You Belong With Me

Chapter 5 // The Bus Ride Home

"Ha...Harp...Harper!"

I turned my head towards the noise that I could just barely hear through my earbuds, taking one out.

"Hi..." I said, surprised.

"Well, are you going to scoot over, or what?" Logan replied with a grin on his face.

"Oh...yeah! Sorry, I just didn't realize you were sitting here again," I muttered awkwardly, pausing my music as I shifted towards the window.

"Do you not want me to? I can go sit somewhere else if you want," he offered with an expression I couldn't quite decipher.

"No, no! That's all good! You can sit here!" I exclaimed frantically, highly aware of how unconvincing I sounded.

I found myself wishing there was a way I could somehow tell him without saying anything that I actually really wanted him to sit here.

"I kind of want you to. Like, if you're okay with that..."

His face lifted, lips turning up at the sides, and eyes slightly crinkling.

"I kind of want to too. Like, if you're okay with that," he remarked, imitating me as he sat down.

"Shut up..." I grumbled as he nudged his shoulder with mine, face glowing with mischief.

I began putting away my earbuds now that I had someone to talk to, wrapping them up around my hand.

"So, what were you listening to?"

"'Classic' by MKTO. Have you heard of it before?" I questioned, getting excited that we were beginning to talk about a beloved topic of mine.

"No actually, I haven't."

"Hmm...what about Marianas Trench?"

"I think so? Not that I would recognize any of their songs, most likely."

I just stared at him, mouth agape and eyes wide.

"What?" he breathed out in a bit of a laugh.

"Okay, so when we get off the bus, are you going to show me what rock you were living under before you moved into the house next to mine?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Although I do have a very serious rock collection," he said proudly.

"...a rock collection?" I asked in clarification, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

He flashed a smirk at me, clearly amused by my reaction.

"I honestly can't tell if you're being serious right now or not," I admitted shyly, trying not to hurt his feelings.

He let out a large laugh.

"I mean, I do have a rock collection, but it was more of a serious thing when I was younger," he explained, a grin still plastered on his glowing face.

"Wow. So how did that happen?" I said, trying to regain the sarcastic, playful energy that we had throughout this conversation that my previous response lacked.

"I guess I just thought they looked cool, I don't know," he said with a shrug. "I began collecting them from every place we went, whether it was just a vacation, day trip, or new home."

I thought about what he said for a couple seconds.

"Sounds like they're pretty sentimental to you," I said seriously.

He blinked at me for a moment before responding.

"Yeah, I guess. I never really thought of it like that. I mean I haven't gotten rid of any since I started collecting, so I must have some sort of attachment to them."

I felt a small smile creep onto my face in thought.

"It must be a pretty serene feeling - collecting them, I mean."

He smiled back at me, nodding.

"It is pretty calming. I don't know, it sounds a bit silly I guess."

"No, I think it actually makes you pretty upstanding. Not many people would admit to this sort of thing out of fear of what people may think. I like this about you," I admitted, feeling slightly vulnerable putting my thoughts out there so easily.

He gave me a wide smile in response.

"Thanks, that means a lot."

I smiled back, feeling more confident with what I had said.

"No problem - oof!"

I must have missed the feeling of the bus coming to a stop, and ended up flying forward, hitting my forehead on the seat in front of me.

"Holy crap, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, putting his hands out to somehow help.

"Ugh, yeah..." I finally said as I held my head, unsure of what to do.

I was quickly checking to make sure my glasses were okay when all of sudden he let out a large laugh, closing his eyes.

I jerked my head in his direction, feeling confused and out of place at first. But the more he laughed the more I wanted to laugh with him, and that's exactly what happened until we were both a laughing mess, stepping down the stairs of the bus.

We walked to our houses together as the laughs died down and we were eventually left in a comfortable silence.

Once we reached the split between his driveway and mine, we turned to face each other, staying silent for a couple of seconds.

I was silent because I just didn't know what to say - the perks of being shy and somewhat socially awkward - but his reason was unclear to me.

"I'll see you later," he said quietly, smiling.

I smiled back, struggling to come up with something to say that would hopefully stick with him.

"Off to check on your rock collection?" I tried, hoping it would make him at least almost laugh.

He let out a small chuckle of which I felt accomplished hearing.

"Yeah, try not to blast Marianas Trench and MKTO too loud. Wouldn't want to lose your hearing before graduation," he joked back, walking to his front door.

"I'll play it extra loud just for you - no earbuds," I called back, making my way to my own door.

He waved me off with his hand, disappearing inside.

I stood there for a second watching where he stood just a moment ago, not entirely sure why.

Maybe hoping he would come back out?

Maybe hoping our conversation didn't have to end?

Maybe hoping that if our conversation didn't end, we wouldn't end and I wouldn't be temporary.

He didn't come back out, our conversation didn't resume, and I walked into my house, closing the door behind me, somehow feeling temporary.