Memory Documentation

chapter twenty one | documenting two kids in love

I didn't hear from Darcy for the rest of the day after we got back to the city that afternoon. She was ready to be home with Richard. After the weekend she just went through, those two needed to spend some quality time together. And I had to admit, I was happy to be home, too.

Mom had prepared my favorite mango smoothie when I got back, which helped curb the annoyance I had after she forced me to unpack thirty minutes after walking through the door. Dad ordered us food from our favorite Thai place for dinner, and Camryn roped all of us in for a round of her new favorite board game that our grandparents sent her for Christmas. A lot of censoring and cutting of information had to be done as I told them about the trip. The same happened later that night as I hopped on a Discord call with the guys to play some Final Fantasy. Nobody needed to know the soft or heated moments between me and Darce this past weekend – especially since we were now floating between the line of friendship and something more.

Where do we stand? What should I do? These two questions and variations of it kept me in my head all night. But come the morning, as I stood outside Darcy's front door, I felt tongue-tied and at a loss for any course of action. Do I kiss her good morning? If I hugged her, would my body language scream to Richard "I really like your daughter"? Should I stick to a friendly pat on the shoulder good morning?

Instead, I knocked on the door and shoved my hands into my pockets.

"Coming!" came her muffled voice. A second later, the door opened. My hands balled into fists.

Beneath a mint beanie, her hair was loose and wavy from her usual braid. Almost half the strands were caught beneath her black puffer coat that she wore over a chunky white cardigan and leggings.

She's so pretty, I thought, an ache of longing blooming across my chest. She's the best start to my mornings.

"Morning to ya, Chris!" My eyes strayed from Darcy to over her shoulder, where Richard stood watching. At this rate, the stupid grin on my face was damn more telling than any hug would be. I gave him a little wave.

"Richard! Hi, how's it going?"

"Good, good," he replied with an amicable smile. "Speaking of good, my Darcy said you both had a really good time at this festival you two attended this weekend."

I willed my facial features to stay still as my mind immediately flashed to his daughter's body on mine in that god forsaken pool. "Y-yup. It was a lot of fun. You liked the quilt she picked out?"

He nodded. "I'm going to rest my bones under it right now before heading to the café in a little while. Thank you again for going with her this weekend. I'll see you two later. Off to school now."

I nodded and with a quick goodbye, we made for the elevator.

On the way to school, nothing of our kiss or our relationship came up. She recounted her night with him. I recounted my night with her. Neither of us reached for the other's hands – in fact, we both kept our hands very much to ourselves, tucked within our respective pockets. The weight of the unsaid was there, yet neither of us took the step to lighten it. Not then and not during school as we sat with the gang at lunch. Details were skimmed on both our ends as we told them about the trip. The sinking feeling in my stomach deepened as the day went on.

I should bring it up. I know I should. Man up or some shit. But a man can still be nervous, damn it!

I'll ask her tonight, at rehearsal.

We found ourselves on the rooftop again later that evening, our new designated practice dance floor. The whole gang was up there tonight, with the boys idling, watching, and doing homework as Marissa began teaching us the steps to the ending sequence. At this point of our dancing journey, Darce and I found the footing to be something we've done before or just a lot less technical. We seemed to get it down pat within the forty minutes we were out there. Things were going great. Everything unsaid was momentarily forgotten as Darcy and I moved across the rooftop together.