♡ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴀʏ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ♡

2 1

It wasn't long until Two-Bit bounded through the front door, his loud boots announcing his arrival.

As much as I didn't want to leave Johnny's arms, the noise startled us and we scrambled into opposite corners of the couch. I prayed Two-Bit didn't see us.

As soon as he walked in, he tossed me a small tin box that rattled. "I don't know what that is, but the lady at the desk said it'd help."

I didn't even look at the front of the box, just flipped it open and popped two of them in my mouth.

"Woah, horsie," he said as he hung his leather jacket on the coat rack, "you even read the directions?"

"Since when do you care about reading directions?" I shot back after washing them down with a glass of water Johnny left for me on the coffee table.

"You could take too much, Car." He said as he flopped himself back into the armchair. "Now, I ain't smart, but I know that ain't good for you."

I looked at him snarkily, then eyed the beer bottle in his hand before looking at him again, trying to make a point. He nodded his head to the side as if considering it and then took a sip. "Fair enough."

I cuddled back into the corner of the couch and looked at the clock above the dinner table and was shocked to see it was almost 3 o'clock. How long had Johnny and I been laying there together? It only felt like a few minutes, but now Ponyboy would be home any minute.

With Two-Bit occupied with his beer and the TV, I looked at him. He gave me soft eyes, making any regrets I had disappear. By the way he kept looking at me while he leaned his arm against the arm of the couch, I could tell he wanted to go back to how we were, but knew we couldn't. It seemed like it frustrated him, as it did me, that we were always interrupted. It was as if we were reaching for something, and as we were inches away, it was pulled farther away from us.

I looked at him apologetically, silently hoping that one day, we would finally reach it and not have to hide it.

~

Two-Bit eventually got Johnny and I to watch TV with him. Mickey wasn't on anymore—instead, it was some Audrey Hepburn movie. She looked beautiful in it, of course, as she always did, and, as usual, was the damsel in distress who always needed saving. It was classically cliche, but somehow still intriguing.

The medicine that Two-Bit got me had been working, so I had the ability to look at the TV without my head pounding. I sat with my legs folded underneath me next to Johnny, leaned up against the wall with my arms crossed close to my body. Johnny was in between me and Two-Bit, who had finished his bottle of beer and was now sitting on the floor, fidgeting with his switchblade.

The only talking the three of us did during the whole movie was between Johnny and I's exchanged glances and discreet smiles. Not that we needed to be that discreet, Two-Bit was paying us no attention.

Pretty soon, the front door swung open and Ponyboy walked inside. At seeing us, he set his books on the coffee table and sat down beside me before wrapping me in a hug, "How you feelin'?"

I hugged him back. "Better, thanks."

He smiled at me before greeting Johnny and Two-Bit.

"They miss me down at the high school?" Two-Bit asked jokingly as he polished his blade with his shirt for the fourth time.

"Oh, they're a wreck, Two!" Pony joked as he pulled off his jacket. "Mr. Simes was cryin' at his desk when I walked in today."

I smiled as Johnny laughed. "I swear, Pony, you're gettin' more and more like Two-Bit everyday."