"I broke up with my girlfriend." I hear him lift his body from his bed as he walks toward me.
Despite it, I keep my back turned.
"And, if I'm honest, I think I'm in love with you."
in a world where you're shielded by your older brothers, who knows...
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chapter twelve: i just can't help it
THE NEXT DAY happens to be a Saturday, thank God. It also means I get to see Ten in his natural, vulnerable state in the morning, something I've been questioning in my mind to know whether it would be a good thing or not.
This whole situation really has me considering getting with my best friend.
He wasn't home when I woke up. He left a note with an apology, mentioning that he'd tell me as soon as possible when his parents would let him stay again. He didn't write where he'd be going to, but only that I should be ready for our little outing, specifically later on, at nine-thirty.
I spent most of the day at home, ordering food instead of cooking and binge-watching Netflix after studying and completing some homework. It felt like forever, but finally, nine-thirty comes around.
He's at the door on the dot.
"You look beautiful." He smiles, and I playfully roll my eyes, following him into the night-ridden streets outside.
"No car?" I ask, glancing at his side profile that had been illuminated by every street lamp we passed by.
"No need." Just in time, we stop walking once we reach the mini, community park.
Obviously, no one is hanging around. We are all alone in the dark, except for the occasional siren or passing car.
"What are you planning, Lee?" I press, squinting at him.
He's wearing a pair of black, skinny jeans and a white, crew neck in a vintage denim jacket. It's in this situation that I fully realise that his hair is now fully an overgrown bush again, uncut parts at the top covering the undercut and his dyed roots growing in a pitch black.
He pulls me to the parking lot nearby by the arm, and in it sits a shopping trolley.
Putting the pieces together almost immediately, I step back, shaking my head.
"No. Hell no."
A small, knowing smile appears on his lips as his arms slowly become outstretched.
"Come on, A. It'll be fun, I swear."
"Do you, now?" I scoff, wrapping my arms around myself protectively.
"Just this once? Please?"
I'm about to refuse again, but his words back in the hospital ring in my ears.
He didn't like that I wasn't considering him. Saying no to this might hurt him more than it should.
"Fine."
"Yes!" He cheers, an even wider grin on his face as he offers his hand once more.
Once safely inside the metal chamber, I gasp when the cool fabric comes in contact with my eyes.
"I'm sorry in advance." He whispers, and I start to feel the trolley move at full speed.
I begin to thank my lucky stars when the wind starts to hit my face. If not for my clad of jeans and a thick, black knitted sweater, I'd probably be crying.
Deciding to make this as memorable as possible, I stand and raise my hands, swaying slightly as I try to keep my balance.
This all makes Ten laugh, but it soon drowns out as we reach what sounds like a fun fair.
It's fairly quiet, with only a few hundred people around, which makes sense considering how late at night it is.
He helps me out of the trolley and we walk to a stall.
"I know it's cliche, but what do you want to win?" He asks, fidgeting with his fingers as he glances at me.
Sighing, I point out the large, almost human-sized teddy bear and a vintage key chain.
The game had been way over what I'd expected and even better fun playing it with my best friend.
But, it makes me raise a question: Where do we stand? Friends don't go on dates like these and stay friends. To make matters worse, every time it was my turn to play, I was able to see him staring at me from the corner of my eye.
"Ten, quit it."
"Quit what?"
"Staring at me like that. It's creepy." I joke, turning to face him as we walked to the parking lot. I put the bags of food and things we had won down at my feet with a sigh.
"I can't help it."
"Yes, you can. I already told you that we'd be here as friends." I know it sounds blunt, but I just can't bring myself to lead him on.
"I'm not."
"Ten." I warn and he purses his lips.
"Just give us a chance, A. Let me try and the rest is yours to decide."
I give it some thought. "Only if you promise you won't try anything stupid."
"That's okay with me." He exhales with relief, his vocal volume low.
I also feel genuinely relieved myself and have some form of peace as a large amount of weight is lifted up from my shoulders.
There is that break of silence between us both that isn't awkward in any way. It's almost like I can read his thoughts as his eyes dart from my eyes to my lips and the proximity between us soon closes up.
"What did I say about doing stupid things?" I ask in between the kiss, but he only shushes me with a stupid grin on his face.
"We never ruled me kissing you out. Besides, it's like I said. I just can't help it."
