Note: Short clouis confession from Louis’ point of view? Yes, please.
AO3
---
“...Everyone hears the jokes, the piano... after that, they stop listening. You didn’t.”
From within the confines of his chest, Louis’ heart thrashes against his rib cage, almost demanding to be let free, to save him from this overwhelming silence that fell upon the music room.
He’s about to break, about to curl in on the disappointment and rejection, perhaps crack a joke and pretend he didn’t just open himself up to the girl beside him.
Clementine avoids his gaze, a thoughtfulness crossing her expression as she eyes the initials carved into the piano encased within a heart. A heart- a damn heart!
He might throw up. Fuck, that’d be embarrassing.
“Hey, Clementine, thank you for not giving up on me after everything and seeing me for who I really am! I’m sorry that I puked all over your boots after I pretty much told you how much you mean to me! If the raiders don’t kill us, I owe you a new pair! What’s your shoe size?”
Warmth seeps into his skin, breaking his train of thought. Clementine grabs his hand, scooting herself close enough for their thighs to press together. He’s amazed his eyes didn’t bug right out of his head.
“So, um,” she starts, running a thumb over his. “I like you, a lot. Like, like you... as more than a friend.”
...Wait, did she just-
“I like you, a lot.”
Holy shit-
“-as more than a friend.”
“-more than a friend.”
“-more than a friend.”
Over and over, her words echo through his brain as he stares at her, the timid smile one occupying her lips falling when he remains shocked into silence.
“...No jokes? Nothing?”
Holy shit, she’s worried.
C’mon, Louis, get your shit together!
“...When you said you had feelings for someone during the game, I was hoping it was me,” Louis confesses, letting out a small, shaky breath. Giddiness overwhelms him, bringing a toothy grin of his own as he continues, “And it is. Holy shit, it’s me!”
Relief cuts through her worry as she laughs.
“Of course it’s you,” she squeezes his hand, “who else would it be?”
“Imaginary walker dude from the woods-” Clementine rolls her eyes, but laughs, “-since, y’know, you said you’d marry him and all. Or Violet, since you two are close... Aasim, Ruby... Hell, maybe Mitch had you swooning with all his charm?”
“You’re a weirdo,” she nudges his shoulder fondly.
“Yeah, but apparently, you’re into that so who’s the real weirdo here?”
“Both of us.”
“Both of us,” he agrees, biting his lip and shifting his position, fingers pressing into the keys. “Figured out what to call the song.”
“Yeah?”
“Clementine,” he grins. “Y’know, because I like fruit.”
She raises a brow at him in mock annoyance, but the rosiness heating her skin says that she’s anything but.
“And I like you even more, so-” Louis finishes off with the final press of keys, fingers trembling, “...there.”
Clementine sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, moistening it with her tongue as Louis continues to babble.
“You know, of all the things I saw coming, you having a crush on me was not it. I mean, you stabbing me in my sleep? Yes. You having a crush on me? No-”
Holy shit-
Her hand presses against the back of his head, pulling him down to meet her in a kiss which Louis feels himself melt into with eyes closed and a soft sigh. Their lips press together, unsure but comfortable, warm and intoxicating. He could do this all night, all year, all decade, for the rest of his life.
A soft moan vibrates in Clementine’s throat and Louis nearly passes out. He’s too warm, flushed cheeks throbbing in time with his erratic heart. When they finally part, lingering close, breaths mingling as lids flutter open.
Louis laughs.
He can’t help it. He giggles like some lovestruck fool.
Description: Clementine wakes up from a horrible nightmare and Louis makes it his mission to make her feel better. His plan is adorably odd.
Notes: This originally wasn’t for the TWDG drabble challenge (I started writing it way before knowing about it), but I thought I might as well participate! ^-^
Thanks to @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale for creating this challenge!
Read on AO3
————————————————————————————————-
Blood. All she could see was blood. It followed her around like a shadow, leaving a trail of wet footprints as she roamed the depths of her darkest memories.
