I open my eyes slowly, the sun shining through my curtains and onto my face. I saw Vernon's face and went to bury my own into his chest to block out the light…
And I was met with cold glass… That’s right… I was taken home last night, not to Vernon and Joshua's place.
I sighed and sat up, putting the picture back next to the other one before looking at the time on my phone.
I got about an hour to get ready, get everything together, and then start walking. It's daytime so it should be no problem…
Right?
I shook my head. Stop being dumb Chan! They said you couldn't walk home by yourself at night, not during the day!
I get off my bed and go over to my closet, grabbing a pair of jeans and then reaching for a shirt. I pulled out the first one I grabbed…
Bands Boys…
The t-shirt Minghao gave me that night…
Maybe I don't need to wear long sleeves with everyone anymore… I've told everyone Jeonghan introduced to me that day that long sleeves were like a security blanket to me. But, if they all didn't want me to walk home alone last night, maybe they really are genuine and maybe…
Don't think too much about it all or you're gonna make yourself late!
I set the shirt and jeans on my bed next to my phone. Then I pulled out another old shirt and shorts I could use to swim in. Throwing them into a bag and then setting it by my front door before going into the bathroom, undressing and getting into the shower.
I wonder how today's gonna go after how dinner ended last night? Is everyone gonna be upset? Is it all gonna be awkward? What about with Seungcheol? How do I make everything up to him? I need to at least apologize…
I sighed before I actually started washing myself. Today's not the day to spend forever lost in thought in the shower. I go quickly to make up for lost time, eventually turning the shower off and getting out.
I heard someone knocking on my door. Probably one of the pamphlet guys again that just leaves it and knocks on the door before walking away. I threw a towel on and went over to the door. I'll just grab the pamphlet and then finish getting ready. No big deal. I unlock and open the door…
VERNON!?
I froze and felt my face get really hot. Vernon is here, and I'm wet and wearing nothing but a towel.
I watched as his face turned red and he looked away from me, "Ah, sorry, uh, nobody could get ahold of you so we decided I'd come check on you since we're supposed to go swimming and you'd need a ride anyway and you know, wanted to make sure you were there and didn't oversleep and you came with us because we want you there today and you know yeah I'm here okay I'll go wait in the car okay bye!" He then steps back.
“W-wait!” I reached forward and grabbed Vernon’s hand to stop him, feeling my towel start to slip with the sudden movement. I grabbed it with my other hand just before it fell, “C-come in! Wait in here I won’t be long, I just need to get dressed and get some last minute things together!” I gently pulled Vernon into my place. Please don’t be creeped out…
Vernon looked behind me, avoiding looking me in the eyes, "Yeah, okay I'll wait in here!" He said before walking in cautiously and sitting on the couch.
“I’ll just be a few minutes!” I said, before running back into my room.
"Take your time!! No rush at all!" I heard Vernon say just as I shut my door.
I take a deep breath. I will never open my door like that again! I dried myself off completely before getting dressed. The Bands Boys shirt fitting perfectly… I wonder how Minghao knew what size… I put on my ripped jeans and got the sandals I had for quick trips outside. My stuff I’m gonna use to swim is already by my front door. Picking up my towel, I dried my hair off more and then brushed it so it looked decent.
I then picked up and folded the shirt Vernon let me borrow yesterday as best as I could, feeling it’s softness as I ran my thumb against it again. I carried it out of my room and went into the living room, handing Vernon his shirt back, “Sorry about… all of that… Here’s your shirt back… Thank you for letting me borrow it.”
Vernon nodded, butterflies in my stomach as he made eye contact as he took it, "Of course, any time, I think it looked good on you, better than on me so… where did you get that shirt?" He smiles widely at my shirt.
I felt myself blushing, “Oh… Minghao gave it to me on the night we met… I guess you can say that I’m your number one fan now!” I joked.
Vernon smiled softly, "Well, then you're my favorite fan… I like it. It looks good, I've just never seen one before. Wait, that's what you're wearing to swim in??"
I felt myself panic as he looked a little upset at the thought.
“No! I have a change of clothes!” I went and grabbed the bag at the door to show him, “An old shirt and shorts! I would never risk ruining something I got the night we met!”
Vernon smiled and nodded, "Oh, okay! Just making sure since you're in jeans!"
“Is that bad? I’ve never gone to a pool like this before.” I asked. Are there no changing rooms?
Vernon looked at me curiously, "You've never gone to a pool like this?? But any pool would be bad with jeans! They get wet and gross and heavy and you can't swim and they stick to your legs!"
Crap! I’m gonna give it away that I can’t swim!
“I mean… My high school had a pool! We’d all change in a locker room so everyone would change before going into the pool!” I told him, carefully thinking about what I was saying. That makes sense right?
Vernon nodded, "Oh! Okay, yeah me too, but I just wear my suit where I'm going if I'm going straight there! I guess everyone does things differently! Are you ready!"
Is… is he not…
I couldn’t help but blush and glance down at Vernon’s shorts, “So… is there no underwear or…?”
Vernon blushed, putting the folded shirt in his lap, "Uh, I mean… there's built in underwear net stuff in most swim trunks do you… do you not swim in swim trunks? Did you wear like a…" he pauses for a second, "A speedo or something in highschool???"
I looked at Vernon, “What’s a speedo?”
"Tight… uh… underwear like swimsuits? Like… women's swim bottoms… bikini bottoms for men? Spandex? I don't know how to describe it… uh… leotard? That's just underwear? But it's a swimsuit? I mean… I'm sure you'd look good in one but… I can't imagine they'd have them in highschool!" Vernon told me, looking away.
Something doesn’t make sense though. Aren’t swimsuits supposed to cover you up in the water? I looked back at my butt, “But if they’re bikini bottoms for men… and say… um… a tushie was involved…” Nope! Not gonna ask that! “We had wetsuits! The full body swimsuits! Everything was covered!” Totally no cheeks out in the open or anything!
"Oh! So they go around your existing shorts! That's why, okay! That makes sense!" Vernon said, nodding, not looking over at me.
“Yeah!” I sat down next to him, blushing and looking away, but I still wanted to be close to him.
"So… ready to go then? I came to give you a ride too…"
I nodded, glancing over at Vernon, “Yep! All ready! Though you really didn’t have too… It’s daytime so I can walk!”
"It's so far though! You'd be like 2 hours late if you left now!" Vernon said as he looked at his phone.
