unsure what she was talking about.
The
folder was thrown at me; I caught it, fumbling to not lose the sheets
of paper. “What is that note?” She asked, shoulders
hunched, small hands crunched into threatening balls at her sides.
“ It's...
this is just my way of...” Stunned by her confrontation, I
looked in the folder, tearing the tiny square of paper out.
“ Of
what?” She demanded.
“ Of
asking you out,” I finished, eyes wide, unsure saucers of
greenish-gold. “Wasn't that obvious?”
Glaring
at me under hooded brows, she breathed in deeply. The air steamed as
she spoke. “Read it to me.”
“ But—”
“ Read
it to me! ”
Shocked
by her reaction, I looked at the note, then back to her accusing
face. I didn't need to read the words off the paper; I'd memorized
them in my painstaking strife over writing them down in the first
place. “Bethany... I need you to know how special you are to
me. I've been doing my best to get close to you, because I want you
to go out with me. It'd mean everything to me if you gave me a
chance...” My cheeks were boiling in humiliation.
She
was quiet, a hard silence that choked me. My hand fell to my hip, the
note crumbling before I let it fall. I'm
so stupid, this was a terrible idea. Of course I have no chance with
her.
Turning,
I started to leave, thinking I'd escape the situation and save myself
some pride. It stung to believe I'd read my note to her, gotten no
reaction.
Her
fingers grabbed my sleeve, pulling me back a step. Confused, my body
twisted, finding her blue eyes staring so close. The anger was gone,
her lashes rimming pools of uneasy disbelief.
“ Wait,”
she breathed, skin prickling visibly. I noticed how cold she had to
be.
“ Let's
go inside,” I said softly.
“ No,”
she mumbled, shaking her head rapidly. “No, wait. I—your
note, I just... why didn't you just tell me?”
“ What?”
I blurted, brows shooting up to my hair line. “What do you
mean?”
“ I—I
like you Deacon, okay?” The red on her nose rivaled the color
on her cheeks. “But you should have told me how you felt, not
made me read it like that. That was... emotionless.”
Emotionless?
Is that what she thinks?
Blown
away by this revelation, it took me a minute to absorb her words.
“You like me, too?”
“ Yeah,”
she said, smiling shyly. I could tell she was having trouble looking
at me. “Yeah, I do.”
Thrilling
with joy at that fact, faced with the reality I had desired, I ran
into a mental wall that made me freeze. She
likes me, but now what? Do I... should I...
Reaching
down, I cupped her cheeks, moving in for my first kiss.
“ Wait,”
she said abruptly, stepping back with her hands lifted. “Wait,
sorry. Um, can we take it slow? Is that okay?”
Blinking,
I rubbed my neck, laughing nervously. “Yeah, of course. Let's
just take it slow.”
“ Okay,”
she agreed, reaching out to hold my hand. I could feel how warm her
skin was. I didn't know if the dampness was from my sweat, or hers.
I've
got what I want, I
thought, smiling down at her rosy face, I
can handle taking it slow after all this.
I
can handle anything, now.
Six
Years Later
Chapter 6.
“Hey,” Leah said, pulling me out of my thoughts. We were
sitting upstairs on her temporary bed, luggage open and strewn about.
“ Sorry,”
I said, shaking my head, attempting to shift out of my fog of memory.
“I missed that.”
Kneeling
beside me on the creaking mattress, she lifted a fuzzy white sweater.
“I asked if this was good enough for meeting your grandparents
tomorrow. What's wrong? You really zoned out there.”
“ It's
nothing.” Reaching out, I stroked the front of the sweater,
feeling the soft texture. “That's fine, you shouldn't worry so
much though. My grandparents will like you no matter what you wear.”
“ You
say that,” she chided, tucking the clothing away. Something
must have been obvious in my face, hinting at my mood, because she
leaned in and sighed.
The
folder was thrown at me; I caught it, fumbling to not lose the sheets
of paper. “What is that note?” She asked, shoulders
hunched, small hands crunched into threatening balls at her sides.
“ It's...
this is just my way of...” Stunned by her confrontation, I
looked in the folder, tearing the tiny square of paper out.
“ Of
what?” She demanded.
“ Of
asking you out,” I finished, eyes wide, unsure saucers of
greenish-gold. “Wasn't that obvious?”
Glaring
at me under hooded brows, she breathed in deeply. The air steamed as
she spoke. “Read it to me.”
“ But—”
“ Read
it to me! ”
Shocked
by her reaction, I looked at the note, then back to her accusing
face. I didn't need to read the words off the paper; I'd memorized
them in my painstaking strife over writing them down in the first
place. “Bethany... I need you to know how special you are to
me. I've been doing my best to get close to you, because I want you
to go out with me. It'd mean everything to me if you gave me a
chance...” My cheeks were boiling in humiliation.
She
was quiet, a hard silence that choked me. My hand fell to my hip, the
note crumbling before I let it fall. I'm
so stupid, this was a terrible idea. Of course I have no chance with
her.
Turning,
I started to leave, thinking I'd escape the situation and save myself
some pride. It stung to believe I'd read my note to her, gotten no
reaction.
Her
fingers grabbed my sleeve, pulling me back a step. Confused, my body
twisted, finding her blue eyes staring so close. The anger was gone,
her lashes rimming pools of uneasy disbelief.
“ Wait,”
she breathed, skin prickling visibly. I noticed how cold she had to
be.
“ Let's
go inside,” I said softly.
“ No,”
she mumbled, shaking her head rapidly. “No, wait. I—your
note, I just... why didn't you just tell me?”
“ What?”
I blurted, brows shooting up to my hair line. “What do you
mean?”
“ I—I
like you Deacon, okay?” The red on her nose rivaled the color
on her cheeks. “But you should have told me how you felt, not
made me read it like that. That was... emotionless.”
Emotionless?
Is that what she thinks?
Blown
away by this revelation, it took me a minute to absorb her words.
“You like me, too?”
“ Yeah,”
she said, smiling shyly. I could tell she was having trouble looking
at me. “Yeah, I do.”
Thrilling
with joy at that fact, faced with the reality I had desired, I ran
into a mental wall that made me freeze. She
likes me, but now what? Do I... should I...
Reaching
down, I cupped her cheeks, moving in for my first kiss.
“ Wait,”
she said abruptly, stepping back with her hands lifted. “Wait,
sorry. Um, can we take it slow? Is that okay?”
Blinking,
I rubbed my neck, laughing nervously. “Yeah, of course. Let's
just take it slow.”
“ Okay,”
she agreed, reaching out to hold my hand. I could feel how warm her
skin was. I didn't know if the dampness was from my sweat, or hers.
I've
got what I want, I
thought, smiling down at her rosy face, I
can handle taking it slow after all this.
I
can handle anything, now.
Six
Years Later
Chapter 6.
“Hey,” Leah said, pulling me out of my thoughts. We were
sitting upstairs on her temporary bed, luggage open and strewn about.
“ Sorry,”
I said, shaking my head, attempting to shift out of my fog of memory.
“I missed that.”
Kneeling
beside me on the creaking mattress, she lifted a fuzzy white sweater.
“I asked if this was good enough for meeting your grandparents
tomorrow. What's wrong? You really zoned out there.”
“ It's
nothing.” Reaching out, I stroked the front of the sweater,
feeling the soft texture. “That's fine, you shouldn't worry so
much though. My grandparents will like you no matter what you wear.”
“ You
say that,” she chided, tucking the clothing away. Something
must have been obvious in my face, hinting at my mood, because she
leaned in and sighed.
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