⚠️smut
By the end of the night, Cheryl was ready to go home. Her god awful family had hosted a "gathering" at her uncle's house. Her mother had made her wear over the top makeup and clothes that just didn't make her feel like herself. It wasn't that she looked bad, it was just when she looked in the mirror, she didn't recognise herself.
So, as the night reached a final close, she was ready to go back to her normal self and sleep for a very long time. Her family were going to stay the night, but she wanted to leave as soon as possible and miraculously, they let her leave.
Since she hadn't planned heading home on her own, she didn't even have any transportation, but she knew someone who did. Someone she always wanted to see after a bad night because she could always make her smile.
"How do I look?" She asked her sarcastically, as Toni pulled up. Sometimes they acted a little flirty with each other, but they both just played it up as banter. The teasing was just how they were with each other, nothing more.
"You look hot... but not really like you." Toni said, sounding serious for once. She was leaned up against her car, all casual and cool, like she couldn't have a care in the world that night.
To most people, that would have sounded like an insult, but Cheryl knew her too well. Even when Toni was being sincere, she wasn't the best with phrasing. But Toni understood Cheryl too. She understood that Cheryl liked being herself more than whatever character her mother made her be that night.
"You want a ride, don't you? Taking advantage of my sweet wheels?" Toni asked with a smirk.
"You know me so well."
—
"Not to say you don't always look good, because you do. It's just... regular Cheryl is the face I like," Toni said a few minutes into the ride. She didn't need to tell Cheryl because she always knew what Toni meant, and her gesture actually was sweet earlier, but Cheryl didn't say anything of the sort.
"You like my face?" Cheryl asked, with a hint of teasing in her voice.
"Of course I do. It's the best one around."
"Really? The best?" Cheryl asked, with the same teasing tone. She was certain that this was going to end the same way anything romantic ended with Toni, her backing out with a joke.
"Yes," Toni said, and Cheryl waited for a joke that never came. After a few moments of silence, she began again. "You were expecting to hear a joke, weren't you?"
Cheryl nodded.
"I thought about putting one in, but I decided this was too important. Your face is literally the best thing I see all day, every day. And even just talking on the phone to you or something is amazing. And texting. Although, texting is officially my least favourite way of communicating with you, because you have an amazing voice and an amazing face, as I've already mentioned. And I'm sounding stupid so I'm gonna shut up now," she finished with a weak chuckle.
"Don't. Keep going." Cheryl whispered. She was staring at her hands, watching the lights and shadows pass by on her lap, instead of her face. The only way she knew that Toni heard her was the careful stare she sent her way, but Cheryl didn't dare meet her eyes.
"I like your smile," she said suddenly. "It's a really good one and I always want to do whatever I can to make you happy so I can see it. You've always had a really pretty face. But then it went from pretty face to Cheryl's face, and I thought that was it. But then all the other pretty faces went to not- Cheryl's- face. I also have to remind myself to make eye contact with other people now because it doesn't even seem worth it if they're not yours." Toni sighed a deep shuddering breath that made Cheryl look up for the first time since she started speaking. Toni's eyes were fixed straight ahead at the road, but from the topic of conversation, Cheryl was sure that driving was the last thing on Toni's mind.