“Hey,” he whispered, “it’s okay.”
Clementine ran her fingers through her temple, wishing it would be enough to soothe the ringing in her ears… but it wasn’t. Each time her heart pulsed it felt like a stab to the chest, a feeling that worsened the dizziness in her head.
Just breathe, she told herself, you’ve been through this before.
Louis rubbed her back, watching in silence as she did her best to calm herself down. He hated to see her like this. The nightmares had started to become more frequent in the last two weeks, and it seemed that no matter how much he tried, nothing he did or said had any effect on her. Of course, he could tell she was thankful. Every time, she’d squeeze his hand or give him a small smile; but the look in her eyes always returned to the same tiredness and dread.
He rested his head against her forehead and stared into the night sky, barely visible due to the window’s wooden boards. He watched quietly as the stars sparkled through the dark, creating striking patterns that spread like small blotches of paint in a black canvas. Louis took in the beauty of the constellations. Only those who’d attempt to connect the dots would be met with such a magnificent sight…
Then, it hit him.
In a blink of an eye, he crawled on the bed and sat in front of Clementine, crossing his legs.
“Count my freckles.”
“What?”
“My freckles,” he said, taking her hands in his and gently pulling her toward him, “count them.”
Clementine stared at him in awe, her voice muffled by an invisible cloth of perplexity. The gap between them was now almost non-existent, with her arms resting around his neck and his hands on her back.
“… and just how am I supposed to do that?”
He smiled at her. “It’s easy! Just start on one side and once you’re done, move on to the other.”
The cogs that worked in her brain failed to keep up with the reckless thumping of her burning chest.
“What made you think of that?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just trust me, okay?”
She pursed her lips, inspecting his face. A sea of freckles adorned his cheeks and nose, going all the way up to his forehead. Attempting to count them would be the equivalent of madness; but when her eyes fell upon his again, so loving and inviting, she had no choice but to go along with the odd task he’d given her.
Clementine breathed in slowly, an attempt to cool her tense body.
“Alright, I’ll try.”
Louis tilted his head, “Yeah?”
She gave him a ghost of a smile, “Yeah.”
He stared at her fondly, observing how the moonlight that spilled inside the room enveloped her in its delicate glow. Holding her close, he leaned in for a tender kiss.
“Okay,” he murmured, pulling away just enough for his nose to brush hers. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Clementine prepared herself to embark on the impossible quest that was counting the boy’s freckles. A spirited debate on how to best approach the situation began to run on her mind, yet none of the options voiced seemed efficient enough for the job. Noticing her struggle, Louis pressed his lips against hers again in an act of encouragement.
“You got this.”
She listened to his words. Saying she was putting too much thought into it would be an understatement. Perhaps going with the flow wasn’t such a bad idea.
So, she did just that.
Her eyes studied the left side of his face, stopping at the smallest dot.
One, two… she counted, taking a closer look at his cheek. Five more over here, six smaller ones over there – no, seven…
Just as she was processing that information, Louis planted a quick kiss on her lips.
“Louis.”
“What?” he asked, failing miserably to hide the grin on his face.
“You keep kissing me.”
“Oh, didn’t I mention?” he said, raising a brow, “I’ve decided that every five seconds or so, I’ll kiss you.”
She shook her head, “You know I won’t be able to keep track of your freckles if you do that.”
“Well, that’s what makes it a challenge!”
Clementine sighed. At that point, it might as well have been better to make up a random number and go with it.
“Okay, then. How about…” she whispered, the corners of her mouth lifting into a small smile, “nine hundred and fourteen?”
The way his laughter ignited the room caused her heart to flutter.
“As much as I’d love to have as many freckles as the number of floors in our magnificent purple house,” he said, pulling her in for another kiss, “no, I don’t think so. Try again.”
Just when she was about to speak, he intervened once more.
“Oh, and before you ask,” he shifted on the bed, “yes, I do know how many freckles I have on my face.”
That statement alone made her burst into a fit of giggles. He couldn’t possibly be serious.
