snapchat // s.minter

11

"Hey." Sage mumbled as she got in his car, avoiding his eyes contact. She put her phone in his cup holder, buckling her seatbelt shortly after. "Thanks."

"Yeah, of course." He smiled lightly as she looked up slightly, catching his eyes for a moment. He sensed she didn't want to talk about it, dropping the subject as he played quiet music.

He changed the gear to reverse, backing out before putting it back in drive and driving randomly. He put his hand on her thigh, feeling her hand come to rest on his. "I'm sorry for waking you." She whispered, Simon shaking his head in response.

They drove for a while before Simon pulled into a parking lot. "What's wrong?" He asked, looking at her. "You said you're anxious, but I know it's more than that." She looked away from the window, looking down at her hands.

"My parents called me this morning." She mumbled, running a hand through her hair. "My dad is sick."

"I'm sure he'll be-"

"It's cancer, Si." She whispered, looking up at him. His eyes softened, words leaving his mind.

Simon put his car into drive, grabbing her hand. "How about we go back to mine and cuddle for a bit, yeah?" She nodded, squeezing his hand lightly. "You're gonna be okay." He whispered, kissing Sagelyn's hand lightly before driving back.

--

Josh was sat in the kitchen. "Still up?" Simon asked, Sagelyn stood beside him, hiding slightly. "You should get some sleep, Josh." He told him, seeing Josh shrug before smiling lightly at Sage.

"I'll be in my room if either of you need me." Josh told him before he was running up the steps, the pair following shortly after.

Sagelyn sat on his bed, her back against his headboard. "I thought you said you weren't busy?" She gestured to the camera and ring light plugged in that Simon had forgotten to turn off before falling asleep.

"Don't worry about that." Simon walked over to it, taking the camera off the tripod to put it on charge and turning the ring light off. "You're more important than a video."

He heard Sage sigh, pulling his comforter over her bent knees and up to her chest. "I shouldn't have bothered you, I'm sorry."

"Sagelyn, stop it." Her eyes glanced up at him before looking back down at her hands. "Come here, love." Simon whispered before climbing into the bed beside her.

He felt her curl into his side, her head resting on her chest. "You don't need to apologize. You're the most important thing to me in this moment." He told her quietly, playing with her hair. "That video can wait until tomorrow, my sleep can wait until you're ready to go to bed, my editing can wait for a few days." He told her, feeling her sigh.

"You are literally the most deserving girl of love and happiness. You deserve every bit of it. I would tell you why these things happen to you if I could, but love, I can't." He whispered, feeling her kiss his jaw. "You're the most amazing person on this earth. I've never met a more understanding and patient person in my entire life, little one."

"Simon-"

"I'm not done." He cut her off. "I know you see yourself as a disappointment because you don't have more subscribers and you work so hard but never feel like your videos are high enough quality. I know that about you, but it's not true. You're so hard working. You deserve so many more subscribers and views than you have, Sage.

"I know you feel like you're not pretty, but holy shit, are you wrong." He shook his head, feeling her look up at him. "Your eyes aren't green, hazel, blue, or brown, but all four with a hint of yellow in them. They make me feel secure. Your hands are small but they fit perfectly in mine. They make me feel safe. Your body is perfect to wrap around mine. It makes me feel loved." He told her, kissing the knuckles on her hand, whose fingers had intertwined with his. 

Josh, who was standing outside in the hall beside Simon's door, smiled. He had originally planned to come play the dad role and make sure everyone was okay, but then he had heard Simon sitting down, talking from his heart and couldn't bring himself to intrude.

"Thank you, Si." She whispered, looking up at him. "It means a lot." She added, leaning up to kiss his lips, his hand coming to cup her cheek. "You're amazing."

"You mean a lot to me." He told her, smiling as she pecked his lips once more before laying her head on his chest. Josh smiled, walking to his room a few minutes later.

"Goodnight, little lover." He whispered, feeling her smile grow against his chest before her breathing fell steady against him.