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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚ ▎❛ 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜ ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴀɴ ᴀғғᴀɪʀ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ꒱
❝ I'D WAIT ELEVEN MORE
YEARS JUST TO KISS YOU
LIKE THAT AGAIN ❞
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"Why are all those guys talking to Shawn's girlfriend?" Topanga asked as they watched Jennifer across the hallway.
"Well, Shawn and Jennifer broke up this morning," Cory explained, "look at her. She's already on the prowl."
"Well, how's Shawn taking it?" Topanga wanted to know.
"Are you kidding? Shawn is Shawn. You can't keep Shawn down," Cory answered confidently as he glanced down at his two best friends. "Jules, you're not helping."
The redhead, who was sitting on the floor next to the dark-haired boy, looked up at him. "What, and you think you are?"
Shawn was slumped on the ground next to her with his head resting on her shoulder as he stared blankly at nothing. "She dumped me. She dumped me good and I didn't even see it coming."
As much as she hated Jennifer— why Shawn had decided to date her all of a sudden was beyond her understanding— sympathy for her best friend made her reach over and take his hand so she could squeeze his fingers gently. "Poor Shawnie."
"Look what they've done to my boy," Cory added, kneeling next to him and sounding much more supportive. "I haven't seen you this upset since. . ." He trailed off, looking at the redhead. He remembered all too well the angry, hurt tirade Shawn had gone on after seeing Juliet agree to go out with Jack.
"Look, Shawnie," Juliet began, choosing to ignore the other boy, "if it's any consolation, you can do a lot better than Jennifer Bassett."
He lifted his head to look at her hopefully. "Really?"
"Definitely," she answered firmly.
"Yeah, and she's sitting right next to you," the curly-haired boy mumbled to Shawn, aiming to avoid the redhead's wrath for pointing this fact out.
"Okay, so she's pretty," Topanga admitted, "she's tall. She drives a new red convertible. Oh, heck. I'd go out with her."
"Topanga," Juliet warned her, earning an apologetic look from her friend.
"Okay, okay. I didn't want to say this when you were going out with her but if you ask me, Shawn, Jennifer Bassett is one stuck-up conceited girl," Cory told him.
Juliet brightened. "I'm not the only one who saw that?"
"Do you think so?" Shawn questioned them.
"Oh yeah, nose way up in the air and frankly, Shawn, I'm not even sure if it's her real nose."
"You mean. . .?"
"Plastic," the redhead agreed, "just like her personality. I really don't know what you saw in her in the first place."
"So get up and be Shawn," Cory finished.
The boy stood and turned to offer the girl a hand to help her up. Juliet accepted it and joined him as he agreed, "yeah, you're right." He walked over to the blonde and tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to turn. "You know what I think, Jen? I think you're conceited." She gasped as he continued: "yeah, that's right. Conceited and stuck-up and. . . something about your nose."
"What about my nose?" Jennifer asked, self-consciously covering it with her hand.
"Um—"
"Who said something about my nose?"
"Um—" he repeated. He glanced over his shoulder at his best friends, but they were of no help.
"So, it was your friends Cory and Juliet who made you say these bad, bad things, hmm?"
"Like I'd ever tell you," he scoffed.
Shawn's resolve didn't last as the blonde slid her fingers into his hair and pulled him close to kiss him soundly on the lips. Juliet's stomach clenched as she watched them. It was bad enough when they'd been dating but now that they'd broken up, it was so much worse.
When she pulled away, he answered, "Cory Matthews, son of Alan and Amy, grandson of Nana and Sam. Juliet Capelwood, daughter of Daly and Barron Capelwood."
"How could you sell out my Nana?" Cory gasped.
The blonde glanced at the pair across the hallway before she turned back to the dark-haired boy. "You know, I've been thinking. Maybe there still could be something between us."
Without warning, she grabbed him and swung them around so he was pressed against the stairwell before she gently brushed her nose against his. Juliet's stomach lurched and her hands fisted at her sides as she watched the gesture. Stiffly, she turned to Topanga. "Excuse me, I think I need to vomit."
