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F r i s s o n
/frē-ˈsōⁿ/
(n.) a shiver of pleasure.
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I am much more me when I am with you.
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Rose looked stunning in a blue shirt.
He thought it really brought out the brown of her eyes. A̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶.̶ ̶
He had no idea what he was doing. B̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶e̶.̶ ̶
He hasn't been this close to a girl in so long, and he was starting to think he was going crazy. With his racing heart, trembling fingers, and shaky legs, it seemed logical at the time.
T̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶z̶y̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ ̶
It felt weird being this close to Rose; so close that he could smell her subtle perfume, and so close that he could see each and every one of her b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶ freckles. If he thought she looked pretty from afar, she looked surreal up close.
He could feel the warmth of her fingers radiate towards his own i̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶a̶m̶a̶z̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶a̶m̶a̶z̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶a̶m̶a̶z̶i̶n̶g̶ and it felt odd too. A̶ ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶k̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶o̶d̶d̶.̶ ̶
The thing about Rose was that everything was always so unpredictable; nothing he would plan would ever seem to work when it came to her. All the emotions, thoughts and even actions that he thought he had in check, seem to evaporate into nothing when it came to this blonde haired girl.
H̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶.̶ ̶
The heat was becoming unbearable: almost like a tingling flame against his palm as they both stood, waiting for the rain. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶g̶e̶r̶s̶.̶ ̶
He didn't think that his head would race with thoughts of her, thoughts of the warmth of her hand a̶n̶d̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶, and it was starting to bug the hell out of Aaron.
He pushed off the hair on his eyes with the palm of his hand once before before he heaved a sigh; he must looked so horrible right now. He didn't even want to think of what happened to his clothes.
But Rose, she, she looked s̶o̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ quite alright for someone who just ran through the rain. And even though the cold air was scraping against Aaron's arms, it seemed as though the warmth of her eyes kept him sweltering; as though he was wrapped in a blanket full of sunshine.
H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶b̶a̶d̶l̶y̶.̶ ̶
"So how did you know there was a telephone box here?" Rose asked him, offering him a tiny smile.
He gave her a look. "I saw it when we went off the bus," He rolled his eyes. Sighed. "I'm not stalking you."
Her eyes glimmered with amusement while her lips smiled in delight. "Never said you were,"
B̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶. "Stop being a smart ass will you?" He rolled his eyes. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶. "That's my job."
She quirked a challenging eyebrow. Fought back a smile. "Really now?"
He nodded his head confidently. "As real as real can get real."
She let a laugh slip through her lips before she composed herself, her lips fighting back a smile once more. "Are you indirectly calling me stupid?"
He shrugged. Looked up. "I'm not really calling you that smart either,"
She frowned. Smiled. Quirked an eyebrow. "Should I be pleased?"
D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶. "Well you shouldn't be offended either," He told her. D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶.
And then it was as though she couldn't hold it in any longer, she laughed.
I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶d̶.̶ ̶
He didn't know whether it was the way she always seemed to close her eyes because she was laughing too hard, or whether it was because of the little giggle that seemed to slip through those lips, but it was just so absolutely beautiful that he couldn't help but admire.
I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶y̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶e̶x̶i̶s̶t̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶
"I'm sorry," She told him, before she went into another fit of giggles. "I just couldn't help myself,"
H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ ̶ "I tend to do that to people,"
She was smiling again, this time her brown eyes were sparkling. H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶.̶ ̶ "Confident are we DeGarner?"
"Not at all McLean," He replied. "Just stating facts."
A̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶p̶l̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶f̶.̶ ̶ "Well I like it," She said. "Somehow it suits you."
He fought a smile. "Calling me conceited and narcissistic now?"
Her eyes gleamed. D̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶L̶o̶r̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶r̶c̶y̶. She grinned. "Perhaps I am."
He pressed his lips together, h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶, before he nodded his head. "Your call, don't blame me if you somehow catch me admiring myself in the mirror," He internally slapped himself for that one.
"Is that really what narcissists do?" She was smiling, almost laughing. "Somehow I always picture them gelling up their hair or adding another layer of lip gloss."
"So you want me to put lip gloss on?"