“Oh… so I’d miss breakfast with everyone… I’ll definitely enjoy the time I get to spend with you in your car though so… wanna get going?” I asked him.
Vernon nodded, getting up and holding his hand out to me, "Of course! We'd never let you miss breakfast by the way!"
I took Vernon’s hand and smiled brightly at him, “Let’s get going then!”
Vernon smiled and led me to the door, opening it and leading me out to the car and letting me get in, going to his side and starting the car.
I put my bag by my feet and pulled out my phone, seeing messages from everyone and the group chat.
“Has anyone heard from Channie? I’ve been trying to reach him all morning but can’t, and I’m not home right now so can't go check.” Jeonghan had asked.
“I haven’t, maybe he’s still asleep?” Seokmin answered.
"But he knew we were going swimming today?" Minghao texted.
“Might’ve slept through his alarms? Does he have someone to pick him up at least so he’s not walking on that road?” Seungkwan messaged.
"He was out pretty late last night, but he was fine when I dropped him off. It's likely he's still asleep. I didn't know Jeonghan wasn't home, I figured they'd ride together. I'll go check on him and give him a ride!" Vernon responded.
“Thanks Vernon, let us all know that he’s okay if he doesn’t beforehand please!” Jeonghan replied.
"Will do! I'm on my way there now." Vernon had sent, then a little bit later there was another message from him saying that I was okay, everyone responding in some way.
I felt myself smiling softly at the messages and responded, apologizing for worrying everyone and that I’m okay and with Vernon, “Everyone’s so caring… I hate that I worried them all though…” I put my phone back in my bag.
"We care about you, and we were worried you might run away from us after yesterday," Vernon said.
“I don’t want to run away. I wanna be in the group. I want to be with you…” I felt myself blush at that, that sounded like a confession, “And everyone else…” I added quickly, hopefully before Vernon noticed.
Vernon nodded, "Good, I want to be with you too, we all do! We all want you in our family!!"
I smiled at him, not believing him fully, “So have you ever been to this place we’re gonna eat at before? I haven't, so gotta make sure I look at the menu first!” I said, changing the subject.
Vernon smiled and nodded, "It's so good! You want me to show you the menu online before we get there so you have time to decide? They have amazing pancakes. There's even some that are cupcake flavored. Or some with cotton candy sprinkles!"
There’s what!?
“Cotton candy sprinkles?” I asked, looking at Vernon in excitement.
Vernon chuckled, "I knew you'd be interested in that. Yeah, they're baked into the pancake! With an icing syrup on top too!"
Sounds so good!
“I don’t think I need a menu then, I’ll just get what you described!” I smiled at him.
Vernon smiled, "There's other stuff with it, do you like sausage or bacon? And eggs?" He asked me.
“Scrambled eggs and bacon! My school had a special breakfast thing once so I got to try them! Sausage is good too so I’d be happy with anything really.” I told him. I’m not too picky. Anything is better than just lettuce salad and water.
Vernon nodded, "How about potatoes?"
Huh? “Potatoes at breakfast?”
"Yeah! It's an American type place, it's kinda normal there to have shredded potatoes with breakfast!" Vernon explained, glancing at me again.
“Ohhh. What do you recommend then? I’ll get whatever you suggest!” I said.
Vernon smiled, "I think they taste really good! I recommend them, especially with eggs."
“Okay!” And watch me get flustered and screw it all up… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask Vernon for help… Worst case scenario he says no, “Can you help me order in there? I tend to mess up sometimes and get flustered…”
Vernon nodded happily as he pulled into a parking spot, looking over at me fully, "Of course! That's part of why I was asking now actually, I kinda noticed you seem to forget and stuff yesterday so…"
“I’m a little scatterbrained sometimes…” I trailed off, awkwardly laughing a little. That was embarrassing… Thankfully Seungkwan helped.
Vernon smiled, patting my hand gently, "Me too, it's okay! That's why I wanted to help!"
He’s so sweet, and kind… and too good for you Chan so forget about it.
I then noticed movement out of the corner of my eye, so I looked over at the building and saw everyone standing out front, “Oh! Everyone’s here!”
"Oh! Shit! I didn't even notice! Let's go then!" Vernon then got out and opened my door just as I unbuckled.
I smiled up at Vernon before getting out, letting him shut the car door before gently taking his hand and leading him over.
“Hey! They’re here!” Mingyu shouted excitedly, making everyone look over. Immediately Jeonghan, Seungkwan, Junhui, Seokmin, Soonyoung, and Jihoon stopped and stared at me. They must be upset with me about last night…
I stood there awkwardly for a moment before taking a deep breath, “Hi… I’m…”
“YOU’RE LETTING US SEE YOUR ARMS!!!!!” Seokmin exclaimed before running over and hugging me tightly. Oh… that’s why they were staring… I felt Vernon gently release my hand. He must be weirded out, I never told him.
"Wait, is that not something common? I thought he was just… normally cold?" Minghao asked, looking at me.
I felt myself blush, hugging Seokmin back so I could hide my face for a moment.
I heard Junhui laugh softly, before I felt someone gently pulling me away from Seokmin, I looked up at Jun as he wrapped an arm around me, “Chan basically just removed his security blanket around us.”
“He’s comfortable around us!” Soonyoung cheered. I glanced around at everyone, seeing both happy and slightly confused faces.
"Security blanket?" I heard Vernon ask. I went to explain to everyone, but then I saw Seungcheol move towards us and I paused.
He held out a dino plushie, "I'm glad then… I got you something to apologize for scaring you yesterday… I hope this means you're-"
Before I could stop myself, I ran to him. Hugging him tightly, “I’m so, so sorry…” I said. I hope I didn’t make him even more upset with me…
I heard Seungcheol gasping before he pulled me in tighter, "No, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you or make you think I was going to hurt you!!"
I let out a sigh of relief, “I’m just glad you don’t hate me now… I didn’t mean to flinch or be a brat or anything. I just don’t want to burden anyone.”
I felt Seungcheol shake his head before pulling away just enough to look me in the eyes, "Oh you sweet child, of course I don't hate you!!" He then pulled me back in for another comforting hug.
He didn’t push me away, or yell at me, or, well, did anything my own dad would’ve done… Vernon was right… I hugged him back, “I’ll try not to flinch anymore, Vernon told me that you’d never hurt me, even though you are a little scary…” I told him, being honest just in case I did flinch again at some point.
