Misunderstood

Chapter 6

I stared at Ponyboy, a confused expression on my face, "What?" I asked, not knowing what to say to him. I could feel my cheeks heat up and tried to fight back the urge to get the hell out of there.

Pony's own face went red as well, "I thought we could just share my bed." he answered, shifting his weight on his left leg.

I massaged the bridge of my nose in an attempt to hide the blush on my face. I didn't think I could handle sharing a bed with him, but I couldn't say no to his offer either.

"Are," I paused, meeting his eyes, "Are you sure?" I wanted him to confirm that I wasn't loosing my mind.

"Well, if I wasn't sure I wouldn't be asking you, Dal." He laughed a little.

I mentally cursed myself for being weird about the whole situation. He probably thought nothing of it, just a guy pal asking another guy pal to share a bed because the couch isn't comfortable. That's it.

"Okay." I fought back a huge grin and lied back down on the couch, trying my hardest to focus on the show in front of me.

He sat next to me with a content smile, "Good." he said, crossing his legs on the couch.

I could feel his eyes on me as I flipped to a different channel, it was making me anxious. Plus, he was sitting pretty close to me. I wanted to think he was doing it on purpose but there's no was I wasn't being delusional, right?

All of sudden, he snatched the remote from my hand and turned on some show about a sheriff cowboy or whatever he was.

"You wanna watch this crap?" I asked, bored out of my mind with the channels on.

He looked at me, "Did you see anything better?" he asked, offering me the remote but I didn't take it. He was right. There was never anything good on and I wasn't about to watch Mickey Mouse.

-

"Dally," a voice whispered from my right, causing my eyes to shoot open, "You're falling asleep."

I stretched my arms and legs, kicking Pony in the process, "What time is it?" My question was followed by a yawn.

"Almost one." He answered, bringing a hand to his mouth to yawn after me. He got up and turned the television off.

I sat up, still half asleep, and grabbed the blanket from the couch. I wrapped it around my shoulders and headed toward Pony's room. I figured Pony wouldn't care which side I slept on, so I flopped down on the closest side to me and got under his blankets. I buried by head into his soft pillow and was instantly falling asleep.

When Pony came in with a glass of water, he crawled in next to me and got under the covers. Despite being tired, I was still aware of him and the heat emitting from his body. He was just inches away from me. I turned on my other side just to see if he was falling asleep like I was, but I was met with him looking back at me. I flinched so hard I almost gave myself whiplash. He chuckled at my reaction which caused my face to heat up.

"I thought you were tired." he whispered, bringing the blanket up and over his ear.

I looked everywhere but his eyes, "I was." I replied quietly. All I could focus on was my heartbeat and how close our faces were.

He went quiet for a second, "Should I have just let you sleep on the couch?" he questioned genuinely.

"No!" I whispered a little too quick, "No, I still am. I just," I paused, trying to choose my words carefully, "I dunno."

Pony smiled at me, "Not used to sharing a bed?" he asked.

I only shook my head, not realizing I was staring at his lips.

"I find that hard to believe." he said quietly, brushing some hair out of his face.

I focused on his eyes, a little confused on why he said that

"Why?" I whispered. I haven't shared a bed since I was with Sylvia years ago. Other than that, I only share a bed with a one-night stand, but even then, we never spend the entire night together.

He shrugged, "I guess I assumed you sleep with people when you go to Buck's." he whispered, not meeting my eyes.

I felt my eyes get wide, "You really think that of me?" I was a little surprised but mostly confused. Do I look like I sleep around a lot?

Even in his dark room, I saw his face turn red, "No! -" he stopped himself and lowered his voice, "No, I just thought you had a lot of people attracted to you."

This time I was laughing, "I actually don't know if that's true or not. Not like it matters anyway." I told him, my voice just above a whisper.

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking at me intently.

I turned to lie on my back, putting my hand behind my pillow, "I only care if one person is interested in me." I said casually, not wanting him to ask any questions.

This clearly got his attention because he sat up on his elbow, his face near my armpit, "Did I hear that right?" he asked rhetorically, "Dallas Winston has himself a crush?" he joked.

I shook my head, "It's not that surprising, Pone," I whispered, another yawn came after.

Ponyboy yawned and lied back down, still facing me, "Well, who is it?" He finally asked.

I knew it was coming but it didn't stop me from cringing. How was I supposed to answer? Tell him some random chick's name or said his name? Tell him I can't tell him? No.

I decided to answer with a question instead, "Why do you want to know?" I asked. Expecting an I don't know or something simple.

Instead, he paused and looked at me with those green-gray eyes of his, "I," He stuttered, "I just want to know."

I turned my head to face him to see that he looked flustered. I almost smirked but it couldn't be because he's interested in me. This is Ponyboy. The same Ponyboy who had the hots for that red head who wouldn't give either of us the time of day.

"Why do you want to know." I pressed quietly, wanting him to answer the damn question. I wanted him to tell me how he was interested in me. I wanted nothing more than to tell him exactly how I felt but it's not that simple. He could take it the wrong way and spread the information like wildfire.

He sat up slowly and sighed, "Dal," he began, pausing to think. He looked like he was struggling to find the words. This made me sit up next to him, he was making me more nervous than I already was. He put his face in his hands, "You know why I want to know." It came out muffled.

I heard my heart start to pound. What is he getting at?

"I don't." I said calmly even though I was screaming at the top of lungs on the inside.

He lifted his head up and looked at me, "Are you seriously going to make me say it?" he asked. This made my stomach churn with excitement and uncertainty. I didn't know what to say to him. His expression told me it was okay to be honest, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was wrong to hope these things, to feel these things toward Pony.

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly bone dry, "Just say it." I replied quietly. I looked at my lap and the words I wanted to hear played through my head over and over. I want to know because I like you. I was practically on my hands and knees begging in my head.

He let out a heavy sigh, "I-I know who's interest in you." He stuttered. Almost as if it wasn't what he had planned to say.

My head turned toward him quickly, seeing the dark blush on his face and ears. Why would he be this flustered if the person wasn't him? In that moment, I decided it didn't matter what anyone else thought. I had to know what Ponyboy thought. Even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear but now was the time to find out.

I took a deep breath, ignoring the pounding in my ears, "Is it you?" I asked slowly, burning holes into the side of his head.

He froze at the question, fidgeting with the corner of the blanket in his hand.

"And what if it was?" He asked, still not looking at me.