"No,"
"Why not?" D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶,̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶,̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶.̶ ̶
But she did though. Rose let out perhaps the most heart warming laugh he ever heard. It was one that was from the bottom of her heart, entirely from her tummy as she leaned her head back and giggled. It did kind of caught him off guard, but it felt absolutely beautiful. H̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶y̶. And he wondered whether he looked as nice when he laughed.
"Because it'll be weird," Rose reasoned, biting her bottom lips as though to trap the giggles that wanted to skid out. H̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶s̶h̶e̶d̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶.̶ ̶ "But I mean if you really want to, I won't stop you."
And as much as Aaron tried to think of depressed things, or how hard he tried to picture something saddening, he couldn't hold his laughter in any longer.
Perhaps it was because of how hesitant she sounded, or how that smile that illuminated her face made his heart go absolutely insane, but he couldn't stop it.
So he did it.
He laughed.
He couldn't remember the last time he laughed like this, as though he didn't have a care in the world. Like there wasn't anything wrong with his life, that he had no bills to pay, or pain to feel, or even people to avoid-
he just laughed as though no one on Earth was watching.
It felt weird at first, but eventually he melted into the emotion.
A̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶,̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶,̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶.̶ ̶
"What even drove us to talk about lip gloss?" He said, laughing lightly now as he shook his head.
But from the look on Rose's face, he could tell he probably went a bit too far.
Aaron immediately cleared his throat then he looked away. H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶c̶r̶e̶a̶m̶i̶n̶g̶. His face felt hot as he inhaled a small breath, clenching his jaw over how stupid he was. He knew it was wrong to laugh like that, and he was wrong that he could ever laugh like that again, and he hated hated hated himself so much-
"You look nice when you laugh like that," Rose suddenly said, offering him a reassuring smile. "You should do it more often." H̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶s̶h̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶
He tried to smile. "It felt weird."
She grinned. "It won't if you do it more often."
He nodded his head. "Perhaps in the near future," H̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶l̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ ̶
And it was as though she could see right through him. "I'll make sure of it."
H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ "Good luck with that."
She grinned, as though she was quite confident in herself. "Challenge accepted."
"And the rain stopped," Aaron said, his eyes flickering to the hiding sun. "Or maybe it's just a little drizzle."
Rose followed his gaze too. "I think it's only drizzling." She was smiling too, and he wondered if there was a time where she wasn't. "It looks pretty..." She mumbled to herself, her warm caramel gaze locked onto the light drizzle right outside the telephone box.
And that was when it really occurred to Aaron how close they really were to each other. Their chests were inches away, and their fingers were almost brushing. He could feel the warmth of her fingers from the very beginning, but now, all he could feel was the urge - the absolute need to wrap them around his own.
And he knew that the subtle sprinkle was something utterly beguiling to observe, and that the slight sunshine blooming its way through the neighbourhood was absolutely remarkable, but Rose, she - she looked even more endearing.
And somehow Aaron was convinced that even if sunshine, rainbows and unicorns popped right in front of him, he still wouldn't think they were any prettier than Rose was.
Because Rose wasn't pretty like unicorns or rainbows, she was beautiful.
She was the kind of beautiful that people don't really notice right away, the kind of beautiful where if you look closely, you'd feel as though the definition of beautiful seemed ridiculous.
Beauty did have a definition in this world, and that was one of the things that Aaron absolutely hated. Plump lips, luscious eyelashes, defined eyebrows - things that mean absolutely nothing when it came to beauty.
Because even though Rose had small lips, not so perfect eyelashes, and straight eyebrows, he thought she looked more beautiful than any other girl he has laid his eyes on. It didn't matter that her complexion wasn't as perfect as those models on magazines, or that her lips were not always coated in a light layer of lip gloss, because all he knew was that the way her brown eyes were shimmering against the delicate sun light was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.
She seemed so mesmerised, so immensely focused on the sight in front of them. She was looking at it as though it was a memory she was going to seal forever; tucking it right in her memory box.
H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶p̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ ̶
He looked at her with such a fierce fervor; the passion dwelling deep into his soul as she shook the breath right out of him. She was a girl that could make your toes curl and your heart race just by her eyes, and it wasn't any different for Aaron.
H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶,̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶,̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶.̶ ̶
"Wait your jacket's soaked too," Rose was frowning as she took his black jacket in her hands, squeezing all the water off it. But then she smiled. "Is this the same jacket you let me borrow too?"
