Love Me Back

Ch. 14

Ch. 15 // Dacre's POV

"Thanks for coming with me," Deja says as we enter the large classroom. Besides the organizers, there are only a couple of participants seated at different tables.

Some student org is hosting a holiday arts and crafts event. I'm not a very crafty person, but Deja asked me to come, of course, I'd accept. Honestly, I don't need to know where we are going if it'll only involve the two of us, I'm already halfway there. Plus, besides studying, we haven't done a lot of fun things together. It's mainly the 4 of us (me, Deja, Jay, and Kiara) doing something together once in a while. The only other time it's been the two of us would be the time we played tennis at the gym and our Thanksgiving stroll. I could never forget that Thanksgiving. 

"Anytime," I say as we sit at the table closest to us, "I do have to warn you that I'm not an artistic or crafty person."

"That's fine, it's all about having fun and relaxing," she assures me as she pulls the material towards us. A container full of beads of different shapes and sizes along with scissors and strings. So I'm assuming this is a charm or bracelet-making station.

"Here, I'll show you," Deja says as she cuts a piece of stretchy string. She double knots one end  and starts adding different flat bead things, "it's just like that."

Not as bad as I thought.

"I think I can do that," I admit as cut my string.

With the Lofi Christmas music playing in the background, along with Deja and I talking and laughing, even though I don't really know what I am doing, it's fun and relaxing like she said.

"Do you guys want a couple of Polaroid pictures?" A girl with deep red curls asks us as she points to the black camera in her hand.

Deja immediately looks up at me, eyes big and smile wide, "Dacre! A Polaroid? Do you want to?"

"Of course," I say. Immediately after I agree, Deja hops out of her seat and stands in front of the whiteboard. I follow right behind her, excited yet slightly nervous.

My heart is pounding, but I play it cool and wrap my arm around her shoulder.

It's just a picture

She slightly leans into me and I do the same.

It's just a picture

But she's so warm and smells like vanilla cocoa butter.

It's just a picture

"3...2...1..." The camera goes off and it spits out a picture. After a couple of seconds, she hands it to us.

"Oh my God, this is so cute!" Deja squeals. I look at the picture and damn it's cute. We look cute together.

"Would you like another one?"

We both agree and this time around Deja squeezes my cheeks and I put bunny ears behind her head.

"These are so cute," she gushes once again as we sit down.

"They really are," I say as I pick up the first one we took, "can I keep this one?"

"Sure," Deja says, "I'll keep the second one."

As I place my phone case for safekeeping, I hear a familiar feminine raspy voice call me from behind. I turn around and it's Emma. I never see her outside of the gym, so I'm kind of surprised to see her. But she pretty much looks like what I'd assume she looks like when she's not in the gym. A gray school sweater, black puffer vest, black leggings, and white Nikes. Her hair pulled into a high ponytail.