“Yeah, I’m not even gonna pretend I believe that.”
“Hey, it’s true!”
“You counted them?”
He paused for a moment, his memories taking him back to much simpler times.
“Yup, used to do it a lot back when I was younger. Every day, I’d wake up and run to the mirror to check if there were any new ones,” he said, a subtle pout then forming on his lips, “Didn’t see many changes, though.”
The image of a little Louis standing in front of a mirror, squinting his eyes at his own reflection in search of new members for his freckle collection was incredibly adorable to Clementine. She pictured the shine in his eyes and the smile that’d surface on his face on the rare occasions he’d find another one, his inner joy projecting itself onto the outside world with each one of his victory dances.
She was brought back to reality when she felt him brush a strand of hair away from her face.
“That means no cheating.” he told her.
“Alright, alright…”
A new strategy was very well needed.
Her eyes alone wouldn’t do the task justice, that was certain; not when it was so easy for her to lose herself in that captivating labyrinth of his. Clementine tugged on her bottom lip. Perhaps she could find another tool…
Her hand left his shoulder and slid up his cheek, its softness welcoming her fingers to carefully trace the constellations he wore so beautifully on his skin. She used her thumb to mark his freckles, gently brushing it along each one she came across. A rosy tint soon began to spread on his face as he kissed her yet again. Clementine smiled against his lips, ignoring the strong urge to keep them bound to her own. Instead, she let her fingertips guide the way once more, her focused gaze preventing her from losing track of anything.
Her finger then reached his nose, carefully running it along the bridge all the way down to the tip. Louis flinched slightly, unable to suppress a laugh when she repeated the process again.
“I didn’t know you were the ticklish type.” she teased.
“I’m not.”
Clementine raised a brow. Shortly after, she was drawing small circles on top of his nose, smiling when she got the exact same reaction from him.
“You were saying?”
“Okay, okay,” he laughed, brushing her hand away, “maybe a little.”
A sense of calm submerged her body as she watched him with a tenderness only he could match. To think that a while earlier her heart had fallen victim to her mind’s haunting echoes of the past…
She repelled those thoughts away.
At last, her eyes scanned his forehead. It was slightly less busy than the rest of his face, which made the tiny specks far less challenging to count. Applying the same method, she found herself jumping from freckle to freckle in between kisses until there was none left.
Just as Louis leaned in once more, Clementine placed a finger on top of his lips.
“Eighty-four.”
He stared at her, wide-eyed.
“Oh, I-…” he breathed, “I didn’t expect you to actually count.”
She let out a quiet laugh, watching as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“So, did I get it right?’
“Close,” he said, smiling softly, “it’s eighty-seven.”
Damn.
His hand trailed down her arm, stopping to enlace their fingers together.
“It was a good effort, though.”
She silently agreed.
With that, Louis left his previous position to sit properly on the bed. Once again, he looked up at the peaceful night sky, admiring the stars that glowed in its dark blue tint. He hoped that she’d found the cluster of freckles on his face just as soothing as the constellations that glimmered above.
“Hey, Louis?”
The melody of her quiet voice made him turn to her. Her gaze was low, resting upon her lap, as if she was deep in thought. He waited patiently for her to continue, but nothing came. He held his breath as he yearned for a reaction – anything that’d tell him that it had worked, that it had been worth it… that she was okay.
He didn’t have to wait long.
The shine on Clementine’s eyes when she finally glanced up at him made him push all his fears away.
“Not at the dinner table!” Louis shouts over to the other table as the rest watched Ruby flinch away from her boyfriend, that she was about to kiss, as Louis screams; the freckled boy earned himself a slap on the arm from his girlfriend and Aasim chucked his middle finger up at him too. “Come on, it’s not polite now is it?”
Louis directs his question at the small boy sitting next to him shooting him a smile and he returns giggling lightly.
