SEVEN MINUTES || L. NORRIS

SEVEN

Past the bar where we first kissed and that movie that we missed, 'cause we were hanging out in the parking lot

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LANDO

I sighed, as I took a seat at the table in the kitchen, pressing my lips against the rim of the plastic water bottle I took from the fridge. I missed her. I was so excited about coming home after intense training for the past few days, because I was desperate to see her and take her out, before bringing her home to cuddle in bed. Whilst I was away, I missed her deeply, so the thought of having her so close when I came back got me through each difficult day. I closed my eyes and allowed my forehead to lean against the bottle lid. I wanted her to walk through the kitchen door right now, with her sweet grin resting against her beautiful lips. I pictured her walking to my side, placing her hand delicately against my shoulder as she pressed a kiss to my neck. I needed it so badly.

I exhaled, sinking down further into the wooden seat as I tugged on the ends of my hair. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball beneath the bed sheets and hope that I was trapped in a nightmare, that I would be able to wake myself up from. But, I had no such luck, as I knew that this was happening for real. Issy thought that I had lost interest in her and didn't love her no more, which was understandable, because I'd made mistakes whilst I'd been working, but I thought we were dealing with a sometimes long distance relationship reasonably well.

I wanted to go back to the start of our relationship more than ever. I started to plan out the small changes I would make, to help make big differences in our relationship. I just wanted to know that Isabelle was happy, because she always was when we were a little younger. It pained me to know that her anxiety was one of the reasons she became so lonely and dependent, but I couldn't help but blame myself for having the biggest negative impact on her.

She looked so beautiful when I turned up at her front door, a bouquet of roses close to my chest, which I then passed to her, smiling as I watched her face light up. I was such a romantic and I wanted our first date to be nothing but perfect, so this was the best way to start the evening off. I felt so lucky to be going on a date with Isabelle. Ever since I moved school and was introduced to her, I knew I wanted to be involved with her romantically, but I always told myself it would never happen. Isabelle was too good for me. That's why I was so shocked when she suggested taking our friendship to the next level, but I was glad she made that first move, as I felt a little less awkward when asking her about tonight. She agreed, of course she did, but when I heard her tell me yes when I asked her, "do you want to go on a date with me?", I swear my heart stopped for a second or two.

She handed the roses to her mum, who told the pair of us to have a good evening, before Issy stepped out into the warm night, taking my hand as she stood beside me. I couldn't help but melt at the new feeling of her skin so close to mine. To me, holding hands was such a simple, yet intimate gesture and I was in shock because she made the first move. I knew exactly how she felt about me anyway, because she couldn't stop herself gushing to me about it one evening, but this proved everything for me, giving me the small confidence boost I needed. Isabelle looked so gorgeous as she wore her favourite white blouse and a pair of black jeans, her hair in plaits and her makeup rather natural. She looked so beautiful, whilst she bore a sense of innocence as she skipped delicately along the pavement with our fingers remaining tightly intertwined. I loved her. I knew already that I loved her and I wanted to spend every possible second by her side.

As we stepped inside the bar, I slipped my hand around her waist as I guided her to the restaurant area, wanting to keep her away from anyone who may be a little too drunk. Of course, as we were both only nearly seventeen, we couldn't legally drink, but we both liked this bar and its restaurant a little too much, so it only felt right to bring her here.