𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒 | 𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬

35| Red.

35 | Red.

| Sage's POV |

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"I can't." I said, walking into the diner. "I can't, I can't, I can't."

"Woah there sister, what's up?" Rory asked. My eyes landed on her, then Paris beside her.

She went to speak, but I stopped her. "Listen, Paris, I really don't have the energy, okay? Unless you want that perfect little nose that I hate you for having to need plastic surgery, please do not speak to me right now. Got it?"

She shut her mouth, nodding.

"Anyway," Rory said, "what can't you do?" Luke handed me a cup of coffee, not meeting my eyes. "Spend one more second with that man." I groaned. "Grandpa?"

"No, Rory. Kevin freaking Spacey! Yes, grandpa."

"Sorry," she held up her hands.

"Mom told me to tell you if you aren't home for dinner, she'll fill your sinuses with acid and boil your teeth." I told my sister. Her eyes widened.

My eyes darted upwards, watching Jess walk down the stairs. I immediately looked down, fiddling with the thumb holes in my hoodie.

"Where'd he come from?" Paris asked, suddenly. "What's up there? Is that where you keep the girls? You got yourself a little cathouse up there?"

I turned to her, "I don't even wanna know." I mumbled. "No, you don't." Rory replied.

I tuned back into Luke and Jess's conversation, my eyes inadvertently locking onto Jess.

"An innocent boy like me should not be raised in an atmosphere like this."

I snickered.

"Jess!" Luke snapped.

"I wanna be good. Life's just not letting me." He shrugged.

I watched Luke groan, probably stopping himself from bashing his head into the wall.

I went to get up, but Jess's voice stopped me. "Hey, princess, can I talk to you?"

God freaking crack pigs.

Huh?

I looked at him. His tone was still teasing, but his eyes were serious.

"Um-" I looked up, avoiding Luke's eyes. "Yeah, yeah sure."

"Oh!" I said, just as Luke was kicking out Rory and Paris. "And if you don't cover for my sudden disappearance when you do eventually get home with a completely valid and understandable reason that will keep mom from pouring cement into my ears, I will harvest your toes. Understood?" I asked Rory, smiling.

"Yes ma'am." She nodded, rushing outside.

I looked back at Jess, the tension returning. I went to follow him upstairs, but Luke stopped us. "Somewhere I can see you both, please." He grumbled, just as uncomfortable as us.

Jess and I looked at each other, "outside?" He nodded.

"Stay by the window," Luke called out.

I involuntarily smiled, looking down. I met Jess's eyes as he smirked.

After making it outside, I took a deep breath, releasing it through my mouth. "So," I said.

"So." he replied.

I turned to him, my hands clasped in front of me, while he leaned against a tree.

"You're always leaning on things." I mumbled.

"What?" He tilted his head.

My eyes widened, "definitely didn't mean to say that out loud."

He laughed, looking away.

At the rare occurrence of his eyes not clinging onto me, I had a second to really look at him. His jawline. His cheekbones. His lips. His nose. His hair.

He really was pretty.

"You're staring," he muttered.

"Mhm," I breathed, not pulling my eyes away. "Should I not be?" The question had two meaning. He knew that.

His eyes moved back to mine, softly, assessingly, cautiously. He was anything but sure of himself, which was unusual.

"Probably not."

"But that doesn't mean you can't, now does it?" He asked, his eyes sparkling. I felt a smile pulling onto my lips.

In that moment, when he looked at me, something clicked.

His face softened, he didn't look like the same boy I was used to. He looked more himself than I've ever seen him. He was always better around me, softer, gentler, calmer. But this was different. He wasn't venerable, per say, but maybe a little hopeful.

I watched his eyes, watched his head fight his heart, his soul the scarred battle ground. He was trying to tell himself a million different things, nothing sticking, yet everything resonating.

I could pinpoint the moment something gave in. Gave out. Whatever happened inside his messy, beautifully tangled up head, stuck. Something stayed.

"I want to touch you," he let his eyes bore on mine, as if his soul was memorizing my own. "However you want. In whatever way you're comfortable with. All I know, is that I need to feel you, Sage. Desperately."

"Jess," I whispered, "we can't-"

"But do you want to? Do you want me to touch you, princess?" His words weren't sexual, not really. No matter how much they sounded like it.

I went to speak, but nothing came out. "I don't care what we shouldn't do, or what we can't. I don't care what people think, all that matters right now, is you. If you want this, Sage, we'll figure it out. Trust me, I am very good at keeping secrets." His hands flexed, as if he wanted to reach out for me.

"I-" I paused, forcing a smile on my face. "Walk me home?"

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