"In the flesh," He told her casually. A smile crept on his face. "The one you kept a gallon and a half of glitter on."
She grinned. "Glad you remembered that part."
H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶c̶e̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶e̶.̶ "I wish I could say the same. It took me a day and a half to get all that gunk off."
She bit her bottom lip again, b̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶. "So will it ruin it if I said it took me 3 seconds to put on?"
D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶.̶ "Yes."
"It totally didn't take me three seconds to put on."
"That is the lamest lie I have ever heard." H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶.̶ ̶
And the of amount grace she possessed made him forget that they were talking about a silly jacket.
"Alright, I think the drizzle's almost done," Rose told him, quickly making his gaze snap away from her. "Ready to go?"
He nodded his head. "Lead the way."
She grinned. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶e̶n̶s̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶. "Then come along sailor,"
Aaron took his bottom lips between his teeth. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶. "Aye aye, Captain."
She let out a light laugh before she lead the way, giving him a small glance every once in a while as she walked delicately against the concrete floor.
And even though Rose looked as b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶-̶t̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ weird as she did, the only thing that was circling his mind was the fact that Aaron looked like a mess.
Because if there was one thing he knew, it was that soaked clothing and damp hair wasn't exactly a good first impression when it came to parents.
⌇⌇⌇
Aaron was never one to freak out over particular things, but as the pair stood right outside Rose's doorstep, Aaron thought he was going to become an erupting volcano and erupt with the most nerve wrecking lava there is.
He was nervous, and he couldn't lie about it any longer.
He could feel his palms become clammy when he saw Rose ring the door bell, looking as flawless as she always did while his hand unconsciously went to his hair.
Wet.
Great.
His hair was still filled with moisture, and he heaved out a small sigh when he heard foot steps along the other side of the door.
As if sensing his discomfort, Rose flashed him a small smile. "Don't worry about it, my Dad's pretty chill when it comes to boys." She turned her soft gaze towards the door again and she then wrapped her fingers around his wrist.
H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶l̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶.̶ ̶
He could feel himself stiffen as he glanced at her fingers, t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶f̶t̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶m̶a̶g̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶. before he inhaled a breath when he could hear the door unlock. Now wasn't the time to freak out.
A petite lady opened up the door; her bright hazel eyes were fixated on Aaron, but her gaze was so warm that he felt as though his wet, cold clothes were replaced with a fluffy robe. "You're a bit late Rose," She frowned. "And you bought a friend." She was smiling now, and Aaron noticed how long her blonde hair really was. It reached to the bottom of her belly, but he also knew from where Rose got her own blonde hair from. I̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶.̶ ̶
"And you're both soaked," She was frowning again, a look of disappointment flashing through her features before she let out a small breathe.
Rose gave her Mom (Or so he hoped) a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Mom, we're fine. It was just some rain."
"Some rain?" Her Mom said. "It was a God damn blizzard." She muttered, shaking her head. "You kids get in now, Lord knows what you have been through."
"Helen that's a quarter in the swear jar for you!"
Aaron's eyes flickered to a man. He seemed quite old, but somehow he didn't look a day above 35. He was tall too, smiling as he walked over to his wife. But when Aaron got a good look at him, he had the most beautiful blue eyes he has ever encountered.
He lowered his gaze in insecurity.
"Ah what do we have here?" He lifted his face to meet Rose's father's gaze.
"Rose bought a friend," Helen said, smiling. "What's your name dear?"
H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶.̶ "My name's Aaron madam." He gave her a small smile, wiping some of his wet hair away from his face as he gave her a small bow of his head.
"You can call me Helen dear, you're a shy one aren't you?" Helen smiled, giving him a smile.
Aaron then took a small breath before he turned his attention to Rose's father. "I'm Aaron sir, Aaron DeGarner." He held out his hand, and it was then that he realised Rose's fingers were gone.
"Nice to meet you Aaron DeGarner," Peter smiled, shaking his hand. "I'm Peter, Peter McLean."
Aaron nodded his head, slightly flustered over their gazes. "I have come to explain Rose's absence as of yesterday."
"Okay Mr. Formal pants, let's just get you into some dry clothing first." Peter said, slightly laughing as he ruffled Aaron's hair. It was all so sudden that Aaron flinched at the contact, staring wide eyed at Peter. I̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶.̶ ̶
"Oh sorry boy, didn't know you were uncomfortable." Peter apologised, a regretful expression tickling his features.
