Running From Him (ManxMan) ✔️

Chapter 19: Only Friends, No Benefits

🏃🏻‍♂️Clark's POV🏃🏻‍♂️

The period of time from when Jasmine enlisted us to help plan the party until the week before the party actually happened was . . . interesting. I found a lot of my free time out of work being spent doing more work. I would have thought that it was just because we had a lot to do but I noticed that Jasmine purposely tried to keep me away from my job as much as possible. When I finally asked her why she had told me that she had run out of ideas because I didn't contact Meaghan and was still working at the bookstore. So, this was here way to try to get me to leave.

"That is a really stupid idea Jazz." I had told her, she nodded in agreement then shrugged.

"Well I had to do something, you are passing up on an opportunity to finally do something that you would love." Jasmine's eyes had started to get dreamy as she continued to rant. "Most people dream of getting the opportunity to love and work all in one. Yet you are turning away from the opportunity like it is a piece of gum-"

"Fine, I'll call her." I groaned loudly. "Just stop ranting already." A sly grin slowly crawled itself onto Jasmine's face. I had rolled my eyes but she had already one.

"In case you somehow forgot, here is her number."

That had only happened two weeks after we started. I haven't stopped working at the bookstore yet but I have already talked to Meaghan and I will start working with her a month after Jasmine's party.

During this time, Mark and Mason's relationship finally became public. After they started college and Jasmine started interning for a designer, they came out with the news to both of their families and Ethan at the same time. We all celebrated it for hours and I noticed the Moore and Tyler parents half-jokingly discussing Marriage plans for the two new college students.

And then, throughout all of this, I have been spending time with Santiago. Somehow, despite being tasked with two different aspects of the party planning, there were ample situations where we found ourselves in the same place and could just talk and laugh together. And we always seemed to have time to meet up and eat food or something. I still made time to be with my boyfriend, why wouldn't I? But, Time with Santiago had become . . . different, and I'm not completely sure why.

I thought about this as I was on the train. I was actually heading over to a, wait for it, botanical center.

Okay, so it was technically a large park that just took really good care of their flowers but that is basically the same thing. Santiago had suggested it because he said that they had some flowers that were so breathtaking that anyone who saw them would have to take a picture. I had been extremely intrigued and so I came.

Half an hour later, I had arrived at the park, and just like he had said, Santiago was standing at the entrance waiting for me. I smiled when I walked over and felt my stomach jump when Santiago returned it. This "stomach jump thing" had been happening for about a month so it wasn't new to me. I could smell the scent of the fresh flowers and that surprised me as it was already coming to the end of September and Jasmine's party was a week away.

Santiago pulled me into a hug and I stifled a sigh.

He literally gave the best hugs ever.

We both pulled back and smiled again.

"Let's go inside, you have to see what they have in here." I reached into the bag that I brought and pulled out my camera.

"I'm ready." I told him in a deep, dramatic voice. Santiago chuckled just like I wanted and the two of us walked inside.

~~~~~

Santiago had not been kidding when he said that their flowers were beautiful. The better way to say it though would have been that they were extraordinary. The colourful and unique flowers ranged in size from incredibly small to as tall as the ceiling; all I did was gawk as we walked through the gardens.

We stopped at a particularly beautiful flower. It looked like a mixture of a sunflower, a daisy, and a rose. The flower was pure white, it's pollen was pale yellow with speckles of black, and it stood a few inches taller than Santiago. It was amazing.

"Oh my God." I quietly gasped. My hand instinctively went over my mouth as I stared wide-eyed up at the flower. I stared at the flower for a long time, and for most of that time, I could feel Santiago staring at me. Finally curious enough to find out why he had been staring and wanting to look at him, I took my eyes off of the flower and looked at Santiago. And he was staring right back.

My heart leaped through my throat when I actually confirmed that he was staring at me, and Santiago still didn't look away. His stare was intense; it felt as if his eyes were burning through and taking my chest. And he looked at me so warmly; it felt similar to be wrapped in a thick warm blanket, comforting, yet slightly overwhelming.

A few minutes passed, but I was unable to hold his stare and looked back at the flower. The large flower was still magnificent, but its beauty seemed to dim in comparison to Santiago's eyes. I pulled out my camera and took a couple of shots at different angles in case some angles looked better than others. Once I finished, I turned to Santiago and his stare had gone back to his normal pleasant one and I let out a sigh of relief. Somehow, all that attention directed towards me made me nervous.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked me kindly. I nodded and we moved on. I tried to forget what happened at the flower, he didn't stare at me like that again, but the memory of it was enough to cause a tingle to run through me any time I looked at Santiago.

So, there was a constant tingling running up and down my spine, and there was nothing I could do about it.

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Hey guys!

It has been a minute!

I am so glad that I have finally finished this Chapter and have brought it out for you.

I feel a little bit dissatisfied with it but it fulfilled its purpose, now its time for the party!!!!!

But first, you guys have any guesses for why Santiago was acting the way he did?

And, Mason and Mark are public?! So cute!!

Do you agree?

If you don't we might actually have to start a fight right here in these comments.

Jk

Anywho,

Vote, Comment, Share, Follow, anything else you can do with this story and I will see you next Chapter.bye!!!👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