“Louis.” Clementine warns squeezing his arm to get his attention, he turns to her with a wide grin before leaning in pressing his lips on her shortly. She tried to frown against his lips to show that she’s not happy, but his lips are just so soft against hers she loves it smiling gently.
Violet motions her finger to her mouth as she fake gags at the couple as Clementine mumbles ‘hypocrite’ under her breath nevertheless enjoying her boyfriend’s humor.
“Hey,” Louis whispers “I have something for you.” Louis’ grin never left his face as he pulls out a piece of string out of his coat pocket; the string was in a circle formation with a sliver ‘L’ in the centre. She couldn’t hide the tears that welled up in her eyes as she watched him softly grab her arm and place it on her wrist.
Her eyes struggle to leave the gift on her wrist to look him in eye. “W-Why?”
TWDG Writing Challenge Day 3 - “You Make Me Laugh”
@stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale
Laughter burned Clementine’s throat. Her cheeks hurt from smiling and tears pricked her amber eyes as she continued to wheeze.
“Someone’s in a giggly mood tonight.” Louis commented, hands residing on his hips. “You might want to be careful though. You look like you’re gonna pass out.”
She wiped her eyes, the occasional giggle still escaping her. “No, I’m fine. You just really got me with that one.”
Her boyfriend smirked. “Who knew our fearsome leader was so tickled by toilet humour. I mean, it’s not exactly to my taste, but I aim to please.”
“The way you tell it always manages to get a laugh out of me, no matter what the joke is.”
“Aw, you flatter me, Clem.” Louis responded, clasping his heart - which thundered against his rib-cage, set into overdrive by his girlfriend’s charming reaction to his lowbrow jokes.
“I’m serious. You’re so funny, Louis. Like, really really funny.” She insisted, knowing full well that his reply had been slightly disingenuous.
Her boyfriend’s chocolatey brown eyes deterred, as he stared out at the pouring rain and creeping twilight. “Thanks…” He said in the ghost of a whisper.
Any remnants of her dying laughter faded along with the setting sun. She hugged herself and leaned back against the cold brick wall, while tracing circles in her sleeve.
A silence rippled around the couple. Even the deafening rain seemed so far away. Thankfully, the awkward break in their conversation was short lived, as Louis buried his hands deep into his pockets and began to speak. “I can’t remember…” He trailed off, his voice snatched by the harsh wind. His brow furrowed as a thought snagged his attention.
“Remember what?” She asked, her expression filled with curiosity.
“…The last time someone called me funny.” He finished. “I’ve been called many things. Stupid. Immature. Annoying. Shithead. Dick… But never funny.”
Clementine’s heart ached. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words of comfort emerged. Her exhale of breath merely joined the bitter night air.
“Y’know one time I suggested to Marlon that we should have a comedy night. It would be open mic, so people could participate if they wanted. It was mostly an excuse to just… Make people happy, for once.” He paused for a moment, and sighed deeply. “I had suggested stuff like that before. A singing competition, a talent show… But those ideas all fell through.”
She managed to find her voice. “What did he say to that one?”
“He said ‘No offence, Louis, but we’re all getting pretty sick of your jokes.’” He answered, his frown deepening. “He didn’t even exclude himself. My best friend was getting sick of me too.”
Clementine closed the gap between them, and touched his cheek. His skin was icy and chilling to the bone. With some force, she turned his head, so that his gaze met hers. “I’d never say anything like that to you. You know that, right?”
Louis’ face softened and his hands left his pockets. He stroked her black hair and curled a ringlet around his finger. “I know.”
Her hand left his cheek, and dropped to her side. “A comedy night isn’t a bad suggestion. We should definitely try to organise that.”
His eyes sparkled with hope. “You mean it?”
She nodded firmly. “Yeah. You’ve already got one fan, so if nobody laughs at your routine, then I’ll be there to cheer you on.”
Louis smiled - a sweet and genuine smile, which radiated with such pure and unfiltered joy, that it was enough to banish the storm. He then planted a kiss on her lips. “Thank you, Clem. That means the world to me.”
