Until Then. // denis shapovalov - sascha zverev

4.0 - neighbors and more

Willow's POV

"We should probably get going," Alex whispers.

We've been out here for awhile, watching the moon gradually make it's way across the sky in silence. This was the first thing said between the both of us after we... kissed.

"Yeah, sure, we should," I nod. I lay there for an extra second, watching him stand up and offer his hand back to me to help me back up to my feet.

"Thanks," I say, standing up. Suddenly, he pulls me to spin into his arms, hugging me tightly, before spinning me back out. I let out a giggle as we intertwine our fingers again, swaying our arms together, walking out of the alleyway.

Alex's POV

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. I think to myself as my stomach erupts with fireworks, butterflies, confetti, happiness, all at once. Willow Martin's lips are on mine. I can't believe it. I have dreamed about kissing this girl and here it was, happening, and she met me halfway too! I lose feeling of my whole body, like every single inch of me is tingling with electricity. When we part lips, I stop myself from letting out a squeal of excitement. All I wanted to do was to grab her face and kiss her more, letting the warmth of her lips fill my body, but I refrain. I wanted this moment to be special. I wanted it to be simple, something I could hold onto forever, something little that meant the whole world and more to me.

We make lingering eye contact as I let out a smile at her, before laying back down and looking back up at the stars. She does the same and we lay in silence together. The side of my hand rests against hers and I feel as if I can feel the soft hum of her heartbeat through the one point of contact.

We lay in the most comfortable silence I could possibly imagine, watching the moon travel through the sky, watching the stars fade in and out, occasionally seeing a plane cut through.

After maybe two hours, if not more, I feel her let out a little shiver and I glance down at her arms, seeing goosebumps lining her skin. I regret not having a jacket with me to give to her.

"We should probably get going," I say, standing up first to reach out to help her out. As much as I didn't want to leave, I even more did not want her to get sick from laying out here with me. I playfully spin her into me before guiding her down towards the street and out from the alleyway, holding her hand. In this moment, right now, I just want to make sure that she is okay, in every way possible. I never want to leave her side.

We jog to cross the street, despite there not being a car in sight.

"New York is so quiet at night for being known at the city that never sleeps," Willow says, admiring the buildings and shops around us. I love how small she is compared to everything around us and how she looks at things with so much curiosity and excitement.

"I always walk around here alone at night," I answer. "No one else knows about it. It's like my escape. It's like... it's like the whole world comes to a halt and I can finally breathe... That's why I brought you here..." I say.

"What do you mean?" Willow asks, slowing down her walking when we see the hotel in the distance.

I nervously look down at my shoes, fidgeting with her hand in mine. Two seconds ago, I wasn't nervous at all, but now, suddenly, I'm filled with anxiousness. I pause, taking a deep breath, "Because you give me the same feeling, Willow. You make me feel like the world has come to a halt and I can finally take a breath."

She hesitates for a moment, looking down at our hands intertwined. I look at them too, noticing that her hands are the perfect size to fit between the empty spaces of mine.

"You..." She pauses for a second, as if she's trying to find the right words. "You make me feel like that too, Alex," she finally says. "You really do, Alex. I don't understand how, but you do."

I hold her hand up to my heart, squeezing it tightly and kissing her knuckles. "I want you to be my girlfriend, Willow," I whisper into her hand. "All I want is you."

She lets out a long and slow sigh. "Alex-"

"I'm willing to wait," I interrupt. "For however long you need me to, Willow, I want to wait for you. It's okay."

"Alex, you know I'm just all over the place right now... And, I do want to see where you and I could go, but I want to do it... the right way."

I nod, completely understanding. As much as I hate him, I also see how she wants to treat him with human decency. "Willow, it's okay, I get it." I reassure her. "I will wait. I want to wait."

She lets out a nod, "Thank you, Alex. Thanks," she says, letting me pull her into a hug. I lightly kiss the top of her head slightly so that she wouldn't notice. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to do this again.

-

Willow's POV

Alex and I chase each other down the sidewalk to the hotel, letting him take my hand and spin me around and into his arms as he runs me down before placing me back down and guiding me onto his back as he piggy backs me the rest of the way, letting me gently hop off at the front of the hotel.

"I would rate this uber four out of five stars," I jokingly say as we walk into the hotel together.

"Woah, woah, woah there!" Alex exclaims, pretending to act offended. "Only four?!"

"You didn't offer me any snacks!" I answer, shrugging my shoulders.

"Are you kidding? I am the snack!" Alex answers.

"Oh gosh," I roll my eyes at his innocent joke. "Ha, ha, good one!" I pretend to laugh, sarcastically.

"You liked it," Alex winks at me, as we walk into the elevator.

"Sure," I smirk.

I love how we could go from completely serious to flat-out joking in a matter of seconds. It was refreshing. We both needed something like this today. The elevator dings onto my floor too quickly as Alex follows me out.

"I guess this is the last time I'm walking you to your room," he sighs when we reach my door.

"I guess so," I sigh.

"But," Alex says, looking at me with a grin.

"But?" I say, confused.

"But, we'll be seeing each other a lot when we're back home. You're practically my neighbor! I'll walk you home every night over there, too," he smiles.

"Neighbors? We're like twenty minutes away!" I pause. "...But, I'm down," I grin.

"Alrighty," Alex huffs. "Come here, you," he says, pulling me in for a long hug.

I knew we weren't saying goodbye. We were going to see each other literally tomorrow morning on the plane. But for some reason, it felt like we were both saying goodbye to previous version of ourselves.

He pulls me tightly in, lifting me off my feet a little before letting me back down. I feel him kiss the top of my head before letting me go.

"Goodnight, Willow," Hs smiles to me. "I'll see you in the AM"

I grin back up to him, "Goodnight, Alex. Until then."