Aaron shook his head. "No, not at all." He could feel himself smiling. "Just no one did that to me in a while, that's it."
Aaron was obviously smiling because Helen seemed awe-struck, her lips slightly parted as she looked at him. "Goodness me boy, your smile can cure cancer."
H̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶i̶d̶e̶n̶.̶ "Why thank you Helen, that means a lot coming from you."
Helen laughed lightly. "What makes you say that?"
H̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶f̶l̶u̶t̶t̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ "Because I can see from where Rose gets her own smile."
"More of this boyfriend talk later, let's get you some dry clothes Aaron." Peter said, his blue eyes sparkling in delight.
"Boyfriend? Dad no-" He saw a flash of pink on her cheeks while Peter dragged him off somewhere, and for some reason, he couldn't stop the amused smile that invaded his lips.
And Aaron knew if he ever had an opportunity to live in the McLean household, he would.
Without a second thought.
⌇⌇⌇
Approximately 10 minutes later, Aaron was dressed in one of Peter's old football shorts, and a green shirt that was probably 2 sizes too large for him.
"That was my football uniform back in the day," Peter told him proudly, his blue stare glimmering in pride.
"Wow," Aaron said. "You must've been one strong man." Because from how the shirt was slouched against his back, he knew that broad shoulders were suppose to fill in that space.
Peter lightly laughed, nodding his head. "Was the tallest guy on the squad."
Aaron smiled lightly, as he nodded his head. "Thank you again for the clothes sir."
Peter brushed him off, smiling. It seems as though he never stops smiling, just like his daughter. "Don't sweat it Aaron, it's no problem really."
Aaron gave Peter a small nod, and Peter added. "You play any sports?" D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶.̶ ̶
"I used to," Aaron shrugged, feeling how big the sleeves of this shirt really was against his arms.
"What happened?" And it was the first time Peter wasn't smiling. Instead his eyebrows were furrowed in anticipation while his lips settled in a small frown.
"Wasn't allowed to anymore I guess," Aaron shrugged again.
Peter's smile was back. "Those grades huh?"
L̶i̶e̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶e̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶e̶.̶ "Yeah," Aaron laughed lightly, b̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶.̶ ̶
Peter nodded his head before he walked out the door. "Well as much as I like chatting with you Aaron, I have to go help my wife prepare dinner,"
Aaron smiled, and it felt genuine this time. "Very well sir, I just have a small thing to tell you and I'll be gone-"
"A dinner to which you will be staying Aaron," Peter added. "And we don't take rejections here very well, so dinner it is." His blue eyes were gleaming, amused.
D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶p̶a̶n̶i̶c̶,̶ ̶p̶a̶n̶i̶c̶,̶ ̶p̶a̶n̶i̶c̶.̶ Aaron swallowed before he hesitantly nodded his head. "If you insist sir,"
"Aaron," Peter laughed casually. "You can call me Peter. I insist on that too."
An unconscious smile crossed Aaron's lips. "As you wish Peter."
Peter nodded his head. Smiled. "I'll let Rose be in charge of you now." Peter then quirked an eyebrow. Crossed his arms. "No funny business alright?"
Aaron could feel his face get hot. "Of course Peter, absolutely."
"Great," Peter said. "Rose's room is upstairs, first door on the right."
Aaron nodded his head. "Noted."
Peter gave Aaron one last smile before he fled out of the room, his footsteps clicking against the wooden floors.
Aaron took one more look at the bathroom mirror before he let out a soft groan. He looked absolutely horrible, and this God damn shirt emphasized on how thin Aaron was.
Even though the shirt was double his own size, it still ended right at his hips. It also made him look really tall.
He sighed, why was looking decent in front of Rose so hard?
With a final glance, Aaron abruptly left the bathroom before he walked to Rose's room.
And his heart couldn't stop screaming.
⌇⌇⌇
Her room was probably as beautiful as she was.
The walls were a light blue colour, while her bed was covered in sheets of white. Every single article of furniture showed peeks of Rose's personality, and he found that absolutely incredible.
