Fall (Wesley Stromberg)

Prologue

Wesley's POV

I remember that it hurt. Looking at her hurt, as I sat there, hoping she could just be mine. We've grown up together. We're too good of friends. She always makes up an excuse as to why we can't have a relationship. She's the most beautiful, breathtaking girl I've ever seen. (Yes I did quote Stuck in Love, and if you haven't seen it, I recommend you do)

She's got deep, brown eyes, long brown hair that she usually pulls up into a ponytail, and she has naturally tanned skin. So what she's not the skinniest girl, she still rocks her body. She's smart. She plays sports. She's everything I've ever wanted and more.

"Wes, I need a ride home again," she told me, just like every other day. And just like every other day, we didn't go directly home. I pulled into what we called 'our spot.' It's where we hung out, where we talked, and most of all, where we could escape.

"I'm so ready to be out of this town," she sighed.

"Me too," I agreed. Don't get us wrong, we love it here. It's so peaceful and calm. But we want to travel, go places. We always talk about what we're going to do when we graduate. Me? I want to work on music of course. She's not quite sure where she's headed yet.

"Saige, can I ask you something?"

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Saige's POV
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I can more than predict what is coming out of his mouth next. He has asked me the same question since junior high. I've always felt more than comfortable with Wesley, and maybe that's not a good thing, but I trust him. It didn't take much for me to trust him, since we were little toddlers together. I don't like to admit it, but I've always had a crush on him, and he told me he's always liked me.

"Why are you so afraid of love?" Bingo. The question he asks me all the time, to which I have no good answer for.

"Wes, you know I hate this question," I groaned.

"I'm going to ask you it until you give me a solid reason," he pushed.

"Why am I so afraid of love? I don't know. Just the idea of loving someone so much that you'd do anything for that person, and then having your heart broken by that person you trusted everything with. I guess I'm more afraid of falling in love more than love itself. I love you. I love Keaton. I love my mom and dad. I love a lot of things, but does that necessarily mean I'm in love with them?"

"I've told you this so many times. I really like you Saige. I know you don't want to ruin our friendship, but I really want to try a relationship with you. I will catch you if you fall," he winked. If only he knew he could've caught me a long time ago.

"You're so cliché. Maybe I really like you too, but I've just been too scared to admit it," I played along. He probably thinks I'm kidding, but God knows the things I'd do to be with Wesley Stromberg. Of course I've always denied that fact though.

"Then you would like it if I did this," he whispered, leaning closer to me, his face centimeters from mine. He was so inevitably close that I could feel his oh so hot breath on my face. He slightly tilted his head, and finished his path to my lips. Believe it or not, this isn't the first kiss we've shared, but it's the first one that feels like it means something.

"W-Wes, we-"

"Can't, I know," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Wesley. I just-"

"Give me one damn reason as to why. If it's not good enough, I'm making you walk," he said seriously, but we both knew he was joking. I took in a deep breath, let it out, and tried to think. To be honest, I'm not even sure myself why we can't do it.

"Wesley, you know why. We're almost graduated, and we're going our separate ways. We have different paths to follow. You'll blow everyone away with music, and I'll do my thing. I don't want to hold you back, or make you not do what you want."

"You won't hold me back, Saige. I love you. Really love. Not like you love your mom and dad, like love love. I just want you to stay in my life," he blurted out.

"I-I-I, um," I couldn't say it back. My heart was screaming to tell him, tell him, but my body was telling me no.

"It's okay, I get it. You don't like that word, but please give me some sign of something. If what you said was true, think about it, please," he pleaded.

"Wes- I really do like you, a lot. Maybe more than friends, okay it's a definite more than friends, but we just can't. I need to focus on my schoolwork, you your music, and maybe when everything falls into place, we will," I tried to compromise. Why do I keep going around the subject of a relationship if it's all I want? I'm letting him slip away, and it's breaking my heart. I just can't break his by holding him back.

"Wesley, I promise I'll give you a chance if everything works out, okay?"

"Okay, I'm holding you on that," he smiled, and I could have sworn I saw a little blush.