"They're over there," Reese said, trying to calm herself down. Mitchel was able to notice her anxiousness as she eyed her family from one side of the room. He followed her gaze and saw them, talking among themselves. Her parents had their backs to them, but a younger boy who shared similar facial features to Reese as well as a girl faced the two. The Australian pulled his eyes away from them and looked at Reese, who was already looking at him.
"You know," Mitchel started, letting out a nervous chuckle. "We could just, I don't know, stay here?"
"They're going to wonder where I went," Reese responded. Mitchel kept his eyes on her for a few seconds before letting out a sigh in defeat, realizing he would have to meet them eventually. "I'm sorry, I know this must be really weird and uncomfortable for you but I didn't want to come to this alone."
"It's okay, I understand," the braided boy smiled softly. His heart began to slow down and return to its natural pace. The small girl nodded before they began to make their way over to her family.
Okay Mitchel, breathe, he reminded himself, letting out soft breaths. As they inches closer and closer, Mitchel felt his heart drop. He was scared because he didn't know what they would think of him. He didn't know if they were good people, if they took care of Reese right. Today was the day he would find out, though.
Reese cleared her throat before speaking up. "Mom, dad, I'm back."
The brunette's parents turned to face them as Luke and Nina's attention shifted to them as well. The older woman eyed Mitchel from head to toe in confusion before looking at her daughter questioningly.
"Who's this?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Mitchel took the opportunity to speak up and introduce himself.
"I'm Mitchel Cave," he started, attempting to cover up his nervousness. "Reese's friend."
The small girl observed the look on everyone's faces. Her mother was shocked, seeming a little tense, while her father smiled a warm smile.
"Nice to meet you," the older man said, putting his hand out. Mitchel did the same and shook his hand, smiling at him. "I'm glad you could be here today with Reese."
"My pleasure," Mitchel nodded once. Reese held back a laugh at how formal the braided boy sounded. It was unusual for her to hear. He turned his attention to Reese's mother, realizing she hasn't said a word. He caught her eyeing him still, almost as if she was hesitant to say anything at all.
"Honey, don't you want to say anything?" The older man said, wrapping his arm around his wife who just looked down at her feet as she let out a soft breath. Luke smiled at Reese and Mitchel, showing his happiness in a small gesture. Finally, the woman cleared her throat.
"Mitchel," she started. "Can I ask what your mother's name is?"
"Brigitte Cave," the Australian replied, offering a small, polite smile. A shaky breath left her lips as she lifted her head lightly. Without any other words, she quickly tugged on her husband's arm and pulled him along with her as she walked away from her kids and their dates. Confusion was clear throughout their faces as they looked at each other.
"What's up with mom?" Luke asked, raising his eyebrows.
"No idea," Reese sighed, eyeing her parents from a distance. The older man's eyes shifted from his wife to his daughter, an apologetic smile clear on his face. Immediately, his attention was turned back to the older woman.
"Well, anyway," the younger boy said, breaking the silence between the four of them. "Glad to finally meet you... Um..."
"Mitchel," the braided boy laughed, causing Luke to chuckle nervously. "Don't worry, I understand."
"Ah, yeah, Mitchel," Reese's brother laughed, immediately turning to Nina. "You hungry?" Nina nodded her head sheepishly and looked down, making Luke smile at her without realizing. He excused himself from Reese and Mitchel and led her toward the long table that contained tons of food.
"Are they dating?" Mitchel asked, turning his head to look at the small girl. She shook her head and laughed, eyes still on her brother.
"Nah," she said. "She's just his date for tonight. But I do think they have something going on."
"I wouldn't doubt it," the Australian laughed. "Well, should we get some food?"
"Let's," Reese smiled widely at the braided boy, feeling her heart jump as she looked at him. Something about him at the moment just made her feel a sense of joy inside.
The two made their way over to the table and grabbed a plate. They got what looked good and quickly stepped out of the line so they wouldn't slow it down. As they looked around the room, they couldn't find Reese's parents nor a place to sit. Most tables were taken.
"Do you want to eat outside?" Mitchel asked, sighing. He realized there was no use. The brunette stood there and thought for a moment before agreeing. It would be a lot more peaceful than being in the building where tons of people were around.
Mitchel held the door open for Reese with his free hand and she quietly thanked him as the slight breezy air hit her legs and arms, causing a shiver run down her spine. They made their way over to a bench that was against the building wall. A dim light was shining above them as they took their seats. The two of them began to eat in a moment of silence for a few minutes, enjoying the food.
"Thank you for deciding to come," Reese said quietly, finally speaking up. The Australian boy looked at her as he chewed, smiling softly. "It means a lot."
"No problem," he replied, nodding his head. "I'll take up any chance to be with you." Reese's breath got caught in her throat upon hearing those words. She felt her cheeks heat up and a smile forcing its way to form on her lips. If she said anything, she knew her voice would sound shaky.
"I appreciate it," she said, letting out a soft chuckle.