Seungcheol chuckled softly, "Well I kinda have to be when I'm the dad of 11 chaotic evil kids that take after Jeonghan."
I couldn’t help but giggle at that. I then went to pull away again, but Seungcheol pulled me right back in, throwing his arms around me tightly again, I blinked, confused for a second before, "This is MY baby now."
Oh no…
I then felt someone trying to gently pull me away from Seungcheol, “No! My aegi! We’ve been over this!” I heard Jeonghan say. I managed to pull away enough to see them both.
Seungcheol kept hold of me, "Nope, he's mine now!"
Jeonghan glared at him, “I was the first one to meet him in our group! And you have more of the babies!”
"Uh oh, Mommy and Daddy are fighting…" I heard Mingyu say, not being able to look at anyone else.
Seungcheol looked Jeonghan dead in the eyes, "I'll trade you Mingyu."
"HEY!!!"
Poor Mingyu… I then felt someone pull me away from Seungcheol and Jeonghan. I looked up to see Joshua behind me, "Don't fight over the baby."
Soonyoung then came over to us and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, “You ever had pancakes before? Let’s go in, our table might be ready!” He led me over to the entrance. I saw him turn around to stick his tongue out at Seungcheol and Jeonghan. I laughed a little at him as we walked in.
"HEY! HE'S STEALING OUR BABY!" I heard Seungcheol yell.
“KWON SOONYOUNG, CHANNIE IS OUR BABY NOT YOURS!” Jeonghan yelled, then they both came in after us. I was let go so Soonyoung could talk to the person at the desk. Jeonghan ruffled my hair and smiled at me as he went over next to him. Seungcheol stayed nearby as everyone came in. I noticed he was counting everyone. I spotted Vernon coming in last and went over to him.
Vernon smiled softly at me, "See, I told you it was all okay!"
“I’m glad!” I smiled back at him.
“Okay! Everyone follow!” Soonyoung called out before following after the hostess. We all came to a big table with a bunch of chairs around it. Everyone started to sit down. I stood between where Vernon and Seungcheol were sitting. I’ll just take whatever spot is left over. I then frowned as I realized there was no chairs left, and nobody else had noticed… They all were talking… “I knew it…” I mumbled.
Vernon must’ve heard me, because he then looked up at me, "What's wrong? Sit down Channie!"
I sighed softly, they do want me in their group. Seungcheol and Jeonghan were arguing over me outside! I’m just being stupid, thirteen is a lot of people in a group of friends and it’s easy to miss a chair. I moved to sit on the floor between Vernon and Seungcheol. I don’t want to make a big deal out of not having a chair. I can’t be a burden in any way. I can eat on the floor, no big deal. Vernon and Seungcheol then both looked down at me.
"What are you doing?" Vernon asks me, looking and sounding worried.
"Oh my god there's only 12 chairs. Chan! Get off the floor, we'll get you a chair! Everyone make room! Scoot around," Seungcheol said as he got up.
I… huh!? They’re not gonna tell me to sit somewhere else? I watched Seungcheol as he carefully got up and left the table to get another chair. Suddenly I was being lifted up from the floor. I made a squeak at the motion.
"Come on Channie, gotta make room for the chair!" Vernon said, holding me. I then noticed everyone scooting around to make room for another chair, Seungcheol then put a chair in between where he and Vernon were sitting. He stood behind it then.
Vernon then let me back down the floor. I stood there and stared at the chair, my chair. Isn't the table gonna be too crowded now though? I looked around at everyone, all of them watching me, “You… don’t want me to move somewhere else? It’s not gonna be too crowded?”
“I told them thirteen chairs Channie! Party of thirteen! Sit down! We want you with us!” Soonyoung stated.
Vernon nodded, "Plus it's not too crowded! Look at how everyone moved together! Not too tight at all!" Nobody really is smushed together…
Seungcheol looked at me, "We want to eat together as a group, why the heck would we want you somewhere else?! I'm not sitting down until you sit first!"
“O-oh…” I sat down, feeling tense. This is weird… I should be sitting at another table right now listening to them laughing and talking without me, just like I had too back in school when my friends kicked me out of the table because they all wanted to sit together and I wasn't wanted. It hurt so much…
Slowly, a dino plushie came into view and I looked over to see Seungcheol handing it to me, "Here Channie, you never took the gift!"
The gift? Oh… he was holding something before I hugged him… I carefully took the dino from him. Huh!? He's heavy for a plushie, my hands sinking after Seungcheol let go, “Oh! There’s weight to him!” I looked at Seungcheol, confused.
Seungcheol smiled and nodded, "Yeah! He's good for anxiety! The weight is like deep pressure therapy! It's supposed to help you so… I thought maybe it would be good for you!"
I looked back down at the plushie, its cute little face staring back at me. I held him close and started to pet his head. He's so soft… “The weight is very comforting… feels like a hug.” I looked up at Seungcheol and smiled, “Thank you so much!”
Seungcheol smiled at me again, "Good! I'm glad you like it!"
I smiled back down at the plushie, I really should give him a name, “I’ll take very good care of… Theo!” I then hugged Seungcheol carefully, making sure I didn't accidentally drop Theo. Then I turned around to show Vernon, “Look what Seungcheol gave me!"
Vernon smiled happily, "He's very cute! He reminds me of you!"
I couldn't help but giggle, “I love him!”
Vernon chuckled, "Seungcheol did a really good job getting you him!"
I nodded, just then the waiter came over, “Hey guys! I’m Beomhan! Can I get you all started on drinks?”
Wait… it's the waiter from last night!? But we had gone to a different restaurant!? I looked around, everyone else seemed confused too, except Wonwoo who was looking at something.
Wonwoo looked up at him, "Oh, hey it's you again! Yeah, I'll have a coffee please."
"Yeah, I have lots of jobs! Okay, and you?" Beomhan said going around the table getting the orders.
I watched as he took everyone's orders. Vernon then moved the menu over to me, the drinks side up, "What sounds good? Chocolate milk? Coffee? Regular milk? A milkshake?"
I moved closer to Vernon, looking at the menu, “Chocolate milk sounds good!” Cuddling up to you sounds good right now too…
Vernon nodded happily and as Beomhan got to him, he ordered for both of us before smiling over at me.
I smiled back at Vernon, feeling myself move closer to lean on him like I wanted too. No! Chan he's not your boyfriend, you're not dating him! I stopped moving closer.
