Tales of a would be perfect

Chapter Seven

Casper

The line cuts off and a sleeping Larsen still lays in the bed next to my chair.

Her mother is leaving in 15 minutes. I look out the window and see her loading her car at the top of their long driveway. I sit back next to Larsen and wait anxiously for Liesel to arrive.

I hear the sound of heels coming up the stairs. On any other day I would have hidden and jumped away, but not today.

I look at Larsen sleeping and see her at such peace.

When I look up, I see Mrs Hoskin standing in the door.

'You are a better person than I thought you were. At least you have common decency.' She remarks as she approaches Larsen.

Larsen stirs awake.

'Darling, I'm going on tour tonight and I'm leaving soon and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner.' Aria starts.

'Mother, I knew. I saw the calendar. It's fine, you can go.' Larsen responds, half asleep.

"Goodbye Larsen. I will call you and your father when I land.' Aria says as she embraces Larsen.

As Mrs Hoskin promptly leaves the room, Larsen flops onto her bed.

'Was today a dream? Was the whole dance assessment and the text messages just a dream?' Larsen asks, confused.

"Well, not exactly.' I say as I take her gentle hands into my own. I see her eyes dart to her hands and a calm resolute wash over her soft features. A small smile appears on her lips.

'So it was all true? It really happened? How did I end up here?' She asks, curiously.

I nervously smile at her.

'You fell asleep in my arms in the practice room, you were so upset. So I took you to my car signed us out and called your dad who told me to bring you here, and I did.'

'You did that for me?' She asks with a look of purity on her face.

"Of course I did. What are best friends for?' I reply.

You have no idea what I would do for you.

'Come here,' she says as she motions me to join her on her bed.

I lie next to her and clutch her hand.

'It's all going to be okay. Your parents deep down love you, Liesel loves you, your friends love you and I do to. We all care.'

I turn to look at her and I am reminded of exactly why I fell in love with her.

Her eyes look into mine for a split second I see her look at me the way I look at her.

I move to kiss her on the cheek, but at the last second she turns her head.

I kiss her properly.

But she kisses me too.

For what feels like an eternity, everything stops.

I pull back and see her eyes gleaming with joy yet conflicted.

'I'm sorry Casper, I shouldn't have done that.'

'It's okay.' I respond with a tinge of sadness.

She moves and cuddles up closer to me.

God help me for I have fallen.

The door swings open and Liesel comes into the room.

'Your dad let me in Larsen, I hope that's okay.' She starts.

'It's fine. And I see the extra bag so I'm assuming you are sleeping over for the weekend, Liesel.'

'You guessed right. How about you Casper? I know you were supposed to go to Theodore's.'

'No, It's fine, I will stay.' I reply, stealing a glance at Larsen, and quickly messaging Theo.

'Sorry, can't make it tonight, slight emergency came up.'

'If it's what I think and Larsen related, you have been excused and pardoned.'

'Thank you so much.'

'Go get her XD'

'You know as well as I do that's not how it works :)'

'Good luck none the less.'

'Talk later.'

'If you don't mind guys I really need a shower and change of clothes then we can think about food and stuff.' Larsen says as she crawls out of our embrace and goes to her bathroom.

'Now I saw what happened before I got in the room.' Starts Liesel in a hushed tone.

'Saw what?' I decide to play dumb.

'Goddamn it, you know what.' She replies, indignantly.

'I can't believe you saw that.' I say, feeling my face turn pink.

'And I saw the part where she said it was a mistake. It wasn't and you know that.'

'You don't know that.'

'Yes I do.'

'You didn't carry her out of the music department asleep because she was so distraught over what her mother told her after she got the scholarship offer. You didn't strap her into the car and drive her home, carry her upstairs and wait for her to wake up. You didn't see her invite me onto her bed, because I didn't myself. And you didn't see that I went to kiss her on the cheek, but she moved at the last second.' I say, slightly flustered.

'Damn, that's a lot for one day .' She says pausing, leaving silence in the air.

'You don't know this but Aria asked Frederik Weise to ask Larsen out. I know him because of the store and I told him not to. You can thank me later because he thinks Larsen is amazing.' She starts.

'She is. And she deserves someone way more amazing than me.'

'That's not true. And you deserve someone amazing too.'

I smile at Liesel gratefully.

'As much as I know how Larsen feels, it's not my place to say nor do anything.'

'And I respect that.'

'You two just have a connection that she has with nobody else, and nor do you. You look after each other and care about each other so much. Rome wasn't built in a day, and you have to give people time to put things together. You also never know what's perfect for you till you have felt what is not.'

'I'll try keeping that in mind.' I say, taking in everything that Liesel just said. She is completely right, and I know it. I just don't want to see Larsen upset or hurt - because seeing her happy is one of the best feelings in the world.

Author's note:

Thank you for nearly 100 reads.

Xx,

Avi