The Glade | Newt x Reader

Chapter Twenty-Two

-Y/N's POV-

That's what I think of running the maze. I think of it like a big search for a way out. A puzzle we need to solve. I'm running a couple paces in front of Dominic. My body is now fully awake, alert. It feels amazing to stretch my legs and feel the air run through my body. Every couple minutes I reach behind me and slip out my knife. I drag it along the maze walls, slicing ivy as I run. It helps us to find our way back. Minho taught me that trick on my first day of training in the maze. I still remember what it was like. After being in the glade for a month, the new environment was amazing. I felt like I had been blind my whole time in the glade, and that I was now just seeing the real world.

"So Y/N. Are you doing anything tonight?" Dominic interrupted my thoughts from behind me.

I turned my head to give him a confused glance. He was looking at the walls, avoiding my eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked. If he was asking if I was free I'm pretty sure he knew the answer. There wasn't anywhere I could go in the glade and I usually just hung out with Newt after dinner.

"I mean, would you like to do something with me."

I stopped. Was he asking me on a date? I pulled my water bottle out of my harness pack and gulped the water. The glade's water had a mossy, fresh flavor. As I drank, I thought about what I could possibly say. I put my water down and faced Dominic who was standing beside me.

"What is there to do?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. We could play a game. Some of the guys came up with one last night. I think they're throwing a party. Or we could just hangout?"

"Uh.. Sure," I replied. "We can talk about it after we get back tonight, though. For now lets just focus on the run."

Dominic nodded and we continued to jog in silence. I wonder what kind of game he thought we could play. The gladers played games sometimes. But they were usually just rowdy things like who could drink the most or who can carry the most supplies. I once saw the builders ax-throwing too.

The day went on and the light grew brighter. Soon the sun reached the middle of the sky, signaling lunch time. We turned around a mossy corner and into a hall of the maze that had a couple different openings you could choose to go into.

"Ready to eat?" I ask, panting, as we stop. I lean against the wall and drink more water. I'm a little more than half-way through the bottle.

Dominic drinks too, and I take off my pack and retrieve the sandwhich from my bag. It's a little squished, but still gives me the energy I need as I take the first bite. I sit on the stone maze floor and lean against the wall. The stone feels hot on my back and legs from the sun as I sit against it. Dominic slides down the wall and sits beside me. He sits so close our shoulders are touching.

When I finish my lunch I take out my knife and scratch a little star into the wall behind me. This is just to show where we had our break so when we're on our way back we know how far left there is to go. I put the knife back into my harness and secure the pack aswell. Leaning against the wall in the sun, I shut my eyes to relish our break before we run again.

My relaxation gets interrupted when I feel a hand on my leg. I open my eyes and see Dominic is resting his hand on my thigh. It feels wrong. His hands are soft and sweaty. They feel very different from Newt's which are rough from working in the gardens. I don't know what Dominic is trying to do, but the gesture makes me feel very uncomfortable, so I stand. His hand falls when I get up.

"We better get going again," I say, flustered.

Before Dominic can respond I begin running again. Why was he being so touchy? And did he mean it in a way of friends? Or more? I blocked the thoughts from my head. He's seen me and Newt together. And he for sure saw us this morning. Dominic knew that I wasn't romantically interested in him, right?