𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒 ─── steven conklin

10. hate to be lame

.୨ৎ ꒰ hate to be lame ꒱ ୨ৎ.

"everything is so fucked up, laurel" the woman sat on the couch next to willow and handed her a cup of tea.
they were sitting in the living room, in front of each other, while everybody was outside watching the fireworks.

"i'm sorry for inviting your dad without asking you guys"

"whatever" willow sighed. "i don't wanna talk to him ever again anyway. god, and this thing between me and steven, it drives me crazy"

"how do you feel when you're with him?" laurel was known for her straight to the point questions.

"he's like modern family to me" she took a sip. "comforting and funny and lovely. when we're together, there's no cousins, no people, no sounds. it's just us. as if we were in a bubble."

"but a bubble it's fragile"

"that's the point"

"you only want the best for him..."

"of course, but it's so difficult to just let him go"

"you don't have to let him go. between me and you: i'm pretty sure shyla is just a way to kind of forget you. you have been in his mind all this years..."

"what?"

"don't act so innocent, you two have had a crush on each other since you were ten."

willow giggled. this "cool mom" side of laurel was always hid by the "strict mom". she knew how to be funny and cool, tho.

"anyway, he's having some troubles with his girlfriend, i don't think they'll last any more longer than a week." the woman continued, acting carelessly.

"laurel!"

⭑○◦

they had been dancing the damned waltzer for hours. willow, with her arms around harry's neck, was in pain.
she swore to herself that she would never wear heels again.

the room was filled with debutantes and their escorts, practicing the waltzer, which was the dance they were going to show at the ball.

willow and belly were both terrible dancers, but for the entire lesson, willow's attention was on steven's body, who was dancing flawlessly, holding shayla like she was made out of crystal.

a couple of days prior, her mom advised her to hurry up and find an escort for the deb ball.
she was desperate, and she asked harry, her co-worker, to be her escort.
he didn't expect that at all, but accepted without flinching, and willow was grateful for that. the situation was already embarrassing enough.

it had been the most precipitous decision she'd ever made, but she didn't want to miss the ball just because she didn't had and escort. however, belly's situation wasn't better: she hadn't ask cam yet, so at the waltzer lesson, she danced with nicole.

harry's hands landed a couple of times way lower that they should've had been, touching her butt, but willow barely noticed it.

inside of her mind, there was a great war.

i wish i was her.
but you helped both to get back together.
you have loved him longer than her, tho.
laurel said he likes you back.
friends don't look at friends that way.

"alexa, play so pretty by reyanna maria" suddenly, the waltzer music got replaced and everybody was cheering up jeremiah, who was dancing sensually in the middle of the room.

willow, brought back to reality, blushed when her brother made her turn and dragged her in the middle of the dance floor with him. if you can't fight them, joint them, she said to herself and she started dancing with her brother like they used to do when they were seven on the living room carpet. willow laughed and everybody was enjoying a little break from those boring waltzer melodies.

paige voice echoed from the hallway, she already knew who was the one to balme, who else it could be? "jeremiah fisher, go back to the pool!" everyone laughed.

⭑○◦

"i hated every single second of it!" willow exclaimed, throwing her bags on the couch and dropping her self on it.

"it wasn't that bad!" steven pointed out. they got home together, but apparently nobody was home that afternoon.

"cause you can dance. harry could barely stand on his feet"

"it's not that difficult" he reached out an arm and forced her to stand up and played on his phone some music. luckily, it was from his everyday playlist: willow wasn't in the mood to listen to those soporific melodies.

"take my hand" she followed him. "foot forward, foot back. foot forward, foot back."

willow wasn't even able to look at him in the eyes. it hurt too much, because she knew that his hands weren't the ones that were going to hold her. that she wasn't going to be that close with him.

"chin up, like you have a crown on your head"

they were moving around the living room, dancing slowly, willow a little clumsy.

their bodies were built to be together, every inch of her was perfectly matching with him, like a puzzle. to be completed, they were still needing a couple of pieces, right on the middle of it.

"move slower, no rush" they were getting closer and closer to each other, needing to feel their body touching.

"steven, i don't think..." for the second time, their noses were touching, and they weren't dancing anymore.

"guys, can you help me with my canvas?"susannah and laurel entered the kitchen by the backyard door.

steven and willow quickly walked away from each other, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and guilty.

if the moms felt the tension between them when they walked in the living room, they didn't show it.