I see you - A Stydia AU

Chapter 8

After taking five minutes to change clothes, Stiles takes Lydia to a diner down the street. It's the middle of the afternoon so they order smoothies that Stiles pays for, not before Lydia argues a bit about how they should split the bill and Stiles admits that he just wants to do a nice thing for her. Lydia ends up letting him.

They have been exchanging nervous glances and trying to hide their smiles ever since they left his house because their situation is new to both of them. Lydia had never kissed anyone before so she doesn't really know what to do now. Same goes for Stiles, who had never kissed anyone who he likes before. Like really, really likes.

They're sitting on a booth and have been for a few minutes, making small talk and savoring their beverages, until Stiles brings up the subject.

"Was that some sort of a plan back there?" he asks timidly, playing with his straw.

Lydia blushes. "I uh... Sort of, I guess."

Noticing that she might be a little uncomfortable, he decides to leave the kiss to be discussed later. "I didn't know you were from Beacon Hills."

"Yeah. It's the first I've been here since me and my family moved. Like I said, I was three when my parents' career really started to take off and it was going great for them so they decided to move to San Francisco. There were far better opportunities for them over there, so..."

"Why did you come back then? Did something happen with their jobs?" He's interested in finding out more about her, he can't deny that, but he's also trying to divert the topic; the fact that she kissed him is still way too fresh in his mind.

"No. It's going great actually. They're still there, in San Francisco."

Stiles looks confused. "Then who are you here with then?"

"My grandma. Kind of. It's a long story."

Stiles smiles at her and raises an eyebrow. "Now that's not fair. I showed you mine..."

Lydia purses her lips in a small smile. "And I kind of forced you into it. Sorry."

"I'm glad you did." He gives her a crooked smile that has Lydia almost swooning. Almost. "I mean, I hadn't had a conversation with my dad that wasn't purely shouting in two years, so thank you."

"I'm just happy I could help. I think there's a lot of miscommunication between you two but I don't want to get in the middle of it. Just try and talk to him next time," she offers, smiling reassuringly.

Stiles nods. "Okay, getting off topic here," he chuckles. "So, your grandma..."

"Right. Hmm... My parents and I, we made an agreement. I asked them to arrange for me to transfer here because I didn't feel much like myself over there. I was in a boarding school much like BH Academy, you know, but in San Francisco I'm not me. People tend to recognize me in a way I don't want them to. I would never make it there, so I asked my parents if I could stay with my grandma. She lives here, always has. I just prefer to stay at the Academy to not give her any trouble. I visit her on the weekends sometimes."

She pauses briefly, pursing her lips before continuing. "I'm not close with my parents. And don't get me wrong, it's nothing like your situation. We get along just fine. They just don't have much time for me. If I'm lucky, I get to see both of them like twice a week and rarely at the same time. Their job is really demanding and I get that. I just wish I could see them more often." She pouts briefly and Stiles sits straighter on his chair, debating if he should grab her hand to comfort her or not, but soon Lydia is talking again. "Anyway, it's not just that. I'm known everywhere as the Martin's daughter, not as a seventeen year-old girl who has a brilliant future ahead of her, who's literally a genius and will do great someday. I was fifteen and I was already receiving job offers from some top level companies and being advised to choose carefully because some would look better on paper than others. No one even asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up." She sighs.

"And what do you want to do?"

The question takes her by surprise because she really expects no one to care about it. "I uh..."

"Wait, let me guess. Something to do with mathematics, right?" Seeing the astonished look on her face, Stiles continues, excited. "You're always carrying these big books around. And maybe you don't notice, but you always play with your pen between your fingers when you're reading them and you get this look when you're solving formulas, like you're super focused but you also look incredibly pleased, happy even, like you're having fun. I don't know..."

Lydia stutters. "How... H- How did you know that?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "You know what you said to me before, that you see me?" She nods. "Well, I guess I see you too. You're crazy smart and have like the best grades I have ever seen. You'll eventually go off and write some insane mathematical theorem that wins you the Nobel Prize, I'm sure of it."

A heartfelt smile shows on her features and heat creeps up her cheeks. "Fields Medal."

"What?"

"Nobel has no prize for mathematics." Lydia smiles wide. "The Fields Medal is the one I'll be winning."

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They've been wandering through the city park for over ten minutes. Lydia had never visited it, it was on their way back to the Academy so that Stiles could drop Lydia off and the way the sun, now low in the sky, is mirroring in the small lake is breathtaking, so they sit in a bench just looking at it. Well, at least Lydia is. Stiles is looking at the way the auburn sun makes her hair look like fire, and he stares at her for so long that eventually she notices, and even if she's pretending not to, her cheeks give her away, suddenly turning pink. Stiles hasn't probably ever seen her more beautiful, or anyone else really. Biting his lip, he can't wait anymore.

Blushing himself and giving her a shy smile, he whispers. "So, about that kiss..."