Just the Beginning [Complete ✓]

Chapter 28

It's been a week.

Every time I spotted Sawyer, he'd be gone the next second. It wasn't until one of our classes together when I tried speaking to him that I was certain he was ignoring me. He wouldn't acknowledge me unless it involved our work and when the bell rang, he was out of there before I could say a word.

Eventually, when Friday rolled around, Monique pulled me aside. I hated keeping her in the dark and quite frankly, I hadn't intended to keep her in the dark for as long as I had. I kept wanting to speak to her about it, but whenever I was ready to, the nerves shoved its way to the surface and I stopped before I could say something I shouldn't have. After the Sawyer thing, it was something I became increasingly worried about. More so than usual.

She grabbed my arm the moment I stepped out of class and I followed her as she led me to the field, only letting go of my arm when we got to the bleachers which she started to climb.

"So," she says without looking back. "Would you care to tell me what's going on between you and Sawyer?"

"Me and Sawyer?" I ask, feigning innocence. "What do you mean?"

She turns around in one fluid motion and manages to just as gracefully plop herself down on the top of the bleacher seats. "Don't act so cutesy. You know exactly what I mean. You two have been playing the avoiding game all week. Adrian noticed it too." The sternness in her tone is what really hits me.

I take a seat a step below her, lowering my head. "I don't know, okay?" I admit before relaying the scenario from the other night. All the while, Monique waits with patience. Her face, when I take a peek, is calm. And I like that about her. The fact that she doesn't automatically respond, but rather she waits for me to finish. She doesn't reply just to reply. She actually waits for all the information before deducing a response or any piece of advice.

"Well," is all she says.

"Well what?"

"Do you?"

"Do I—?

"Callan," she groans in frustration. "Do you like him or not?" she finally asks when realizing that just asking me without actually asking me was going to get her absolutely nowhere. I look at her, considering her words.

"I do," I say. "That's what I've been saying."

"Yeah, but I get what Sawyer means. Sometimes the mind and the heart work separately. So, either he's right and you just think you like him due to association with Cooper." She pauses, eyes raking me up and down before the softest of smiles brush her face. "Or your feelings are genuine."

"Well, how would I know? How do I tell if they're genuine or not?"

"You just do. I can't help you there." She turns her head. "The only one who can figure out whether they're genuine is you. Because they're your feelings."

Break for the most part is quiet. Monique allows me to process our conversation, only speaking when it's time to head back to class. As we're walking up, I spot Sawyer and without meaning to, I stop in my steps. "Me, huh?" I murmur. I'm pulled by my arm, out of somebody's way and tugged along to class. The day goes by fairly quickly, and by the end, I've made my decision.

I'll always love you, Cal.

I smile. "I'll always love you too," I murmur under my breath as I race down the steps.

I wait outside after school, grabbing onto his arm when I spot him. "Let's go somewhere," I say as cheerfully as I can manage. He looks at me as if I've just said something forbidden. However, he doesn't say anything. Instead, he leads us to his car and we climb in together without a word.

For the most part the car ride is silent, the only sound being the music coming through the radio. It's only when he has to ask me where we're going to that he speaks. I didn't think that far, but still give him the first place that pops into my head. In all honesty, I could very well have told him here in the car, but that just didn't feel right.

We walked through the park to the tree we sat under together. He turns around to face me, arms crossing and brow quirking.

"So mind telling me what we're doing here?"

"I like you," I tell him again, more firmly than the first time. Maybe that's because I actually meant to say it this time around, but who knows. He's looking at me, unsure as to how serious I actually am.

"So you've mentioned," he says tentatively. He still doesn't trust it.

"I like you," I say again. "And you like me."

He looks startled. He looks like he wants to ask what makes me think that, or provide me with any sort of response that may have me second guessing. However, rather than using any of those responses, his lips tilt. "Yeah," he says. "And what about it?"

"Well, I'm telling you I like you. Not because you remind me of Cooper and not because I associate you with him. I like you for the person that you are."

"So, what you're saying is that I don't look like Cooper anymore?

I can't help but snort. "Your looks aren't going to change," I say. "So yeah, you'll always look like him, but you are your own person. You and him are two completely different people. I like you in every way you could possibly imagine."

"So, you like me?" he asks again to confirm.

"Yes."

"And you think I like you."

"Yes," I say again with a little less confidence this time. Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe he didn't like me the way I thought he did. Now, I can't help but second guess.

I start to look away, but stop when I catch the smile on his face. The distance between us closes as he steps over, cupping my face and pressing his forehead to mine, a soft hum filling the momentary silence. "Then let's make this work," he murmurs softly before tilting my head up until our lips are touching. And hell, I never realized how badly I needed to kiss him until right now.

As we pull away, I grin. "Let's make this work," I agree softly.

A/N

I would like to sincerely thank everyone for the support given to this book. I do apologise for the possibly terrible chapters. Halfway through, I forgot how to write in first person because I've been writing in third person for the longest time, so I'm really sorry. Won't happen again :) 

Thank you for giving this book a chance until the very end. <3