Chasing Normal || Leondre Devries

Chapter 9

"You know what I've been thinking?" Leo said as he and I laid on the couch watching TV, our legs and arms intertwined.

"What?"

"I want a dog." I raised my eyebrows.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I've wanted a dog since I moved out, but I never got around to getting one. Ever since I met you my life has been wild."

I let out a giggle. "That feels like ages ago."

"Yeah it does."

"Remember when you asked me out?" I asked, looking him directly in the eyes now. I traced gentle circles on his cheek with my thumb.

"Of course I do." I started thinking about that night all over again.

March 10th.

Three months after my dad died.

That morning I woke up for school earlier than usual. I had an odd feeling. The good kind of odd feeling.

I had received a good-morning text from Leo. It was the first time he'd ever done that in the six months I've been friends with him. It was just a plain 'morning:)' but it still made my heart skip a beat.

Sure, we'd kissed a few times after the first, and we cuddled a lot, but nothing ever got super serious. I started to think he didn't want anything serious.

School went by super slow that day. I spent every class staring at the clock, waiting until last period. At this point in the school year, I could have just left school early, but I wanted to see Leo everyday.

That day in the janitor's closet was the last one as 'just friends.' 

He was more smiley than usual. He made a ton of stupid jokes to make me laugh. We left school as usual, walking together to our cars. Then he asked me if I was busy that night. I said I wasn't and he told me he had a surprise for me. He said he'd text me more details when he got to his apartment.

He texted me an address. He told me to meet him at that address at 8:00. I put Evie to bed early that night, telling her I had something important to do.

I went to the address. I'd never been down that road in my life. I was sketched out at first, but it got much nicer as I continued driving. My GPS led me down a gravel road and up to a large metal fence. It was a heavily wooded area. The sun was just beginning to set in the distance. I saw Leo getting out of his car and walking over to mine. I got out and he hugged me, which he never does when we're just meeting up to hang out.

He helped me over the fence and then hopped it himself. I followed him farther down the gravel road, which was becoming thinner and thinner the longer we walked. We were approaching a clearing at the end of the gravel. There was one single tree in the center, and it was huge. It was a cherry tree at the peak of its bloom. Pink flowers covered the branches. Under the tree was a swinging bench. Fairy lights were wrapped around it. As we approached, I could see a box sitting in the middle of the swing.

I looked at Leo, whose eyes were shining. He was smiling ear to ear. I smiled back at him and asked him what this was all about in the nicest way possible.

"Open the box." I did as he said. It was one of those photo boxes that you had to keep opening and more pictures would pop out. My stomach was doing flips as I looked at all of the pictures. When I got to the last part, it said, 'Y/n, be my girlfriend?'

I turned to Leo, who was now looking tremendously nervous. I threw my arms around his neck and yelled 'yes' multiple times. We hugged for a few minutes before sitting on the swing. We watched the sunset, hand in hand.

It was like a scene from a movie. I never thought things like that happened to people in real life.

"I never would've thought you were such a sap."

"Only for you, love." He kissed my cheek.