The Unknown Road

28 - Archie

IT'S BEEN JUST OVER a week since Tessa and I decided to give 'us' a shot, and I can categorically say I'm the happiest boy alive. Dating her is like Christmas, my birthday, New Year and all other celebrations thrown into one.

Getting to know her in this new, more intimate way has been incredible. And I still couldn't believe how easy it's been. I mean, it's the same. We're still best friends, but now we're like best friends in love. She's still incredible, and I still have no idea why I'd waited all this time.

Everything between us is effortless and easy, like it just makes sense when it was the two of us. It's scary and amazing all at the same time, and I feel like every time I see her smile, I fall in love with her a little bit more, and my heart was literally bursting.

I know she's thinking the same thing, so as long as we have each other, we'll be alright.

And tomorrow it was important to stick together, because I'm going to tell Matt, finally, and I'd be needing her more than ever.

After news broke on Thursday morning that Dee and I had broken up, Tessa knew it was a bad idea to announce straight away what we were, as it would paint me as the bad guy. And although Dee was okay about it, I wouldn't put it past her to play the victim again. So we agreed to keep the secret for another couple of days.

But the next stage was always going to be telling Matt... and that was going to be hard. That couple of days turned into a week, then a fortnight. But now I just had to get on and do it because hiding it at school was becoming harder and harder.

I then had to tell Andrew. But I wasn't actually worried about that, as strange as that sounds, I was more worried about Matt. I'm telling my best friend, that I'm dating his sister... and that I have loved her for three years. And I had literally no idea how he would react.

I knew I was making it a bit complicated. But if Matt found out Andrew knew first, he'd blow a gasket. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to bottle it. He wouldn't react great either way to me dating Tessa, no matter how I put it.

But I just needed to do it. And he would be okay with it... eventually. And if he wasn't? Well... we'd cross that bridge when we came to it.

***

CURRENTLY, I WAS TRYING to enjoy every stolen moment with her as I could.

I spent each minute with her as if it would be my last, like she'd disappear if I blinked, and as each minute passed I still couldn't believe I was lucky enough to have these feelings returned by someone as amazing as her.

Lying on my bed, her head on my chest, we're having one of those stolen moments before she has to go home. She's playing with a loose thread on my jumper as I run my fingers through her hair, which is incredibly soft.

"I want to stay like this forever," I sigh contentedly, my voice low.

She chuckles and snuggles closer, moving up as she tips her head to kiss my jaw. "Me too." Her lips are so soft I get goosebumps.

I turn my head to look down at her, into her beautiful green eyes, and I find myself falling off another ledge, even deeper in love with her.

"I want to take you out."

She snorts, but smiles. Her eyes brighten as her smile spreads and she looks even more beautiful. As if that were even possible.

"What, now?" She leans away comically to look down at herself.

I look down as well, and I see nothing wrong with what she's wearing; I think she looks stunning. She's wearing a pair of my tracksuit trousers, which are massive on her, as she'd got uncomfortable in her jeans after school. She had accompanied them with a white and purple knitted jumper on top. It was a mix match, but a beautiful mix match. I loved Tessa's unique sense of style.