"Excuse me what? Out there? Like a bunch of raccoons in the wild?" Avery shouts and I close my bedroom door behind me.
It's been several days since Sawyer told me he loved me.
"Shhh." I scold her and she quickly shuts her mouth.
"In the open?" She whispers.
"No one was there." I shrug.
"A hunter had quite the show if he were hiding in the woods." She says and she takes a handful of popcorn out of the movie bowl.
"This is why I didn't want to tell you." I cross my arms.
"Well, you suck at hiding things. You were all smiley and glowy and you were humming. You were humming the piano tunes he plays." She points a finger. "And I knew it." She wiggles her eyebrows.
"Yeah, we'll shut up about it." I'm unable to defend myself. It's true, it feels like I'm floating on a cloud.
I sit beside her on my bed and pause the intro to the Disney movie we are about to watch.
"What? Did something else happen? Did he hurt you, Opal?" She interrogates.
"No. But I think I hurt him." I tell her and she bursts out laughing.
"Like you hurt his, ding dong?" She asks kinda disgusted, yet concerned.
"No. No." I quickly shake my head. I know I wanted Sawyer and me to be secret for a while but I need someone to talk to.
"It's not anything gross, right?" She asks.
"No." I shake my head again. "He told me he loved me."
Avery chokes on her popcorn, her eyes widen and she drinks water form her water bottle.
"But how? When? You guys hate each other." She says and I shrug. "Everything has been in secret?" She says more to herself.
"You can't tell anyone." I point at her and she seals her lips.
"Okay, what's the problem? Sawyers in love with you." She wiggles her eyebrows.
"I didn't say it back."
"What!" She screams and sits up, dropping the popcorn all over my bed. "That's not how this fairy tale is supposed to go." She says.
"It's not a fairy tale." I glare.
She sighs out and finally gets serious, "Why didn't you say it back?" She asks.
"I was going to. I wanted to so bad. I just froze." I groan into the pillow.
"It isn't that hard to say. It's just three tiny words, with lots of meaning. I love you, see easy." She shrugs.
"Easy? Say them to Evan." I tell her and she laughs.
"I do, all the time." She counters and I shake my head.
"No, not the simple I love yous, but the I'm in love with you." I tell her.
She slowly stops chewing her popcorn.
"Opal, you've been in your own little world. We both have said those words." She rolls her eyes and I frown. I guess I'm just chicken?
"Oh." I say. "I'm going to get water."
"Hurry, because it's almost two in the morning and I'm about to fall asleep. I want to finish princess diaries." She yells as I race downstairs.
I run into the kitchen and open the fridge, quickly grabbing a water bottle.
I hear someone clear their throat and I turn. It's Sawyer in only sweat pants. I can't help but admire is toned body and tattoos that look like shadows in the dimly lit kitchen.
