Every Breath You Take |Billy Hargrove| *UNDER REVISION*

Chapter Twenty-five

|Piper|

There it was. The letter that expressed my most intimate thoughts on him. Like his existence and how I wanted us to be okay because...love is real. Billy held it tauntingly as he inched closer. I backed further into the tree, the edged pieces of bark poking through my knitted shirt and hurting my back slightly. I watched him nervously, his blue eyes skimming the writing on the letter as his perfect colored lips curved in a dainty smirk then licked it off leaving his fleshy lips shimmering a rosy red.

"And so it says: I will never understand why I always need you. I will never forget the way you looked at me the first time we met." He recited loudly. I felt my face heat up and not just from the sun outside, but the discomfiture. "Or the way you smell like love. I think I'm gonna love you for a—"

"Okay, that's enough." I said, balling my hands into a fist.

But he continued, "-long time, you're the only boy I'll never lose feelings for."

"Billy, stop it." I gritted my teeth.

"Good things happen. Love is real with us. We'll be okay, Billy." I shoved myself off the tree and pushed past him already aggravated. "Shall I continue?"

"No!" I turned around quickly.

"Although, I have to say I smell like smoke, not love." Billy teased.

I reached for the letter, but he held it up over my head. "Give it to me." I glowered.

"Why? It's mine. It clearly says: Dear Billy," he pointed out.

"What's the point in you keeping it if you're just using it to make fun of my feelings?" I defended, attempting to retrieve it back. "I wrote it, so it's rightfully mine."

"But it says my name!" He bickered back.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I can always scratch it off!"

"That's if you get your hands on it." Billy challenged. The letter moving over my head because of the wind.

"Okay." I only said then kicked him on his shin.

"Argh!" Billy groaned and brought his hand down, with it the letter too. I took the opportunity and snatched it from his gripping fingers.

"Come again?" It was my turn to tantalize.

"What are you going to do with it?" He rubbed his shin and looked at me with hooded eyes.

I didn't reply and simply ripped the letter in half then in pieces. Billy tried to hide is appalling expression. I let them fall to the ground.

"I clearly wasn't myself when I wrote that letter." I mumbled with a frown. "I should have known you were going to make fun of me."

I prepared to walk away. I couldn't believe he was being this immature. I should have known better. Nancy was right. You just don't confess your love to someone like Billy. We weren't there yet. Not even close.

"I'm not using it against you," Billy straightened up, "let's meet tonight. We still need to talk."

I watched him carefully. Studying his expression. He was serious. "Okay."

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|Billy|

My intention wasn't to make fun of her feelings, if what she wrote in her letter really what she felt, I had to know for sure. Which is why we needed to talk tonight. I had made sure to pick up the pieces of the torn up letter when she walked away and stuffed them into the pockets of my jean jacket. I loved to see her flustered and baffled. She had no idea I had been following her all day. I knew she was avoiding me. And I simply wanted to know why. After my small theatrical reading I found out it was because of the letter.