Clementine caught him as he pulled away, landing another kiss. “Anytime.”
take it from me ( i’d be lost without you )
↳ Q’s twdg writing challenge
character(s): mitch, willy, aasim
ship(s): n/a
word count: 480
author’s note: takes place within a survival au for mitch, our boy who deserved better™. if you’re interested, you can read a little more about this particular au of mine right here!’
[ ao3 link ]
*credits to the wonderful @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale for creating this challenge! you can view the entire prompt list + further details here. happy writing!!
― ☼ ―
day one ; scar.
It’s been months since the end of the Delta’s wrath. Months that somehow feel like both mere seconds and several long, grueling years.
Mitch still resents them all. The people responsible for such heartache leave a bitter taste in his mouth, the woman who’d nearly taken his life at the forefront of his seemingly endless supply of dark and hostile thoughts. He’s reminded every single day of the ever-lasting effects she’s left behind, a burning sense of loathing he can’t quite shake for a dead woman who’s changed his world forever.
The scar across his neck stands out like a neon sign, highlighted by the natural daylight that spills across the courtyard. He’s sure he’ll never get used to seeing it, during the rare, fleeting times when he’s bold enough to look directly into a mirror. Jagged and angry-red, stretched from the middle of his throat to the beginning of his jawline, it’s a downright miracle he’s still here.
Or is it? Logic says he’s lucky to be alive, yet more often than not, it doesn’t always feel so simple.
He wishes the others didn’t have to lay eyes on it, even if they’ll always pretend not to look each time he catches them staring. He doesn’t know which is worse; when they poorly act as if they ignore it, or whenever they try their best in often awkward attempts at making him feel better. Either way, others walking on eggshells around him makes him feel more damaged than he already is. Like a wounded, feral animal ready to snap.
There was once a time when that’s the way he preferred it to be.
“Kinda makes him look like Frankenstein, right?” Willy innocently pipes up as they sit together at the picnic tables before dinner.
The bandages and stitches have only recently been removed, showcasing marred skin for all to see. Mitch wishes he still had them to hide behind.
Aasim stiffens from his place next to the excitable boy, pencil halting abruptly against the yellowed paper of his faithful ‘history book.’ Yet without a visible response from Mitch to indicate any discomfort about the statement, he corrects him in his typical way, “Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster.”
Monster. Is that what he is? A grotesque, scarred beast that people always fear in stories, chased by angry mobs with pitchforks and torches until he’s been killed or chased into perpetual hiding.
Calloused fingertips unknowingly trace along the raised edges of the healed wound. He’s been awarded with a second chance that feels wasted by a constant feeling of resentment, tainted by haunting memories that barely let him sleep without plaguing nightmares. He’s since lost count of how many times he’s awoken in the middle of the night as a result, a hoarse, broken scream ringing out from vocal cords left altered forevermore.
Clementine, Ruby, Violet, and Brody were out fishing. It was nice to have some girl time away from the guys. They like gossiping about stupid things the boys have done.
“Aasim gave me flowers yesterday,” Ruby said.
“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Brody commented.
“Marlon got me a new knife when my old one broke,” Clementine mentioned.
“Nice!” Violet said.
“Clem, we should go on a double date!”
“Oh, I would kill to see how Marlon and Aasim interact,” Violet said.
Ruby continued to talk about how nice and sweet Aasim is to her, from little gifts to hand kisses. Marlon didn’t really do any of that. Sure he was affectionate, especially when they’re alone, but he didn’t give her any gifts out of the blue and they weren’t as coupley as Ruby and Aasim. Were they doing something wrong?
The girls finished their fishing haul and headed back to Ericsons.
“Hey.”
Clementine looked at Marlon walking over to her. She smiled as their lips met with a kiss, which was immediately followed by Violet gagging at it. They both ignored it.
“I got something to show you.”
Marlon held her hand and guided her to her office. On her desk were a couple of animal skulls and a bunch of flowers in a vase.
“I found those out hunting today, figured you’d like them.” He explained.