At least I can look into his eyes…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was watching the scenery go by while Vernon drove. A comfortable silence between us and Vernon's bluetooth on. He skips a few before playing one I've never heard before. It was pretty good. When it ended, the Bands Boy's song "Rock With You" started playing. I sang along to it quietly. I memorized the song when making up the choreography for it… I also know their whole discography….
I'm weird…
After "Rock With You" ended, "Game Boi" came on and I started rapping along to it. I haven't rapped in forever. I'm nowhere near as good as Vernon though. I glanced over at him. I paused, seeing him looking at me with his jaw dropped. I felt myself start to panic, “I’ll stop! Sorry! I didn’t… I know all of your band’s songs… I’ll shush now…”
"No! No, don't stop!!! Don't apologize!! You're really good! I love your voice! I think we should put you on some songs with a voice like that! I just didn't expect you to rap too!! That was so good!" Vernon said, a little rushed like he was panicking too.
I felt myself blush at his compliments, “Really? Normally everyone tells me to stop and that I’m annoying, so I try not to do that anymore…”
Vernon shook his head, "No! Don't stop! Ever! You're so good! Better than me even! I mean you sound like an angel! Or uh… I just mean, you're really good is all. You should sing more. I really like to hear it so… don't think you have to stop around me okay?"
Vernon… likes my singing, and he doesn't want me to stop?
I smiled, reaching over slowly to start the song from the beginning so I could rap to it from start to finish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I walked out of the changing rooms behind Seokmin and Jihoon, looking around at everyone. The majority of them were already in the water. Jeonghan was being helped onto a pool floaty by Seungcheol. We got closer to the side of the pool.
“Seokmin! Come help me dunk Soonyoung! He’s copying me again!” Seungkwan whined, coming over to the edge where we were.
“Seokmin! Come help me dunk Soonyoung! He’s copying me again!” Soonyoung followed him close behind.
Seokmin laughed at them and got in, helping Seungkwan get revenge by helping him dunk Soonyoung. I laughed a little at them before seeing Jihoon roll his eyes. He then got in too, swimming away from them and over to Wonwoo and Minghao.
I went and sat down on the edge of the pool, starting to gently kick my feet back and forth. I looked around at everyone again, seeing them all have fun together. It made me smile, they all really do care about each other.
I then noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked over to see Vernon standing at the edge across from me and froze, slowly… taking off… his shirt… I felt my face become red hot. I can’t look away…
Vernon then smiled over at me and winked before hopping into the pool, making a splash. I was able to catch my breath, but then Vernon resurfaced right in front of me. His entire torso was out of the water and I could see his muscles. I felt my breath catch in my throat, watching him reach up and push his wet hair out of his face as he looked up at me. I felt myself leaning forward a bit and had to catch myself before I fell in.
I’ve never really hated not knowing how to swim this much before… I can’t be in the water with Vernon… He’s gonna be just out of reach the whole time we’re here…
"Kiss kiss fall in love!!" I heard Jihoon yell. I felt my face somehow get hotter. I covered my face with my hands to hide from everyone.
Not long after, I heard someone come out of the water in front of me. I uncovered my eyes, seeing Vernon right in front of me, “H-hi…” I stammered out.
Vernon smiled softly at me, before shaking his head, splashing me a little. I giggled at the water and moved back a little, watching him as he moved his hair out of his face, chuckling happily, "Hi!"
I have to fight the urge to push his hair back. I leaned forward a bit instead, not enough to accidentally fall in, but enough that I’m closer to him.
Vernon moved closer to me, putting a hand against the pool on each side, practically between my legs, "And why aren't you getting in Channie?"
I felt myself blush again at him being so close shirtless and wet, “Oh… um… I just… don’t wanna get in the way?”
Technically, it’s not a lie? If I can’t swim I’d just be a burden to everyone and…
Vernon’s chuckling took me out of my thoughts, I felt my face turn bright red as he wrapped his arms around my waist, "Well there's a whole pool here and only thirteen of us so…"
I yelped as I was quickly pulled into the water. Oh no… I can’t swim! I’m gonna drown! I wrapped my legs around Vernon and hugged him tightly, taking in a deep breath and holding it.
"Hey, you're fine, breathe. I got you, you're not even underwater!" I heard Vernon say. His voice sounded clear…
I let out the breath I was holding, still hugging Vernon tightly, “I’m not gonna drown?”
I felt Vernon rub my back carefully, "Of course not, only Jihoon would drown in four feet of water! You can stand and your face is completely out of the water!"
I slowly unwrapped my legs from Vernon’s waist, standing on the bottom on the pool floor. My face is completely out of the water, “Oh…”
Vernon was still holding onto my waist, "So… that's why you didn't want to get in? You can't swim?"
I felt my face turn bright red in embarrassment. I looked down, not wanting to see the anger on Vernon’s face when I told him the truth. I slowly nodded my head, I feel ashamed for not telling anyone.
I felt Vernon take one hand off me. Is he gonna push… I then felt a hand underneath my chin, lifting it up, "Don't be embarrassed! I'm sorry I pulled you in! I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry Chan… you're safe here… maybe we could teach you?"
I blushed at feeling Vernon’s hand underneath my chin, my breath catching again for a second before I could speak, “Don’t be sorry! I’m the one who should be sorry! I didn’t say anything to anyone!” I reached up and gently put my hands on Vernon’s shoulders, “I’d love it if you would teach me though…”
Vernon moved his hand away, blushing a little, "It's not your fault for not saying anything, I should have respected that you didn't want to get in… I'd be so happy to teach you! Most of it will probably be easy for you because it's like a dance only in the water."
“I do want to be in the water with you all though…” I told him. I want to belong, I want to do stuff with everyone too.
"Good! Then, we'll start here since you can easily stand… are you good if I let you go?"
“I think so…” I looked at the bottom of the pool. I can stand now but what if I fall in and can’t get back up? I looked up at Vernon again, “You’ll save me if I slip, right?”
Vernon chuckled, "Of course I will, just see me as your personal life guard." He then slowly let me go.
I carefully stood, keeping my balance. I then tried to take a step, but the floor was more slippery than I thought. I fell forward, falling right into Vernon.
Thankfully, Vernon caught me. He looked down at me and smiled, "Woah, you almost fell for me! Be careful there Channie, it is slippery!"
I really am trying not to… I looked up at Vernon and blushed seeing him so close now. All I could do was nod.
Vernon carefully held my waist again, "Here, try to walk while I'm holding you, then you can try to float!"
