Good Intentions

Chapter seven

      "You do? Oh..."
westlyn smiled as he let a sigh of relief escape his lips.
      "Th-that's great! I hope you can meet them sometime..."
        Was his stuttering going down? Boy that was excellent! He could feel as his face retorted to its original color. Dee was quite the character, but she interested him to a quite an extent. He had a desire to learn more about her, which made him wish she would pick him at the end of the day. To be a volunteer...of course...not...you know...he was a gentleman! Eh, it was Raina. Of course she was only trying to be funny, so he should just laugh it off, correct? Correct. Jokes are meant to be funny, and Lillian seemed to be having a grand time with it.
      A sudden vibration in his back pocket made him blink his way out of his wondering thoughts. Pulling his phone out, he sent Atticus, a fellow friend of his, a message back quickly before messaging the back of his neck in embarrassment.
     "I h-hate to put a rain down on the party but...but Atticus just texted me about picking up some football equipment for the team and I gotta help unload it...p-put in a wooed word for me for d-dee?"

     He asked softly to Lillian. Dang it! His stuttering was back. Oh well, it was alright. Surly they were used to it now.
     "I-I'll be back in an hour."
He reassured.
      Dee felt her heart sink and her smile turned to a frown. He was leaving? Panic rose through her an jolted through her veins. He...he was leaving? He couldn't leave now...they were having fun.
     Was he actually coming back or would he just leave her here. Dee struggled to keep herself under control as she continued to think about what would happen if he left.
    She whimpered lightly and took a step foreword. He was leaving?? He was leaving! Dee looked around for the herd for help, but they stood around expressionless and emotionless. Why weren't they helping her?
      She slowly brought her hands up to hug herself and make herself feel better, but ended up grabbing someone's arm to stable herself. She wasn't sure who it was, she just knew she needed someone to hold on to. Someone else was going to leave her here...who was the first person to leave her? She couldn't remember...oh well...it didn't matter.
      "Y-you promise?"
She asked in alarm, her eyes filling with deep fear and turning pale and grey.
      "You have to promise you'll be back!"
She said again, gripping the unknown person tighter.
      Dee studied his face for a moment, trying to read his true intentions. She dropped her head slightly and let her bangs fall in front of her face, unable to watch him leave. Her heart raced. She would be sad if anyone left, but the felt...different somehow?
     Lillian froze. Why was she touching her. Why wasn't she touching westlyn. Ok. Ok ok. Calm down. NEVER MIND FREAK OUT- no no no no no no stay calm. Just wiggle free and move-

Ok.

Ok.

Ok this is good.

Ok.

You can do this Lillian.
Lillian managed to wiggle free from Dee's tight grip and shove her in westlyn's direction. Of course westlyn thought it was the perfect time for a hug, so he opened his arms out for one. Holding her closely to him, he smile.
     One of of his few life goals was to be so special to someone that one day he was going to hug her and all of her broken pieces would magically fit back together again. It was a wild and unlikely dream to be accomplished but it didn't stop him for wishing.
     This hug- and he could tell- was different from most. It wasn't awkward- well it was, but it wasn't..? Besides him feeling that Lillian and Raina both were watching the two of them, he thought it felt quite nice.
     "Don't worry...! I'll be back later!"
He laughed, he smile only getting larger by the second.
Maybe...he could pick up some candy or something for her- er...them...on the way back. Or better yet, he could've swore that he had seen a buffalo stuffed animal in the window of the toy shop next to the animal shelter. Imagine the happiness if he were to get it! He kept extra cash on him at all times so surly he would have enough to get a small stuffed animal. The excitement was already coursing through his veins as he thought of the smile it would bring to Dee's lovely face. My, her face was pure beauty. Her hair was gorgeous, and her bangs only added to her adorable features. Her smile was no less than stunning, and her eyes...oh those eyes were brilliant. He could get lost in them any day.
     Wait.
      How long had this hug lasted again?
Crap crap crap crap! Let her go! Let her go!
      "S-sorry!"
He stuttered, rapidly releasing her from his arms.
      "Dude, are you gonna go?"
Raina asked, passing a hand through her locks.
     "R-right...see you guys latet..."
westlyn blushed, turning on his heel and exiting.
Eloise hadn't seen any of it, too busy with her face in her novel, but boy was Raina about to burst into laughter.
     Lillian mostly didn't want to torment them being as how cute they looked, but Raina had other intentions. Make them a couple, and fast. Use force if necessary.
     "He's so weird..".
Raina snickered.
      "He's sweet."
Lillian corrected, smiling softly and even letting out a small giggle. For the two of them, it was a tad awkward watching Westlyn Hold Dee in his arms for at least two minutes straight.
Raina thought as though she had embarrassed westlyn enough for the day, and Lillian just thought it was completely adorable that they were hugging in the first place, so of course she wouldn't want to ruin it. At the moment Lillian reminded herself of something Chiyo, a friend of hers, would do.

      Dee, on the other hand, blinked in surprise as she was thrown into westlyn and his arms wrapped around her. She panicked at first but then she relaxed in his embrace. A certain feeling of calm washed over her and she hugged him back.
     Dee hadn't received many hugs in her lifetime but she knew, for sure, that this was the best one she'd ever had. She closed her eyes, letting the warmth and happiness she felt take over. She nearly melted when he laughed and told her not to worry, though it normally meant something painful was coming next, she truly trusted westlyn and knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.
      The herd had all turned their back at this point but for once, she didn't really care what they were mad about. They could pout and be cry babies all they wanted to but nothing was going to release this hug until she was ready.
     Dee felt as though she could hold onto westlyn for eternity and she could feel his own excitement. What was he thinking about right now? Was he thinking about her like she was of him? Was that weird? Well, he was still hugging her so that had to be a good sign!
     She felt him leaving suddenly and she heard his voice but she couldn't quite register what he was saying. He said something else to reply to raina, but she didn't hear that either. Someone had shown they cared about her; something she cared about herself. Even as she watched him walk away, she still felt his arms around her.
      She was so used to hugging herself that she'd almost forgotten what an actual hug felt like. Dee felt her smile widening as she slowly turned back to the group.
      "I like him."
She repeated, wandering back over to them. She looked up at them and smiled, even if the herd was pushing her away in the opposite direction. She stumbled from their strengths but she stood her ground. She needed to stay here...at least a few more days. Then she would leave with the herd. Just a few more days were all she needed.