Clementine smiled. Their love isn’t wrong, it was different. All love is different, this was just how they expressed theirs. At the end of the day, they still loved each other.
“I love them.” She said, before pulling him to her. They kissed again.
“Gross!” AJ’s voice pulled them apart.
They both chuckled before AJ asked Clem and Marlon about fishing and hunting.
Another aspect about their love, they love their alone time.
Noticeable Features: A scar on his left cheek. No facial hair except a little mustache. Uses make up to hide his bags under his eyes (thinks it’s fashion)
Typical Clothing: Blue denim vest, as well as denim pants, a yellow t-shirt, a black choker necklace, used ‘Le coq sportif’ shoes. Sometimes he changes of style and wears instead a black binder, and leggings.
Preferred Weapon: Revolver, knife
Backstory: He used to live in LA, his family was quite better-off, despite Jordan (his father) being an important demonstrator for LGBT rights back in the 2000's (He and Ella, Geoff’s mother, were bisexual). But as the apocalypse happened, they had to leave LA and to leave to East. By turns of events they found Paul, a policeman who used to be best friends with Jordan. But as Paul is an extremist who wanted to follow the orders of his superiors (even if the said superiors don't have ethics anymore) Jordan on the other side wanted to protect the most people. Geoffrey became a good friend of Lyla, Paul's daughter, and with Mary, a mysterious girl infected but somehow not turning...In the end, because of an attack of the Delta, his parents died, Paul died too, and Lyla and Mary disappeared. After long months of wandering, he finds Ericson Boarding School.
Facts about Geoffrey:
1. As Geoffrey has a perfect ear, Jordan encouraged him to play music, his favorite instrument is guitar (electric, spanish or acoustic, he doesn't mind)
2. Geoffrey's favorite song is 'J't’emmene au vent’ by Louis Attaque.
3. Geoffrey is an existentialist, only acts matter for him, and so he hates killing, child having guns (like AJ), and he wants to save everyone, including ‘gray’ persons.
4. Geoffrey is a total disaster about love, or about emotions in general. His emotions can be easily read (”like a book”, and he’s a truly bad liar, that’s why Lyla did the bluff stuff to save both their lives multiple times.
5. Geoffrey masters 3 languages : French, Spanish and English (he used his knowledge to have ‘secret talk’ with Lyla, so nobody else could understand them)
6. Geoffrey owns a car, a green Citroen 2CV Charleston, which he nicknamed ‘Eloïse’, that Mary found once in an abandoned garage. She modified the car so it could run on diesel (normal fuel has degraded since years), and apart from some little coughs and sputters, the car runs fine for its age.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
@maybemitch Thanks for allowing me to use your layout.
Written for @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale writing challenge. Day #25 Oops.
Summary: Javi helps Mariana tell Tenn how she feels, but it doesn’t exactly go according to plan.
Note: inspired by this ask @king-of-clubs98 sent to @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale.
Word Count: 989
A03
Wattpad
~
Mariana sat under one of the trees in front of the school, writing in her small journal Aasim had given to her. She wrote about what she could remember from the weird dream she had last night, and the delicious veggie and rabbit stew Omar had cooked for breakfast that morning (although she still felt a little guilty about eating a cute, little rabbit).
But there was also something else she wrote about in her journal. Or rather, someone else…
She felt a silly smile spread on her face as she turned to a fresh page to start writing about a certain young boy who had recently caught her interest…
“Hey honey.” A deep voice greeted. She jumped in surprise as she tore her focus off of the page and saw Javier walking towards her. She quickly shut her journal and sat it beside her as she greeted him with a smile.
“Hey, Uncle Javi.” She replied sweetly.
“Whatcha up to?” he questioned as he sat in front of her.
“Oh...nothing… just writing in my journal.” She explained, as she ran her finger across the cover.
“Ahh, I see. I’m glad your getting some good use out of it. It was really nice of Aasim to give it to you.”
