LOVER || r. bowen¹ ✔️

secrets i have held in my heart are harder to hide then i thought.

· • ❝〔 c h a p t e r   e i g h t  〕❞ • ·

"One more week and we'll have to be back at school." Ricky groans, looking up at the girl from where is head is resting in her lap.

she continues seperating one of his curls. "Sadly."

"Are we seriously doing the musical?" He asks once again.

"You promised." She hums. "I sang to you so you audition."

He sighs as he grabs her hand that was in his hair, bringing it down towards his chest where he rests their now interwined hands. "I can't believe I have let you talk me into this. I don't even like musicals!"

"Oh I know." She chuckles. "Nini told me you two were watching a musical and you yelled at the screen how unrealistic it was."

"You know Nini?"

She nods her head. "Yeah, because of theatre. I guess were friends."

"You guess?" He raises his eyebrow.

"We weren't the closest, but we still talked." She explains.

"So you know that me and her..?" He trails off.

"That you guys were dating? Yeah." She answers simply, moving her free hand towards his hair once again.

"And you don't mind that?"

"Nope. You're allowed to date other people. If you wanted you could even date somebody right now even though you know me now."

He shakes his head. "Well I don't want that. I don't want to date anyone except you." He lifts their interwined hands towards his lips and presses a kiss on her hand.

The gesture causes a warm feeling to spread in her chest and a soft smile to appear on her face.

Ricky furrows his eyebrows, once again resting their hands on his chest. "What's that?"

"What's what?" please don't be talking about my fee-

"That feeling. You felt it multiple times before, I can't figure out what it is."

Maybe she could gaslight him. Because there is no way she is telling him that feeling is love. She knows what it feels like, and she hasn't felt it coming from Ricky.

Which is totally fine, She knows that you can't force someone to love, maybe he'll feel it later. But she ain't telling him that now.

"I don't know what you're talking about Rick." She furrows her eyebrows. "I'm not feeling anything unusual."

Thank god for her acting experience.

He looks at her with confusion but then shakes his head, maybe it's just his inagination.

"So, what about you?"

She is glad he switched topics, but what is he talking about now? "Huh?"

"I've dated Nini before, surely you had a relationship aswell at some point."

She shakes her head. "Nope."

His eyes widden slightly. "You never have been in a relationship?"

"I have been single all my life, yeah." She shrugs her shoulders. "Does it matter?"

"I just can't wrap my head around the fact that you have never been woth someone. I mean, look at you."

She giggles as he lifts his arm, pointing at the girl. "Thank you, but you seem to be the only one thinking that."

He huffs. "Well everyone else is stupid. You're pretty, like very pretty."

"You're not so bad looking yourself." She grins, twirling a curl around her finger.

He smiles as he looks up at her once again. "You like my hair, or something?"

"Mmh. You're curls lowkey are death." She says bluntly. "You should let me style them."

"Hey!" He exclaims. "They're not!"

"Yes they are!" She laughs. "You need to take care of them!"

"I am."

"With what? 3 in 1?" She jokes.

He gasps dramatically, "I cam't beli ve you think I am that kind of guy."

"See? You already fit in with the drama club." She chuckles.

He shakes his head. "Why are you bullying me?"

"Dramatic is a good trait, you should let the new drama teacher know that one."

He sits up and grabs her waist pulling her into him. "Okay, that's enough." He tickles her side.

"Ricky!" She laughs, falling against him as she tries to get away from his hands.

His hand moves towards her chin and he leans down, pressing their lips together.

And that warm feeling enters her chest again, if only she knew it wasn't just hers she is feeling but also those of Ricky's.