The redhead quickly left the hallway, unable to watch any longer. She'd been so sure that she wasn't the only one who'd seen the spark— it had been stronger this year than it had ever been before— but the second Jennifer asked him out, Shawn had unhesitatingly said yes. It had been a blow to the heart to watch each time she'd stumbled in on them kissing and she'd had to excuse herself more than once when she'd third-wheeled them. (Juliet was pretty sure Jennifer had done it on purpose.)
It was easier to hate her since the blonde was a grade-A bitch who seemed to have it out for her. While they'd barely interacted outside of Jennifer hording Shawn's time, the few things she had said to Juliet hadn't been kind, including but not limited to: implying that she needed to lose weight (and sometimes outright saying it), mocking her for being a good student and prizing her academics, and— the one that took the cake— suggesting that she should dye her hair as it would look better blonde before she'd scoffed and said that not even changing her hair color could keep Shawn's attention.
Juliet had kept these insults to herself, not wanting to be labeled anything close to a homewrecker especially since Shawn seemed happy. Still, it burned every time Jennifer called herself his girlfriend when she couldn't help feeling like she'd been so close.
🌎🌎🌎
Juliet joined Cory at Chubbie's later after calming down from the emotions she'd felt in the hallway. The pair slid into the booth across from their friend. "Shawn, hey. Listen," Cory said, "I was just curious. What does it mean when a girl goes—" He copied Jennifer's hiss.
"Cory, come on. She was just being playful."
"Right," the redhead agreed scornfully, "like when a spider catches a fly and sucks out his head meat?"
"She was upset, you know?" Shawn defended the blonde. "I mean, after all of those terrible things you guys said about her."
"Shawn, we said them to make you, our best friend, feel better about being dumped."
"She's not the nicest either," Juliet mumbled, earning a sympathetic look from the curly-haired boy next to her.
"May I speak freely?" he asked.
"I don't think that's wise," Shawn advised, looking behind them.
His best friend ignored him. "Well, maybe I'm just not wise, but I think Jennifer— or should I say, Zathrak the Undead— is a stuck-up, manipulative, cold-blooded—" Juliet caught the look on Shawn's face and forcibly elbowed the boy next to her. His eyes widened. "She's right behind me anticipating my head meat, isn't she?"
"Hello, Cory. Julia."
"All hail Zathrak," he replied while the other girl just rolled her eyes, not even bothering to correct the blonde.
"Shawn," Jennifer started, approaching the boy as he stood, "you and I have been working so hard to make this relationship work but there are some people who only want to tear us apart, so I don't think we should allow those negative presences in our lives." She stepped closer to him and smoothed out his collar. "Do you?"
"Well, now, Jennifer, I'm not quite so sure I see it that way," he replied, his eyes darting to his two friends watching them from the both (specifically to the uncomfortable-looking redhead.)
The blonde wasted no time in pushing the dark-haired boy into the next empty booth before practically making out with him. One booth over, Juliet squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to block out the mental image (it didn't work.)
Shifting next to her, Cory tried to decide on the best way to comfort his friend. First he reached for her hand before he decided immediately against it, then he considered putting it comfortingly on her arm but that didn't seem right either. After a moment's hesitation, he carefully lifted his arm to loop it around her shoulders as he'd seen Shawn do hundreds of times. To his surprise, she immediately leaned against him and tucked her feet up on the edge of the bench, her eyes still closed.
"You doing okay, Jules?" he asked uncertainly. The answer was obvious, of course, but he didn't know what else to say.
"Just fine," she mumbled in return. "It's not fair."
"I know," he agreed, "Shawn's an idiot—"
The curly-haired boy was interrupted by his friend's exclamation: "wow, suddenly everything is so clear!"
"Then you see my point?" Jennifer questioned him.
"Yes, yes. You're a really good debater."
Cory watched them sit up and nudged the girl with his free hand. "It's okay, you can look now."
"No thanks," came the immediate reply.
"Good thinking," he agreed, as Jennifer lowered Shawn back to the seat of the booth.
