Better than Friends

Chapter 2: Because you love her too

{Brief Author's Note, please take time to read! It will be worth your while.}

Hello to anyone reading this!! Hope you enjoy this new chapter and that you're just as excited as I was while writing it!

I'm going to be giving a vote on the books of the first five people who vote on this chapter as a way to give back to the author community! Everyone deserves to be recognized for their work and I'm glad to be helping out on it <33

Anyways, enough talk, the rest of the chapter is below!

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"There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't met yet."

- William Butler Yeats

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I now had 4 permanent absent marks on my record, I thought as I shoved the food around my plate. Tenderloin, rice, and a side of peas and corrects, a meal that was hearty as well as within the budget. Not like that mattered because Dawson adamantly, and I mean adamantly, insisted that he would be the one to pay for our meal.

Speaking of the Ledger boy, he sat across from me, watching with narrowed and calculated eyes, as if he was assessing me for something. It was nerve-wrecking to say the least because the last time we were left alone together, well, that was nerve-wrecking to the maximum.

I tried not to acknowledge his staring, but how long can you go ignoring someone who so obviously wanted to say something?

"Is there something on my face?" I finally asked, dropping my fork and looking at him worriedly. I began patting my face, trying to feel for something out of the ordinary.

My question seemed to snap him out of his trance. He sat up straighter and coughed. "Nope, uhm, I was just thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?" I pressed, feeling a bit bolder.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing," I deadpanned, finally eating a piece of my tenderloin. I chewed for a while before saying once again, "Especially if it's got you eying me like how you are right now."

"How am I eying you?"

I sighed and looked at him, tilting my head to the side and quirking a brow.

"Like you want to tell me something but you feel if you do you won't like my reaction."

He let out a light laugh at my answer. He tilted his head to the side and quirked one of his lips up in an awkward sort-of smile.

"I'm that much of an open book, huh?" He chuckled, more to himself than me.

I sighed and decided to do something bold. I grabbed his hand that was on the table and squeezed it tightly. Telling by his lack of reaction, besides eying my hand, he didn't seem to care for the sudden intrusion of his space. It was a habit I had with all of my friends, squeezing their arm or hand when they're nervous.

"It's better to just ask it right away instead of waiting," I assured, trying my best to smile.

He smiled back at me the best he could before letting out a sigh. He squeezed my hand back and my smile started feeling more natural, I took it that he accepted my comfort.

"Are you and Cassidy close?" He asked, looking back up at my eyes and sending an emotion coursing through my body.

"Yes," I breathed out, curious about his question. My eyebrows furrowed and an icky noise was ringing in my ears, accompanied by a cold feeling in my stomach.