Never Have I Ever...Turned 16

Part 4

Saturday Part 1
4:38 am
Devi's POV
Devi dragged the life size wooden moped into the garage as quietly as she could.  The stupid thing was surprisingly heavy and she was unable to lift it completely off the ground.  Once she reached the side of the garage, she carefully lowered it to the ground and turned to lift the fabric covering off of her dad's blue moped. She kicked up the kickstand to lift it and rolled the moped forward before turning and heaving the wooden one upward and leaning it against the wall where the blue one had been. Then she threw the fabric covering over it and tucked it behind before stepping back to admire her work. 
Not bad.  The guy in advanced wood shop had done pretty decent job recreating the shape and size of her dad's moped using the picture and measurements Devi had brought him. And even better, he had done it for free.  Devi had reluctantly offered him 20 dollars when she had first approached him, but after she had assured him that she understood that it wouldn't actually run (Really, how dumb did he think she was?), told him that she didn't need it to look perfect because it would be covered, and that she would only need it for one day, he had offered to make it for free if he could keep it for himself later. Devi had eagerly agreed, knowing that the birthday she had planned was going to pretty much obliterate any savings she had anyway. The dude had even been okay with driving it strapped to the top of his car and stashing it in her dad's tomato garden while Devi kept lookout.
Devi shoved her dad's helmet into her large backpack and began rolling the moped out of the garage. After she jumped up and used the handle to pull down the garage door, opting to do that instead of use the push code because it was quieter, she turned back to the moped and felt a brief flash of hesitation.  Was sneaking her dad's moped out to ride it illegally for the purpose of becoming a better person a good idea?
Probably not her best, but definitely not her worst either. Besides, she was trying to become a better teenage girl, not Mother Teresa. And riding the moped was on the list. Her dad had probably meant that she could ride on the back of the moped while he drove, but, you know, semantics.  She had a learner's permit and had been watching tons of Youtube tutorials. Yeah, I've got this.
She stepped up to the moped with renewed confidence and grasped the handlebars, rolling it down the street and into a neighbor's thick hedges around the corner.  She felt like it was a relatively safe place, well hidden and far enough away from the house that her mother wouldn't be able to hear it starting up when she came back to it later.  She left her backpack on the ground next to it and turned to walk quickly back to her house.  She had to get back in bed before Pati woke up.
7:02 am
Devi's POV
"You're up early, kanna," Pati said as Devi jogged downstairs.
"Yep! I'm going to meet up with Eleanor and Fabiola.  But I'll be back at 6 to go to dinner.  See you later!" Devi called, making her way to the front door.
"Devi, wait!" Devi heard her mom's voice call out just as Devi's hand touched the handle. Panic gripped her, did her mom know? How could she know?
Devi turned around slowly and assumed her most innocent smile. Probably too innocent, judging from her mom's face as she came down the stairs. She toned it down a little.
"I just wanted to say happy birthday," Her mom said, reaching Devi and pulling her into a hug before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Devi felt her body immediately relax and her heart rate slow.  Her secret was safe, for now.
"Thanks mom," Devi said, now smiling genuinely. "I'll be home by 6, okay?"
"Alright," her mom replied, nodding her head, "Although I'm not sure about this place you want to go for dinner, when I called to make a reservation-"
"It'll be fun, mom.  Just give it a chance. I gotta get going, but I love you! I'll see you later!" Devi opened the door and stepped out as she said this, hoping to avoid any delays.
She walked down the street and around the corner, hurrying over to the hedge where she had hidden the moped. She pulled it out of the hedge and onto the street, put the helmet on her head, and slid her backpack over her shoulders. She lifted her leg over the seat and sat so she was straddling it before slipping the key out of her pocket and putting it in the ignition.
Here we go.
8:13
Paxton's POV
Paxton never woke up early on a weekend unless he had a swim meet. But he was up early today, laying in his bed and staring at the ceiling. He had been up for at least an hour, but it could have been longer. He hadn't slept well the night before.
Devi said that she needed to do this alone, but he wished she would at least give him some specifics about her day. She could be out there now doing who knows what, and thinking about her dad, and feeling sad, and she was all alone, and God! He couldn't stand it.
Should he text her? Should he just text good morning or should he text happy birthday? Was he allowed to text happy birthday on a birthday like this? Would she rather just be left alone?
Why hadn't she texted him yet? She said she would be out of touch but to send nothing? Then again he hadn't sent her anything either. He should definitely send her something. Maybe that's what she was waiting for.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand beside him and Paxton shot up and turned so fast that his legs got tangled in the sheets and he fell off the side of his bed. Kicking off the sheet and scrambling upward, he snatched up his phone and looked at it eagerly, only to be greeted by a text from Trent letting him know he had just posted a new reaction to a reaction video. He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face.
God, he was pathetic. But he couldn't help it.  Once he had stopped fighting what he felt for Devi, the intensity of his feelings had hit him full force. He had never lacked for dates or hookups before, but Devi was different. She believed in him, pushed him to be better, he felt safe opening up to her, and she was an amazing kisser. But those weren't the main reasons he felt the way he did.  There was something about the feeling of being around her, touching her, kissing her, talking to her, listening to her, that made his stomach clench, his chest feel warm, and his skin tingle.  It was a feeling that he had never before experienced, something he hadn't even realized was possible, but now that he had it he never wanted to give it up.
He looked back at his phone, scrolling past the text from Trent without replying, and clicked on his message chain with Devi.  Then he hesitated, his options bouncing around his head.
Good morning or happy birthday?
Good morning or happy birthday?
Call me if you need me?
Good luck today?
I love you?
I love you.
The words were jarring in how right they felt.  Like they were the only words he should ever say to Devi.  He had been feeling those words almost constantly for awhile now, but he still hadn't actually said them to her.  He almost had, last night, but had chickened out and gone with "I want you" instead.  Which was true, but didn't really capture the depth of his emotion toward her.
But Paxton wasn't sure if Devi felt the same way.  He knew she was into him, sure, and she had to sense the way they were becoming closer, but Devi could be hard to pin down on things like this.  He still felt like she was trying to keep him a bit at bay, block him off from that deepest part of her.  Maybe dropping the L-word would just upset her, scare her, and cause her to really push him away.
He sighed and finally began to type.