𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 *✧･ﾟ:‧͙⁺˚*･༓* [𝖕𝖆𝖚𝖑 𝖑𝖆𝖍𝖔𝖙𝖊]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴛᴡᴏ

She lets a quiet laugh slip past her lips and pulls her hands away from his face. Sitting back on her ankles, she rests her hands on her knees and squeezes her eyes.

Paul cocks his head, a small smile playing on his lips as he meets her gaze.

"What?" he asks, eyes twinkling with amusement.

She takes a quick deep breath and opens her eyes wide to look at the boy in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Paul asks, starting to get worried.

"Yes, I think."

"You think?"

She chuckles softly, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "I just need a moment to string words together for my next sentence," she admits, grateful for his concern. Paul nods understandingly, reaching out to gently squeeze her hand in reassurance.

He patiently waits for a few minutes before she finally speaks again.

"I've never had a boyfriend before, so I'm not really sure how this stuff works. Like, are we dating now, or just kissing, or are we not anything yet? I'm not any good at this-"

He cuts off her spiral by kissing her gently, silencing her rambling thoughts. As their lips meet, she feels a sense of calm wash over her, the uncertainties fading away in the warmth of his embrace. The kiss lingers for a moment, conveying more than words ever could.

Breaking apart, she looks into his eyes and sees a reassuring smile, making her heart flutter.

God, it's been doing that a lot lately.

Should I go to the doctor?

"Look, Milly," Paul starts, wanting to be careful with how he phrases this. "I'm telling you this because I don't want any secrets between us," he continued, the nervousness in his voice now laced with a quiet determination. "I want you to hear it from me, not through the twisted grapevine of rumours and half-truths."

Milly's heart raced as she waited for Paul to continue, her mind racing with all the possibilities of what he could be about to say. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever news was coming her way.

Noticing the look on her face, he quickly backtracks.

"It's nothing bad! I swear!"

Milly's tense shoulders relaxed slightly at his reassurance, but her curiosity only grew stronger. She nodded for him to go on, eager to hear what he had to say.

"I, um... I've been around the Res a few times."

Relief flushed Milly's face. "Oh yes, me too! Isn't it lovely?"

Paul lets out a breathy laugh at the misunderstanding, quickly becoming more serious to explain it better.

"Yes, it is. But that's not what I meant."