uncomfortable | braeden lemasters

one

i woke up without an alarm for the first time in awhile this morning. i couldn't believe it was finally here. junior year of high school was over and it was finally summer vacation.

i reached over to grab my phone from my nightstand and unlocked it. i had been scrolling through instagram for a few minutes when my phone dinged with a new message from braeden:

10:08 a.m.

please tell me you're up

i smiled and typed a reply.

10:09 a.m.

what if i told you i was still sleeping :/

10:09 a.m.

i literally hate you...so much

10:10 a.m.

sorry i can't hear you i'm asleep lol :)

10:15 a.m.

val...meet me outside in half an hour or i will not talk to u ever again :)

i let out a laugh and rolled my eyes, hopping out of bed and walking into the bathroom to get ready. braeden and i became friends quickly at the beginning of our freshman year. we were both new to the school so it wasn't hard to grow close to each other. i don't know what i would have done had it not been for him or even dylan and cole.

"first day of summer! you stoked?" my mom was too enthusiastic for eleven in the morning as she made pancakes in the kitchen.

"mom, i can barely contain my excitement." i said accepting the plate of breakfast she had prepared for me with a thank you.

she rolled her eyes and sighed at the blatant sarcasm, "you never stop, huh?".

i shrugged, cutting up the fluffy pancakes and eating a few bites. "will dad be home soon?" i asked through a mouthful. he had been on a business trip for a few weeks now and was due back any day. my father was always traveling and, although i appreciated his commitment to keeping our family financially stable, i missed him a shit ton. i never saw him and it sucked.

"he called me late last night, because of the time zones," she answered coming to sit by me at the table with her own breakfast. "he said two days at the most."

i pursed my lips and nodded silently.

i felt my mothers gaze on me, "i know it isn't what you want to hear." she spoke quietly like she might upset me. "he'll be back before you know it."

i cleared my throat and changed the subject, "i'm going out with braeden." i picked up my plate and brought it to the sink.

"great! what are you two doing?"

i rinsed the plate and opened the dishwasher to put it in, "i don't know, he texted me and told me to meet him outside," i closed the dishwasher and turned to the clock: 11:15. "and i'm already late!"

i ran over to my mom and pressed a kiss to her cheek, "i love you." i grabbed my phone and headed for the door.

"love you too! have fun." she called as i shut the door behind me.

i walked down the steps of my house and down the driveway. braeden stood there, hands in his pockets and a grin on his face.

"someone is late." he commented as i approached him. i rolled my eyes and shoved at his shoulders.

"is this how you're gonna be all summer, brae? i don't know if i can be kept on a schedule." i smirked at him and he mirrored my expression right back.

"i won't be," he said as we started to walk towards his house. we didn't live far from each other. a five or ten minute walk. we loved to walk together.

"so, what are we doing?" i asked as we walked up towards his car.

"meeting dylan and cole at...a coffee place i don't really know. they sent me the location." he told me. i nodded and started pulling on the passenger side door, waiting for him to unlock it.

"braeden." i said and kept pulling on the door.

"val, i'm getting it!" he said patting his pockets for his keys. he found them and pulled them out, unlocking the doors. i slid in and buckled my seat belt as he set up the navigation.

while he backed out of his driveway, i fumbled with the aux cord and swiped through my music, settling on some Beatles to satisfy the both of us. braeden put the windows down as we began to drive and i let myself lean my head out the window, my hair whipping everywhere.

i heard laughing and looked over at braeden who had a smile on his face.

"what?" i asked with a laugh.

he shook his head and bit his lip, "you're just funny that's all."

my cheeks reddened and i stared at him for a little before forcing my eyes away to the road ahead of us. we were coming up to the center of town, Hey Jude had just come on, it was 70 degrees out and braeden was right beside me. i had never felt more content.

i felt a sting in my eye and winced, pulling down the car mirror above me. "ow." i muttered, pulling an eyelash out of my eye. before closing the mirror, i noticed a picture tucked in the corner. a polaroid of me from about 2 years ago. i was sitting cross-legged in the grass in front of braeden's house, a hand over my eyes to shield the sun as i squinted behind the camera at braeden, a happy smile on my lips. written under the picture was: val 5/14/17 <3

i didn't realize we had arrived at the coffee shop until braeden coughed. i glanced up from the picture in my hands to look at him.

"that's my favorite picture of you." he said, a content smile on his face as he looked at it before turning his gaze up to me.

i smiled, "you keep it in your car?". i noticed a blush appear on his cheeks and i felt my heart swell.

"valerie..." he groaned putting his hand over the picture in my hand. i tightened my hand around his in return. i felt him looking at me but i kept my stare on our intertwined hands.

finally i turned to look at him and grinned, leaning over the seat to press a kiss to his cheek. "let's go inside." i said, quickly unbuckling and not waiting to see his reaction. I returned the polaroid back where i found it and opened the car door.

i waited on the sidewalk for braeden as he locked the car. he approached me with a smile and grabbed my hand as if it were the easiest thing in the world. i felt my breath get caught in my throat as we walked into the coffee shop with interlocked fingers and i wondered what the fuck was going on this summer.

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comments are appreciated! thanks for reading lmao