Another Broken Smile

7- Things we wish we had

I straighten my dress and walk outside the school block. As I walk up to the parking lot I notice Daniel leaning on his car. His eyes are focused on his phone and his brown hair is messily spiked up as usual. I stop myself from  checking him out and clear my throat.

"Hey Ell" he says looking up from his phone and his blue eyes lighting up.

A familiar skip of beat at the nickname, dang it! Should I tell him not to call me that? I missed him, a lot, his sweet words, his gentle touches, just everything about him, but I'm not sure I want to risk my heart in his hands only to find it shattered again. My train of thoughts are brought to a stop by his gentle voice, "You look really pretty"he says and kisses my cheek in a warm gesture.

A blush creeps onto my face and I am unable to shake the tingles from my body. "Thanks" I croak.

"Let's go" he says motioning to his black, sleek car behind us. He opens the door for me as I slip in the passenger seat. The familiar smell of soap and lemon grass wafts through the air, it's his scent as I've come to know it. He soon gets into the driver's seat and we drive away leaving the boring blue and white walls of our high school behind us.

I gaze outside the window watching people as they make their way to different places. They keep moving, in search of something all the time. They have somewhere to go, somewhere to be, someone waiting for them. I wish I had somewhere to be, somewhere I could feel at home, and someone I could anchor myself to. I wish.

"Hey, what's with the long face?" Daniel says breaking off my thoughts.

"Nothing much," I say reaching my hand over to the radio to flick through the channels. His hand reaches out at the same time and our fingers brush against each other sending a shiver through my body. He awkwardly draws back his hand. A smile spreads across my face as I hear a 'One Direction' song playing. He despises them and it's hilarious to see him react to them.

He cringes and I grin widely. I increase the volume until the music is blaring in the car.

"Jeez Ellie" he says and I laugh louder.

'This time I'm ready to run,

 Whoa, escape from the city and follow the sun' the radio blares.

"You can never get rid of this obsession, can you?" he asks pouting slightly. I shift my attention from the window to him. His sky blue eyes are fixed on the road and he bites his lower lip to stop the small smile playing on his features. He looks adorable. 

"Never in a million years, Harry's my future husband" I say laughing when he pretends to gag.

'Cuz wherever you are is the place I belong' the radio blares but surprisingly this time Daniel sings along motioning his hands towards me. I smile widely and ask in amusement, "You know the lyrics?"

"Yeah...a little bit" he says flustered, a light pink blush creeping onto his face.

"Aww...do you like them?" I ask cooing at him and poking him in the side, "it's totally normal you know"

"No way" he denies adamantly.

"It's okay, you can tell me" I grin trying to poke fun at him.

"You really want to know, how I know the lyrics?" he asks in a serious tone sighing in defeat.

"Let me guess, you are secretly obsessed with them but now you're going to blame your little sister for it" I say smiling widely at him like I've just solved the rubik's cube.

"No, but you loved the song so much and it kept playing on the radio that I couldn't help but listen to it. I mean even though it was corny and stupid.. it was one of the only things that reminded me of you, that I could hold on to. How was I supposed to let go and not know this? It was the least I could do for you'' he says flustered. His cheeks are tinted bright red by now and he keeps running a hand through his hair, that it keeps getting messier. My mouth turns dry at his words and I focus my attention outside the window again.