It was only a moment later when the boy's voice sounded again: "Julie, Cory, could you come here for a second?"
The curly-haired boy stood. "You stay here," he told the redhead, "maybe this is good news."
At his words, Juliet opened her eyes and pushed herself out of the seat. "I'm sure you're wrong but you're not gonna face it alone."
🌎🌎🌎
As usual, Juliet was right and Cory was wrong. In this one instance, though, she would've given anything for it to be the other way around. Now, they were both sitting on the floor of the restaurant at closing time. Shawn had dumped them. What she'd thought was an unbreakable bond turned out to be easily shattered. How could he have chosen Jennifer over them?
The question made her curl up tighter against the curly-haired boy next to her, the empty ache in her chest worse than being stabbed in the heart. (For once, she could relate to Shakespeare's Juliet, yet she still had no desire to kill herself over the situation.)
"Get up, guys," Topanga said, standing above them.
"He dumped us, he dumped us good," Cory sighed, unable to believe that his best friend had chosen to forgo their friendship. "And I thought 'oh, maybe this is good news.'"
🌎🌎🌎
At home after school the next day, Juliet was laying flat on her back on her bed as she listened to her Walkman in an effort to make herself feel better. So far, it wasn't working. Then, a knock sounded on her door, causing her to pause her music and open it to reveal her mother on the other side. She looked concerned. "Darling, Shawn's on the phone—" she started, only for her daughter to push past her eagerly and scramble to the kitchen to pick it up.
"Shawn?" she asked hopefully.
"'You're supposed to call me Dawn. Didn't your mom say that?'" he said, clearly worried, "'you're Duliet. Your mom is Jaly.'"
An amused smile appeared on her face at the terrible fake names, though it faltered at her next question. "Why, is Jennifer there?"
"'Dennifer!'" he corrected her immediately. "'No, she's at the mall.'"
"Right," Juliet answered, not wanting to waste her time nitpicking. "Have you called Cory?"
"'I will after I hang up with you,'" he answered and her expression softened. He'd called her first.
"This is ridiculous," she insisted. "How can you let some girl tell you that we can't be best friends? Shawn, I practically live right next door to you! How does she expect me not to talk to you ever? It's wrong and-and—" She paused before she admitted quietly, "it hurts." When there was no response she added, "Shawn, are you there?"
On the other side, he chuckled. "'Yeah. I was just listening to the sound of your voice and thinking about the old days,'" he told her softly and Juliet felt her face warm at his words.
"I gotta see you."
"'No, no. We both know that's impossible.'"
"Because of her?" she asked, "you're really going to let her stand in the way of what we had? Shawn, if you won't see me then Cory and I will come right over there and see you."
"'No! No! Don't come here,'" he objected.
"We refuse to be ignored."
"'Okay, I'll see you, but just this once,'" Shawn replied.
"That's all I'm asking for."
"'The library, tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock.'"
Reluctantly, Juliet agreed, "the library it is." She added hesitantly, "then I'll step aside forever."
She lowered the phone, intent on hanging up to return to her pity-part in her room. Hope made her lift the receiver back to her ear as she waited with bated breath to see if he'd insist that it was her he'd choose every time, not Jennifer. When there was only silence, she put the phone back on the wall.
🌎🌎🌎
The next morning, Juliet and Cory were waiting in the library behind the Classics section as Topanga vented to her boyfriend about how completely ridiculous this was. The redhead tuned them out and instead took comfort in the stacks of books that surrounded her.
As her eyes took in the nearby titles, she recognized Wuthering Heights, The Catcher in the Rye and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Her gaze caught on a slim volume near her shoulder and she looked at it curiously. It had no library markings, its binding free from the stickers that labeled the other books with the Dewey Decimal System. It was almost as if someone had left it behind and someone else had shelved it by mistake, thinking they were helping.
Intrigued, she slid it out of the small gap and flipped it over to look at the cover. A Collection of Shakespeare's Sonnets. How ironic, she thought, wryly amused. A sharp nudge jolted her attention away to see Cory staring at her in disbelief. "You're looking at books when we're about to see Shawn?"
