From Conundrums to Kisses | ONC 2020

Chapter 16: A New Day Begins

Colton's POV

The next day, Colton pedaled as fast as he could to Teagan's house. He hoped that she and her parents were still home. His bicycle's tires screeched against the pavement as he looked up at where she lived. It was a modest house, despite her family being wealthy.

Colton knocked on the door, taking in a deep breath. His palms started to feel sweaty with the bouquet of lilacs wrapped around his hand.

The door opened to reveal Miss Valdez, greeting him with a cheerful grin. "Hello, Colton. Come in."

Colton cleared his throat as he walked inside, with Miss Valdez closing the door from behind. It couldn't be that hard to ask your crush's parents if you could go out with their daughter, could it? Meanwhile, he felt as if he was entering a lion's den.

Miss Valdez turned to Colton. "Now, what brings you here?"

"I just wanted to ask you and your husband something regarding Teagan. It won't take long."

Miss Valdez raised an eyebrow, motioning for him to come and sit on the chair opposite her and her husband.

Her husband looked up from the work he was doing on his computer to get a good look at him. "Ah, Colton. What brings you to our house?"

Colton rubbed the back of his neck. How was he going to phrase this? He needed to be confident but not cocky. Sweet, but not a doormat. He bit the inside of his cheek. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought it would. Just then, he heard some people coming down the stairs. Colton turned around, happy to see that it was Teagan and Ire.

She turned to see Colton, the wide-eyed expression on her face. "Colton, what are you doing here?"

"I just came to ask them something." he replied, causing Teagan's mouth to form an 'o' shape.

"Oh, yeah." Teagan paused. "They...already know about the kiss."

Colton's face turned as pale as a ghost's. Maybe even paler due to how he was afraid of what her parents would think.

Ire tried to suppress a giggle but failed as she burst out laughing. "Oh my god, your face is hilarious."

Teagan gave Ire a sharp nudge. "Quit it." Teagan turned to face Colton. "Don't worry. I told them that you were a perfect gentleman and respected my boundaries. Besides, I was the one who depended on the kiss in the first place." she continued.

"You know." Mr. Valdez piped up. "It makes me happy to know that Colton stopped the kiss from escalating further. Both of you, actually," he said.

Colton looked down at the floor, unsure of what to say. Was that pride he heard in Mr. Valdez's tone?

"Which brings me to wonder why you're here." Mr. Valdez's eyes narrowed in on the bouquet of flowers Colton held in his hand.

Colton followed Mr. Valdez's gaze to the flowers and gulped. "These are for you, Teagan." He gave the bouquet to Teagan, who smelled the roses in contentment.

"Thank you, Colton. They're beautiful." Teagan praised, walking into the kitchen to get a vase full of water.

Mr. Valdez drummed on his fingers on the table. "And what did you hope to buy with these flowers, hmm, Colton?"

"Teagan," Colton replied.

"Wowww...." Ire drew out, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Idiot! Colton berated, then quickly turned to face Mr. Valdez, who had a peeved expression on his face. "That wasn't what I meant to say. Just give me a minute."

Mr. Valdez had visibly calmed down, motioning for Colton to continue.

Colton let out a nervous laugh, his palms turning sweaty. "Sorry, I'm not very good at this. Your husband's right to question me, Miss Valdez. The flowers were just because I thought Teagan might like them. I know I'm not going to win her heart through that alone, but it's a start, right?"

Mr. Valdez chuckled. "You've got that right. So Teagan told us that you're interested in taking her out on a date. Can I ask why'd you be the best choice for her?"

Colton took a deep breath. "Well, Sir, I would treat her with respect, be quick to understand whatever she's going through. Make her feel better by giving her a joke or two. Make sure that she knows how lucky I am to find someone like her, not the other way around."

Mr. Valdez nodded. "Keep going."

"I actually hand-wrote a love letter for her while I was waiting for her to notice Ire and me when she was talking to Tamika a few days ago. Colton brought the letter out of his pocket, waiting for Teagan to come back from the kitchen.

"What's that?" Teagan asked, noticing the envelope in his hand.

"While you were busy talking to your new friend, I decided to write a little something for you." Colton handed the letter to her with a shaky hand.

"Colton, this is too much," Teagan replied, lost for words.

Dear Teagan/Dewdrop (whichever you prefer)

He watched Teagan roll her eyes at that part with a small smile.

We've been friends for six years now, and I find that my mind is filled with thoughts of you no matter how hard I try to whisk them away.

I know that you have insecurities, and I do as well. However, that's what I find most attractive about you. Here are some of the reasons why:

Your smile − your smile is the most attractive feature about you. I know you're self-conscious about it since you tend to hide it behind your hand, but I think of it as something to be proud of.

Talent − you're gifted in so many things, Teagan, whether it's your artwork, your dancing, or your voice when you sing.

Personality – You're sweet, kind, smart. You have a glowing personality that attracts those to you like a magnet, and to that, I'm thankful. I know some people consider you to be stubborn, myself included. But your stubbornness helps you go after your goals and inspire others, even though your bullheadedness drives me crazy at times.

These are just three of the reasons I find myself drawn to you, and I'm sure that there are many more, but I couldn't find the space to write them down on paper. That and I was lazy.

Teagan and her family laughed.

Yours always and forever,

Colton

Teagan wiped a tear from her cheek, with her mom doing the same. Her dad shook his head at the women's antics. He got up and reached out his hand towards Colton. "Welcome to the family, Colton. I couldn't have chosen a better man for Teagan."