~COMPLETED~
Ellody Brown, a high-school girl who happens to be Zach Herron's best friend since childhood, hasn't told Zach how she feels about him. But what happens when feelings for someone else come in between them? Ellody struggles with anxiety...
PREVIOUSLY: "Don't worry, Ell. All you ever do is worry. Hmm, you look like you need a hug," Zach decided, standing up and holding his arms out. Ellody smiled at him, standing up and wrapping her arms around him, feeling a sense of safety that she hadn't felt in months.
~
ZACH'S POV:
She couldn't keep the smile off her face, and it was the cutest thing Zach had ever seen. They'd been friends for years, but he'd never seen her glow like this.
"You have some on your nose," he grinned, taking a napkin and reaching across the tub of ice cream to wipe a smudge of chocolate off her nose.
"You have some on your face, too," Ellody said, putting the tub of ice cream on the coffee table and kissing his cheek. Her face turned slightly pink, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.
"Now that I look closer, you have a lot of ice cream on your face," Zach replied as seriously as possible, pulling her into his arms and kissing her nose before wrapping his legs around her and falling back on the couch. Ellody giggled loudly, falling on top of him. Zach stared into her eyes, taking a deep breath. He wanted this moment to last forever.
~
ELLODY'S POV:
His smile stretched across his whole face, and his cheeks were rosier than ever. Ellody wanted to take a photo to capture this moment, this feeling, but it would be impossible. It was too perfect.
"I don't want you to leave," Ellody said suddenly, voicing the thought that kept sneaking up on her and reminding her that this couldn't last. He bit his lip, eyes travelling across every inch of her face.
"Then we shouldn't waste the time that we do have. Before I go back," Zach smiled. Ellody rested her head on his shoulder and let herself relax, breathing in his cologne and running her fingers through his soft curls.
~
"You wouldn't believe-"
Ellody jumped off Zach so fast that she tripped over the coffee table and upended the ice cream container all over the floor. The spoons clattered to the ground as Ellody stared at Sienna and Jade, who had just walked through the front door.
"What's going on?" Jade asked, slipping past Sienna into the house. Her eyes landed on Ellody, but she clearly hadn't seen Zach yet. "Hey Ellody, how was school?" she smirked, knowing she didn't go. Ellody's heart was racing. Part of her wanted to rub it in her sister's face that Zach actually liked her all this time, but the other part of her just wanted to throw a blanket over her boyfriend and pretend he wasn't there. To her surprise, Zach sat up on the couch and flashed a smile at the girls. Jade screamed the loudest scream Ellody had ever heard.
"Who is THAT?" she yelled, pointing at Zach like he wasn't human.
"Hey Sienna. You must be Jade," Zach sighed, glancing at Ellody before walking over to the girls and shaking Jade's hand.
"What are you doing here?" Sienna asked slowly, looking between Zach and Ellody suspiciously.
It was the best feeling to know something Sienna didn't.
"Just thought I'd visit my... well, girlfriend," Zach said simply, turning to look at Ellody with a proud smile. Butterflies filled her stomach as she walked forward and wrapped an arm around his waist, unsure if this was the right thing to do, but Zach didn't flinch.
"Sorry, I think I heard you wrong," Sienna stuttered, a look of complete and utter astonishment on her face. Ellody couldn't help but laugh at her sister's confusion.
"No, I think you heard me right. Ell, how about we pack up here and go for a walk?" he suggested, nodding at the blankets and ice cream on the floor next to the couch. Ellody nodded, leaving his side to put a lid on the ice cream and take it into the kitchen. She could hear Sienna and Jade's frantic whispering as they hurried up the stairs. Sienna's bedroom door closed, and Zach burst into laughter.
"I can't believe that just happened," Ellody grinned, putting a hand over her racing heart. He nodded, stretching his arms above his head and yawning.
"I almost fell asleep, but then you jumped off me like I had a disease," Zach laughed, shaking his leg as though it had fallen asleep.
"Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting Sienna to find out so fast," Ellody shrugged, closing the freezer door and staring at the floor. It had never felt awkward between them when they were best friends, but this was new.
He shuffled his feet before taking a few steps forward and wrapping his arms around her. He rested his chin on her head, and Ellody relaxed against his body. Of course he knows how to make this less awkward. He's so damn perfect.
"Do you wanna get out of here?" he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear.
"Please," she said, looking up at him and smiling. Zach smiled back, taking her hand and walking towards the front door.
"Hang on, let me get something," Zach said suddenly, running into the kitchen and through the basement door. Ellody wondered what he could possibly need from the basement, but he reappeared with a bag and a small box. "Close your eyes," he added. Ellody frowned but closed her eyes, hoping he wasn't about to prank her. She wouldn't be surprised if he was about to put a spider in her hand or throw a handful of streamers in her face - he'd done it before.
But instead, he lifted up her hair and put something around her neck. It was cold on her fingers, and he took a few seconds to fiddle with the clasp on the back, but finally he fixed her hair and spun her around.
"Perfect," he said, holding out his phone camera so she could see. Ellody stared in adoration at the little silver lock on the chain around her neck, recognising it from photos of him.
"Isn't it yours?" she asked quietly, rubbing the chain between her fingers.
"Now it's yours. I just wanted you to have something to remind you of me that you can wear whenever you like. You don't have to wear it if you don't like it," he added as an afterthought, his forehead creasing. Ellody shook her head, looking into his warm, brown eyes.
"I love it. Now we can go," Ellody assured him. Zach bit his lip happily and pulled the door open with one hand in his pocket, waiting for her to leave first before shutting it behind them.
A~N hi everyone, sorry it's been a week since i last updated! it's school holidays for me at the moment and i've been enjoying time to myself. who knew a week would go so fast? thank you for reading, hope you're enjoying. the story is nearly done! love you guys :)
here is a photo of zach wearing the chain necklace i'm talking about:
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