Mr. Cupid

Chapter 12

I don't know how long it's been, but it felt like hours. My mind kept racing with thoughts about what I did, what happened last time, and the expression he had after. I was supposed to forget about it, but me kissing him showed that I didn't. And at this point, I don't know what I'm thinking.

I heard faint footsteps coming up the stairs, and the grip around my knees subconsciously got tighter. I heard a creaking in front of my door and I knew he was sitting in front of it.

"Caleb...? Are you okay?" Daniel spoke softly from the other side of the door. I sniffled quietly and wiped away a few stray tears left hanging onto my cheeks.

"Y-yeah. I'm sorry." I said, voice quivering. It was silent for a few moments after that.

"Why are you crying?" I heard the door knob jiggle, but he couldn't open it since I locked it. I sniffled again, a bit louder accidentally.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm the one who came onto you and, I'm just really sorry." I said quickly, and then a new wave of tears came along. "I-I don't wa-ant to ruin your reputation b-because you ho-oked up with the closeted gay boy at school. I know I should have forgotten the kiss but I-I couldn't and this is what it lead to I'm so sorry." At this point I was rambling and sobbing. Daniel was silent for a long time. The only noise between us was the soft whimpers and sniffles coming from me.

"We can forget about it... again." He finally spoke. I clenched my fists tightly.

"But... I don't want to forget about it." I whispered. And, the truth is, I really didn't.

This guy is such a dick but, he can be sweet at times, is what I discovered. Although he doesn't show it often, or to many people, I've seen it quite a few times. And... I think... I might be...

"Okay." Daniel spoke. I froze up when he spoke. His voice was laced in something painful. I decided I would really try to forget this time. Or, just ignore it.

"Caleb... open the door. Please." Daniel said softly. I got up shakily and unlocked the door, wiping away more tears with my sleeves. He opened the door and suddenly engulfed me with an unexpected hug. It was warm and I felt oddly safe with his strong arms wrapped around me, holding me close and tight. I felt calmer. I felt wanted. I felt a million butterflies erupt in my stomach. His touch soothed my aching heart. All of my bad thoughts disappearing the moment he wrapped his arms around me. But it wasn't long enough.

He pulled away and rested his hands reassuringly on my shoulders and looked down on me with a faint smile. The butterflies in my stomach that were once just fluttering ever so slightly, churned into a storm once I looked at his smile.

"You know, we have a project to start, Shrimp." I puffed my cheeks at the stupid new name and huffed. It was better than Pinkie though.

I sniffled a little, because of the excess stuffiness, and glared at him. I'm sure my cheeks and eyes were red from crying, and well, proximity...

"Whatever, JockHead. Let's just see how big that brain actually is." I teased.

"Is that a challenge, Shrimp?" He raised a brow at me.

"I don't know, is it?"

~~~

It most definitely wasn't, really. I just wanted him to work. And, I've learned how to motivate someone who doesn't like working into working. Challenging them. Literally.

I lost $20.00 today. But, I did get some of the project done. And I'll take that over any twenty dollar bill any day.

"Well, it's getting a bit late. I might wanna get going." Daniel said with a tired sigh, getting up and putting some of his things into his backpack. I looked over at the clock and realized it really was late.

"Oh shit, okay. Sorry I kept you so long. Will you get enough sleep?" I questioned, getting up as well.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder after zipping it up and looked at me. "Yeah, I'll be fine. We got most of the project done, so that's a good thing."

"Haha yeah.." I said kind of awkwardly. It was quiet for a few seconds. Fuck, this isn't what I wanted. "Hey, I'll walk you out." I said, rushed.

We made our way downstairs, and I kind of felt myself dread the front door, but instead of stopping dead in my tracks, I broke off another piece of something in my chest and tossed it into the fire, pressing forward and opening the door and getting ready to say goodbye.

Daniel had stepped outside, and turned around. But, his lips were left struggling with finding something to say.

"Goodnight, Daniel." I said, in an odd tone. I didn't recognize it even for myself, to be even using it. Daniel's lips then came to a close, and his features silently fell into a small frown, with a hint of disappointment.

"Goodnight, Caleb. See you tomorrow." He said before sending me a small smile and turning around to set off for his journey home.

"Yeah." I whispered, so only the breeze that flew by could hear.

I closed the front door softly, and as the latch clicked into place, I was suddenly overwhelmed with an urge to cry again. But, there's no need to.

It's my fault, after all. Why should I be the one to feel this way?