𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫? - 𝐓𝐌𝐑 𝐀𝐔, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨

018 - #proudBrewtshipper

Despite every creepy encounter we've been having, we still all get together for the bonfire. And luckily, Astrid isn't invited.

"Are you going to do it?" I ask Braedyn as we walk side–by–side through the forest.

He nods. "Yes, but I'll do it later."

Satisfied with that response, I mutter a quick okay, then make my way towards Minho.

"Hey, Ley." He smiles at me when I reach him. "What's up?"

"I'm scared," I state, though it's probably obvious. "About everything. My initials carved on that stone? That's freaky."

He nods. "I agree. Also, was it your mum who called you yesterday?"

Remembering the call, my breathing hitches. "Uh, yeah," I lie. "She wanted to apologise."

"What for?" He asks, seeming genuinely interested in the lie I'm telling. "Not trying to be nosy, of course."

I chuckle humorlessly. "I know. We had a fight right before I left, so she wanted to make things right. She wouldn't be seeing me for weeks, so..."

"If I was her, then I would also want to make things right," Minho says. "It must suck having Whitley mad at you."

I smile, my stomach feeling weird, but I shrug it off.

We reach the familiar clearing from the first night. I'm the first one to reach the bonfire, and I save the spots next to me for Braedyn and Minho.

When everyone is sitting down, we start talking. Though, I stay silent; I'm not sure who's on my side.

"Hey," Minho whispers to me, giving me a small nudge with his elbow. "You've been pretty quiet, is everything okay?"

I nod, swallowing. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Fine means literally anything other than fine," he says blankly. "Seriously, what's up, Ley?"

This time, instead of nodding, I shake my head. "I'm fine."

"I guess I'll pretend to believe you." He shrugs. "Do you want to talk about it? Just us?"

I think about it. "No, it's honestly fine. This is supposed to be a night with all of us getting together, we shouldn't go away just us. And I don't want to burden you with my problems."

He sighs. "First of all, you just said this is supposed to be a night with all of us, yet you aren't speaking," Minho reminds me. "Second of all, you could never burden me. No matter what. I want to help you get over any of your problems, and I won't judge. It's better to talk about things, you know?"

I will never tell him about Tyler and my home life, even though he's making me want to.

"Since when were you a therapist?" I chuckle.

"Seriously, Ley."

"Seriously, Minho."

He groans. "When can you even be serious?"

"Never." I grin, turning back to the others.

Braedyn glances at me and I can immediately read his expression—he's silently saying, "wish me luck."

I shoot him a thumbs up as he and Newt stand up, leaving the bonfire. I watch them talk together, and I use my eavesdropping powers usefully. 

I'm such a poet.

"So there's something I need to tell you," Braedyn explains to Newt, nerves creeping into his voice.

Newt nods, cocking his head. From the distance, I can't see his face, but I assume he's raising an eyebrow.

Braedyn takes a deep breath and just says it. "I like you."

"In what way?"

"Romantically."

Silence.

And next thing I know, they're kissing. Making out, to be specific.

I let out a squeal of joy, causing everyone to look at me. "What?" I ask, pointing at Newt and Braedyn. "Look!"

Newt cups Braedyn's face gently, and Braedyn's hands rest on Newt's waist.

"Ew," Minho mutters from beside me.

I gasp. "Please don't tell me you're homophobic."

He shakes his head quickly. "No, no, no. I just hate watching people make out. I'd rather do it myself."

Do you want to?

"What?" He asks, looking at me with wide eyes.

Realisation hits me. "Did I say that out loud?"

Minho reaches up, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah."

I feel my cheeks heating up. "Shit."

Silence creeps in as he chuckles awkwardly.

"So," I begin, breaking the silence. "About the stone. What do you think the point of it is? What's so special about me, Braedyn, Teresa, and Astrid?"

He shrugs. "Not sure. Do you know who the T.G person is?"

I shake my head. "No," I lie. "Do you know anyone whose name starts with T?"

"Nope."

"But what do you think it means?"

"Maybe so—"

"Guys!"

I jump, turning towards the sound. "What happened?"

My eyes meet with my excited best friend's. His face is bright red, a giant smile planted on his lips. "We kissed."

I nod, chuckling. "We saw."

"All of you?"

"All of us," I confirm. "It was adorable. Congrats."

His smile grows wider. "Thank you."

I hear Sonya yell from where Newt is. "Finally! I can't believe it actually happened. I'm so proud!"

"Never thought she could be proud of him," I whisper to Minho, causing him to chuckle.

"I guess it's possible," he responds. "Now, what were you saying earlier about wanting to kiss me?"

"I— I didn't mean to say it out loud," I stammer, my cheeks catching a blush.

"But you thought it?" Minho smirks at me.

"What's this I'm hearing?" Braedyn asks. I turn to look at him as he continues to speak. "You want to kiss Minho? You should. You guys could take me and Newt as an example—"

"Shut up," Minho and I say in unison.

Minho then proceeds to explain what happened earlier, making me extremely embarrassed.

"I'm going back to the cabin," I say, turning away.

"Wait, Ley." Minho turns my chin to look at him. He quickly brushes his lips against mine. "Good night."