𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 || baxter radic

33.

"The winner of today is..." there is a silence that fills the crowd. There aren't quiet callouts of who people want to win. There is just a filling tension in the air, that will be cut the moment the winner's name is announced.

I've got myself wrapped around Bax's arm as we wait for the announcement. His fingers are laced between mine, his thumb leaving loving rubs against mine. He was lost in conversation with someone before Manu took the stage to announce the winner. I was just standing there along for the ride. My battery was running on zero, and he knew it.

"the only winner there should be today, Maybelle." Bax kisses the top of my head. His voice is quiet, whispering in my ear trying to comfort me onto the stage. But my feet are stuck in quicksand and there is no moving me toward the stage to accept anything from anyone.

Bax shoots a glance at Summer. He can't fight my battle this time, I'm pulling him under with me. Or more like, he's the only thing holding me from going completely under.

Summer's body appears before me on the stage. It's almost like she appears out of nowhere. The tunnel vision I have has me seeing through a straw. "I'll be speaking on behalf of my best friend. She is beyond happy and honored that you all showed up today. We all hope you had an incredible time. There is still so much light left in the day so make the most of it. Again, thank you all for coming."

She lifts her hand to wave before jumping off the stage and walking over to me. She wraps her arms around Bax and I. "I love you Belle."

"Love you." I mumble, short.

"You've got this under control here? I think we're going to dip for a little." Bax nods away from the water and toward the direction of home.

"All good Bax." Summer waves us off.

The pavement below my feet has never felt so good. Bax is humming a melody as I dance my toes off the hot surface below. The hotness doesn't faze him. He's used to this, I'm not. He laughs at the little pain dance I'm giving. The humming replaced with his laugh as he offers a free piggy back ride.

I don't turn it down, jumping onto his back as he carries me the short distance left to my house—the place I now get to call home. If anyone else had been my best friend, I don't think I'd have a place to call home. I'd be shipped off to a family I didn't know. I'd be ripped from everything I have always known. I'd be more miserable than I had ever been. Despite the blip at the beginning of the trip, I was still glad that Summer was my forever best friend.

Baxter runs, spins us in circles, and gets us home in one piece. He flops me back onto the couch, my body landing with a light thud. He drops next to me, pretending to be exhausted. But he has way too much energy to be tired at all.

I straddle his lap brushing the front of his hair to the side. It's long enough to hang in his eyes now. It's blocking my view to his perfectly colored eyes. The back of my fingers trail along his cheek as they make their way down from his hair. He glances out of the corner of his eyes following my touch. His hands rest on my hips, gripping tightly in hopes we will stay like this for a while.

My eyes shift slowly from his toward his lips and back up. His tongue juts out to dampen the rosy surface before pressing his lips to mine. It doesn't take long for us to turn into a mess of sloppy kissing and heavy breathing.

Bax trails his mouth along my neck, finding a sweet spot to leave a love bite for the world to see. The sensation has me letting out quiet moans. I hold my hands against his chest as if I need to push him away for a break, but I don't because it feels too good.

"Bax..." I groan, knowing that where this was heading could not happen here, on the family sofa. Too many people. Too much exposer. The front door could open at any moment and we didn't need the ridicule that could come if someone walked in on us. I would never hear the end of it—from whoever it would be.