The Boy Who Didn't Love

27 - the light

  He waited patiently at customer support, holding a cup of iced cocoa in one hand and a water bottle in the other. They both had an early shift today, and after an entire weekend apart, he wanted to do something kind for her.

Footsteps echoed from the entrance, and he straightened his back. When his gaze landed on her, his lips parted in surprise. He continued gaping at her until she stood in front of him, sporting her signature bright smile. "Morning, Sawyer."

"You cut your hair," he blurted out.

Ali chuckled at his directness and nodded, running her fingers through her now short hair. "I did. I got it cut yesterday."

He continued to stare at her in silence, and she turned away with a hint of embarrassment. She played with her hands as she spoke. "I actually thought you wouldn't notice."

"You've been making a lot of physical changes lately," Sawyer remarked suddenly; she gave him a curious look. "Like you've been wearing less makeup, except the thing you put on your eyelashes."

"It's called mascara. I look so dead without it, so it's a must, trust me," she said, then shifted awkwardly in her spot when he didn't respond. She felt like he was staring at her as if she was an entirely different person, when in reality, he thought she had never looked more herself. She had never looked more confident, and he found that beautiful.

"So," Ali cleared her throat, oblivious to the thoughts full of admiration running through his mind, and gestured towards the drinks. "What's that?"

He blinked, glancing down at his hands. "Oh. I got you iced cocoa."

"Thank you! I was craving this so bad yesterday; it's like you read my mind," she quipped, taking a gulp of the cold liquid. She sighed in satisfication, then returned her attention back to him as she began talking.

He listened to her speak for a minute, but his mind inadvertently drifted off as he gazed at her face. Before her, he never really saw the importance of one's face, and how much it could make someone's heart pound.

But now, whenever he looked at her, he felt like his heart would burst into confetti at any second—a feeling he inexplicably loved. And when he gathered enough courage to touch her, to kiss her, he felt so unusually warm inside. He felt so full of life, so full of hope.

She was the reason for it, he realized. She had restored the light in him after he lost himself in the dark, seeing no purpose in finding his way out. He desperately wanted to stay in the light now, with her by his side.

  "Alice," he interrupted, swallowing back the growing lump in his throat. "This is last minute, and I know you have to check on your grandmother after work, but would you be able to make a quick stop at the pier with me?"

  She scrunched her eyebrows. "Like today?"

  "Yeah," Sawyer replied, giving no further explanation, and she narrowed her eyes at him curiously. She pursed her lips in thought, then shrugged.

  "Sure. I don't think my grandma would mind if I was late by an hour or two."

  "Okay," he breathed out, relieved, before tossing her a small, mysterious smile. "I can't wait."

§

  As they walked down the familiar wooden planks, she noticed the way his mind seemed to be elsewhere. A small smile crept onto her face when she caught sight of his concentrated expression, squinting his eyes and clenching his jaw.

  When they reached the end of the pier, she confidently stepped up on the railing to reenact the Titanic scene, but quickly lost balance. She let out a yelp in alarm before his arms gripped her waist, holding her in place. She smiled sheepishly, tilting her head to look up at him as he lowered his head to look down at her. "Hi."

  "Hi," he said back quietly. For a split second, she thought he was leaning in for a kiss, but he pulled away instead. He helped her step away from the railing, then turned away from her, throwing his head back as he stared up at the sky.

  Ali watched as he sighed deeply, and she furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "Hey, what's wrong, Sawyer? Are you okay?"

  A couple seconds passed; no response.

  "Sawyer?" she called, reaching for his hand, then drew back in surprise when he abruptly faced her. His dark eyes were burning with a strange intensity that she couldn't decipher, but the way he was looking at her sent thrill-filled shivers down her spine.

  "Alice," he whispered as he closed the distance between them and cupped her heated cheek with his cold hand. His voice was soft, yet slightly husky, and his eyes bored into hers more deeply than ever before. "Alice, you're so beautiful."

Her lips parted in shock at his unexpected words, rendered speechless. He, on the other hand, seemed to have the entire dictionary at his disposal as he continued on.

"I love your haircut, Alice. And I love the way your eyes crinkle when you laugh. And how your smiles are always so genuine and so bright. I love how you scrunch your nose when you're bored. I love how you hold my hand like it's not ice compared to yours. I love how you talk to me, how you talk to other people, how you're so open. I love your kindness, and the way you make me feel like I don't have to be someone I'm not. God, you're so accepting. You're just so good, Alice, and so beautiful to me," Sawyer spouted out, the words gushing out of him quickly and fluidly.

Ali softened underneath his gaze, feeling her body turn into mush with every word he uttered. "Sawyer..."

"I don't know how to do this, Alice. I just..." he trailed off, closing his eyes briefly, before he let out a shaky breath. When he opened his eyes again, he slowly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek for a moment.

Then his eyes met hers again.

And he took a deep breath.

And asked: "Can I please be your boyfriend?"

A wide smile instantly bloomed across her face, her heart hammering, and she gently wrapped her arms around his neck. She lifted herself up to rest her forehead on his as she whispered back a response: "Only if I can be your girlfriend."

His face instantly brightened, and he grinned before snaking his hands around her waist and crashing his lips onto hers. She laughed into the kiss, then yelled in excitement when he suddenly twirled them around.

  Her heart warmed upon seeing his eyes wide with joy, like an energized child. She held his face in her hands and left small kisses all over his cheeks, making him smile even brighter, his chest shaking with little laughs.

  Once she was done, she sighed blissfully and laid her head on his shoulder, while his hands caressed her back. Her eyes floated up to the sky as a thought came to mind.

  "Wait, how are we going to tell Brady and Marina?"