The redhead rolled her eyes, noticing Topanga had left them to catch the boy's attention. Rather than replying to her best friend, she slid the book into her backpack as Shawn approached the shelf they were hiding behind.
"Shawn," Cory hissed quietly.
"Cory? Is that you?"
"No, it's the audiobook section," he sassed.
The dark-haired boy's face appeared in the space between two groups of books. "Is Juliet here?"
The redhead nudged Cory aside. As soon as she appeared in the gap, Shawn's expression softened. "Hey."
"Hi," she whispered back and a sudden surge of longing to be closer to him prompted her to place her hand on the shelf below. She startled slightly when she brushed against something that definitely wasn't the bottom of the shelf. His hand was already there.
Before she could do it herself, Juliet felt the boy's fingers intertwine with her own and against her will, her face warmed. Sometimes she hated how easy it was for him to make her blush.
"We were kind of hoping you'd come alone." Cory's voice broke into the bubble that had seemed to form around them and Juliet jumped, having forgotten that he was there.
"Yeah, I tried, but you-know-who wouldn't hear of it," Shawn replied, though it was mostly out of duty than desire to have a conversation. He hadn't even looked the other boy's way since the redhead had emerged from behind the shelf. "I think she suspects," he added.
"Hey, I understand that she's important to you," Cory said.
"We both knew this would happen eventually," the dark-haired boy said more to the redhead than his other best friend.
"Getting older," she agreed softly.
"Meeting new people," he continued, though it had been several months since he'd dated someone and Juliet hadn't seen anyone since Jack.
"Having relationships with those people," Juliet sighed.
"Which means there's less time for—"
"Best friends," they finished together.
"It's only natural," Shawn tried to convince her.
"Sure, natural," she agreed, "but that Cinnabon was for me, wasn't it?"
A bashful smile appeared on his face and he ducked his head slightly. "Julie—"
"We both know that J wasn't for Jennifer," she teased him. "We gotta meet."
"But where?"
"Paris," Cory suggested, blurting out the first idea that came to mind.
"That's the first place she'd look," Shawn objected.
"Then where?"
"Some place no woman like Jennifer would ever look," the dark-haired boy answered.
"We'll think of something," Juliet promised.
"We don't have a lot of time to think," he warned her.
"You're right," she sighed. "We're just going to have to find stolen time to sneak off and to only talk—"
"That's no life," Shawn interrupted her.
"It's all we have left," Cory pointed out.
"Shawn!" Jennifer called. Her footsteps grew closer as she approached. Juliet quickly detached her hand from Shawn's and ducked out of sight as the boy returned the books to the shelf.
"You've been over here an awfully long time," she observed, "are they here?"
Shawn laughed nervously. "They? I have no idea of any they of whom you speak."
Jennifer looked around the area between gaps of books to try and find the pair, but she was unsuccessful thanks to Shawn's guidance.
"See? I told you they weren't there," he said.
"Fine," she replied. "Walk me to French class?" She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, you seem so tense. I'll sit behind you and rub your shoulders?"
"Yeah, I'd like that," he agreed, though his tone was reluctant and he glanced back as they walked away.
Cory sighed. "I used to sit behind him."
Juliet patted him on the shoulder consolingly. "I can sit behind you instead if you'd like."
"That's not the same," he pouted, "but I suppose it's okay."
🌎🌎🌎
That evening, Juliet helped Cory in the kitchen to prepare dinner for Shawn's visit. She was at the sink washing dishes after having helped cut up the vegetables while Cory tended to the main course.
"Company, huh?" Mr. Matthews asked as he came downstairs.
"It's adorable. They've been at it all afternoon," Mrs. Matthews commented, "do you need any help?"
"No thanks, Mrs. Matthews," Juliet answered, "I'm just about finished."
"Mom, I said dinner was six-thirty sharp. Here it is, seven-oh-two and nowhere to be seen," Cory grumbled.
"It's alright, Cor," the redhead reassured him, "everything will work out."
"There she is," Mr. Matthews said as Topanga appeared at the door. "Everything's okay."