“Yeah, I really like it. It’s nice to have a private place to store my thoughts.”
“That’s great sweetheart. It’s always nice to have something you can call your own.” He agreed.
Mariana nodded with a smile.
A comfortable silence fell between them as that enjoyed each other’s company. Mariana allowed her eyes to wander her surroundings. She saw a squirrel run across the school gate, and two butterflies playing tag near the picnic tables. And on one the picnic tables sat Tenn…looking…right at her. She jumped slightly as she caught sight of his stare. She quickly darted her eyes to the left and then back at him before lifting her arm up and giving him a friendly (and kinda awkward) wave along with what she was sure looked like a silly smile. Tenn waved back with a shy smile of his own before returning to his drawing.
Javi snickered.
She snapped her attention back to him. “What’s so funny?”
Javi jabbed his head in Tenn’s direction. “You like him, don’t you?”
Mari felt her cheeks heat up. “I…uh, well…” she stuttered.
“I knew it!” Javi chuckled. “I knew there was a special little something going on between you too.” He said as Mari tried to hide her red face into her sweater.
“Aww, don’t be embarrassed, sunshine. It’s only natural that you’d fall for someone sooner or later.” He reassured as he brushed a stray hair away from her face.
“I guess.” She replied bashfully.
Javi chuckled once more. “Sooo… are you gonna tell him?” he asked with a teasing smile/
“I-no! Well…I mean… I don’t know…” she answered, feeling herself getting more flustered by the second.
Javi’s smile widened. “Well, I think you should. If there’s anything I learned about this day and age, is to not leave anything left unsaid.”
Mari thought for a moment. He was right. Tomorrow really exactly promised. So, why not make the most of today?
She smiled to herself as she felt her confidence grow a little. “Yeah, I guess you’re right…ok, I’ll tell him.”
“That’s my girl.” Javi held his hand up for a high five which she gladly returned.
“So, how should I tell him?” she asked. Javi felt himself smile.
“Well, if you’re up for it, I think I have the perfect, creative way to let him know how you feel.”
~
Mari took a deep breath as she prepared herself to walk over to Tenn. This time, he was sitting on the couch. She glanced over her shoulder to where Javi stood under the tree. He gave her an encouraging thumbs up and a smile. She smiled back as she rehearsed the line one more time in her head before making her way over to where he sat.
“Hey, Tenn.” She greeted cheerily.
“Oh, hey Mari. Hey what’s up.” Tenn replied with a smile. Mari felt a swarm of butterflies flutter around in her stomach.
“Oh, nothing much. I, uh just wanted to tell you something.”
“Oh, alright. What is it?” he asked.
She took another deep breath.
“Well, I just wanted to ask…Are you from Tennessee? Cuz you’re the only ten I see.”
Silence.
Complete silence. It was almost as if everyone in the yard just completely stopped what they were doing, and all that could be heard was a gentle breeze that blew by and a bird cawing overhead.
Tenn just sat there. Staring at her with a bewildered expression on his face.
“Uh…I…Uh...” she stammered as she felt her face heat up.
“Dummy, Dummy, Dummy! Why did think this would work?!” she mentally scolded herself.
Tenn cocked his head to the side. “Are you ok? Your face is really red? Do you want some water?” He asked innocently, not knowing about the girl’s internal distress.
“I…uh…nope! I’m fine! See you later.” She responded quickly before dashing back to where Javi was standing.
“Uh…ok…” Tenn replied confused as he watched her run off.
“That was kinda weird…” he said to himself. He pushed himself off the couch before making his way inside. As he walked into the school, he mulled the line over and over in his head, trying to understand what she meant.
“Are you from Tennessee? Cuz you’re the only tenn…the only ten…I se- Wait!”
He stopped in his tracks and felt his cheeks burn. He looked back to where Mari was and saw her talking to Javi with her hands on her hips and a flustered look on her bright red face.
Tenn felt a bashful smile spread across his lips, as he made a mental note to talk with Louis later and ask him if he knew any lines he could use.
