"whooooa," i teased back. i could feel my cheeks warm up at his comment, but i shrugged it off. he was always flirty but so was i, that's what made us get along. we could be as stupid or affectionate or emotional as we wanted and it was never awkward. he knew me and i knew him, all the good and all the bad. i could tell he was impatient and hungry by the was he was licking his lips, every restaurant we passed he glared at. i decided to request, "do you wanna stop for in n out or something?"
"i thought you'd never ask," he smiled. his smile made my heart flutter, the way it was so bright and how perfect his teeth were.
he pulled into the nearest in n out where we decided to go inside instead of the drive thru. we walked into the vacant restaurant and were greeted by the cashier. he ordered both of our meals animal style, how i liked it, while i found a booth for us. he sat across from me and started a game of 8-ball with me. "what do you wanna do today?" he looked up.
"i dunno man, it wasn't my idea to ditch," i scoffed. i pulled my hood over my head and tucked some fallen strands of hair behind my ear. he twiddled his thumbs and slurred, "shiii you right," between his relaxed lips. a few seconds after his eyes widened and he smiled pridefully, "i think i have a surprise for you." the cashier brought our order and we dug in, my hands jittery with excitement. who doesn't love surprises?
we got back to our car and began driving away from town. as the minutes passed the high rise apartments became more and more distant and my eyes fell shut.
"diespierta cam," marcel grinned. it was 12:30, i had been asleep for about 45 minutes and i woke up to the surprise he had promised. he must've stopped for gas or something. he was holding a bag of skittles and starburst as we were parked in front of the entrance of an arboretum. he had always known about how much i love flowers but it never went farther than that. my heart swelled at his generosity and the dorky smile he held because of his pride. i jumped over the arm rest and pulled him into a hug. i was legitimately ecstatic. i latched onto him and sat there for a moment, drowning in the sent of his dolce & gabbana cologne and fresh laundry detergent. i felt his arms wrap around my waist and hold me tighter.
"oof," i quietly murmured as i opened my eyes and stretched, "sorry you're so comfortable."
he looked away shyly and smiled to himself. he wasn't slick. he pushed open the drivers seat door and scooped me out from on top of him. as i stood up i pried my sweatshirt off revealing the black long sleeved crop top i'd been wearing underneath. i could feel marcel's eyes on my midriff but i ignored it. it didn't bother me. i walked to the pavilion of the arboretum and paid for both of our admissions.
i quietly admired the flowers at the entrance when i felt his hand reach for mine, "follow me." i reluctantly followed but i trusted where he would take us. he pulled me to a really dense path, it was secluded and silent except for the sound of water trickling down from a waterfall. he pulled out the bag of skittles from his hoodie pocket and tossed them to me, i tore them open and concentrated on shoveling them into my mouth. he slid my hair behind my ear and put in an airpod and mouthed the words 'cupid hit me with precision' along to tyler's raspy voice. this boy was too much.
"toss 'em," he said as he pointed to his mouth.
"but you're gonna drop them," i whined back.
"come on, i promise i won't," he complained, "you're the one with the bad aim anyways!"
"i am not," i yelped as i reluctantly threw a green skittle at him.
"ay! be gentle," marcel joked as he caught the candy in his mouth. he gently winked as he spoke, "gimme more, mami." i pulled out a few from the bag and threw them.
"ow! fuck! i was just kidding! i said be gentle," he grinned with a soft chuckle. i smirked back, "when are you not."
he pulled me in and drew circles on the back of my hand with his thumb, "i'm not when i tell you i love you, or that i care about you, or how much it means to have you in my life. you really are my best friend, you're so special to me."
"wow aren't you turning into a softie," i smiled.
"i guess i am," he admitted, running a hand through his tousled hair. his thin fingers pulled a few skittles from the bag in my hand. "i guess i am."
i found a bench to sit at, to take in the scenery and the fresh petrichor in the air. i held the chain around my neck at the tips of my fingers as i looked at nothing. i felt the shy breeze and the soft sound of marcel's playlist playing lowly. i had been thinking about nothing in particular but instead reminisced on the day. everything that had happened. how it'd barely be lunch at our shitty private school. how he came up with the surprise. how i'd fallen asleep in his car. how he wasn't 16 till a few more months. how fucking illegal this shit was. but how happy i'd been because it happened. i felt bad for not expressing my excitement, but a bitch only had 4 hours of sleep.
i pulled out my phone and started shuffling through my socials. i clicked through a few stories, nothing interesting. until i stumbled across him, marco.
