Crying in Wonderland

13 / ωнαт αи σ∂∂ ℓαυgн✤

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Aiden looked her over with soft, curious eyes as he drew her in as if he was seeing her a new light, or maybe it was the same light he's been seeing her in for a while now. Lilian fidgets to his side as they make their way to the parking lot.

"You know you don't need to drop me off right? I know the nurse said to walk me over, but your offer isn't all that necessary." Lilian says with a teasing smile.

His cheeks bloom a pale red as he gets caught by the way her pinkish lips rose into a curve, drawing imagines in his head on how it'd feel to press his lips on them, and caress those rounded cheeks-

"Aiden?"

He awkwardly chuckles as he notices her standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. He clears his throat with his gaze thrown to the floor, wanting all the embarrassment and shyness to run out of his body immediately. He inhales a deep breath and shoots her a radiant, supposedly confident smile.

"Yes, Ms. Winters?" She stares back at him blankly, but for a quick second he could've sworn she looked at his lips for a second too long. She shakes her head, walking to his car with her bag slung over her shoulder, still wearing his hoodie. He jingles his car keys as he opens the door to slide in, glancing over at the comfortable girl in his passenger.

"What a contrast." He mutters to himself as he turns on the engine.

"What?" She asks with a cross of her arms, before reaching towards the radio.

"The first time you were in this car, you were all to yourself and closed in. Now, you're... not." He reveals, and her smile gets shone back on him. The imagines run themselves over again in the corridors of his brain, bringing every romance movie he's ever seen (2) to the forefront of his mind.

"Maybe I'm more comfortable? That usually happens when people get acquainted with things they've had a lot more contact with." She sarcastically replies, tapping into the controls of the radio station.

She leans back into the seat, enjoying the melodious tunes flowing into the car now. Not before long, they go out in the road, and to the corner of his eye he sees Lilian dancing strapped against the seat belt. He tries to cover his laugh into his hand, but she looks at him, affronted.

"How dare you laugh? I'm a fucking dancing queen, only 17." She deadpans with her eyebrows furrowed and a posh accent to throw it in.

He throws his head back with laughter rumbling out of his chest, and Lilian can't resist the way she bubbles into her own chuckles at the sound. Aiden's laugh was weird, that's probably the only way she could put it.

It would sort of sound like he's out of breath, but it'd ring out with a freshness that he was utterly happy, with no somber tone to it. His laugh sounded like it had no reason to stop, that the joy could end. Whenever she laughed these days, she always feared it'd end and send her back into a silence.

But, when Aiden laughed?

She was left with a smile residual of the joy he radiated off of him.

"Are you serious?" He wheezed, and he almost lost all attention of the driving duty he had had it not been for the honk behind him.

She snorted, "No, my birthday's in December. How could I lie about my dancing reigning the most victorious throughout the land?"

He laughed again, and she could feel the remnants of her distress from earlier dissipate slightly, which led to her taking a shaky breath of relief as he wasn't looking. As Aiden began to notice her now quiet-demeanor, staring silently through the window at the passing traffic, he stopped under a red light.