After about fifteen minutes of being outside, people walked by them and made their way into the building, talking amongst themselves. Reese watched some couples link their arms together with wide smiles plastered on their faces. She sighed softly before proceeding to eat once more. Mitchel noticed her actions and swallowed before starting conversation.
"You okay?" He asked softly, observing her as she looked up at him for a few seconds.
"Yeah," she replied. "I'm fine. Why?"
"That little sigh you let out," he explained, pausing for a moment. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Reese laughed, picking at the little bit of food on her plate with her fork.
"It can't be nothing. You were looking at the couple that walked into the building. What's on your mind?" The braided boy set his empty plate aside and turned his attention completely on the brunette. She stayed quiet for a few moments.
Reese shook her head softly. "It's just starting to hit me that I've gone practically my whole nineteen years of life without dating anyone."
"Anyone at all?" Mitchel asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.
"Yup," the small girl let out another breath, realizing how dumb she must sound to the Australian. She was able to feel her heart drop to her stomach, feeling as if she was being judged just by being looked at. "I'm sorry. I probably seem really lame to you now." She laughed sadly, setting her fork down on her plate.
"You're not lame," Mitchel immediately responded, catching Reese's attention. She met eyes with him and noticed his expression. It looked quite sad. "You've never been lame to me."
"Thank you," Reese swallowed the lump in her throat and offered a smile his way. "I don't know how to feel about myself. I mean, I'm a thousand percent positive that there are others who you hang out with that are a lot cooler than me." Not feeling satisfied with how the brunette was acting, Mitchel let out a huff.
"Look, Reese," he started, looking down at the wooden bench as he carefully chose his words. After a few seconds of silence, he finally found the words he wanted to say. "I don't know if anything I say will really help anything, but I want you to know that you're an amazing person inside and out. You're genuinely one of the coolest people I've ever met and I can say that I'm proud to have you in my life. I'd yell it from the highest rooftop there is if I could. Nothing in this planet could ever change how I see you.
"I want you to know that I love having you around no matter what, whether what we do is something small or big, I don't care. If you're there, shit, I'm happy," Mitchel finally ended off his speech with a sheepish smile. He was unsure if his words made sense, but he hoped they made the small girl in front of him happy in some way. That's all he wanted. To make her happy.
Reese was left speechless. She couldn't form the words to speak. All she could feel was her heart repeatedly beating against her chest. Her vision became slightly blurry, causing her to face away from Mitchel's face as she did her best to stop herself from crying.
She felt a cold sensation against her hand, making her whip her head back to look at the braided boy. Her eyes traveled down to where her hand was and saw his hand resting on top of hers.
They met eyes once more and Mitchel could see how glossy they were. He let out a soft breath as his face fell slightly.
"Did I say something wrong?" He asked immediately, obviously concerned.
"No, no," the small girl quickly responded, sniffling and chuckling. "You didn't say anything wrong. If anything, you made me happy." Letting out a soft breath of relief, Mitchel smiled.
"I'm glad I made you happy," Mitchel said.
"You always do," she smiled, eyeing Mitchel. "I'm glad this friendship worked out well. I'm so glad you're there for me. I'm blessed to have you here with me. I appreciate you more than anything. I don't know what I would've done if we didn't meet. Thank you for everything, Mitchel. Thank you so much." Her voice was shaky as she finished her mini speech. As if it was on cue, tears began to flow down from Reese's eyes. She brought her hand up to her mouth to muffle the sound of her crying.
"Reese," Mitchel said gently as he moved a little closer to the brunette. He softly pulled her hand away from her mouth and looked at her in the eyes. He raised his hand up and wiped the tears away with his thumbs as Reese sniffled. Once he wiped enough, he cupped her cheek softly. They sat there, not breaking eye contact whatsoever, with their faces only inches apart. Nobody else was outside besides them, leaving them to look at one another in silence. Deciding it was now or never, the braided boy slowly began to lean forward, observing if Reese would do the same. Luckily for him, she did.
After what felt like forever, their lips finally touched. Their stomachs were filled with butterflies, and their hearts were beating rapidly against their chests.
Mitchel felt himself begin to smile into the kiss, feeling a completely different type of joy. He didn't want it to end, in fact, he suddenly had a stronger need to keep Reese safe, to be by her no matter what. He wanted to wipe away her tears when she cried, to be there when she was happy.
After they pulled away, both of them let out soft pants and Reese placed her hand over Mitchel's, caressing it softly. She was unable to form words at the moment.
"Should we head back inside?" Reese quietly asked after a short moment of silence. Her cheeks were visibly red, and while she had blush on, Mitchel knew she was blushing due to how much darker it got.
"Yeah, we should," he nodded once, admiring her even for a few seconds.
—
[ a/n ]: oooohhhh :))) i don't really know how to feel ab this part but HEY it's been delivered!! hope you liked this chapter!
and i'm so sorry ab missing last week's update. i completely forgot. :(( but i hope this at least makes up for it even a little!
oh, also, there's more where this came from. so be ready.(;
♡