Tummy Flutters | ✓

YOU FOUND ME.

note (08/26/19): hi guys! someone suggested that i write an extra chapter set ten years in the future :O and so i did (three years later oops) hihi i thought it would be best to do this now because this short story is somehow gaining traction, and i also wanted to thank old and new readers for giving this book a chance ;') just a word of warning: this is so incredibly cheesy and almost sickeningly sweet-i've been feeling so soft lately because of lover and skskkskkssks nonetheless, i hope you guys enjoyed as much as i did writing this :) this is like a peek of their relationship in the future!

(08/28/19): i'm not kidding. this is way too fluffy than i've ever written before, and it's not edited thoroughly. read at your own caution :>

Ten years later, eighteen year-old Catherine Wilson was still the best at hiding. Some of her best hiding places included the abandoned waiting shed in the highway that overlooked the city and the deserted playground beside the haunted mansion. She supposed it wasn't the smartest idea to hang around somewhere abandoned and deserted, especially with two serial killers on the loose most probably looking for a hideout. But she knew the four-eyed dweeb would be able to find her long before anyone else.

Much to his vexation, Peter Romano was the only one who can find Catherine whenever she didn't want to be found. After a thorough and deliberate sweep through all of her possible hiding places, he found her sitting on the roundabout with her legs tucked into her chest and her head resting on her knees.

When Catherine caught a glimpse of him, she leapt to her feet, rushed towards him, and then enclosed him in a tight hug. She nestled her head on his chest and closed her eyes, finding immediate comfort and solace in his spindly arms. "Hey, you found me," she whispered, her lips pulling into a smile when his hands started stroking her unruly hair. "It took you awhile, though."

Peter pulled away from the hug, his hands still resting on her shoulders. "You didn't exactly make it easy for me, Cath." Without meaning to, a small trace of exasperation seeped into his tone when he added, "A clue about your whereabouts would have been nice, you know."

"I'm sorry," Catherine said. "Forgive me?" She cocked her head to the side and smiled up at him apologetically.

"Goddamnit." Peter looked away from her to hide his treacherous lips breaking into a smile. "I'm trying to be mad at you."

Catherine hooked her arm in his and led him to the swings. "Stop trying, then," she said cheekily. "It'll save you the time and effort."

Peter sat down on the swing, sighing. "Your Mom's really worried about you. Isla, also. She called me, like, a hundred times today."

Catherine looked down, swinging back and forth using her feet. "I know. I just-I can't talk to them right now."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Peter asked. He'd always been like that-non-probing and considerate. Which was one of the things Catherine loved about him. She'd always been a secretive person, and he respected her boundaries, waiting patiently for her to tell him about it eventually.

Catherine nodded. "Before that, do you have food? I haven't eaten since this morning." As if on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly. She tried muffling the sound by fake coughing until she actually started choking on her spit.

Peter grabbed the bottle of water from his backpack and gave it to her, gently patting her back until she stopped coughing. He noticed her ears were tinged red and her cheeks turning pink. He laughed to himself. He'd always found it so endearing whenever Catherine flushed in embarrassment. She resembled a cute tomato.

"Did you hear that?" Peter teased. "I thought I heard an animal growling or something. Whatever it was... damn."

Catherine punched his shoulder. "Shut up."

Peter laughed as he took out a paper bag of sandwiches and drinks. He opened one of the sandwiches, punched the straw through the juice box, and gave them to Catherine.

"How did I get so lucky to have a boyfriend like you?" she asked, smiling up at him. It was true. People are always saying that Peter was lucky to be with someone so smart and beautiful, but they didn't know that she was the lucky one. She'd never met anyone as kind and compassionate as him before. Truthfully, he made her want to be a better person.

Peter smiled. To this day, hearing the word 'boyfriend' almost always made his heart leap out of its ribcage. He was definitely in trouble; she still had that same effect on him, ten years later.

When they finished eating their sandwiches and threw away their trash, Catherine said, "It's Papa." She looked down at her feet. "Ever since he stopped taking his meds and going to group therapy, he's been withdrawing himself from everybody else. Mama insisted that he take his meds and go to therapy again, but he lashed out. I'm just so worried about Papa, you know. And I didn't know what else to do but hide. Because I just can't be with them right now."

Peter replied, "Your Dad loves you very much, you know that?"

"Yeah."

"He'll turn around eventually, okay? He loves you more than anything in the world, and he'll realize sooner or later that he needs some help. Just be there for him. He needs you now more than ever."

"Okay." Catherine nodded, feeling a hundred times better. "And Peter?"

"Yeah?"

Catherine hung her head. "I'm sorry. I'm always hiding away from my problems, and you always have to find me."

A boyish grin played on Peter's lips. "Don't worry about it. It's my favorite pastime."

Catherine beamed at him. At that exact moment, she'd never stared at anybody else with so much love in her eyes. She asked herself again, How did she get so lucky to have someone like him in her life?

"Okay, since you just said that, I can just keep hiding, right?" Catherine joked.

Peter looked into her eyes. "You know I'll always find you, Cath."

-

i really hope you liked this because i couldn't stop smiling as i was writing this extra :') i'm really hoping i didn't put you off with the overloaded cheesiness or ruined tummy flutters with this extra because that's the last thing i would want. so, yeah. i hope that it didn't disappoint :)

anyways, that's a wrap! i wanted to thank everyone who gave this cutesy romance between two eight year-olds a chance. i really appreciate each and every vote and comment, and my heart literally swelled with happiness every time people complimented this story and my writing (i'm a big sucker for compliments so keep 'em coming :P )

again, shameless self-promo! if you like fluffy and mushy stuff, maybe you'll also like my other book our tulips together (for a slow-burn romance in which both leads slowly and gradually fall for one another; romantic fluff? guaranteed 100%), what could have been (in which an ivy league girl and a high school dropout find common ground and form an unlikely bond), or butter together (again opposites attract in this short story where a girl find herself mealprepping for a cold and habitually sullen boy)