choni - unwritten

off to pops

toni pov - 

i took cheryl's soft hand and led her out of the cinema. when we got outside i looked into her eyes,

"cheryl," i said softly, and held her face in my hand. i gently brushed a tear with my thumb, "i promise you, everything is going to be ok."

she gave a small smile and gathered herself quickly.

"are we going to pops then?"

"follow me," i said.

cheryl pov - 

i don't know what i was feeling, toni just touched my face. my heart was racing. i felt her hand on my cheek, and her thumb brushing away a tear. i was done fighting with myself, i actually smiled at her after this kind gesture.

"are we going to pops then?"

"follow me," toni said with a grin.

i walked with her outside to her motorbike. i tried to hide my disgust and fear for this vehicle. toni noticed.

"it's ok cheryl, i'll go very slow. it's only a short drive."

"ok toni, i trust you," i said, giving assurance to myself.

she put her leg over the motorbike and sat herself on. she passed me her helmet.

"use this cheryl."

"no toni, this is yours. i don't want you getting hurt."

"i'll be fine, we don't want you ruining that pretty face of yours."

i blushed and took her helmet gratefully. did toni just say that?  i climbed onto her motorbike.

"um," i began.

toni read my mind and grabbed my hands from in front of me, she gently placed them on her waist.

"hold on tight."

she pushed down on the pedal and we slowly began to move out of her parking spot. i breathed in sharply with the adrenaline of where my hands lay and the fact that i was sitting on a motorbike. 

toni pov - 

as we began to gain speed i felt cheryl's hands tighten, to the point where her arms were wrapped around me. i tried to stop myself but i couldn't help smiling. 

we arrived in front of pops in the space of five minutes. i got off first and then helped cheryl off after me. she unclipped her helmet and hung it on the bike handle. 

"thanks toni," she said with meaning.

we walked up the stairs, the bell rang as the door opened. pop turned around from cleaning some dishes. 

"hello toni!" he said cheerfully, "so good to see you back! i see you've met cheryl." he said looking her up and down with a face of regret. i could see he was a little worried.

i laughed, "yes pop, i have," i looked at cheryl smiling.

"can we please get a chocolate milkshake and... a strawberry milkshake?" i looked at cheryl inquisitively, raising my eyebrow in question.

"how did you guess my favorite?" cheryl asked.

"just a hunch," i responded, looking at her red aesthetic.

cheryl pov - 

toni and i sat up at the bar stools at the counter. pop handed us our milkshakes and we began talking. toni cleared her throat.

"i saw you cry during that movie, cheryl." 

"i never cry in movies, real life's tragic enough," i looked down and swallowed, "when simon's mum said he used to be such a carefree kid growing up, and at a certain point he stopped being that happy kid," i could feel my eyes filling up with tears, "cause he was hiding a secret."

"cheryl," toni began. 

"everyone thinks i'm this loveless monster, but it isn't true. i loved someone, who loved me. and my mother destroyed it."

"you mean your brother jason? i heard how close you guys were."

"no, not jay jay," i hesitated on the next word and forced myself to say it, "h, her name was heather," i looked at toni's solemn face feeling surprised that she wasn't ridiculing me.

toni pov - 

"h, her name was heather," cheryl looked at me. i tried to hide my shocked face from her and kept it solemn just to show i was here for her. cheryl blossom loved a girl? i was first expecting jason, then another guy that her mum probably didn't approve of but A GIRL? stop it toni, this is ok. i just couldn't bring myself to believe it. did cheryl just come out to me?

"she was my best friend in junior high, she used to sleep over every weekend," i could see her remembering all the good times and i just tried to listen, "until one night, my mother caught us in the same bed, she said i was, deviant."

i looked down.

"cheryl, i am so sorry. but you have to know your mother's wrong," i shook my head, "you're not loveless, you're not deviant, ok? you're," i looked into her eyes, "sensational."

cheryl pov - 

toni looked deep into my eyes and rested her hand on mine, "sensational."

i was just shocked at toni's act of kindness. she wasn't mocking me, she didn't seem to be fazed at all, she was just, supportive. she smiled at me and went back to her milkshake leaving her hand on mine. she held on.