Safe Place ~ WayHaught

IcyHaught

A/N: hi! So I've decided that I'm probably just gonna be making jokes about Nicole's last name for most of the part titles haha

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~Nicole's POV~

Did she just call me hot? Or was it just a joke cause of my name? I honestly don't want to think about that right now. I just got kicked out of my house and forced to move to this tiny town in the middle of nowhere. I can't flirt with this girl. I can't let her flirt with me either. No matter what happens in this new town, I don't want anyone to know why I moved here.

Waverly seems sweet though. And she's really pretty too. I realize my mouth has been moving for a while now, but I honestly don't even know what I was saying. I guess Waverly can tell that I've lost my train of thought because she's laughing and trying to remind me what I was saying. But I can't keep my focus on anything right now. I decide to start talking again, but God only knows what words are about to come out.

"I completely lost my train of thought." I laugh.
Huh. I kind of was expecting to say something embarrassing. Okay then. "I'm sorry, but I gotta ask." No. No. No. No. No. Nicole, I swear if you say this, there is no redeeming yourself. "Do you believe in love at first sight?" Shit! Shut up right now, Nicole.

"Um. . . No?" Waverly is looking at me and I swear she is so confused. I swear, sometimes I honestly just can't control myself.

"Okay." Last chance. Please, Nicole, stop talking. "So, if I left and came back, I might have a chance." I hate myself.

Waverly shifts in her seat, looking a bit more than uncomfortable. I don't even know why I just said that. I notice her trying to stutter a response and I think I made myself just about as uncomfortable as I made her because I am actually frozen. I manage to speak.

"Relax!" I laugh and nudge her arm playfully. "I was just messing with you. Honestly." Bullshit, Nicole, you know damn well you were hitting on her. I can't help but notice that Waverly still hasn't said anything and it's getting more and more awkward. Thankfully the bell is ringing, shaking us out of the uncomfortable silence, and signaling the end of first block.

I sit still in my chair and wait for the rest of the kids to leave before standing up. I'm about to walk out of the room, but Waverly is standing at the door, waiting for me. I start panicking internally as she sighs and starts walking towards me. I can feel my face heat up and my palms are sweating. I honestly don't know how I stayed in the closet for so long, I am the most awkward gay to ever live. Except, maybe, Waverly. Is she gay? No. I remember the guy she was kissing when I bumped into her before class. Damn it! Nicole, you idiot. She's almost at my desk and I swear this entire inner dialogue has taken place over the course of about five seconds. Act natural.

And stop talking to yourself. It's not helpful.

"Hey, so-um-I noticed that we both have gym class for second block and I was just wondering if you wanted me to walk with you." Waverly smiles at me and I feel really awkward. "Oh! And um by the way," she pauses. "I'm in a relationship. With a boy," she quickly corrects herself. "Man!"

"A boy-man, huh?" I tease. "Yeah, I've been there." I chuckle and start heading down the hall with her. "It's the worst." I need to stop this.

~Waverly POV~

"It's the worst." Did she really just say that?

I can feel my cheeks burning at the comment. I guess that answers my whole, is she gay, question. I'll give her one thing, she's certainly brazen. I'm so sick of fighting with myself over this girl and I've only known her for a couple of hours. My head feels like a war zone right now with all of the 'Haught damn' jokes and the whole 'Champ is your boyfriend' thing. I'm contradicting myself more than a freaking IcyHot patch! I can feel myself chuckling before saying it out loud.

"Ha! IcyHaught!" I break out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter and so does Nicole. She places a hand on my shoulder, which was just as much to steady herself as it was to steady me. We must look like idiots right now. After a few deep breaths I hear Nicole ask me a question.

"Why do you keep making jokes about my last name?" She asks me in between laughs. "Not that they aren't hilarious, but seriously." I hear her chuckle one last time before calming herself down and I somehow manage to calm down as well.

"It's just funny is all." I smile, realizing her hand is still on my shoulder. I can't tell if it's a friendly thing or something more, but either way, I don't mind. I keep scaring myself with these feelings that keep showing up. In just two hours, I went from definitely straight to Haught Damn to yeah, I'm probably gay. Well it's scary as shit and I just wish that everything could just slow down for one freaking minute! "God! I'm such an idiot!" I run my hands through my hair and sit down on a bench in the locker room. Everyone besides me and Nicole have already gotten dressed and gone to the gym.

"I'm sorry. Did I do something?" Nicole sits down next to me and I can practically feel her hurt in the air. "Waverly, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything." She's talking to me with so much respect. Champ never apologizes. And Nicole is saying she's sorry for something she isn't even sure she did.

"It's not your fault." I manage to sniffle out. "I'm just realizing some stuff. Stuff that I never really thought about before today." At this point I'm crying into her shoulder and I don't know why, but I feel so connected to this girl.

I feel her arms start to embrace me, slowly at first, almost like she's scared she'll hurt me. Once she realizes that this is what I want, she starts to become more sure of herself. One of her hands is slowly tracing shapes on my back and the other is wiping the tears from my cheek as they fall.

I know I shouldn't be thinking about her like this, but I can't help myself from taking in every single detail of her touch. Her hands are gentle, but a little bit more rough than I had expected. Not in a bad way though, it's nice, comforting. It's like her hands are telling a story through their texture. They say, I have been through things, but I haven't lost who I am. Her arms are strong and her grip is firm, but it somehow manages to feel delicate at the same time. Her body is warm, inviting, but her eyes are guarded.

I can't stop thinking about what I had said earlier, about everything I feel contradicting itself, but now the context is different. Nicole contradicts herself. A soft touch from a rough hand, a firm grip from delicate arms, an inviting body, but guarded soul, and I get it now. She's like IcyHot, she contradicts herself in the most helpful and beautiful way.

This girl is going to be the death of me.