Page 15 of Quarantined
However, Milo still tried to reason with Reid. He begged Reid to wait till he at least liked one girl enough to make safe choices with. He didn't want Reid to make the same "mistakes." Milo tried to explain that when he was growing up, he didn't have an active adult in his life, someone to give him better advice or to tell him to wait to have sex.
To me, all of that made sense. Reid was not so understanding. I swear, nowadays, that boy is always angry. Thank God he has a beautiful face to fall back on.
Both the Sinclair boys are easy on the eyes. I never allow myself to think past that. To me, they are my brothers. But the other girls don't see it that way. Milo's "groupies," as I call them, used to give me the stank eye every time I came around. It took them months to realize that I am basically his little sister.
The moment they realized that, just like Reid's "groupies," they wanted to become best friends with me. They bombarded me with questions about Milo, begging me for information that will give them an in. A lot of them have already been with Milo, several times. But they wanted more, something of a girlfriend status, and wondered how to make that happen.
I get the appeal of wanting a deeper connection with Milo. If there was a Milo fan club, I would be the super obsessed president. I have been all my life.
While I was growing up, Milo was a phantom superhero for me. Mia and Reid idolized him. So did my dad. Dad boasted of all the wonderful things Milo did. He talked about how lucky the Sinclairs were to have a golden boy like Milo. An academically gifted teenager who took care of his mom, siblings, and household.
Even before I met him, I knew I'd be his groupie. After I met him, it was a whole different ball game. Our first meeting alone made me believe that this man was a saint.
I was only thirteen and had just moved to New York. Milo, Mia, and Reid came over to welcome us. A few minutes after they came over, dad abruptly left the house without giving any notice to our guests or me. Well, Milo noticed!
I was mortified by dad's behavior. Milo didn't even blink and demanded that I go back with them. I was terrified of staying alone at the new house, in a new city. But I was too proud to accept his offer. He caught me in an embarrassing moment. And the pity in his face was more than what I could bear.
Somehow, Milo figured out the reason for my reservations. And he reworded his offer in such a way that didn't make me feel like a charity case. He asked me to come over for dessert and allowed the natural progression of a slumber party to take place.
Ever since then, the Sinclair house became my second home, and finally, my permanent home. And Milo became a third parent for me. I idolize that man. Since the first night we met, he has been saving me from my loneliness. He gave me my whole world.
He is the one who attends all of my PTA meetings and meets with my guidance counselor. He is the one who signs my permission slips and writes the checks for my field trips. He never acts like it's an inconvenience. If he does harbor any resentment towards me, he never lets it show.
To me, he is the epitome of what's right. He is responsible, a good friend, a protector, a self-sacrificing man of honor, and, not to mention, he is brilliant. He is the most perfect human being I have ever met. I strive to be him.
So yes, saying that I understand the appeal is putting it mildly. I understand the appeal for Milo, the person. I get the attraction to want an emotional connection with him. I just don't get the appeal for the romantic aspect.
Personally, I chase a different type of love from Milo. Every time I excel in any aspect of life, I make a point to tell Milo all about it. I have an incessant need for Milo's attention. I know that my extreme idolization of him stems from my own parental issues to feel validated by an authoritative figure. I am self-aware enough to admit that.
That said, I don't understand the romantic appeal with Milo. To me, if you are searching for love, romantic love is not the way to go. All the marriages in my immediate vicinity are indicative of destruction. However, all the friendships in my life are indicative of true love. Romantic love is conditional. But friendship and familial bonds are unconditional.
Other girls don't believe the words I spew out. I wish I craved romance, to experience what they must feel.
I did, however, have one romantic interest this past summer. It wasn't exactly the way these girls described their feelings for Milo. But it was good enough for me.
Reid had been bugging me for months to experiment. We do everything together and decided that we both wanted to experience our first kisses by the end of freshman year. As our freshman year was wrapping up, I still hadn’t met any exciting prospects.
Finally, at one of Milo's parties, I met Asher Huntzberger. Asher is a family friend of the Sinclairs. He goes to college with Milo and has a quick wit about him. He is handsome, with dark hair, sharp looks, and a tall, built body.
When we met, he was Milo's age, and I had just turned fifteen. But thanks to the outfits my mother sends me, everyone assumed I was at least seventeen.
I never lied about my age. But he never asked either. I only figured out Asher's age because Milo mentioned they were the same year in Columbia.
Anyway, we hit it off and ended up making out right before the end of my freshman year. We continued to hook up a few times throughout the summer. I never took it further than kissing. We were discreet. I know how protective Milo is.
Asher did ask me out a few times. But he never piqued my interest further than experiencing my first kiss and becoming good at it. It was an experiment. And for all intents and purposes, it was a successful one. I didn't need to take it further.
Suddenly, Mia hops up from our comfortable sitting position. She has spotted Milo, walking purposefully towards the front door. I see him as well, through the wall to floor windows of the living room. I excitedly stand up to greet Milo.
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Milo
Before I can open the door, Raven and Mia are already up from the sofa, ready to greet me.My favorite girls in the world.
I try to act annoyed, as Mia hugs me so hard that I almost tip back. She is infectious.
"What's up, little one?"
