Back to you | ✔

31 | Chapter Thirty One

B O N N I E

He pushes off the doorframe and walks towards me. I stand still, unwilling to give in to him. Even if all I want to do is throw myself at him and kiss him until we can't breathe.

"I'm sorry for everything. But let me make it up to you tonight." He reaches out, pulling me towards him until my chest brushes against him. I look up at him and melt. When he looks at me like I'm the only girl in the world, I can't help but smile.

"Fine, but don't think you're going to get away with not talking about what happened." I push off of him and step around him to grab my phone and wallet.

"You look beautiful, Bon." I spin to face him, anger boiling just beneath the surface. He doesn't just get to do that. He can't tell me he loves me and then bail. And now he's going to tell me I'm beautiful just because I'm mad at him?

"No," I scream, and it startles him. He takes a step back, frowning at me. "You can't just do that, Josh." His mouth opens and closes as if he wants to say something, but thinks better of it and stays quiet.

"I don't know how to act around you. One second you're hot, the next you're cold." I throw my hands up in frustration. "I understand you're going through a lot, but that doesn't mean you get to hurt me and toss me aside when you're feeling some type of way."

"Bonnie, I'm sorry, I don't know-" I throw up a hand, cutting him off. "Don't bother apologizing if you're going to just do it again."

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I never meant to do that." He watches me with sad eyes, begging me to believe him, and I do. I don't think he ran out of here to intentionally hurt me, but it doesn't change the fact that it hurt, a lot.

"I know you didn't," I sigh and walk over to him. He opens his arms wide again, and I fall into his chest. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me to him tightly for a warm hug. This is what I needed. To be held in his arms. If I could buy real estate in his arms and live here, I would.

"Now, how about we go on this date, and I make it up to you?" I peer up at him and smile. Maybe an actual date is just what we both need to distract us from the shit going on in the real world.

"That sounds perfect."

***

We pull up outside an ice skating rink. The parking lot is empty besides us and one other car. I look around, trying to figure out what is going on. Obviously, the place is closed, so he didn't think that one through.

"Why are we here?" I question, still searching for clues, but I come up with nothing. He chuckles to himself but doesn't answer me, "come on, trust me."

I follow him inside, holding onto his hand for dear life. Something about an abandoned ice skating rink is terrifying. It's cold, dark, and every noise echoes throughout the building.

He stops just before we step away from the entrance and into where the ice skating rink is. He turns to face me, a massive smug smirk plastered on his face. "Oh no, I hate when you get that smile," I groan, and he laughs. The sound of his laughter warms my heart, and the feeling of ice drifts away.

"Close your eyes," he smiles down at me, and I frown at him. "Why? No, I'm not doing that," I shake my head in defiance, and he rolls his eyes, still laughing to himself. "Come on, Bon, trust me." I groan and close my eyes. I guess the only way I'm going to find out what he is planning is if I close my eyes and go along with this.

"Josh, you better not be pranking me or something stupid like that," I grumble, and I feel him reach out, pulling my hands into his. We lace our fingers together and he walks me through a doorway. I know this, because I am hit with the icy breeze as we walk through it.

"Okay, a few more steps," he guides me further, and I slowly take one step at a time. "Alright, stop there. Keep your eyes closed for just a second longer, okay?" I shake my head and grind my teeth. It's freezing in here.

I know he said to dress warmly, but I wish he was more specific about the temperature we were going to be enduring.

"Okay, open."

I slowly open my eyes, but then they widen so fast, and my mouth almost hits the floor.

Josh is standing in front of me with so many roses I can't even count. The entire rink is dark but lit up by so many fairy lights, it must've taken hours to put them there. "Josh," I gasp out, beaming at him, and he is smiling right back at me. A huge smile on his face. He knows he's done well with this one.

"Did you do this?!" I breathe, still in complete shock. "Yeah, it took me all day, but the look on your face right now, is so worth it." I run at him, and he knows I'm about to jump, so he places the roses on the floor, before catching me as I launch myself into his arms.

"Thank you, thank you," I nuzzle my face into his neck, and he chuckles. "Anything to make you smile, BonBon."

"Now, do you want to skate?" he asks with a wink, and I grin, "you know I do."

Josh carries me over to a bench where he already has skates waiting for us, and lucky for me, he has an extra hoodie there for me. His hoodie. I reach for it and thrust it in the air, "you're never seeing this again," he laughs at me and shakes his head. "Thats the whole point, isn't it?" he teases, "Don't all girlfriend's steal their boyfriend's clothes?"

"Girlfriend?" I catch onto that word and stare at him. "Thats an odd way of asking someone to be your girlfriend, Josh. Maybe get a little more creative next time," I motion around the rink, teasing him. I've never had someone make this much effort to impress me before, and I think he can tell. I can't wipe the stupid smile off of my face, and neither can he.

"Well, that is the goal. I'll keep calling you that until you call me your boyfriend too, BonBon."

He stands up, his skates making him so much taller I have to lean back to look up at him. "Need help?" he kneels down and helps me get my skates on, and I watch him work. How did the boy I used to know to turn out to be so perfect?

I'll admit when he first came back to town with that stupid sultry smirk he loves to wear and his bad attitude, I had lost all hope of my Josh coming back. But, here he is, kneeling in front of me doing up the laces on my skates like he used to when we were kids.

"Did you really mean it?" I ask, and he looks up at me. "Mean what?

"When you said, I love you?"

His jaw clenches, and I think I've just messed everything up. There is no longer a smile on his face, just a blank stare.

"Bonnie," he says, standing, this time pulling me up with him."I have loved you since the day we first met, even when we were just kids I knew I loved you."

I say nothing, what can I say? I know there's a difference between a kid's crush and being in love with someone, but does he know the distinction?

We step onto the ice, and he skates backward, lacing our fingers together, moving us slowly towards the middle of the rink.

"I love you, Bonnie, I meant it then, and I mean it now."

"I'm just waiting for you to play catch up." I smile at him, feeling a warmth brush over my cheeks. Hopefully, he can't tell because the temperature in here would make me blush normally. He moves one of his hands up to my face, and I lean my cheek into his palm.

He leans in, so his forehead rest against mine. I close my eyes and breath. "I love you," he says in barely more than a whisper. "I love you too," my voice wavers, exhilarated from the tension building between us.

I hesitantly looked up at him. We both know what we want, and before I can ponder about it further, he pulls me to him and covers my mouth with his in a hungry kiss. As our lips crush together, I feel like I'm walking on air. It's magical, the way his lips connect with mine. His mouth, so warm, the caress of his lips softer than I remember, and I open my mouth with a low moan.

This right here, with Josh, is where I'm supposed to be, I just know it.