a/n: the ending sucks, but what’s new? i can never figure out how to end fics lol
•••
It was a nice summer day, so Dells decided to take you out on a date to the field he plays at. You two have been seeing each other for a while now, two and a half months or so, having met two months before you started dating, and things were slowly becoming more and more serious.
“What are we doing here?” You wonder as Dells parks the car and reaches into the backseat for something. He retrieves a catcher’s mitt, a bat, and baseball.
“We’re gonna play some ball,” he says happily. You get out of the car and follow him to the field. He hands you the bat, pressing a single kiss to your cheek before running off to the pitcher’s mound.
“You better go easy on me, Dells! I’m not as fast and strong as the people you play,” you yell to him. He laughs and shakes his head, getting ready to throw the first pitch. Thankfully, he throws it slow enough and you actually make contact with it, hitting it straight towards him. He catches it with ease and gives you a thumbs up.
“Nice job! Think you can handle a faster pitch?”
“Uh, no! That was perfect.”
“Oh come on, you’re no fun.”
“Shut it, Dells, just throw the ball.” You chuckle and get ready for the pitch. You notice he takes a moment before getting into position, staring at you with a happy expression on his face.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” you cheekily say.
“Shut it and get ready for the pitch,” he teases.
“I’ve been ready!” He continues and throws the ball, but this time, you miss it and it hits the fence behind you.
This goes on for an hour or so, occasionally switching positions and sharing kisses during breaks. You were having a lot of fun, until the sun suddenly disappeared as clouds rolled in.
You were in the batter’s box, looking up at the grey sky. Suddenly, Dells is right next to you.
“Was it supposed to rain today?” You wonder. Dells’ hand takes a hold of your hand as he shrugs.
“I don’t think so.” Right as he finished thunder boomed and rain began to slowly pour down onto the field. Then, it was a sudden downpour, soaking the both of you immediately. You run straight to the dugout, laughing loudly together. Dells sets the bat, glove, and ball down on the bench and stands next to you as you watch the rain fall.
“Looks like we aren’t going to be playing anymore,” he says, wrapping his arm around your shoulder after he notices you shiver a little.
“Yeah. So, I guess that’s the end of our date?” You awkwardly say, not really wanting the date to be over yet. Dells looks down at you with a small grin and a mischievous look in his eyes.
“It doesn’t have to be.” You raise your eyebrows in question. Dells removes his arm and drags you out onto the field, in the rain.
“Johnathan!” You scream, gasping out in shock. The cool rain soaks you even more, but Dells has no care in the world.
“It’s just rain! What, are you scared of it or something?” He jokes, smiling widely.
“No. I just don’t like being wet and cold.”
You and Dells keep playing and spinning around, chasing each other. You end up sliding in the mud when Dells makes a sharp turn, throwing you off.
“Johnathan Michael Dellamonica!” You scream out, laying on the ground, defeated. He runs right over to you and helps you up, laughing the entire time.
“It’s not funny!” You can’t help but laugh as well, keeping a tight hold on his arm as you stand up in the slippery mud.
“We should get going now,” he suggests. You agree as Dells carefully runs back to the dugout to grab his things.
You clean yourself up a little bit with a towel Johnathan had in his car before hopping in.
“You can borrow some of my clothes,” Jonathan tells you as you step into his home. “The shower is upstairs, second door on the left. You can go up now and I’ll bring you a towel and some clothes.”
“Thanks. It’s the least you can do after making me fall in the mud.” Dells laughs and rubs your cheek softly.
“I’m sorry, baby. But it was kind of funny.” Your hands push against his chest, making him back away a little.
Turning around, you head upstairs to the bathroom and quickly jump into the shower, turning the water as hot as you could stand it.
“It’s me, I have a t-shirt and sweats for you on the counter,” Dells’ voice calls over the water. You don’t respond since he backs out before you can say anything. You finish your shower pretty quickly, just wanting to cuddle up next to Dells before heading back home.
Once you’re dry and dressed, you walk back to the living room, finding Dells in a different outfit and surrounded by blankets and snacks. He senses your presence and glances up from his phone.
“You look so damn adorable,” he says, setting his phone down on the table to give you all of his attention.
“Your clothes are comfy,” you mumble, falling onto the couch next to him. He pulls you right into his arms and looks towards the tv.
“They’re saying that the storm is going to get worse,” he begins. Nodding, you rest your head on his shoulder, pulling a blanket around you.
“How worse?”
“Strong winds, thunder, lightning. I…” Dells pauses, shuffling in his seat a bit.
“What?” You gaze up at your boyfriend. A nervous look flashes in his eyes.
“I don’t think it’ll be safe to drive home in,” he shyly responds. You know exactly what he’s hinting at.
“Just say you want me to spend the night,” you tease, reaching up to kiss his flushed cheek.
“Will it make you happy if I admit it?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes, I want you to spend the night with me.” You both laugh and cuddle close to one another, watching the TV as the weatherman explains what is possible with the weather.
“Looks like we’re going to be here for a while, so do you want to watch a movie?” Dells asks. He still sounds nervous, which confuses you. But then you realize that this is the first time that you’re sleeping over at his house.
It was a big step in your relationship, since you’ve only gone on dates and have only stayed at each other’s places for a few hours; not the entire afternoon and night.
“Yeah, sure. Got anything good?” He points you over to a case filled with DVD cases. After a lot of debating, you settle on Forrest Gump, as it’s a classic.
So, you two make some frozen pizza that Dells had in his freezer and cuddle up on the couch once it’s done. You two sat next to one another, close enough to feel each other’s body heat.
Halfway through the film, your food now long gone, Dells wraps an arm around your body and pulls you closer to him, making you lean against him.
“Can I, uh, well, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say, or tell you, or get off my chest,” he stutters, beginning to breathe heavily.
“What is it, Dells?” You wonder, sitting up from his chest. He quickly glances down at your entwined hands before staring into your eyes.
“I think I love you,” he whispers. You freeze, not expecting those words one bit.
“Wh-”
“You don’t have to say anything back, I just wanted you to know how I feel. I love you and I care for you a lot.”
“I feel the same,” you murmur, copying Dells’ actions and looking down at your hands. “I love you, Jonathan.”
“Really?” A huge smile crosses his face, bringing his hands up to your face to cup your cheeks and pull you in for a kiss.
“Yeah. You’re a great boyfriend and so damn sweet, there’s no doubt in my mind that I love you.” You go right back to kissing him, enjoying the feel of his soft lips on yours.
I wasn't really sure of this book when I started, because of the change in location and characters from the first book, but I assumed it would all connect eventually, and I definitely love how it did! I love most of the new characters we are introduced to in this book, and I found it really interesting to see the backstory of Leck, from when he was a child and figuring out how to control everyone around him, and how he managed to appear in Monsea and become King. It would be nice to see some characters from this book appear in Bitterblue, but considering the time difference I'm not sure if we will, however the book does leave that path open, what with the characters becoming interested in checking out Monsea, in order to know if they need to protect themselves or not, and considering Leck was the first Graceling they met, I too would be worried.
