The Switch - jschlatt

8

When I woke up in the hotel, Schlatt was already awake and dressed. He rushed me to do the same, as we had to get to the group for some more filming today. An hour and some driving later, we were once again with the rest of the group who wanted to film right away.

It was still early in the morning, and I had barely woken up, so I found a couch to rest on. My eyes started to close, and just as I was about to fall asleep, a voice woke me up.

"How did he take the news?" Josh asked, sitting down next to me.

"I haven't told him yet-"

"Miki!" He cut me off.

"I know, I know, I'll do it, just let me figure out the correct way and time," I pleaded.

"There is no correct way or time to tell him, in fact you shouldn't have-" Josh stopped as the door swung open behind us. We quickly turned to see Schlatt standing in the doorway with confusion on his face. He could clearly tell there was a lot of tension between Josh and I right now.

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," I blurted out. "You just scared us." He gave an understanding nod.

"Ted wants your help with something Josh," Schlatt stated. Josh nodded and followed him, leaving me alone once again.

How was I going to tell Schlatt about Smitty? I tried to think of a way, but suddenly all I could think about was our kiss yesterday. I initiated it, and I liked it. Was I finally falling for Schlatt? Excitement rose within me. I finally had feelings for Schlatt? I think I did. As I congratulated myself within my own head, Schlatt came through the door again.

"Hey!" I said excitedly. He looked surprised.

"What's up, Mik?" He asked casually.

"I'm so happy," I said truthfully. "Because I like you." Schlatt gave a small laugh.

"Well don't tell anyone else this, but I kinda like you too," he said. I laughed, falling into him.

"You done filming?" I asked.

"I am, the rest of the group isn't. Just not in the mood really, plus we haven't got to hang out in a few days."

"You're so right," I agreed. "What would you like to do?"

"Let's start with lunch."

-

Schlatt drove the two of us to some family owned diner, where we both got mediocre burgers. We chatted over our meals, laughing at the smallest things. Next door was a coffee shop, and we decided to stop there to take advantage of the free wifi.

Schlatt opened Ebay and started scouring through items, sending in extremely low offers. Then we started trying to find the weirdest thing we could buy. Schlatt's weirdest item was some human teeth, while mine was air from a One Direction concert. He made sure to send some lowballs to those too before closing his laptop.

Looking at the clock, we realized we had been gone for 6 hours and dinner would be soon approaching. Time sure flew by fast when you're trying to figure out if selling human teeth is legal. We made our way back to the Lunch Club, and attempted to sneak in, like they might not have noticed we were gone all day.

We made sure to be quiet opening and closing the door, but our attempt was futile.

"Where were you guys?" Cooper asked as soon as we closed the door.

"Nowhere, don't worry about it," Schlatt said. The boys all gave each other strange looks before brushing it off, and asking what we should do for dinner. Ted insisted on grilling, and we agreed that it was a good idea.

We all sat outside, chatting while Ted did all the work.

"You haven't uploaded in almost a week, Miki," Charlie pointed out.

"I know, I'm just enjoying my time here as much as I can," I answered.

"I understand, you've just always been so consistent." I merely shrugged in response. I feel like I had a million other things to worry about besides my channel.

The conversation died for a moment. The silence was filled with the wind going through the trees, but then as quickly as it came, it was broken.

"So, anyone have any secrets to tell?" Josh asked the group, although he was looking at me. I made a face at him. The boys ignored me though, and started making up long winded fake secrets, trying to make each other laugh. Schlatt didn't look amused in the slightest.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to him.

"Let's talk in the other room." Schlatt stood up and led me away. Back inside, we sat on the couch and I waited for him to talk.

"What happened between you and Josh?" He asked. I was surprised by his question and before I had the chance to answer he kept talking. "I've seen you looking at each other all the time, hanging out, and now he's asking about secrets?; Did something happen?" He was looking into my eyes, but I was looking down at my hands, knowing this was the right time to tell him.

"No. Josh has actually been a really good friend to you," I explained. "The reason we've been talking so much is because he thinks there's something between me and Smitty. And he wanted me to tell you." He let my words sink in.

"Is there something between you and Smitty?" He asked quietly.

"No- well not really. He doesn't like me, and I thought he was funny and sweet, but what we have is so good and I don't want to give it up. I really like you, Schlatt."

"Do you love me, Miki?" He asked. I didn't know how to answer and I really didn't want to lie in this moment. I started to stutter out something but he stopped me.

"That's okay," he said simply. I could feel my eyes filling up with tears. The last thing I wanted to do was break his heart. "I'm going to go back outside. You... do what you want." And with that he was gone. That's when my tears started flowing for real. So I sat and cried, thinking about how I had given up someone so special.