“Okay!” I took a careful step forward, smiling as I kept going, I looked back at Vernon happily.
Vernon smiled back at me and slowly let go, "There now lift your feet and keep your balance, you'll float!"
I did as Vernon said, smiling brightly, “I’m floating!” I couldn’t help but giggle, happy that I had caught on so quickly.
Vernon swam around beside me, "Yeah! I knew you'd be able to do it! Now do you wanna try swimming?"
I nodded at him, and before I knew it, I was falling backwards into the water. I let out a yelp right before I went under. Water got into my eyes so I shut them. I didn’t even take a breath! I’m gonna…
Suddenly, I heard muffled noises and I was being grabbed and pulled out of the water. As soon as I was out, I felt water dripping onto me and my eyes sting really badly. I reached up and tried to wipe them. I let out a whine and leaned up against whoever was next to me as my hand did nothing to help since it was wet too. I tried to open my eyes, but I can’t see anything clearly and they really hurt.
"Are you okay? Can you breathe?" I heard Vernon asking. He sounded so close, I was probably leaned up against him.
“My eyes sting really badly.” I whined, blinking to try to fix them. That didn’t work though, since my hair was dripping more water into my eyes.
Vernon then started moving over to the edge of the pool with me. He got up carefully and sat at the edge, grabbing a towel and leaning forward, wiping my eyes and face off. I let Vernon do whatever to me, feeling relieved when my face was wiped off. He was being so gentle, "I wonder if they sell goggles at the front desk…" Vernon mumbled as he kept wiping at my eyes.
I heard someone else come over, “Vernon, go get my black card from my bag, they sell goggles and stuff at the front desk." Jihoon said.
Vernon stopped rubbing me with the towel, I watched him get up, "Just, keep Chan at the edge here, hold on to the side and you won't go anywhere okay Channie?" I nodded at him before he left to go to Jihoon's bag.
I reached up to wipe at my eyes again, the stinging is still there and it still hurts…
Jihoon gently took my hand and stopped me, “Hey, don’t rub your eyes again, it’ll make it worse!”
Wonwoo swam over to us then, looking at me with slight worry, "Did the water hurt your eyes?"
“Yeah, they sting pretty bad… I wasn’t able to close them before I went under.” I told him.
"Since I wear glasses, I have eye drops in my bag so I can see after swimming, you want some? It'll make it feel better and clean the chlorine out." Wonwoo offered.
“Yeah, If you don’t mind…” I said, smiling a little. That would be great! Anything to stop my eyes from stinging!
Wonwoo nodded, "Of course I don't mind! You'll just have to get out, do you think you can make it to the stairs with Jihoon and I helping you?"
I nodded back at him, “Yeah, I’ll be able to if you guys help!”
Wonwoo smiled, taking my arm before signaling Jihoon to grab the other and he does so, they both helped me across the pool to the steps. I went up the steps with their help, being very careful not to slip and fall. We all then walk over to where all of the bags are, Jihoon motioning for me to sit on a chair while Wonwoo grabs his eye drops from his bag.
Wonwoo came back with his eye drops before wiping his hands off and opening the bottle, "Okay, tilt your head back and hold your eye open!"
I did as he said, keeping my eyes open, “Like this?”
"Perfect!" Wonwoo said before dropping some in each eye, it felt a little weird, "Now blink a little."
I blinked, sighing in relief as my eyes instantly felt better, “Thank you so much! My eyes feel so much better now!”
"No problem!" Wonwoo said as he put the eye drops back.
Jihoon smiled at me, "The goggles will keep them clear too, so hopefully you won't feel that again."
“Hopefully I don’t fall back into the water like that again.” I laughed a little, feeling embarrassed. I didn’t want to fall like that in front of everyone, especially since they all can…
"Hopefully not, don't be embarrassed though, Jeonghan can't swim either! We all know to just let him float without bothering him!" Jihoon said with a soft smile.
Wait… what!?
“Really!?” I asked him. Jeonghan really can’t swim!?
"Yeah! Why do you think he has a swim float to lay on? Seungcheol normally just swims and pushes him around. He really only gets in fully in hot tubs or the shallow end." Jihoon explained to me.
“I wish I would’ve said that I couldn’t swim before when Minghao said he wanted to swim…” I really feel like an idiot now...
"It's okay Chan, we understand you just didn't wanna feel left out! That's why we come up with solutions to make you feel better! Like Jeonghan!" Wonwoo said, smiling at me.
"Oh you got out! I got you some water floaties too! I thought that would help you not go under again." I looked over to see Vernon holding some stuff and coming towards us.
“Water floaties?” I asked him, never having heard of them before.
Vernon nodded, holding them out, "We blow them up then put them over your arms and you can't go under!"
I took one from him and looked it over, finding the nub. I opened it and blew into it as hard as I could, “Like that?”
Vernon busted out laughing, "No you gotta hold on to it, here, let me see…" he said through laughs, holding his hand out for it back.
I looked down at it again, “No, wait, I think I can do this…” I then put it back up to my mouth and blew until I ran out of air. I kept going though, eventually it’ll inflate.
Vernon moved towards me, "Can I help? Please?"
I glanced up at him and stopped blowing into it. I took a deep breath, “Y-yeah… I don’t think I’ve inflated it at all…” I handed it back to Vernon. I must’ve annoyed him…
Vernon smiled softly at me, "it takes some getting used to," He then took it and started to carefully blow it up, succeeding and then closing it up before blowing up the second one.
I watched him blow them up before taking one back and holding it in my hands, “Feels kinda like a balloon of some kind…”
Vernon laughed softly, "Yeah kinda… you just put it up on your arm, want help?"
I blushed and nodded, handing the floaty back to Vernon.
Vernon took it, moving over to me and gently taking my arm, moving my hands down and pulling the floaty over my one hand, slowly pulling it up until it's to my biceps. He then grabbed the next one and did the same, leaving his one hand on mine and looking at me, "You have really nice arms, you should wear short sleeves more often."
I blushed more, both at him putting the floaties on me and him complimenting my arms, “Thank you… I’ll try to be confident enough to wear short sleeves more…”
Vernon smiled softly at me, "You should be… you should really be a lot more confident with how good you look…" he then looked down, "Uh… anyway, there you go, all safe… and here's the goggles…" he slowly handed them over.
I gently took the goggles from him before carefully putting them on, “Think I’m all ready?” I asked him.