Because her night stand was lilac, and he thought it showed her fearless side - the one that can smack the crap out of Emette any day. Her lamp was a baby pink, and he thought it showed her delicate side, t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶d̶e̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶e̶s̶s̶.̶
Her shelf was pushed right against the wall, stacked with loads and loads of books. He saw spines with every colour, hard backs and paper backs, and even spotted a few poetry ones too.
He smiled.
They were arranged so beautifully on her shelf that he regretted leaving his phone in his backpack downstairs when he could've taken a photo of this.
Words.
Words.
Words were what saved Aaron DeGarner. They were the things that didn't matter to any one else, but meant everything to him.
And that shelf 2 feet across him, was overflowing with it.
He used them as a weapon of mass destruction, creating a shield of bitterness and hostility that cocooned his fragile heart. Words were things that could create, but they were things that could destroy too.
But he couldn't do that to Rose anymore.
The thought of shooting her with foul words, and hurtful syllabuls meant nothing to him anymore. B̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶k̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶.̶
Aaron decided against sitting down on her bed, so he thought standing up would be alright. But it felt weird too, everything in the room was so beautifully organised and so utterly colourful and even though he wasn't wearing any black, he felt like a hollow wire in her room.
And when the door flung open, he didn't expect Rose to freak out.
But she did.
"Aaron?" She jumped, and he honestly thought she was going to scream Bloody Murder! by the look of horror on her face.
"Sorry for the intrusion Rose, I didn't mean to scare you." He told her. "Your Dad told me to come up here,"
She took in a huge gulp of air as she kept her shaking hand against her chest. "That's alright, you just caught me off guard."
Rose then gave him a small smile as she closed the door behind her. There was just something about seeing Rose's hair down that made Aaron's heart an unstable mess.
"Have a seat on the bed Aaron," Rose said laughing. "You don't have to stand all the time."
He gave her a small nod before he awkwardly seated himself on the bed, surprised on how soft her mattress was.
And then she sat gingerly beside him, the smile still glowing on her face as she then lied down on her back. She was dressed in a pair of dry, navy blue jeans now, and the red shirt she wore made her shoulders seem more delicate; almost like the soft curve of a pencil.
"I see you saw my room," She said. He noticed she sounded tired, her tone always seemed to quiet down when she was. She buried her face in her fingers as she exhaled a large breath.
He nodded his head as he supported his weight on his arms. "Yeah, it's nice."
She peeked at him through her fingers. A̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶l̶y̶,̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶i̶t̶i̶v̶e̶l̶y̶,̶ ̶i̶n̶c̶r̶e̶d̶i̶b̶l̶y̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶.̶ "Saw my shelf?"
H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶.̶ "It's a pretty impressive collection," Aaron told her. He shrugged. "A pretty display too."
He could see her roll her eyes from beneath her fingers. S̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶t̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ "That kind of is the point,"
He nodded his head. "Job well done."
He heard a small laugh escape her lips before they both quieted down. His eyes skimmed through her bookshelf once more, a small smile tickling the skin of his lips as he spotted some familiar titles. And somehow it was that connection that Aaron fell deeply in love with.
Their connection with words.
She read books as he did; she probably stayed up late as did he, and she probably learnt a thing or two just like he did. And indeed, it wasn't physical attraction that bonded these two people, but rather it was letter that were mingled together. Words that created stories. Stories that captivated both their minds.
It was books.
Packets of vocabulary, emotion and creativity bundled in pages.
And that sounded beautiful to him.
Aaron was so lost in thought that he honestly had no idea how big his smile was, or how weird his expression was, but when he caught Rose's gaze, he gave her a grateful nod. He didn't think she was going to get the message, but she did.
There was just something about the amber blazing in her eyes that he just couldn't put his finger on. She was doing it again. Thinking about things he couldn't even wrap his mind around it.
She held their gaze, her lips curled into the most delicate smile he has ever seen. And he noticed the small specks of copper on the outside of her iris. He smiled lightly at his achievement.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked her, lightly laughing as he rubbed his arm.
She sat up as she shrugged. T̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶c̶l̶o̶s̶e̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶c̶l̶o̶s̶e̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶c̶l̶o̶s̶e̶.̶ "First time I'm seeing you not in black," She told him. Her eyes were tickling every where she looked; his chest, his arms, every where.
H̶e̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶a̶s̶h̶a̶m̶e̶d̶.̶ "Thoughts?"