"Topanga, you have no idea how much he loves you," Mrs. Matthews told her as the blonde entered.
"We'll just be out of your way," Mr. Matthews gently guided his wife out of the room.
"Sorry I'm late but the pie took forever and I wanted it to be perfect for your guys' big dinner tonight," Topanga apologized.
"Thanks, but I'm afraid we've both wasted our time," Cory sighed.
"He'll show up," his girlfriend stated confidently.
"Yeah, he'll show up. In the meantime, I'll just stick my beef brochettes back in the oven until they're ruined!"
Juliet dropped the spatula she was washing and dried her hands before she stepped closer to the curly-haired boy. She placed a hand on his arm. "Cor, it'll be okay. If he doesn't show, the three of us can have dinner together." She tried to keep her tone light but she was sure they both heard the disappointment in it.
"Sorry, Jules, I've got to go to dinner with my parents," Topanga said regretfully, "but you've got to lighten up mister," she added for Cory as the phone rang. When no one moved, she prompted them, "aren't you going to answer that?"
"Oh, let him worry for a change," the boy tried for nonchalance.
The redhead pushed past him. "If you're not gonna answer it then I will," she declared. She picked up the phone and answered, "hello?"
"'It's me,'" Shawn said and Juliet felt Cory step up next to her to eavesdrop on their conversation. "'Look, uh—'"
"You're not coming," now there was obvious disappointment in her voice.
"'I just can't make it tonight, Julie.'"
"I see," she replied quietly.
"'Is that okay?'"
"Well, if you're asking me if I am hurt, no. I'm not hurt." That wasn't strictly true.
"'It's just that Jennifer invited me to her country club,'" he explained.
"And you couldn't very well tell her you're having dinner with us, could you?" Juliet asked.
"'Julie, she found my box of Cinnabon receipts.'"
The redhead's eyes widened. "I told you to burn those."
"'I couldn't and now she won't let me out of her sight.'"
"'Shawn! Our court's open!'" Jennifer's voice sounded away from the speaker.
"'Look, I gotta go. I'm sorry,'" Shawn told her.
"Me too," Juliet agreed.
She made to hang up the phone, but again paused before disconnecting the call. Instead, she lifted the receiver back up to her ear in hopes he'd say something else. When he didn't, she sighed and hung up.
"He doesn't even like tennis," Cory said sadly.
"Peaches, Cory, look at yourselves. You're wrecks," Topanga told them.
"No we aren't," Juliet protested, though her head buried in her arms as they rested on top of the table.
"Don't you see, Topanga? Shawn doesn't need us anymore," Cory added. He plopped down next to her and scooted his chair closer to slump against her side in defeat.
"He's got Jennifer now," the redhead pointed out. The other girl's name left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Look, Cory, when you and I first started going out, I never kept you from seeing Shawn because I understand that there's something about a best friend that no one can replace."
"You understood that?" Cory asked.
"Of course. Why would I spend the entire day baking a pie that I know I'm never going to eat?" Topanga questioned him.
"Because you're a sweet girl," he answered.
"And Shawn deserves a sweet girl too. A girl who understands that a best friend is part of who you are and if she doesn't accept your best friend then she's not really accepting you," the blonde explained, giving a pointed look to the redhead as she said the first part of her reasoning.
"Shawn doesn't know a sweet girl when she's right in front of him," the curly-haired boy sighed, "Juliet was right there."
"I'm still here, you know," came the muffled complaint.
"You have to be the one to take the first step, Jules," Cory told her, "you know he's not gonna do it by himself."
The redhead shifted so that one eye was visible as she looked at the boy next to her. "You think that would work?"
"You've got nothing to lose, Peaches," Topanga replied. "Now, you two forget about dinner here and finish cleaning up the kitchen. Then, in about an hour, go have dinner at Chubbie's."
"Why?" Cory asked.
"In about an hour," was all she said.
🌎🌎🌎
"Guys? You, uh, wanted to see me again?" Shawn asked as he entered the back room of the restaurant. His gaze fell on the redhead and his expression softened. "Hey."
