❝ ᴀ sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ ɪs sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ
ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ. ɪᴛ's ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ
ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇs. ɪᴛ's ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ
ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴡᴀɪᴛs ❞
~~~
🇬 🇦 🇧 🇷 🇮 🇪 🇱 🇱 🇦 :
I trudge down the staircase, a slight pep in my step. Kaz said this might be a date, but somehow, knowing that, I don't feel nervous like one would for a first date. I feel weirdly happy.
Because this is the first step into my new life. And in the spirit of moving on, I need to leg go of the boy that consumed every bit of my life. Every bit of my old life.
Letting go of Kaz may be easier said than done, as last night had proven, but I know in my bones that starting fresh with Hunter will kickstart the life I've always wanted.
What better way than to date the guy I initially hated. It's near laughable. But in some weird way, I find a form of peace in his company. As if I've known him for years almost.
“Aww, look at my angel.” Theo says cheerfully as she stops me at the base of the steps and spins us in a circle. She slowly takes in the dress I decided on wearing. When we stop, her brow draws low with an emotion that looks similar to sadness. Maybe longing? I'm not quite sure.
“Aurora used to wear sundresses, too. She used to look as ethereal as you do.” She says with a sad smile. My heart rises to my throat, and I fight the tears that want to escape.
Oh god, I shouldn't have worn this. Hunter will probably notice as well.
She wipes at her eyes with a light laugh. “Sorry to get all sappy with you. Not a lot of things remind me of her, but…” She stops herself, shaking her head. “You look beautiful, Gabs.”
I force a smile, even with the tidal wave of sadness crashing behind my eyes. “Thanks, Theo.” She waves me off and flattens parts of my hair.
“Have fun on your date, angel.” She kisses my forehead and walks off. It hits me then how she'd known about Hunter's plans and didn't even warn me.
“You knew all this time??” I yell after her. She throws a wicked smile over her shoulder.
The little shit.
♡♡♡
I'm blindfolded, cold, and borderline miserable. Not something you'd want on a first date, but here we are, I guess.
Tingles shoot up my spine when his warm, calloused fingers brush against the goosebumped flesh of my arms. His hot, minty breath brushes against the shell of my earlobe, and a shiver wracks my body.
Stratch what I said earlier, I'm not miserable anymore. Not when the coldness of the night air can bring us this close.
“You trust me, chéri?” He whispers against my ear.
I hesitate for a moment. Perhaps a moment too long, but he doesn't say anything about it.
“I— Yes. I do.” I whisper back, my arms crossing over my chest and gently holding onto his that caress my arms in a soothing manner. He intertwines our fingers and leans his chest against my back. His warmth consuming me and all the coldness that surrounds us.
With my eyes covered, my hearing becomes heightened almost. More than usual. I try to make out where he'd taken us, my hearing focusing on specific sounds around us. The rustling of trees. The faint sound of… children? And some other familiar sound that I can't pinpoint.
Then it hits me. The smell of sugar and pastry. Pretzels and slushies. The saltiness of the ocean air and my hair blowing gently against my cheeks. My mind whirls, and a lump forms in my throat. It smells like childhood. Like an outing with mom and dad to the county fair for ice cream and a ride on the ferris wheel.
His hands disconnect from mine, and his strong arms slither around my waist, pulling me impossibly closer to his chest.
“You guess where we are yet?” He whispers gently. My head tilts toward him, and I rub my cheek against his.
“The county fair?” I whisper back. I feel his lips tilt up into a smile against my cheek.
He pulls the blindfold off my head, and I blink rapidly against the brightness. Not of the sun, the sun had set about an hour ago, but of the neon lights that decorate the pier.
People young and older walk the wooden walkway with smiles on their faces, and happiness radiating off of them, even from the distance Hunter and I stand from.
“I wasn't really sure where to take you. An art museum seemed… obvious, and watching a movie seemed almost stereotypical for a first date. Did I… is this okay?” He asks with a hint of hesitation in his tone. I smile softly, and my eyes find a neon pink cotton candy stall.
I don't remember when last I had the sugary goodness.
“It's… perfect, Hunter.” My arms snake around his, and I lean back into his warmth.
“Buy me cotton candy?” I tilt my head and meet his gaze. His eyes sparkle like gun metal underneath the fluorescent lighting. As his lips tug into a soft smile, he nods slowly.
“Of course.” His arms drop from my waist, and he clasps his hand into mine, dragging me along toward the pier.
YOU ARE READING
The Heart Wants What It Wants
Teen Fiction❝ She wanted a fresh start, He wanted normalcy, But their past had other plans. ❞ ~~~ For the majority of her life, Gabriella had to endure all the things a child should never have to experience. After nearly two years of planning to start afresh...