She smiled. H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶d̶e̶,̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶d̶e̶,̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶d̶e̶.̶ "You look nice." She bit the bottom of her lip once more, grinning as her eyes glanced at his shirt. "The shirt might be a little too big though."
He pursed his own lips. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶.̶ "I think so too,"
They were so close to each other, so close to each other, so close to each other.
Their shoulders were brushing. His hand was inches away from hers. And his entire body was on fire.
He could feel the droplets of water from his wet hair trail down the back of his neck, tickling his back as he shrugged it off.
And strands of soaking hair fell onto his eyes, and just as he was about to push them back-
she did it for him.
She tucked his stray hairs off his eyes, and her fingers were so delicate delicate delicate.
He could feel his face become hot while his own eyes widened at the gesture. N̶o̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶p̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶e̶l̶e̶r̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶.̶
And he could see her own cheeks get kissed with pink, watching as her chocolate eyes sparkled with embarrassment. "S-sorry I didn't mean to-"
He couldn't breathe.
"It's alright Rose," He said quietly. "No harm done."
She gave him a tight lipped smile before she turned her gaze elsewhere. H̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶.̶
H̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶l̶u̶s̶t̶e̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶c̶h̶e̶e̶k̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶y̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶y̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶y̶.̶
He wondered whether Rose's cheeks would flush when she was angry as much as they did when she was embarrassed, and he also speculated whether her eyes would shift into different shades of brown when she was excited. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶
There was so many things Rose whispered into the world, so many things that only a few could notice. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶.̶
"You're weird you know?" She mumbled as she gave him an annoyed look.
His lips curled up in amusement. "Care to elaborate?"
"How can your hair be damp til now?" She muttered. "I mean you are kind of defying Dalton's law of evaporation."
H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ "Are you seriously getting worked up because my hair is still wet?" Don't smile, don't smile, don't smile.
She rolled her eyes. "No," She pursed her lips. "Just wondering whether I should still believe in Laws that we learn."
He laughed quietly. "You're the weird one."
She shrugged again. "You're hair is the one making me think weird things,"
"Are we seriously having this conversation just because my hair won't dry quickly?"
"And your point is?"
Aaron set his jaw as he looked at her. H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶h̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶.̶ "My point is I think your parents are calling us down to dinner."
Rose furrowed her eyebrows and he thought her eyes were literally perking. "Really?"
He nodded his head. "Really."
She pursed her lips before she got on her feet, and Aaron could see her bunny socks against the wooden flooring. S̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶c̶u̶t̶e̶.̶ "Well come along then, let's eat."
Aaron hesitantly nodded his head before he stood alongside Rose too. "I wasn't expecting this," He muttered to her, running a nervous hand through his almost dry hair.
"Expecting what? Dinner?"
He nodded his head.
She gave him a look. "Dinner is one of the very first things the McLean household insists on new guests, so you shouldn't feel bad." She was smiling now, a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶e̶n̶c̶o̶u̶r̶a̶g̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶e̶n̶c̶o̶u̶r̶a̶g̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶e̶n̶c̶o̶u̶r̶a̶g̶i̶n̶g̶.̶ "Don't think about it much, we're just going to eat Aaron." H̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶a̶m̶e̶.̶
And just when Aaron was about to reply, her fingers wrapped around his wrist once more.
It did caught him off guard like it did before, but this time, he could feel a warm fire crackling in the pit of his chest; warming away all the tension, anxiety and fear that was once lurking there. It was a soft flame really, one that he knew always dwelled in his rib cage, but was never lit.
She did exactly that.
He melted into her touch, feeling the sliver of confidence course through his veins as she lead them downstairs. It was something so miraculous, so incredibly mind blowing that Aaron didn't know how to react.
No one has ever stimulated something that intense in him, and it was so beautiful beautiful beautiful.
Rose had a soft expression on her face, as though she was happy bringing him down the stairs of dinner. D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶p̶e̶s̶ ̶h̶i̶g̶h̶.̶
"Wow Rose down already?" Peter said. "I only called once,"
"He told me." Rose pointed at Aaron, and he felt so empty when her fingers left his wrist.
"Makes sense," Peter commented. "Usually takes about 3 or 4 calls before her deafness wears away."
Aaron stifled a laugh.