Vernon chuckled and nodded, "Perfect, now I can teach you how to swim and you'll be all safe…" he then looked towards Jihoon and Wonwoo, "Oh by the way, Soonyoung bought himself something with your card, he said you'd be fine with it… it had a tiger on it so, not surprising."
“Another tiger thing?” Jihoon looked at Vernon confused, “What was it?”
“HORANGHAE!” I heard Soonyoung shouting. Looking over to where everyone else was, I saw him shooting Minghao with the tiger water gun.
"...that." Vernon said before busting out laughing as Minghao got hit in the face.
"OH IT'S ON!" Minghao yelled, grabbing a frog water gun before spraying him back, "YOU'RE NOT A TIGER!!!!"
“Oh god… Wonwoo, let’s go keep it somewhat under control?” Jihoon said, they both then left us, getting into the water themselves. I watched everyone shoot each other and dive out of the way. I’d be no match for any of them…
"I told them to make sure not to hit you." Vernon said.
I looked at him, “It looks like fun though… but I should probably learn how to swim first…”
"It can be fun, but if you get sprayed and can't really run away, it's horrible!" Vernon said dramatically, looking back at me, "Here, come over here," he pulled me closer to the edge, stepping back before running and jumping in, the splash big enough to gently splash me.
I giggled at the water splashing me. Then I sat down carefully on the edge of the pool, leaning forward a little.
Vernon came back up from being underwater, coming over to me and putting his arms back on either side of my waist, "Ready to get back in?"
I smiled at him, "Yeah! Been ready for a while now!" I joked, playfully sticking my tongue out at him.
Vernon laughed, making me smile more, "Okay, okay, I just wanted to make sure you were safe and comfortable!" He said before picking me up by the waist, pulling me down into the water.
I held onto his shoulders as I was lifted down. When I was in, I moved the goggles back up onto my forehead. Shivering a little, I stayed close to Vernon, “It’s cold in the water now…”
He smiled and kept me close to him, "Yeah, it's always cold when you get out! You'll warm back up!"
I nodded before laying my head on Vernon, “With you I’ll warm up quickly.” I blushed. He makes me feel so warm…
I heard Vernon chuckle, "I mean… yeah huddling together does help… stay here for as long as you need and then we can start learning the doggy paddle…" he said.
I snuggled closer, not wanting to pull away yet. Vernon feels safe, warm, comfy. After a moment, I forced myself to pull away, “We should probably start…”
Vernon let out a small sigh as he turned to me, "Yeah! Let's start!"
I let go of Vernon, backing up a little and lifting my feet up, a little nervous I was gonna go straight under again. I didn't though, the floaties kept me upright, “So… how do I doggie paddle?” I asked Vernon, feeling relieved at the fact that I'll be okay with these on.
Vernon smiled, "I'm gonna hold your stomach, okay? Float forward and let your legs come up, I'll hold your stomach to keep it up and keep you from going under."
I nodded, slowly doing what Vernon said.
I felt Vernon carefully hold my stomach and thighs, I was up against him, "Now, try to just float, get used to the feeling of your body."
“Okay…” I did so for a minute, feeling weightless in a way. I then looked back at Vernon.
Vernon smiled, "Now whenever you're ready, start moving your arms and kicking your feet in the water!"
I immediately started doing what Vernon had said. I was moving and not going under… I'm actually swimming! I turned around and started swimming back over to Vernon, unable to stop myself from smiling brightly, “I’m doing it!”
Vernon smiled widely at me, clapping, "WOOO!! You did it! Good job, I'm so proud!"
I started to do circles around Vernon, staying close to him. I kept giggling as I went around and around.
I heard Vernon chuckle a little, "You're doing so good!!"
I couldn't have ever done any of this without you…
I stopped doing circles around him and went for him, pulling him into a tight hug, “Thank you…”
Vernon hugged me back, "Don't thank me, it's all you!"
I shook my head, “You’re the one who taught me and got me the floaties and goggles…”
Vernon chuckled again, "Technically Jihoon bought them so…"
“Still… you got out of the pool to wipe my eyes and then went to the store to get them.” I said, pulling away from the hug.
Vernon blushed and looked down at me, "Well, you were in pain… you deserved the help, and I'm the dumb one who pulled you in without asking if you could swim first so…"
“I’m the one who didn’t tell anyone I couldn’t swim and didn’t tell you when you asked why I wasn’t swimming!” I told him. He shouldn't blame himself for something I didn't make known!
I felt Vernon move his hands down to my waist, "Yeah well, it was my fault so… no thanking me!"
No! I have no one to thank but you!
“But you’re the one who’s teaching me how to now! I can probably start doggie paddling by myself now!” I went to pull away from him to try, noticing that my hands were on Vernon’s… chest… His bare chest… “Oh…” I felt my face get really, really hot. I was touching Vernon's bare chest… in the water…
Vernon chuckled softly, "I know I'm hot, it's okay you can feel me up all you want." He then winked at me before holding his nose and going under the water.
I… he… what? I looked down at the water where Vernon had gone. I need… I…
Isn't that something couples do?
I put on my goggles to go under the water too. I tried but stayed above. I guess the arm floaties really do their job. I stood straight again and put the goggles back onto my forehead.
Vernon came back up laughing, "Come on, let's swim to the other side and back, then you can get more practice!"
I smiled again, happy he was back above the water, and nodded, “Okay!”
Vernon smiled at me before leaning down, "First one to the side over there wins!"
I nodded, “O-okay…” I then started to swim over to the side that Vernon pointed too, eventually making it over there. I grab and hold onto the edge of the pool, looking back over at Vernon. Is he going slow on purpose? I started to swim back to him.
Vernon swam up to me, smiling, "Dang, you're fast!!"
Yeah sure Mr. Snail…
I then smiled as innocently as I could before reaching over to him, touching him gently, “You’re it!” I giggled before quickly starting to doggie paddle away. Vernon laughed as I swam away. Now I wonder if Vernon will go slow…
I felt something touch my leg, I looked to see Vernon coming up from underwater, "You're it!!"
I giggled again, turning around and swimming after him, “You can go underwater and I can’t! Not fair!”
Vernon smiled, "Fine, I'll stay on top!"
I stopped, “I wanna go underwater…” I said, looking down at the water. I wanna see what he's been able to…
"You'd need your goggles on your eyes first, then you hold your breath, they cover your nose too, so you don't have to hold it, then you just dive down! Wanna pull the floaties off and try?" Vernon asked.
