CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

in the eye of the storm



after that excruciating school day, my supposed boyfriend and i met behind the big tree, the one we had hidden behind before. we had hurriedly agreed to do so after that excruciating second period and i beat him to it by a few minutes, waiting alone while sitting against my backpack.

when he finally arrived, i jumped to my feet, grabbed his hand, and pulled him down with me. it had to be at most forty five degrees outside. i let go of a block of ice. "are you okay?" i asked, rubbing my hands together.

"yes, i'm fine. now tell me everything that's happened since i saw you last," he said, sitting against his bag like i did.

"it was seemingly normal, but there were more interactions from some people i don't usually interact with, and less from some people i do," i explained. "for example, i dropped my pencil and it slid right next to jake's chair. and when i asked him to get it for me, he pretended like i wasn't there. and don't get me wrong, i don't mind him ignoring me, but i had to get out of my seat and draw more attention to myself from the rest of the class." i rolled my eyes aggressively, then happily asked, "what about you?"

"since we left chemistry, your theory about us being 'criminals' was confirmed. people were looking at me or talking about us like we've broken a law. even if we didn't, people here have made this building feel like a prison." he sighed a visible puff. "i'd rather be out here in the cold with you."

"shh! you can't be romantic on school grounds! someone might hear," i joked.

he smirked at me, then adjusted his position and lay down on the cold hard ground, looking oddly comfortable. "i'm gonna play sick tomorrow," he said.

"if you fall asleep out here, you won't have to pretend."

"today was exhausting. but i'm sure i'll be fine tomorrow. why don't we hang out then, just you and me," he suggested.

"you're not slick," i teased. "now that we know we like each other, you could just say that you're asking me out."

"oh. well, i was thinking just laid back, baking disaster free, one-on-one time. but if you want to make it a date under your dad's nose that's more than fine with me."

"ugh! my dad is so... so... difficult!"

he sat up and looked at me so intensely i couldn't not look back. "i say you be difficult back. i don't wanna make you do what you don't want to, so you can still hide me and stuff. but now i know that you do want to make it a date, y'know? remember our deal? let's not waste any more time just because other people think it's better for us to."

i blinked a few times after pondering his overture, which i had concluded was completely correct. a deal could only run on loyalty and a mindset could only run on consistency. "okay. when and where?"

he celebrated under his breath briefly, then explained, "my parents won't care if they find out -- they'll probably say it's part of a normal teenage experience. plus, i know you suck at making excuses, so i'll break into your house?"

"first of all, i don't suck at making excuses. second, i would love for you to come over at seven p.m. tomorrow. i'll be home alone for two hours."

he fell backwards again in defeat. "a time limit?"

"better than no time at all," i said.

"true. i'll be there."

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

the car swerved out of the drive way at six forty five the next day. my parents were off to some party and i was home alone for the next fifteen minutes. that day had been even colder, so i hoped walker could get here with all ten fingers as i tidied up the house.

i patiently waited in the breakfast nook until there was a knock at the door. cautious just in case my mom or dad forgot something, i turned the knob. clear. walker stood in front of me looking all dolled up in that wintery blush. "hey. want a hot cocoa or something?" i offered.

he stepped inside and hung up his winter coat on one of the wall's hooks. he looked so good. i was on a date with my good-looking, amazing crush! "that would be nice," he said. "so would a movie. and some popcorn?"

"so i guess you're really taking on the criminal role. you worded coming over as 'breaking in' and now you want to raid my pantry," i said.

"and i stole your heart," he said with a smirk, catching the bag of microwave popcorn i threw at him.

"cheeesssyyyyy aleeeeert," i chuckled. "so what movie are we watching?"

that question was not answered for another hour. we scrolled and scrolled through the streaming services, then the dvd's, then the "on demand" channels. when there wasn't enough time left to watch a full movie and our popcorn was gone, we gave up and watched the first episode of percy jackson. well, he covered his eyes basically the whole time, embarrassed, and i barely watched because i was laughing at his self-deprecating jokes. it was probably more fun than watching any movie.

afterward, i forced him to help me clean up the evidence ( put the bowls and mugs in the dishwasher ), he got his jacket back, and then i led him up to my bedroom. "you are to sneak out through this window," i said, pointing across the room to where moonlight seeped in.

i'd never tried it -- maeve had. she told me once that that window was perfect for sneaking out. directly beneath it was a roof that reached far down enough to safely jump to the ground, so i trusted her and spread the news to walker. if only i didn't have that stupid camera above my front door, the poor guy wouldn't have to use my window as one.

"got it," he said. "but i still have like ten minutes left with you. don't think i'm leaving that quickly."

i plopped down onto the bed and said, "this was shorter than i would've hoped for our first date night. still fun, though."

"short and sweet." for a moment the house was silent as he slipped on his winter coat. i felt all warm inside like it was summer, though. it had been such a nice night, one only able to be made better by being longer.

the silence was broken by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. my stomach turned a little. "did my parents seriously get back early?"

"what if it's just some rando using your driveway to make a turn?" he suggested as i stood up.

"we can't risk that. my parents aren't really party people," i said, going over to the window.

"come on! that wasn't even a full two hours," said walker. he didn't move, and the feeling of not being able to run away in a dream kicked in.

"you come on!" i urged. car doors opened and closed outside. in my driveway. my house was either actually being broken into, or the worse option.

walker finally recognized my genuine fear and joined me in pushing up the window. a gust of coldness was let into my room. he reluctantly hopped over the sill and got stable on the roof below it. then he turned around to face me. "thanks for tonight. i'll see you tomorrow." he said what i thought was perfectly concluding, but he seemed to be thinking of more words.

"this was super fun, walker, really," i said, trying to further conclude the conclusion.

i forced a smile down at him, but it quickly dropped when i heard my parents' voices on my porch. and he wasn't going! i widened my eyes, telling him to leave. he just stared at them... then his gaze lowered to my lips. my heart dropped to the ground, where he should have been. what is he thinking?

"y/n," he whispered, looking back up at me. he took a deep breath before saying, "can i kiss you?"

i was speechless for a moment, juggling telling him how much i wanted to say yes and how much i wanted to push him off the roof for asking this now of all times! but he was here right now, too. and a kiss right here, right now would be the perfect, most cinematic way to end the night. and i've daydreamed about this, a kiss somewhere other than a sixth grade pizza party with someone who actually knew and cared about me. so i said what we both knew i wanted to say.

"yes, you can."



✦•······················•✦•······················•✦



thank you for reading chapter 46!

writing withdrawal is a real thing 😭 this chapter was so fun to write!