His eyes then flickered to the dinner table, wondering in awe how could Peter and Helen cook something so spectacularly beautiful in less than an hour. The food was sprawled across the while table cloth, along with bowls and bowls of salad, and serving of bread here and there. He really hoped his stomach wouldn't grumble.
"Helen, Peter," Aaron said. "This is way too much, you clearly crossed the line."
Peter gave Aaron another one of his smiles. "It's called hospitality Aaron."
Aaron frowned. "Both of you put more effort than needed here." He accidentally let some of his British tongue flow through. He panicked.
Don't notice, don't notice, don't notice.
But that didn't happen.
Peter quirked an eyebrow, fascinated as he looked at Aaron. "You're from overseas boy?"
Aaron gulped. He was so stupid, stupid, stupid. "I wouldn't say overseas sir, I live on land."
Peter cracked a smile. Looked at Rose. "He's a funny one, I like him." Aaron could feel himself flush.
Rose smiled gently, her brown eyes softly looking into his own. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. "I know."
And he exploded.
He could feel his knees tickle from her words, and he was questioning whether he was going to fall face first on their polished wooden floor.
"Well then, let's eat." Peter gave Aaron a small pat on the shoulder before he gestured to the food.
"I have something for you," Aaron remembered. "It's in my back pack." He spotted his black bag quite easily, considering their house was about 85% white. He carefully unzipped it before his fingers wrapped around the two flowers. He would've gotten bouquets, b̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶a̶f̶f̶o̶r̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶, but they wouldn't fit in his bag.
He turned towards the curious family, holding in hand two roses - one light pink while the other one was dark.
"This is for you Helen," Aaron said quietly, walking over to her as he gave her the light pink rose. "Light pink usually means admiration and gentleness." He gave her a small bow of his head. "Thank you for making me lovely dinner."
Helen gave Aaron a smile, one that made her hazel eyes glimmer with awe.
He then turned to Rose. "And this rose is for you Rose," He could feel himself smiling as he gave her the dark pink flower. "It signifies gratitude and appreciation." He couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe. "Thank you for taking care of me."
She smiled, and he could feel his chest blow up.
Peter was looking at Aaron, a look of appreciation crossing his face too. "Smart and old fashioned. Live and prosper my dear boy."
Aaron gave him a small smile. "I wouldn't gotten you a flower too, but I thought you'd think it would be weird."
Peter looked at Aaron. Nodded his head. "You're right, I would."
Aaron nodded his head before he followed the family to the dining table, rushing over to Helen's side as he proceeded to pull out her chair for as along with Rose.
Once he seated the two ladies, he sat himself down beside Peter; right across Rose.
"You're quite a gentleman aren't you Aaron?" Peter noticed, giving him a small smile.
Aaron shrugged. "I guess it's the way I was raised." D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶.̶
Helen gave him one more smile. "Well, dig in Aaron."
And he did.
⌇⌇⌇
The food was amazing, the least to say, and Aaron couldn't stop thanking Helen for the lovely meal.
He did manage to explain to them the reason for Rose's absence, and he hoped he didn't do that bad of a job at delivering it.
"So she was taking care of you?" Helen asked once more, her confused hazel eyes flickering towards his blue ones.
He nodded his head. "She was."
Peter nodded his head. "Must've been one hell of a fever if she needed to stay,"
"He was past 4o degrees Dad." Rose interjected, chewing on a piece of broccoli. S̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶c̶u̶t̶e̶.̶
Helen frowned. "You poor thing."
Aaron laughed quietly. (He seemed to be doing that a lot in the McLean household) "I'm alright now Helen, no need to worry."
Peter smiled. "Well, we're glad you're okay Aaron."
And it was as though someone pinched his heart. I̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶.̶
The corners of his lips curled up into a smile. "Thank you Peter, that means a lot to me."
Peter smiled warmly once more. Aaron wanted to cry. "You got it DeGarner."
Aaron chewed quietly on his mashed potatoes as he stared down at his plate. This probably had to be the most amazing meal he has ever had in 2 years. He couldn't even remember the last time he had grilled asparagus and a steak. E̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶r̶e̶a̶m̶.̶
Once they were done with dinner, and Aaron helped with the dishes (He insisted on it really, no matter how much Helen told him no) he was ready to go.
