Unknown Beauty | ✔️

Chapter Twelve: Beautiful

Scooping the last of the ice cream into another bowl, Fallon dumped the utensil in the sink and the now-empty, cardboard tub into the bin. Calbee hummed My Favourite Things in the shower, occasionally adding in a word or two that she knew, causing a small smile to appear on Fallon's face.

Also grabbing two spoons, Fallon turned back around to hand one to Asher and consume her own bowl, not expecting to see him already looking at her.

He scratched the back of his neck, "Yesterday-"

"Can we just not talk about it?" Fallon cut in, squirming on the spot at his concentrated gaze, "Please?" she added quietly, sitting down and quickly shoving a bite of ice cream into her mouth to stop more stupid words escaping.

Asher shook his head to himself with a ghost of a smirk threatening to break out on his lips at the memory, "Fine, fine," he agreed, noticing the deflation of her body as she sighed in relief.

"But, do you want to go and hang out?" he asked, spooning delicious neon ice cream into his mouth.

It took a good few minutes for Fallon to come up with an answer, not only because her mouth was full with heavenly coldness, but also because she had no idea how to reply in the first place.

"A-Alone?" she eventually built the courage to ask.

"Well," Asher ran a hand through his short hair, thinking, "you could invite Callie but I was kinda thinking that it should just be..." he didn't complete his sentence and instead just looked at her, as if she was supposed to realise what he meant.

Just then, Calbee appeared, clad in a fluffy robe and towel-drying her hair while walking. Noticing them, she shot them a grin, "I see you found my favourite ice cream, good choice, Autumn."

They both blinked at her for a while as she raised an eyebrow, "Did I... interrupt something?"

Swiftly- or rather, frantically - shaking her head, Fallon stood up, abandoning her treat which was steadily melting like a snowman on a beach, "No, Asher was just inviting us to an outing," she glanced at Asher briefly, swallowing, "You'll come too right?" she fixed her gaze on Calbee, silently pleasing for her to say yes.

"Erm, sure, where are we going?"

~~~

Asher's POV

I watched discretely as we walked past a large group of people and Fallon yanked down her hoodie, holding her breath anxiously. My lips turned down in disapproval, "You don't need to keep wearing this hoodie you know," I stated as we walked into a shop that had attracted Callie's attention, "Stop hiding yourself."

She didn't reply, shuffling further away from me instead and ducking her head lower as she accidentally bumped into someone to her right, "Fallon," I called, exhaling as she scurried forward like a mouse into a hole.

"Do you think this one looks good? Or maybe these, actually..." Callie asked her, although mainly mumbling to herself.

Ignoring me as I tapped her shoulder, Fallon pretended to think about it, before responsing in a quiet voice, "Perhaps the second one, the first one doesn't really suit you."

I dropped the matter of her hoodie for now and instead scowled at the ground, sighing in exasperation. She had invited Callie when I had intended for it to be only us two. It would have been a chance to admit what Callie had managed to decipher before I even knew myself - that I had a crush on Fallon. And now? The moment was ruined: dramatic, but the truth. It would be too awkward to talk to her while Callie was here and able to witness the situation.

Looking up as I felt the familiar feeling of being watched, I met Fallon's eyes as she reddened and flitted her gaze away. I was almost sure that she had no liking towards me, her reaction to me simply kissing her cheek was incredibly convincing, but in the long run, she seemed too frightened and uncomfortable around me to develop a crush, or any liking (romantic or not).