“What if I can’t come back up?” I looked back up at Vernon. I'm not a good enough swimmer yet, I'd drown…
"I'll hold you and go down with you, is that okay?" Vernon asked, wrapping his arms around my waist.
I blushed, Vernon being close to me again and holding my waist. He's not gonna let anything bad happen to me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, “Yeah, I know you won’t let me drown.”
Vernon smiled and moved his hands up, gently pulling the goggles down over my eyes and nose, making sure it was tight enough. I just held onto him and smiled. He's being so careful as to not accidentally hurt me…
I felt Vernon grab my waist again, "Alright! Suck in a deep breath and hold it, then jump up with me and down!"
I did as he said before I jumped up as he pulled me up and we both went under. I looked around, seeing everyone's legs before looking over at Vernon. I had to stop myself from laughing as I noticed his hair floating up.
Vernon smiled at me, slowly letting one hand leave my waist and moving it up, holding up a questioning thumbs up. I just smiled and nodded at him, not letting him go.
Vernon nods then pulls us back up, pushing the hair out of his face and smiling at me again, "How was it? Wanna go again?"
“It was amazing! Yes!” I smiled.
Vernon smiled back at me before suddenly Mingyu started yelling, I looked over to see him trying to shoot Joshua, who hopped away and went underwater just as Mingyu shot the water, causing it to go straight into Jeonghan and Seungcheol, who looked like they were about to kiss.
As Joshua came back up he went right into Junhui, causing a huge crash between him, Minghao, and Seokmin. I watched the chaos unfold before suddenly I felt Vernon grabbing me tightly, causing me to jump and look at him, "NOW! GO NOW!" He yelled before taking a deep breath. I took one too before we both went under again.
Vernon looked at me under the water, I could tell that he was trying not to laugh so he didn't run out of breath.
Wait… I need to take another breath! I didn't get enough… I don't know what to do! How do I tell Vernon!? I can't talk! I'm gonna drown…
Then, I saw Vernon pointing up. He knows! I nodded quickly, grabbing onto him and holding him tightly.
Vernon held me tightly and pulled me up. I heard Vernon start laughing so I looked over at everyone else, seeing Seungcheol dunking Mingyu and Joshua paddling Jeonghan away from everyone else, probably 'cause he can't swim…
I moved to put my goggles back up onto my forehead and leaned back into the corner more. Taking deep breaths and trying to calm myself down from the panicky feeling. Closing my eyes because of the sun in my face.
After a moment, I heard movement in the pool close to me, "Don't worry, I'll protect you…" I heard Vernon mumble.
Oh… he's a lot closer… and… I felt my face get hotter… his hands are on either side of me…
Vernon smiled at me before he leaned down, "They're a little crazy but they all love each other." he whispered in my ear. I felt my breath catch and shivered a little as he did so.
“Sounds like a real family…” I mumbled out. He's so close…
Vernon chuckled, "Yeah, we're one big happy family… you included. I'm so glad you're with us now."
I smiled at him, “I’m glad to be a part of this family…”
Vernon smiled softly, "I'm glad you're finally accepting that you're stuck with us, and our crazy chaos."
“I really don’t think I even have a choice anymore…” I laughed a little, before looking back at everyone again, totally not trying to distract myself from Vernon for a second. Mingyu was finally free from Seungcheol’s wrath, “But… I wouldn’t voluntarily leave, ever.”
I really wouldn't…
"Good, you better not… you're ours now, our baby Channie! You can't ever leave!" Vernon said.
I looked back at Vernon, noticing that he was even closer. But… I really don’t care, I want him close, “I feel like… I can be myself when you’re around…”
Vernon smiled happily at me, "I'm glad… I like you when you're yourself."
I felt myself blush and smiled at Vernon, “I like you being yourself too…"
Vernon chuckled and leaned closer, our upper bodies touching now, "I like being around you…"
I wrapped my arms around Vernon’s neck, like it was natural, like I'm supposed to do this, “I like being around you too…”
Vernon leaned down towards me, our faces close together, "I like this…"
“I like this too…” I felt my eyes close as I leaned in closer. My body feels like it's on autopilot. I want this… I want him to kiss me.
I felt Vernon's breath on my lips, "I like y…."
He's so close… I feel frozen… but not in a bad way… I heard yelling but I can't tell what exactly is being said… It's like it's just the two of us here…
Suddenly Vernon pulled away and the world came back to me. I pouted a little, another kiss from Vernon gone.
"HEY! CAREFUL! NO SHOOTING CHAN REMEMBER?!" Vernon yelled.
Oh… I almost got hit with a water gun… I blushed, he really does care…
"SORRY I WAS GOING FOR WONWOO!" Mingyu yelled back before running away.
"We're leaving guys, it's time to get out." I looked behind me to see Wonwoo there.
“Oh… okay…” I said before looking back at Vernon, reaching a hand out to him, “Help me out, please?” The stairs are on the other side of the pool.
Vernon turned back to me, taking my hand gently, "Of course, Channie." He then pulled me to him and held my waist again, carefully leading me back to the steps.
Just like a real prince…
NO! BAD CHANNIE! HE'S NOT YOUR PRINCE! YOU DON'T DESERVE HIM!
We both went up the steps carefully. As soon as I was out I took my goggles fully off. As soon as they were off I felt a towel wrap around me. I looked to see Jeonghan carefully drying me off. Seungkwan and Seokmin were both standing nearby with towels around them already, “Did you have fun? Eyes clear? Nobody hit you with a water gun right?” Jeonghan asked me. Caring for me like I've seen other mothers care for their kids…
Just never my own…
“Yes, yes, nobody hit me.” I told him before my head was covered by the towel, Jeonghan drying off my hair. I heard him mumble something, but I couldn't tell what.
Vernon laughed, he must've heard what he said, "Fuckin Mingyu. He almost did hit Chan, if it wasn't for me… Aren't you kinda glad he shot you guys though? It looked like you and Seungcheol were gonna… you know…"
Jeonghan finally freed my head from the towel. He then gently wrapped it around my shoulders, like Seungkwan and Seokmin had theirs, “Yeah… sure… He did interrupt a kiss that would’ve started something… Go stand in the sun baby and warm up with Seungkwan and Seokmin.” Jeonghan patted me on the back and gently moved me towards where they were.
I did as I was told and walked over to them.
"What was Wonwoo gonna say!? You wanna see me what?" Seungkwan asked Mingyu.