A tentative smile appeared on her lips. "Hi."
Nothing was said for several long moments as neither of them able to look away from the other's eyes. Once again, Shawn was reminded of how similar Jennifer's blue eyes were to Juliet's ocean ones. Cory cleared his throat. "So, shoot some pool?"
The dark-haired boy jumped, having completely forgotten his other best friend was in the room as well. "I'll rack," he said quickly as he tore his gaze from the redhead's.
"I'll break," the other boy replied.
As they moved to set up the game, Juliet took one of the sticks from the rack. She picked up the chalk and twirled it on the end before placing it back down. Then, she lifted it up to look at the end straight out.
Shawn chuckled. "What're you doing?"
"Checking to see if there's enough chalk," she answered.
He gave her a fond look. "You really know nothing about sports."
Juliet gave him a goofy smile. "Does that surprise you?"
"Not in the least," he responded.
She handed Cory the stick and the boys began their game. "You know, Shawn, we used to be able to play a game of pool without the specter of evil hanging over us. Not that I'm saying your girlfriend's evil or anything," Cory added.
"No, no of course not," Shawn agreed.
As the boys moved down the table, Juliet trailed after them, adding, "look, if you're going out with her then there's gotta be something real nice about her that I haven't seen." She paused before she continued quietly: "all I want is for you to be happy." The redhead looked up to see the dark-haired boy laughing at her. "What?"
"It's so hard to take you seriously with chalk on your nose," he said.
"Oh," she replied, brushing at her nose. "Did I get it?"
"You missed," Shawn told her. "Let me get it."
Juliet's breath caught in her throat as he stepped up next to her and she tilted her head to look up at him, their height difference more obvious when he was so close. She hardly dared to breathe as his hands gently cupped her face, his palms warm on her skin as he moved his finger to brush at her nose. She desperately hoped she didn't have to sneeze.
Even once he'd brushed the (non-existent) chalk away, his hands lingered over her cheeks as their eyes met again. Juliet could feel the tension rise as they continued to be captivated by each other. It would only take a small movement for her to close the distance.
"Shawn!" The sudden exclamation sent them jumping away from each other as if they'd been electrocuted. Despite the pang of disappointment that shot through her, Juliet was unsurprised to see that Jennifer had joined them. "How could you do this to me?"
"No. No, no, no. This isn't Julie," he tried to lie, "this is cake. Well, obviously it's not cake. Not the kind of cake you're used to, but I can explain—"
"Shawnie," the redhead interrupted him softly.
"No. No, I can't. How did you know I was here?"
"I got an anonymous tip on my cell phone," Jennifer told him.
"But from who?" he asked, "I mean the only people who knew we were here is Cory and—"
"Topanga!" Cory gasped.
The other blonde entered the room. "Yes, it was I who made the call."
"But why?" the curly-haired boy asked.
"It's time she knew. That's right, Jennifer. Cory, Shawn and Juliet have kept their relationship alive despite your evil attempt to keep them apart. Because in the end, Jennifer, true friendship is stronger than the allure of a cheap kiss." Topanga looked up at her. "Hey, I'm talking to you up there!"
Jennifer ignored her. "So, even though you swore you wouldn't, you've been sneaking behind my back to see your friends."
"Yeah, I have."
"Look, I don't have time for this," the blonde told him as she stepped towards the boy. "I'm giving you an ultimatum. It's them—" She grabbed him and kissed him soundly. Juliet stared at her feet, her hands clenching at her sides as Jennifer finished, "or it's me."
"Okay, what do you got?" Shawn asked his best friends.
The redhead came to a decision as Cory sighed. "I can't top that."
She looked up, her eyes steely and determined. "Yeah, but I can. If it's a cheap kiss that'll make you switch sides, you win." Juliet approached him and stopped only when they were close enough to touch.
Shawn watched her with wide eyes and his heart pounded in his chest. Was this really happening? He'd waited eleven years for their first kiss and a part of him couldn't believe it was happening now. He felt Juliet's hands rest on his chest for support as she closed the distance between them, her blue eyes reminding him of an ocean on a stormy day.
