Love in a Bottle [AATC One-Shots]

Can I Read with You? (Simonette)

"Her cuteness grasped a hold of him, and his eyes softened."

(My POV)

Aside from the birds outside chirping a harmonic tune, you couldn't hear anything but the sound of the pages rustling under his fingertips. Normally, during this hour on a Sunday, it would never be this peaceful. But he sat carefree while he let his head sink into the depths of his soft, piled pillows.

Dave and his younger brothers were finally away to run a handful of errand trips, and they wouldn't be home for a mere hour. He wasn't used to the novelty of staying home alone. So he'd told himself that he would savor every serene second of it enjoying his brand-new sci-fi novel that was held pristine and contentedly in his hands.

"Ahh," Simon breathed, finding a sense of unaccustomed relaxation. "Nothing better than reading a new novel without my brothers pestering me every five minutes." He found himself engaged with the words that formed paragraphs throughout the pages he'd flipped upon.

All of a sudden, the cool, breezy air that would enter through the opened window had suddenly come to a stop. Only then did he realize a midnight purple-clad chipmunk had entered his bedroom when he heard the window click shut.

His attention quickly averted from the book to the disturbance, only to catch a glimpse of the oldest of the girls who lived in the cozy treehouse next to them.

She was gazing at him, her eyes clear and sparkly like an amethyst. Her head was barely inclined to the right with her hands hidden behind her back.

The boy had noticed her eyes; they were lovely. "Oh, hey, Jeanette," he said sedately, flashing her a quick smile. He then returned his stare to the paperback, as if she was just a gust of wind. He hoped the girl wouldn't interpret it rudely, but rather in a way that she'd understandingly leave him alone. "Do you need something?"

Her voice was smooth and velvety, which was one of the many qualities he'd fancied about her. "Hello, Simon!" Oh, are you busy?"

Again, he glanced at her. He deeply wanted to get back to his novel, but there was something about the girl that made him attentive and fascinated whenever she appeared.

"No, why?" Simon lied.

A soft smile bloomed at the corners of her blush-pink lips. "Well, I wanted to talk to you," she said, her tone reminding him of the sweet, fresh sensation that filled the air at the beginning of spring.

"Oh, about what?"

Jeanette's walk was full of grace, and even within the few steps she took toward Simon's bed, she looked like a swan gliding graciously across the calm waters of a small pond.

"Can I sit next to you?" she sweetly asked.

Simon's deep blue eyes widened, unexpecting her question, but willingly giving her an answer. He scooted to the side of his bed, allowing space for her to sit beside him. "Oh—yeah, of course," he replied with a warm smile.

She returned his delighted expression, followed by a quiet, "Thank you." She lifted herself onto the navy blue striped comforter and found herself in an enduring comfort.

"So what did you wanna talk about?" Simon asked curiously as he put aside his book onto the wooden nightstand beside him.

She didn't answer immediately, pausing to think. "Well," she began, "anything."

A dazed expression came across the boy's face, but he'd let her continue.

"See, I didn't have anything to do today, and I still don't, so when I asked my sisters if they wanted to hang out, they told me that they were too busy. And that's when I decided I would ask my best friend!"

It wasn't the response that he'd expected his ears to hear, and part of him questioned why she would make such an effort to come here rather than to call or message him on her phone.

He found her captivating and adorable, and somewhere deep inside, he wanted to hang out with her. But he also knew that he needed to finish his novel before his family would come back home. He wouldn't be able to, as long as Dave and his brothers were home.

"Oh, Jeanette, I would love to talk to you and hang out, but—"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by the disappointment that tinged her soft-spoken voice, "I-I thought you said you weren't busy...?"

Simon was about to tell her otherwise, but then he gazed into her amethyst-like irises that gleamed around her large pupils. The longer he stared at them, the more he'd fight the urge to give in. Eventually, he would admit defeat in a way she wouldn't know.

"Oh, n-no, I'm not," he fabricated. He despised being dishonest with Jeanette, but he doubly hated the idea of hurting her feelings. Luckily, he'd learned a thing or two about lying from his younger brother. "I just wanted to invite you to read this with me, but I wasn't sure if you'd say yes. Yeah... I was gonna say I wanted to hang out, but maybe you'd rather join me, instead. "

"Really?" Jeanette's face lit up with a smile, her teeth shiny and pearl white. She cheerfully clapped her hands as she let out a quiet, but happy squeal.

A genuine smile inevitably spread across the blue-clad's face. "Of course, why would I say no to you?" He'd always unawarely show the contentment he felt when he'd see his best friend happy.

Her happiness is my happiness, he'd thought. Unexpectedly, the girl pulled her counterpart into a warm embrace.

A light pink dusted the apples of Simon's cheeks as he slowly returned her comforting hug. He'd never be much of a hugger, it would make him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

But there would be something about Jeanette's hugs that'd make him feel a way he wouldn't be able to contemplate his emotions.

After nothing but amenity filled the atmosphere above the two, the girl spoke again in a calming tone, "Thank you, Simon. I love reading with you so much." She let go of him but kept her gaze.

"Of course," said Simon. He reached over to the book and opened it to the page where he'd left off.

Jeanette shifted closer to him, peeking at the page. "Simon?"

"Hm?"

"Could I ask you to catch me up? I have no idea what this book is about... not even the title."

Simon softly chuckled and nodded his head; "Yeah, of course."

Jeanette fixed her position to make sure she was comfortable. She was right next to Simon, and she let her chin rest on his shoulder where she could feel his warmth.

"Yay," she said, and it made the boy blush. "Oh, one more thing?"

He drew in a slow breath, the presence of his crush so close making him uneasy. "Yeah?"

"Could you read it out loud? Please?" Jeanette asked. Her cuteness grasped a hold of him, and his eyes softened.

"Of course."

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Author's note!

Hii this one was another remake of one of the first stories I've ever written (summer 2023), so it's so short!!!

I thought it was pretty cute, I don't know :)