"It was nothing! Hey Seokmin! You planning on getting revenge on Joshua with Jun and Hao for making you all into dominos earlier?" Mingyu said, quickly changing the subject.
"Hey sweetheart, how's it going?" I heard Joshua ask, I turned to see him smiling softly at me.
I smiled back, looking up at him, “Everything’s going great! I feel like I finally belong in a family!”
Joshua smiled more, patting my back, "I'm so glad! You definitely belong here!! How did your swimming lessons go?"
I felt myself blush a little, thinking back to being close to Vernon in the water, “They went great! Vernon’s a really good teacher and the floaties helped!”
Joshua nodded, "He seemed like he was teaching you really well! I saw you ended up taking the floaties off?"
“I wanted to go underwater… and I know that Vernon won’t let anything bad happen to me! I… trust him a lot…” I told him, feeling my face getting hot at the end.
Joshua smirked at me, giving me a look, "Oh you do? That makes a lot of sense… especially being out so late with him last night too. What happened then by the way?"
DOES HE KNOW I LIKE HIM!?
I felt my face go bright red, like it was on fire, “Um… he got me ice cream and we played on the playground for a bit before talking… Then we played around with the fireflies… and… um…” I trailed off, looking away from Joshua.
"And? There's more?" Joshua asked, he sounded so surprised. Doesn't Vernon hang out with everyone like he did with me last night?
I guess I should tell him, maybe I've been wrong about everything…
“We… almost… kissed…” Wait… I looked up at Joshua, feeling panicked, “But I wanted him to! I had my eyes closed and everything! If it wasn’t for that firefly! Don’t be mad at Vernon please!”
Joshua raised his eyebrow, "You almost kissed?? You wanted to kiss him? Why would I be mad at Vernon? Do you like Vernon?" He asked, putting emphasis on the word like.
Oops… not what I meant to say… I wanted to know if he thought Vernon was just being nice this whole time…
“I… I mean he’s extremely nice and he’s hot and… he’s too good for me…” I trailed off, sighing.
Joshua shook his head, "No! No, sweetheart I was just curious how YOU felt! He's really good for you, you're good for him! You've… changed him in a really good way already. You've helped him through some stuff… and if he was gonna kiss you, I have a feeling he likes you too. Plus you're a catch! You're adorable and I know he finds you attractive!"
“But… I don’t know… He could do so much better than me…” I mumbled.
Joshua scoffed, "Oh what, like the pageant girls again? The ones who use him? You're the BEST person I've ever seen with him, especially with his attitude around you, and his mental health. I can't tell you what to feel, or what Vernon feels, but I can tell you this, he needs you in his life. Don't think you're not good enough for him, and don't let that stop you from how you feel."
Joshua…. Thinks I have a chance with Vernon…? I should tell him that I do like him, that I do want more. They're close friends. They're roommates! I'm sure Joshua could help me! Now or never Channie! Just say it!
"I…"
“Guys! Come on! We gotta get changed back into our clothes!” Junhui called out. I looked over to see him take the tiger water gun out of Soonyoung’s hands and put it into a bag, probably with the other ones in it. Soonyoung pouted at him.
Then I saw Vernon walking back to the changing rooms. I took off, running as fast as I could with bare feet, "Vernon!"
Vernon chuckled at me, "Channie!"
I catch up and stop running next to him, holding onto the towel on my shoulders, smiling at him as we walk side by side.
Vernon smiled over at me, "You seem happier after learning how to swim now! Think you'll be ready for next time?"
“Yeah! All thanks to you!” I took his hand, feeling excited, swinging our hands back and forth a little.
Vernon chuckled, not taking his hand away, "Hey you did it yourself! I just coached!"
I shook my head before looking Vernon in the eyes, “I would’ve never even tried if it wasn’t for you!”
"But you did it yourself! You should be proud of yourself Channie!" Vernon said, smiling at me and meeting my eyes.
“I guess… I’m more thankful to you!” I said. I guess I'm not gonna be able to convince him otherwise… We then reached the changing rooms, I let go of Vernon’s hand, even though I really didn't want to, to grab my bag, “Time to get changed!”
Vernon smiled and nodded, grabbing his own, "Yeah! And then I'm driving you home, it's too far for you to walk…"
"Okay…” I then ran into the changing room and quickly got changed back into my t-shirt and jeans. I then left the room and waited at the door for everyone else.
Vernon came back out shortly after I did, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans smiling at me as he walked out. I just smiled back, black suits him so well…
“Okay! So we’re back to the normal stuff tomorrow!” I heard Soonyoung say, I looked to see him smiling at everyone as he looked around.
"Yeah, back to work and practice!" Seungcheol responded, a small smile at everyone.
“Hopefully we’ll come up with new songs at some point…” Jihoon trailed off.
"I've already got one I've been working on!" Vernon says happily.
“I got some stuff I need to work on before tomorrow… Let’s get going, maybe we’ll finish everything tonight?” Jun said.
"Alright! Everyone out and ready?" Seungcheol asked, looking around and counting everyone again. Everyone nods before we all leave the changing area.
I hung back to walk next to Vernon again. Suddenly feeling cold, I couldn't help but start shivering a little as we walked. I guess I'm just chilly from short sleeves and swimming in the cold water?
Vernon glanced over at me, opening the door of his car when we reached it, "Are you cold? You're shivering…"
“Yeah… Don’t really know why though… it’s warm out today?” I said, I'm tired now too? I looked up at Vernon, wondering if he knew why.
Vernon leaned towards me, putting a hand on my cheek, "That's why, you're sunburnt. You didn't put on any sunscreen, did you?" He then took his hand away, opening the back door and pulling out a hoodie, gently wrapping it around my shoulders.
I felt myself blush, letting Vernon put his jacket on my shoulders, “No, I didn’t… Didn’t have any to bring and didn’t want to be a burden and ask for some so I just… went without…” I then carefully got in. Not being able to help myself from snuggling a bit more into Vernon’s jacket. So comfy…
Vernon leaned in and buckled me in, "If I had known you didn't put any on, I would have done it for you… that's gonna hurt like hell tomorrow," he said before closing the door and getting in his side, starting the car.
I just snuggled more into the jacket that smells a lot like Vernon and is comfy.
Vernon starts his car and his music starts to play. I just listen to the music, comfy in Vernon's jacket that's around me. I feel safe… It's like he's holding me in bed again. I felt my eyes start to close, but I didn't fight it.
I know he won't let anything bad happen to me.
(~Brianna)