They weren't the only eyes he felt, though. Jennifer's piercing gaze made his neck prickle. He could feel the weight of Topanga's smug look and Cory's curious expression. There were too many spectators. This wasn't at all how he wanted their first kiss to go.
"Wait, wait, wait," he stopped her regretfully, tearing his eyes away from hers for the second time that night. He place a gentle hand on her shoulder to set the girl back on her feet. "Look, Cory's my friend, okay? And so is Julie, and Topanga. Now, if you can't be friends with my friends then I'm not so sure I want to be friends with you."
Jennifer dumped Shawn, but Juliet barely heard her. Instead, she was burning with embarrassment and shame at the boy's rejection of her "first steps" that Topanga and Cory had advised her to take. They'd been so, so wrong. All she could do was stare at the floor and wish for it to swallow her whole. She'd probably ruined her friendship with Shawn forever.
She didn't even hear her friends bid Shawn goodnight and suddenly it was just the two of them. Feeling awkward, the redhead cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I should get going," she said softly, pulling away from him.
Juliet didn't get very far as Shawn reached out to grab her wrist. "Julie, wait," she paused but didn't speak, so he continued: "I hope you know it wasn't because I don't want to kiss you."
His words made her freeze before she spun around abruptly to look at him with wide eyes. He gave her a sheepish smile at her reaction. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, you know. I'm sorry." The redhead was speechless as he explained: "I just didn't want you to kiss me because you felt like you had to. You're worth so much more than that, Julie."
He wanted to kiss her.
"Can-can I kiss you now?" was the only reasonable response she managed to come up with.
Now it was his turn to stare at her as he replied breathlessly, "yeah-yeah, I'd like that."
She stepped close to him again and rested her hands gently on the soft fabric of his white sweater. He sincerely hoped that she couldn't feel how fast his heart was pounding through it. (Even if she had been able to, Juliet was too acutely aware of her own speeding heart to have noticed his.)
She looked up into her best friend's face and couldn't help but admire at how handsome he was. Sometimes she didn't think it was fair, but most of the time she thanked whatever gods were in charge of the good-looks department.
And then— neither of them knew for sure who moved first— and then they were kissing. Shawn's lips were soft and cautious on her own as he gave her a chance to pull away if she needed to. (Not even Armageddon would have convinced her to do so.)
Her hands slid around his neck and her fingers buried themselves in the shorter hair as she pressed against him, deepening the kiss. Shawn slid his hands down to her waist, unable to quite believe that this was actually happening.
The redhead being so close made his head spin and the lack of oxygen wasn't helping, though he certainly wasn't complaining. He could feel how close she was from the warmth that emanated off her body and he was intensely conscious of her hands that were threading through the short hairs behind his head. It was unlike any kiss he'd ever had and better than he could've ever imagined it would be.
As she pulled away to regain her breath, Shawn couldn't help but be grateful for the pool table behind him as he braced his hands against the sturdy edge. He wasn't so sure if he could stand on his own and he admired the redhead for being able to do so.
She stared up at him with such fondness that this time, he wouldn't have been able to tear his gaze away from hers even if tried. Briefly regaining her ability to speak, Juliet murmured, "was it worth the wait?"
"I'd wait eleven more years just to kiss you like that again," he replied softly.
"It's a good thing you only have to wait eleven seconds then," she breathed, before she reached up to kiss him again.
Their lips met for a second time and Shawn would easily say it was better than the first. This time, they didn't waste any effort being careful and deepened it immediately. His hands returned to her waist to tug her closer, half-afraid that she would slip away somehow.
When she pulled away again, her blue eyes were dazed and bright and he suspected his were much the same. Juliet forced her mind to spark into action to form words, needing to tell him something important as she looked up at him. "You look good in white."
A look crossed over his face that made her shiver pleasantly as he ducked his head, his lips close to her ear as he murmured, "so would you."
They were the last couple in Chubbie's that night.
[written apr. 2021]
[edited may 2022]