psycho | jaeden lieberher

twenty seven

When I see Jaeden in the auditorium I can't help but hug him. Ever since Emily Skinner assumed Jaeden and I were together, it feels like the whole school assumes, which is basically like everyone knowing. And I mean I want them to know. And if Jaeden doesn't then friends hug, and we're just friends. "What was that for?" Jaeden asks when we pull apart. His adorable grin shows he isn't mad about it, which I am incredibly thankful for.

"I just missed you." I smile up at him, fighting the urge to just stand on my tip toes and kiss him right now. 

"I missed you too." He grabs my hand, which I think is as lovey as we're going to get this rehearsal. But progress is progress, and anything with Jaeden is an amazing thing with Jaeden. When rehearsal starts we break apart, I run on stage and he runs to his seat in the audience since he isn't in the first scene. I can't help but giggle when we make eye contact during scenes, giggling is like the default response to butterflies in your stomach. At one point there is a scene neither Jaeden or I are in, so I ask him if he wants to go to the water fountain with me. 

"Isn't the other water fountain closer?" He asks as I lead him by the hand towards the art wing water fountain rather than the one on the opposite side of the auditorium.

I turn around in a way so we're still holding hands but I'm walking backwards and facing him. "Yeah, but the sports kids always use that one." 

"We can't use the same water fountain as the sports kids?" He is either really oblivious or is joking, but he is still cute I'll allow either option.

"Nope." I shake my head and turn around as I keep leading him to the water fountain. When we turn the corner I try to keep walking to the fountain but Jaeden stops, firing my arm to be pulled towards him. Instead of just being jolted back a little, I'm pulled into a tight hug. His arms are around my waist in a way that makes me fully surrounded by him. I push away slightly so my arms can escape and I put my hand on his chin and pull it down towards me. He breaks the distance before I do, connecting our lips only for a second before he pulls away. 

"We will need to be on soon, get you're water." 

"I didn't ask you to come with me so I could get water." I connect our lips one last time, for even shorter a time than before. Then grab his hand and we walk back together side by side, like the adorable ass couple we are.

Jaeden can't run lines tonight, he says he has family dinner, so I call Maddie and Lilia to make plans. Lilia has date night with this weeks guy, but I manage to convince Maddie to get dinner with me instead of Jack. She picks me up at 6 and we plan to go to the sushi place in town, not the bad one on the highway, the good one a few stores down from the bookstore. 

During dinner Maddie and I gossip one out rolls. We have a lot to talk about, being that we haven't had alone time in forever. She's been consumed with being back together with Jack, I've  been consumed with whatever the fuck with Jaeden. She tells me about Lilia's date this week, some guy from the lacrosse team, kinda hot but not really, and she tells me the rumor that Finn has been Snapchatting some girl in the town over. I tell her how Jaeden and the musical are going. When we leave the sushi place we decide to get ice cream and walk around town with is, so that's what we do. 

"We can look into the bookstore if you want, I know it's your favorite place." Maddie jokes about me being nerdy or whatever. I say sure, and we walk there from the ice cream shop. On our walk we giggle about everything, just like old times before we could drive and we had to walk everywhere. The bookstore is open for another half hour, so we manage to get in. Maddie runs off to use the bathroom because she says it's nicer than the one at the ice cream shop or any other place in town, so I just wander around the almost empty store. As I roam around I hear a laugh, that sounds oddly familiar coming from the couch area. I turn a corner around shelves filled with books, to see it. Well not it, them. 

"What the fuck?" I mumble to myself rather than saying it inside my head. I want them to hear it, I want them to know I see them, that I know. But I don't want them to know, I don't want to make a big deal. Because big deals will only do them good and do me terrible. I just stand there, out in the goddamn open, watching. Jaeden says something, Emily giggles and bends a little to hold her stomach, Jaeden starts laughing too, Emily reaches her hand out while still laughing, Emily puts her hand on Jaeden's arm, Emily's hand slowly moves down to Jaeden's hand. Now it's not like I'm fucking outraged that she is trying to flirt with my maybe kinda probably boyfriend, it's that he told me he couldn't hang tonight because of a family thing. Jaeden pulls his hand away awkwardly and brings it to rub his neck, Emily stops laughing and moves her hand to Jaeden's knee then slowly moves it up his leg, and Jaeden lets her. He fucking lets her.