You'll Fall For Me, I Promise

19; 'I'm Sorry To Inform You'

***

I find myself once again sat in silence next to Blake at the lake we sat at when we first started trusting each other. We sit on the bench this time, on the other side of a trail that follows all the way around the lake. The sun is still up and warm, and people are out walking their dogs, talking, or just wandering around this serene place. The trees surround the lake, giving it a feel of privacy from the bustling life in the city, or even just in a town. It felt like the real world was banished from this small lake, trapped behind the trees with no way in.

My phone had gone off a few times, a couple from Liam and Paige and a couple from Toby, but I didn't want to speak to any of them right now. I may be here with the person I like the least right now, but that didn't change how this little lake made me feel. I felt free, like nothing could touch me, like there was no other purpose to life but living in this very moment.

"Green," Blake's voice interrupts my not so train of thought, bringing me back reality. I turn my head to look at him and notice how vulnerable he actually was in this moment. "I'm sorry," he said, and this time there was not struggle in his words, just pure sincerity.

My heart breaks a little for him, but then it also breaks for myself. "I accept your apology," I mumble, before continuing, "but it hurt knowing that you'd believe stupid rumors over me."

"I know..." he trails off, and I can tell instantly what he was thinking about.

"I was in his class because it's the first one I ran to after you hurt me, and do you know what? He's the sweetest person and told me that I shouldn't let anyone who doesn't believe me hurt me, so if you're going to keep acting like this then I'm not sticking arou-" 

I was cut off by Blake's own voice; "Green, I promise right now that the way I've treated you is coming to an end. It just hurt after hearing everything then seeing you in his room... you don't understand that I trust you completely, Green. Look, I've never opened up to anyone as much as I have you and I thought I knew you... I guess I do and I think that's what made me act so crazy."

"I understand," I say, looking at him with a small, sad smile, nodding my head slowly. I reach over and place my hand on his shoulder. He doesn't flinch, doesn't tense, he just doesn't move at all. I chew my lip but keep the silence, scooting a little closer to him. He watches me, looking down at me as I slowly lower my head before resting it on his shoulder. I sigh when he relaxes, and we both watch the lake once more, myself captivated by the different colored flowers surrounding the water, the color reflecting off of the water, almost as if the flowers were looking at themselves.

We stay like this for a few minutes before my phone starts to ring. I ignore it, only for it to ring again less than a second after the last ring ended. I sigh and pull away, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I furrow my eyebrows, the number unrecognizable. I stand up and walk closer to the edge of the lake, sliding the green answer button and placing the phone to my ear. "Zoey Green?" I hear the voice on the other side of the phone and my heart skips a beat.

"Lee?" I whisper, disbelief evident.

"I'm sorry to inform you," he starts, my heart sinking quicker than a rock, but he continues, "you'll be seeing a lot more of Neel and I!" His voice is almost a cheer and I scream in excitement, jumping up and down.

"Thank you so much!" I squeal, smiling so wide that I swore my mouth would fall off.

"Come by Saturday and we'll sort out next weeks schedule," I hear Neel's voice from the background, a smile on his face evident due to the sound of his voice.

"Oh, I'll be there. Thank you again!" I cheer, hanging up. I scream again, jumping up and down excitedly. I jump a little too close to the lake and slip, beginning to fall in before a pair of large, warm hands grab my waist, holding me over the water before pulling me up.

"Someone's jolly," Blake teases, not removing his hands.

"I applied for a job working with animals and they just accepted me down at Wildlife Park!" I squeal, smiling widely. Blake's smile grows and in a second he's spinning me, my arms wrapped around his neck as his hands hold my waist firmly.

He eventually puts me down, my feet firmly on the grass next to the lake. Blake's green eyes stare brightly down on me, a little flicker of gold circling the green. "That's..." he whispers, but trails off as we stare at each other. I bite my lip, smiling a little as a light blush spreads across my cheeks. He smiles back down at me, slowly moving down to me.

This time there were no distractions. No one to interrupt, no phone calls, no friends, no fighting, no rumors. It was just us in this moment and that's when I started realizing it was real this time. His face edged ever nearer to mine, and I could stop my heart from racing and my eyes flickering shut as the butterflies in my stomach fought to get out.

Just as I was about to stop it his warm lips gently pressed against my smaller, plump ones, moving slowly and wearily. I stood for a second, unsure of everything, before I decided to let go of everything shouting "no" in the back of my mind. So, I kissed back, and my goodness it was the best thing ever. A smile so wide spread across Blake's lips that I'm not sure how he continued to kiss me, but he did, and my heart warmed at his happiness and that we finally got this moment to ourselves.

***

The rest of the evening went quite uneventful. Blake and I stayed at the lake until dark, talking about nothing in particular, stealing glances and pecks every so often. It was your typical cliche moment but it was one of the best nights of my life.

I close my bedroom door behind me and sit on my bed, opening my computer and opening Skype. I click on Liam's icon and click the small call button, sipping my water as I wait for a reply. Moments later Liam's face pops up on the screen, his face flushed a little before Paige comes into view, her lips red and a little swollen. "Oh, have I interrupted something?" I ask, eyes wide with shock.

"Oh no, it's alright. We've been worried about you," Paige hums, sitting down next to Liam who wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Guys..." I trail, chewing my lip. "I got the position at Wildlife Park!" I screech, grinning widely as I look into the camera at them.

"Congrats!" They both cheer in unison, basically bouncing around in their seats and clapping their hands.

"I knew you'd get it!" Paige exclaims, looking like a proud mother. I grin a little, rolling my eyes at her need to take credit for the good things.

"Thank you, guys, for believing in me. Now, I'm gonna leave you both to each other. Anyway, I have to talk to-" I stop myself in my tracks and blush profusely.

"Talk to who?" Liam asks, brotherly instincts kicking in again. "Not Blake, right? Not after today." I shrug and rub the back of my neck, looking away from the laptop and out of my window into the darkness of the night. "Zoe, come on," Liam huffs, frowning deeply. "He treated you like shit. Why do you let him do what he wants?"

I look back at the camera, subconsciously touching my lips. "Because I've fallen head over heels for the bad boy," I answer honestly, but when I realized that I had actually answered out loud I immediately end the call and turn my laptop off, my heart beating a thousand miles an hour.

So, now that I've admitted it to Liam and Paige, there's no more hiding it, is there? What have I done?