speed of sound // Charlie Conway

| SIXTEEN || PART ONE |

"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked Coach, worried about his injury. "The doctors said I will be." He smiled at me, reassuringly.

"Thats amazing." I smiled back at him and hugged him. I walked outside of the hospital room. "Hes gonna be fine." I told Charlie, hugging him tightly. I was glad coach was gonna be fine, because I had been worried about him all afternoon.

"Hey, I would ask if you wanna get Ice cream again, but you got it this morning, and its kind of late.." Charlie asked as we walked down the empty halls. I always hated hospital hallways. They were so weird. "Yeah, but dont worry, we can always go tomorrow, or the day after that. Coach said we arent leaving for another two days. Im always up for an Ice cream date." I reminded him. I loved mentioning the word date, even though we agreed it was just as friends.

"Definitely." Charlie nodded.

The walk back to our dorms was quick, but I ended up pointing out every beautiful thing in the sky that I saw. "...and look at how pretty the moon is!" I pointed up at it, admiring the moon.

"You know how everyone is pretty like something?" I continued to walk. "No..?" Charlie answered, acting like he was the one asking a question. "Really? Well for example, your eyes are pretty like the moon, but you, you're pretty like... vinyls and cds.. and converse, because you always wear them." I explained. I was basically complimenting him, but I was also being 100% honest.

"You think?" "Yeah, im sure of it!" I nodded.

"Well, I think you're pretty like floral patterns and snowflakes. You're like the perfect mix of spring and winter." He returned the compliment.

"Ive never heard that before, but I love it, a ton." I intertwined my arm with his.

"Im glad you do, Natalie."

I loved the way he said my name, and the way he described me. How he said I was pretty like floral patterns and snowflakes, and that I was the perfect mix of spring and winter. The "perfect mix".

We got to the hallways that lead to the dorms, and I was still so confident that I was going to ask Charlie out. I knew I always had this feeling with my other crushes and it would go away, but Charlie was different. I had never ever had this big of a crush on someone. Ive never felt the way I do around Charlie.

He began to walk up to my dorm, and I stopped him.

"Charlie, no, you always walk me to my dorm, let me walk you to yours, pleaseeeee!" I begged, he easily gave in. "Okay, fine."

We walked down the long hallway to his dorm, hand in hand.

"Goodnight, Charlie, I love you!" I told him as I ran off, almost forgetting something. "love you too!" He yelled in response with a grin on his face before I came running back to him.

"I forgot something.." I said, out of breath.

"Yes...?" He chuckled at my actions.

I stood there for a moment, trying to decide if I should do something or not, but I knew I liked Charlie Conway, a lot. way more than a lot.

I kissed him on the cheek before running down the hall to my dorm, and locking the door. I saw myself in the mirror as I walked into my dorm, my cheeks were bright red.

"I think you put on a little too much blush," Connie laughed at me.

"Yeah, what happened?" Julie asked, laughing with Connie. "Its obvious, Charlie happened."

"I told him I loved him, and he said it back, and then I kissed him on the cheek and ran away," I explained, out of breath. "You did what!" Julie's expression turned from laughing to shocked after I spoke.