket.

It took him a few seconds before he finally stopped laughing, continuing to keep his eyes on her as she stared at his jacket still. “So does that mean I can kiss you now?” He asked suddenly, causing Natalie to peel her eyes away finally.

She felt herself laugh at his expression as she leaned in over his lap, pressing her mouth against his. He reached his hands behind to her lower back after a few seconds, pulling her closer to him until she was sitting on his lap completely.

“Bruno are you—“ Presley’s voice suddenly filled the room, causing the two to quickly pull back from each other. “Oh my God, that’s disgusting. Never mind, I’ll tell everyone else to leave you two alone,” she said with a disturbed face, quickly sprinting back up the stairs.

They both glanced at each other for a second before both smiling. “Well now dinner’s going to be awkward,” Natalie said with a sigh and a shrug.

“And so much for her not thinking things…” Bruno added with a laugh, not sounding too concerned. After another moment of silence, Bruno glanced back up at Natalie curiously. “What are you doing for your birthday?” He asked suddenly, the question completely random.

“I’m not sure. I still have a week to decide that,” She replied with another shrug. “I though you have some music thing with your family anyways?”

“I don’t think they’d care if I missed it because of a birthday,” he replied, mirroring her expression with a shrug. “We gotta do something big,” He suddenly stated with a sly smile. “I mean it’s your sixteenth birthday. Isn’t that supposed to be like a huge deal to girls or something?”

Natalie laughed, shaking her head. “I really don’t care so much for a huge party if that’s what you’re insisting. I don’t think I want to go Hadley big…” she added, remembering from her birthday back in November.

Bruno shrugged his shoulders again, not really answering her. “You have a dirty birthday,” he suddenly said after a minute of thinking, a mischievous grin breaking out on his lips.

“I don’t get what you’re saying…” Natalie replied, tilting her head at him suspiciously.

“June ninth. Think about it, Nat.”

Natalie wrinkled her forehead as she tried to understand what he was getting at. She suddenly widened her eyes slightly, hitting him softly on his arm for the third time. “Oh my God, Bruno,” she said in a shocked voice. “You’re so perverted.”

He simply laughed at her expression, causing her to glare at him. “I’m sorry, but don’t try to tell me you’ve never thought about that…”