Beauty and the Dork

Shadow Kingdoms

Margot dragged me upstairs, giggling at my constant checking in on whether or not we could actually go up to her room together. Once we got to her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, grinning. I smiled at her, my heart pounding in my ears.

She looked fantastic; absolutely effortless. Her dark hair was curled and tossed over her shoulders, makeup soft and sweet. And God – if she only knew what her skirts did to me. She crossed over to me, her lavender scent hitting me as she sat on the edge of her bed. I glanced around her room, taking it in.

I was surprised – it was sparsely decorated, only with pictures of her and her family and her new Hawkins friends. Everything seemed sterile and unlike her and the things I had learned about her in the last couple of days. I felt her hand in mine and turned to her, grinning.

"Second coolest thing that's happened to you?" she asked, looking up at me. I sat down next to her and leaned into her, setting my face close to hers.

"What?" I asked. She set her hand on my thigh, setting my body on fire.

"You said meeting my dad was the second coolest thing that's happened to you. What was the first?" she asked. I felt my face flush and started stuttering, shaking my head.

"Oh, we don't need to talk about that—" I started, trying to wrap my arms around her and pull her face to mine. She started laughing and set her hand on my chest, holding me back.

"No, if you're acting this goofy about it, you have to tell me!" she insisted. I wanted to throw up. She set one of her hands on the side of my face. "You found out that I'm named after Princess Andúnë."

I sighed and let go of her, burying my face in my hands. She placed a hand on my neck and scratched it softly, prompting me to tell her.

"I, uh, I, um, I think that the c-coolest thing that's, uh, h-happened to me was," I sputtered, absolutely mortified. I took a deep breath – just spit it out you fucking dork. "When you kissed me back last night."

I sighed and waited for her to laugh at me. It was silent for a beat, and I finally looked at her. Her face was twisted into a goofy smile, her eyes soft and expectant. I raised my eyebrows, utterly confused.

"That's just a line you use, isn't it?" she finally asked, her voice squeaky. I flushed and shook my head vigorously.

"I wouldn't even know how to use a line on a girl like you," I insisted. "You're way too out of my league to fall for something I would try."

Her smile grew and she blushed, looking down at her hands.

"I can't figure you out, Eddie Munson," she said quietly.

I smiled and my heart picked up. I put an arm around her waist and pulled her close to me. She looked up at me, her cheeks flushed, and I leaned close to her face.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked. She shook her head and inched forward.

"No. Makes this interesting," she replied. I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah?" I questioned. She nodded. I got closer to her, my lips ghosting hers. "That's good to hear."

My hands were shaking, and I could hear the blood pulse in my ears. She grinned, not moving.

"Do you plan on kissing me again, Eddie Munson?" she whispered. I swallowed hard.

"Only if you want me to, Princess Andúnë," I quipped.

She nodded quickly, and I wrapped my hands around the back of her neck, pulling her gently to me. She gripped onto my Metallica t-shirt, getting close to me, and I felt my heart pick up. I pulled back, smiling at her as she beamed at me. I started peppering her face with kisses, making her laugh.