My plan was simple. Whether I would completely embarrass myself in front of Ben, my dream guy, was all up to him. I could only pray that he would reciprocate my feelings.
* * * * *
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ri- I picked up my phone, having been in the middle of a dream about Val, a girl in my class. Somehow, as if by magic, she was calling me.
"Hello?" I said groggily.
"Ben?"
"Yeah, Val?"
Silence.
"Val?"
"Ben, I... I have something to tell you."
"Okay." My interest was piqued.
"Could you come over? I don't want to say it over the phone." Val was on the verge of tears, I could tell.
"Of course, I'll be there in 10."
"Okay, thank you, see you soon."
* * * * *
I watched through my window as Ben pulled up in his parents' car. He got out and looked up, searching the windows for me. When he found me, I pointed to the ladder next to the garage door, which my parents had left out after putting up Christmas lights. He nodded and walked towards it, bringing it back to my window so he could climb in.
When he came in, I patted the bed next to me. He sat down, looking slightly unsure of himself. An uncomfortable silence ensued, which I reluctantly broke first.
"I need to say something, Ben." I didn't meet his eyes.
"Yeah, Val?"
"I-" I heard heavy footsteps outside my door and saw the hallway light turn on. I turned to Ben with wide eyes, motioning for him to duck down behind my bed. I closed the window and dove into bed, getting under the covers as fast as possible. I heard my door open and the amber glow from the hall spilled into my room. I heard my dad breathing lightly, waiting in the doorway for a few seconds until he closed the door. I waited for the light to turn off before getting up again and helping Ben off the floor.
"That was a close one," I whispered, ever the more cautious now that we had already almost gotten caught.
"What was it you wanted to tell me?" Ben's eyes were curious, and I couldn't help but get caught in their depths.
"Oh, um... I wanted to tell you that...." I trailed off, looking down again. I didn't want to do this, I couldn't, I would get rejected, or, even worse, I would die and he would be distraught.
"What, Valentina? You know you can tell me anything."
I looked up again and saw concern in Ben's eyes.
"Look, whatever it is, it can't be that bad, right?" I could tell he was trying to cheer me up, but it only made me feel more guilty.
"I... I... I like you." I glanced up for a second and saw a look of pure shock on his face. I knew it. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I stood up, turning towards the window and opening it. I hopped onto the roof and tuck-and-rolled to the ground without looking back. I probably hurt something, but with the adrenaline coursing through my body, I couldn't feel anything other than the shame and despair that dug itself into every cell in my body.
"Val, wait!" I refused to look back and instead took off down the street, vision blurring with the tears I couldn't hold back. I turned corner after corner, wishing the pain would go away. I noticed a light coming from behind me; then, the horn.
This is it.
It's over.
Goodbye, world.
I felt a tug around my waist and air woosh past my face, a horn still sounding. My eyes were shut tight, scared this was the afterlife and I had died, or, even worse, this whole thing was real and I had survived.
"Are you okay?" I looked up to see the last person I wanted to at that moment. Ben. "Val, are you okay?" Tears were still streaming down my face and I wrapped my arms around his neck in a tight grip, refusing to let go. I dug my face into where his neck met his shoulders as Ben lifted me and carried me into unconsciousness.
I woke up in a familiar room on someone else's bed and tried to roll over and go back to sleep before the memories of everything that happened came flooding back to me. I bolted upright, heart and head pounding. I looked toward the window, noticing that the sun was just starting to rise.
Crap.
How long have I been here, in- It was then I realized just whose room this was. Its owner decided to enter the room at that moment.
"Perfect, you're awake," said Ben with a smile. "How are you feeling? You were out for a few hours." He must have taken me back to his house. Why did he bring me here? Has he been awake this whole time?
"I'm okay," I mumbled. God, he must think I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I confessed to him, ran away, and then got saved by him! Ben must think I'm all kinds of pathetic. I should just run away and forget abo- My thoughts were cut off by his voice.
"So, what do you want to do today?" I looked up to find Ben inspecting me as if trying to figure out my every thought. Is he just ignoring my feelings?
"I don't know, maybe we... could..." I lost my train of thought to Ben's captivating eyes; they seemed to be searching mine for any trace of nervousness, discomfort, anything to suggest that I didn't mean what I'd said before.
Ben suddenly broke eye contact with me, muttering something incomprehensible.
"What?"
"I think... I think I like you too."
What?
What did he just say?
Ben looked back up, appearing confused by my silence. Upon noticing my surprise, Ben scooted a little closer to me on the bed, waiting for me to speak. Unfortunately for him, my brain couldn't form a coherent thought.
When he realized I wasn't going to speak, Ben leaned ever so slightly towards me, gaze flickering down to my lips. I filled the gap between us, pressing my lips to his in a soft kiss.
Sparks flew in my stomach, fireworks exploding inside every part of my body. I was finally, finally kissing Ben.
I could feel anxieties nagging at me, trying to take away from this emotional high.
This isn't real.
It's all a prank. An elaborate prank.
He doesn't like you.
You're going to become the laughingstock of the school.
I was jolted from my thoughts by the loss of contact as Ben pulled away, worry clear in his eyes.
"Was that okay, Val?" A warm feeling spread through my chest, erasing all of my insecurities.
He cares.
"I'm just fine, Ben."
A/N I know this wasn't a prompt, but I liked where it went and wanted to post it.
YOU ARE READING
Oneshot Collection
Ficção GeralJust a collection of prompts that I used to practice writing; trying to achieve part of my resolution this year.
