𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 || 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫

dude, let's slow down

"Can we talk in private?" He asked. Christian sighed as we all sat there, he probably just wanted us to talk all together to get things done but Vinnie had a different idea.

"If you have something you want to say, you can say it here. Just to make sure you don't manipulate her anymore." Austin was still holding onto my hand but I got up from the couch and ruffled his hair.

"It's fine, let me just have some time to talk privately with him. You need to talk to her alone too." I started to walk upstairs to the guest room I used to use as Vinnie followed behind me. I sat on the bed and he sat across from me. I brought my knees up to my chest, and he sat there with his legs hanging down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey." He slightly smiled at me and I turned to look at him.

"Why'd you do it?" I asked quickly before we made the conversation into something else. He turned away from me and sighed, "I don't know, I was just-"

I interrupted him, "If you say "drunk" one more time."

He laughed, "No, I was just not really feeling like myself."

"Okay."

He took another deep breath, "Emily manipulated me into feeling bad for her, but I also know that it was my fault for kissing her. I know that I will probably take the blame because it doesn't seem like Em is going to be staying in the group anymore."

Em? Oh, so she was on the nicknames stage with him.

I nodded my head, but didn't say anything. He continued and I kept staring at the blank screen of the tv, "So you and Austin?"

I shook my head, "It's only been three weeks Vin, it still hurts a bit. But you never know what could happen." I heard my voice, but it really didn't sound like me. I sounded really dull, just bland. "I just wish you hadn't done it, because now that's all I see when I look at you."

"I know." He nodded his head and I felt his cold hand interlace with my own, I was going to pull away but I knew that at least from me this was chaste and I would forget about it soon after.

"Why'd you tell Emily about your parents?"

He bit his inner lip, "I just needed to think about them for once, and she was just right there so I did. And then I kept talking and talking, and I couldn't stop. Then soon enough everything was out." I looked over at him. His dull green eyes pulled me back into a realization that I had always been around Vinnie since we were little, so the one time I wasn't, he really needed me. When I see him, I think about his parents. I see the empty pill containers that always laid nicely on their dining room table. The ones they would refill and make Vinnie put in brown paper bags, he would walk over to the neighbors and sometimes we went with him. And every time someone questioned what Vinnie's parents did for a living, we always said they were entrepreneurs. We knew we were lying, but it was all for Vinnie anyway. "I went to visit my mom last week."

"That's good, how is she?"

"She wasn't there anymore, she transferred to another facility I guess."

"What about your dad?" I asked.

"He was there, but he didn't want to talk to me." His thumb was lightly brushing against my skin as we sat there. I looked up at him and he looked at me too. His nice eyes and smile,  just a couple things I missed about him but I was still distant. He continued to look at me, his eyes trailing down to my lips then back to my eyes again. "It's great to talk to you again though." I nodded my head as he started to lean in close to me, his other hand now on my cheek.

His curly dirty blonde hair laid nicely on him, "I love you (Y/n)." I breathed in and out and stayed quiet, "I just wanted to say it." He was closer now.

An inch closer and our lips would be touching, but then a knock came at the door. I quickly got up as he stayed there on the bed. I rubbed my eyes and then opened the door, Austin stood there smiling at me, "You ready to go?"

I looked back at Vinnie and he smiled. I looked back at Austin, "Yeah, let's go." We walked down stairs and Christian was sitting there kind of upset.

"What happened?" I asked as I looked around and saw no one else there.

"Just ask him." He pointed over to Austin and left to go upstairs.

>

He laid down next to me as I was already covered with the blanket. I had picked up some of my clothes from the house so now I was able to wear my usual pajamas at the house. "I just told her I didn't feel like we needed to be together anymore and she started crying more." He said as he put his phone down on the nightstand.

I didn't really want to say anything, because I was still thinking about what she said and I felt bad. I didn't mean to get in the way of their relationship.

" I mean, yeah I'm upset about it but she had been doing for a while and she always made me upset because of her actions. I just couldn't say anything because I hadn't confirmed our relationship yet." He turned his body to look at me and I did too still not replying to what he was saying. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I just don't have anything to say."

He nodded his head, "I'm sorry that I look at you the way I do, I know you feel bad about it." He moved closer to me, "It's just since she was doing those things, I was losing my feelings for her." He slightly smiled, "Imagine this. So I'm in class and I see this really pretty girl walk into the room, and she's new. Then I realized she was the new player on our football team, and something about that made me look at her in a way that I wish I could've stopped. But I never did."

I continued to look at him as he continued to talk, "It's like getting your driver's license and it feels like you are so free. With you I felt free, and I felt like someone actually cared for me. It's like I was being understood, that's why never wanted you to leave."

I smiled as his excitement rose, "I think I probably talked about you too much, but my grandma didn't mind." We both laughed and he spoke up again, " It's like we're living in Suburban Nothingness and out of everyone, I got to meet you. That's how perfect it's been for me these past days." He moved closer now, propping himself up on his elbow and looking at me, "Like everything is meant to be this way."

My heart was pumping out of my chest as I looked at the boy in front of me, all I could think about was him. The person beside me, the one I had been sharing a bed with or the past weeks. Someone who appreciated my presence and didn't make my life feel like complete and utter dog shit. And now that I think about it, Vinnie didn't give me a proper answer. He wanted me to pity him, and I just fell for it.

"What do you think?" He asked. My thoughts were back to him.

"I think things happen for a reason, maybe this is one of the things." His cheeks flushed as I looked at him and he put a strand of loose hair behind my ear.

"Good." His hand wandered to my shoulder as I began to have goosebumps because of his touch. Maybe it was cold, I only had a tank top and comfortable athletic shorts on. Or it could be that maybe I was willing to fall for him, and I just needed to accept it.

I nodded my head, his eyes still on me but now his hand wandered to my neck and then my jaw, "I have a request."

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Well I asked you to save a kiss for me, so can I-" I moved closer to him, now we were practically touching each other with our bodies. He stopped mid-sentence and looked at me. I trailed my hand up to his cheek and with my other hand I gripped onto his shirt and moved him closer,

" Go ahead."