"May I kiss your forehead, Crimson?" She doesn't recoil or say a word, so I press my lips gently against her forehead. It's a tender and fleeting moment, but it fills me with a warmth that I can't explain.
"Just because a relationship has an expirat...
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DREXEL GENESIS
"Say what now?" Zeke, Jed and Ayla stare at me with eyes as big as plates while I just wanted to join in with the monsters under the bed. Yes, being a bedtime story sounds about good right now.
"I tried to warn you..." Archer shrugs and the others immediately whip their heads towards him.
"What was he talking about?" Zeke demands.
Archer holds up his hands in defense and looks down at me from the corner of his eyes. "I don't know. Ask him." I rest my back against the edge of the bed, pulling my knees up to my chest as I mentally scold myself for being so careless. It's one thing for Archer to be aware of my feelings, as that's within my boundaries, but for the others to know about my crush is a different matter entirely.
The way the atmosphere in the bedroom felt, it was as if I was about to be put on trial. My friends were the opposing lawyers and judges, ready to ask me questions that demanded answers that could alter the course of my life. Maybe I was being a bit dramatic, but the idea of lying motionless on the road as cars drove over my body repeatedly seemed like a more appealing option.
"What are you guys doing here? Where is Rowan?" I finally manage to ask in the hopes of diverting the conversation and making them magically forget my previous words. But who was I kidding?
"She is at home because she has a lot of homework. But that is not the problem, Mister. What were you just rambling about?" Ayla inquires, placing her hands on her hips and eyebrows twitching and raised, one of which she tried to raise alone, but failed.
"Isn't it obvious?" comes the passive voice of Jed. "Boy's having a crush."
"WHAT?" Zeke shoots up from the chair and looks at me in shock. "On whom?"
Ayla spins Archer's chair towards her and exclaims, "Drexel has a crush? For real? Who is it?" Archer looks up at her blankly. "Ask him," he repeats. Ayla clutches her hair in exasperation and kneels in front of me and cups my cheeks. "Drexel, my handsome friend, please tell me you're crushing on who I think you are."
"Huh? Who do you think it is?" I ask dumbly and Ayla heaves in a loud breath.
"Oh my god. Are you admitting that you DO have a crush!?"
Drexel, think thrice before you answer. "I am not-"
"My friend, Drex, has finally, finally grown up," she squishes me onto her chest and coddles me. Why is this a big deal? I just wanted some peace and a proper talk with Archer. Guess that's not happening tonight. "Can't ...breathe," I rasp out as I come up for air.
Archer eyes me as if it to say; 'Might as well spill the beans.'
With a sigh, I let my head fall back onto the bed. My persistent friends would not give me any peace, and avoiding the issue would only make it worse. I could already picture them trailing behind me in the school hallways, chanting like protesting workers; "Who's your crush? Who's your crush?" Their relentless questioning would eventually be joined by the crush herself, and I would be trapped and forced to flee the school and even the country to escape the humiliation.
