𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵. ⇰ 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴.

I. I Want You Around

request for CLUELESSBELLA ! enjoy

" Do you listen to any other albums?"

Bella cut her eyes at her best friend Michael's question, "As a matter of fact, I do! Mikey don't hate on Stevie, he's a classic."

" I'm not hatin'!" Michael insisted, twirling a piece of his brown curly locks on his finger, " I'm just saying it seems like this album is always playin' when I come over. What's it called again? Inhibitions?"

"Innervisions" Bella corrected the 22-year-old, "and I do not play this every time you're here."

It was Michael's turn to cut his eyes at the shorter girl, watching her as she moved about in the kitchen, putting clean dishes away in their rightful spots, "Yes you do, and we don't do nothing but sit around."

" Well, what's wrong with just chillin'? It's not like you ever suggest we do anything."

Michael's eyes widened in a are you kidding me fashion making Bella shyly shrug her shoulders. "Yes, I do Bella. Every single time I give suggestions on stuff to do but you always shoot em' down."

Turning away from his tall frame, Bella stood on her tiptoes to reach the highest shelf of the cabinet, and edged two fragile wine glasses onto the shelf while she mumbled "Did you ever stop to think that I shot em down because they always included other people."

"What?" Michael asked irritatedly. Bella knew he didn't like when people mumbled when they spoke but she found herself doing it anyway.

She huffed, snapping the cabinet door closed and wincing when it slammed against the frame too hard. "Nothing Michael, just forget it. It's fine, you can leave if I'm just that boring for you."

"What?! Bella, now you're putting words in my mouth, I ain't even say that. What's wrong with you?"

" I said forget it, Michael. Just go ahead and leave alright?" Briskly, Bella tried to squeeze past Michael, which wasn't an easy feat being that he's 6'10 with a 7'0 wingspan.

Before Bella could pass him, the power forward took hold of her arm, his large hand wrapping around the entirety of her wrist. "Wassup with you? You've been brushing me off lately and haven't been communicating with me like you normally do. What's wrong you really want me to leave when I just got here?"

Michael searched her eyes for answers in a way that made Bella squirm. She hated it but loved it just the same. It was something about the way he stared into them.

Why did he make her feel this way? They were only supposed to be best friends yet every time she told herself that, the more she realized she loved the man in front of her in less than a platonic way.

"Bella?"

Coming from her inner thoughts, Bella sighed, dropping her head and allowed pieces of her hair to fall in front of her face and hide her. She didn't want him to see her face.

"It's not that I don't want you here Mikey, because I do. I just- I-I just. Shit!" Getting choked up, Bella made a move to her living room, with Micahel following behind her. She gingerly sat down on the sofa, with Michael following suit and pulling her soft hands into his more rough ones.

He was not making it easy.

"Okay, um," Bella started and found the courage to lift her eyes to meet Michael's warm brown irises, " I know I've been confusing lately and haven't been making things clear and this isn't an excuse but I've been keeping some things to myself but it's been hard doing so."

Michael furrowed his bushy eyebrows, confusion written on his face. He cleared his throat, "whatever it is, you know you can talk to me about it right? You can talk to me about anything."

"How can I talk to you about how I'm feeling when what I'm feeling has to do with you? You're my best friend but you're also so much more than that to me. I didn't want to tell you because I was scared but it almost hurts trying to hold all of this in."

"You're like a light in my life, Mikey. You bring this sense of peace and serenity when you're near without even trying. Your smile brightens my day. Talking to you or seeing you is one of the best parts of my day. I just- I don't know. When I'm with you, everything's okay. Nothing matters, nothing worries me. I feel at peace, I feel relaxed when I'm with you that's why I never make suggestions to go out because I'm happy sitting right here next to you as music plays and repeats. I just want you around all the time, and I know that sounds selfish but you have this comforting aura about you and on top of knowing you since forever, I think all of that just made me realize how in love with you I am and how you make everything okay, especially whenever you hug me or, I don't know. I'm rambling now. This is what happens when I try not to show you how I feel about you and just bottle it up inside.

" You really feel that way about me?" Michael's voice had gone thick, sounding as if he were holding back tears. Bella wouldn't know because in the midst of her spiel her eyes down cast to the pair's conjoined hands.

"It's hard not to feel that way about you."

Michael pulled his hands away from Bella's causing the girl to frown at the loss of contact. She knew he'd react badly.

"C'mere." Surprised by the command, Bella looked up to see Michael with his arms wide open, a look of pure adoration on his face.

The moment Bella climbed her way into Michael's lap, the NBA player tightly wrapped his arms around her frame, leaving the girl no choice but to koala hug him back.

His heart sore. Never in his 22 years of living has someone expressed how much he meant to them. Of course, his family always told him they loved him and they were proud of him and on numerous occasions, Bella has told him she was proud and that she loved him. He just never knew that all this time she meant it in the same way that he meant it, whenever he'd utter the three short words.

Michael couldn't tell you the exact date he fell in love with his best friend but he could tell you that when every other boy was certain that girls had cooties, Michael was certain that Bella would be his future wife.

Nose pressed into the crook of her neck, Michael breathed deeply, "I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth."

"What do you mean?"

"I love you too Bella. I'm in love with you. I just never knew you felt the same."

I feel like this sucked :( I've been swamped with school so it's taken me awhile to put this out but I hope you liked it! I apologize if there are any spelling errors.