Hearthway Hollow

Canvas: Part Two

Female Reader x Male Monster

Back in high school, I was over the moon about a boy. He was a goofy boy, a dumb boy, but he was my boy. He was overly skinny and gangly, the star of the swimming team. He had long blond hair, and that was part of what drew me to him. I sat behind him in English and would stare at the back of his head, wondering how his hair was so much prettier than mine.

Then, one day, he turned around to look at me. His bright green eyes made my adolescent heart shudder. "You know how to braid?" he asked me.

"Huh?" I gasped.

"You know like, hair?" He grinned at me. "Can you braid mine?"

I was a bit shocked. I had wanted to touch and play with his hair for so long. "Oh, sure."

"Thanks!" He leaned back so I could reach.

I got in trouble for not paying attention, but I got to play with his hair. It was heavy but soft, and he had a lot of it. I was used to playing with my Auntie's hair, and I did a good job of braiding his.

"Sorry about that," he told me as we stood in the hallway. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

I shook my head. "It's okay, the teacher likes me so I'll probably just get off with a warning." My heart was pounding so fast. Did he know I had a crush on him?

"Let me make it up to you," he replied brightly. "If you want, I'll take you out for pizza after school."

I couldn't believe this was really happening. The boy I liked was actually asking me out. I agreed readily, excited by the prospect of spending the evening with him. Unfortunately, my dream date wasn't what I expected. His two best friends tagged along - I was familiar with both of them, but they were not who I wanted to spend the evening with. I had known Adam since we were born, and Rowan - well, he was Rowan.

"Hey, everything okay?" the boy asked me quietly as Adam and Rowan threw ice at each other. "You're being quiet."

I smiled at him, wanting to enjoy my time with him while I could. "I'm fine, really."

"She thought this was a date, idiot," Rowan scoffed at him. "Any asshole could have seen that."

The boy gasped. "Oh!" He looked at me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright, really!" I tried to brush it off.

"No, it's not." Rowan stood up and grabbed Adam by the nape of his neck. "Let's go, Adam. I'll drive."

"Bye!" Adam waved as Rowan led him from the restaurant, leaving me and the boy alone.

We were both silent, awkward. The boy was uncertain and embarrassed, and I was mortified. I drank my soda until there was nothing left in the glass as I tried to distract myself from the fact I couldn't say anything.

"I do like you," the boy said. He looked at me with those big green eyes. "I was just nervous, you know?" He laughed nervously. "I thought I could impress you better with my friends."

"With Rowan?" I scoffed.

"Yeah, I know. I really don't know what I was thinking," he huffed.

I inched closer to him. "I like you too." I placed my hand over his, and his long fingers entwined with mine.

"Really? Even with Rowan?" he smirked.

I nodded and brushed my hair from my face. "I'll let it slide."

We both giggled, and eventually we started talking more and more. We had a lot in common, and we started sharing things we didn't. I talked about books I loved, and he shared his favorite hiking trails. When we walked out of the restaurant, we were caught in a sudden burst of rain. We ran to the playground, hiding underneath the equipment while the rain poured down. We shared our first kiss there, and many others after that.