Helen gave him back his dry jacket. It smelled like detergent. "Thank you for washing my jacket Helen," Aaron thanked her for the millionth time.
Helen rolled her eyes. "Are you going to stop thanking me already?" He could see Rose in her.
Aaron bit his lip. Shrugged. "Thank you for having me."
Peter chuckled. "It was nice meeting you Aaron, hopefully we have see you here more often." He patted his back.
Aaron tried to smile. "We'll see Peter." The pain, the pain, the pain.
"Rose!" Helen hollered. "Escort your boyfriend to the door."
And he could hear the clangs of pans falling to the ground.
Rose came out flushed; probably from all the washing she has been doing (Again, Aaron insisted, but Helen was clear with her decision) as she wiped her hands on her jeans. She flashed Aaron a small smile while she walked to him.
H̶e̶ ̶i̶m̶a̶g̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶e̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶e̶d̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶d̶r̶e̶s̶s̶.̶
"Alright then come along Aaron," She sounded breathless too, balls of sweat rolling down her temples.
He bid his goodbyes one last time to Helen and Peter before he walked with Rose to the door. Their fingers were almost brushing, and he tried not to think about it too much. H̶e̶ ̶f̶a̶i̶l̶e̶d̶.̶
"Thank you for having me over Rose," He told her. "Dinner was lovely."
Rose gave him a smile. "I'm glad you liked it Aaron, you seemed like you enjoyed."
He nodded his head. "I did."
She nodded her head too. "Then that's all that really matters."
He smiled.
And by the time they reached her front porch, their fingers were brushing.
"Alright bye Rose," Aaron said quietly. "Thank you again."
"Thank me one more time-"
"Thank you for dinner."
She grinned. "Get out of here."
And he did.
With a smile on his face.
⌇⌇⌇
"You seem... happy." Luke said as Aaron packed his things up. "What's gotten you in the mood?"
Aaron sighed. Luke has been questioning him about his mood ever since he came back from Rose's house yesterday. And he wasn't in the mood for it today.
"I have Accounting now, so I'll see you at lunch Luke." Aaron said warily.
"Fine, but you can't keep it to yourself forever," Luke grinned.
Aaron rolled his eyes before he left for Accounting. Accounting was what you would call one of his favourite subjects, and he was always really eager for its classes, but today he wasn't.
All because of a brown haired idiot, who just couldn't keep his hands off -
"Aiden," Aaron said. "Done your homework?"
He grinned. "What do you think?"
Aaron gave him his own sheets before he even answered.
He watched as the little dweep copied down his answered onto his empty sheet, and he clenched his jaw. He wasn't annoyed that he was copying his homework again, but he was agitated on the fact that he was meddling around with a certain blonde haired girl.
Or maybe, as Aaron usually does, he was just over thinking the entire thing.
He decided not to let any much of it bother him as Accounting went on.
"Calling on high school students, please proceed to the gymnasium now please. A very important announcement has to be made, and it involves all of you. Thank you and have a good day."
When the speakers blurted out what it did, no one did anything. Including Aaron.
Even Mr. Jeffrey (Aaron's laid back Accounting teacher) had no idea what to do. But being the calm man that he is, he just shrugged before he said. "Class dismissed for the high schoolers."
Aaron and Aiden shared a look before they both shrugged and got to their feet.
All Aaron knew was, no matter how good or bad the announcement was going to be, he knew Rose was going to be there too.
And that was good enough for him.
Author's Note:
Hey loves! Long time no update! As I announced earlier, I was on a mini hiatus, and I did manage to update so here you all go! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it! :)
Vote - I fell in love with the way you voted, slowly and then all at once.
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So this chapter is dedicated to Mimi_Munir for being such a cutie and leaving me the most sweetest comment in the last chapter! Thank you for the amazing support sweet heart and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! <3 :D xoxo
And of course, more dedications on the way. ;)
So yeah, you guys WE REACHED LIKE 39.8+ K AND ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That is so phenomenal! I never thought we'd reach that in such a short time span! Thank you all so much for the amazing support on this story, it honestly means the entire world to me. And I know I say this every chapter, but it really is true. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. :') And I noticed I gained a few readers, so hai ya'll I'm Nadia. I'm 15, and I might just be the weirdest thing you shall meet via the internet! ;)
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So that's all for now loves, until next time.
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