I lifted a dark blue snapback cap from the hook it was hung on and examined it. It would go well with Nolan's eyes and his usual outfits. Maybe I should just buy this one.
I was having a hard time deciding what to get for him. Although he had said that he didn't want a birthday present, the thought of him being alone on his birthdays without a single present made my heart hurt a little. I could just give it to him on another day.
I didn't have to give it to him as a birthday present.
"Are you buying that?"
At the sound of Melissa's curious voice, I looked up from the cap. "Maybe. Why?"
The four of us—Derek, Melissa, Ashley, and I—were in a clothing retail store at the mall, just browsing through the stuff they had on display. We had just finished our lunch and had nothing else to do before heading back to school.
Ashley, who was next to me, tapped me on the shoulder. "I'm going to the toilet. I'll be right back."
"Okay," I said to her.
Shrugging, Melissa squinted at the cap I was holding as if she expected it to turn into something else. "I thought you hated wearing caps?"
"I do," I said, running my hand over the cap brim. "They mess up my hair. Anyway, this isn't for me. I'm getting it for Nolan."
"Nolan?" she said, looking surprised again. "Why? Is his birthday coming up?"
Oops. I doubted he wanted anyone else to know when it was.
"I just felt like getting him something," I said, using the explanation I was going to give Nolan if he questioned the reason behind my sudden gift. "I mean, I feel like he'd like something like this."
"Uh huh," she said skeptically, "and you saw this cap and just thought of buying it for him?"
Derek, who was standing beside her, snorted and looked up at me from the two different caps he was deciding between. I could see the mischief dancing in his eyes as the corners of his lips pulled up into a large smile.
I did not like the look on his face right now.
"Very thoughtful of you, Chelsea," he said, cocking an eyebrow.
With narrowed eyes, I said, "Of course I'm thoughtful. Did you only just realize that?"
"Why don't I recall you ever buying me a cap just because, though?" he continued, as if I hadn't spoken.
Melissa promptly added, "Or me a cap? You know we love those."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I placed my hands on my hips.
Melissa snatched one of the caps Derek was holding out of his hand. "It just seems funny to me that you're randomly getting him something. It's not even his birthday present or anything like that."
"Oh, I don't know," Derek said, still with that sly smile on his face. "I was just wondering if we don't cross your mind when you're shopping like he apparently does."
My jaw dropped at his insinuation. "Excuse me? Of course I think about you guys!"
"Not enough to buy us random presents, evidently," he said, twirling around the cap that was still on his other hand with a finger.
He wasn't wrong, but we just didn't have a habit of buying gifts for no reason in our group. He was making it sound like I liked Nolan or something!
After some close examination, Melissa hung up the cap she was holding. "Derek, this cap is hideous. Buy the other one."
Derek hummed as he studied the cap Melissa had declared as unwearable. "But I like the color gradient."
"Just because you like it, doesn't mean you should wear it," she said. "Gray and green, really?"
"He's my friend," I said, not bothering to hide my consternation in my tone. "What's wrong with buying a present for him?"
Melissa wandered off to the next wall section where another batch of caps with different designs were hung.
"Nothing's wrong. I was just saying," he said. "Is there a reason you're getting all worked up?"
I spluttered. "You're the one trying to rile me up, and now you're asking me why?!"
"Oh? How exactly am I riling you up?"
"You know how—don't try to play innocent!" I crossed my arms.
"All I said was that you seem to think a lot about him," he said, shrugging. "Hey, is that why you invited him to our table last week?"
"Whatever it is that you're thinking, you're wrong," I told him. "I invited him because he doesn't really have anyone else he hangs out with."
His grin only grew wider. "I'm still surprised that he joined us, by the way. You guys must be really good friends."
"Yes, emphasis on friends," I said, rolling my eyes.
Where was Ashley when I needed her? Right, she had to go to the restroom at the worst timing ever.
"Such good friends that he actually joined us for lunch again within the same week," he said. "I'm impressed."
He wasn't the only one who was surprised that Nolan had sat at our table on Wednesday and Friday. I almost couldn't believe how he had easily agreed when I asked him to join us. On the other days he said that he was too tired and had to go to the library for a nap. Sitting with a group of people three times in a single week was already a lot for someone like Nolan, and I wasn't expecting that at all.
Still, what was this? Did Derek somehow find out about the bet Ashley and I had made about him and Melissa? Was he getting revenge on me for placing bets on his love life?
Derek had never teased me like this before. Part of it, I supposed, probably had to do with the fact that I didn't really have any other guy friends apart from him, but this was still such a shock.
"We're just friends!"
"Sure," he drawled, "and that's why you've never gotten me anything outside of my birthdays."
I was about to retort when Melissa approached us, waving a light gray cap at us by its dark gray brim.
"Derek, I like this one. I bet it looks good on you," she said.
Derek blinked. I blinked.
She beckoned for him to lower his head, and he bent down to let her fit the cap over his head.
"Yeah," she said. "Gray always looks good on you. I can't believe you don't have a gray cap yet. You should get this."
"Really?" he said, reaching up to touch the brim of the cap.
Nodding, she took a step backwards to give him a onceover. "Yup. Get it."
Taking advantage of the fact that he was temporarily disarmed by Melissa's rare compliment, I practically bolted for the payment counter. I wasn't about to hang around any longer listening to him questioning my choices.
Silently, I thanked Melissa in my heart for her timely distraction. Maybe Ashley was right. Maybe they would get together before we graduated after all.
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On Monday, I handed Nolan the dark blue cap I'd gotten him once I was comfortably settled in my chair. It was several minutes before first period, and there were very few others in the classroom. I made sure to get up early this morning so that I could have a chance to give it to him without anyone gawking at us.
"Here, Nolan," I said. "I got this last weekend."
He stared down at it.
"It's for you," I said, shaking it slightly when he didn't reach out to take it.
"What's this?" Nolan said.
After much consideration, I had decided not to wrap his present. After all, if I spontaneously got someone something, I wouldn't have wrapped it. Beautiful wrappers were for special occasions and holidays.
"A cap?"
"I know it's a cap," he said, looking unimpressed. "I own one myself."
I cracked a small grin at him. "I saw it at the mall and thought you might like it."
"Why are you suddenly giving it to me?"
"There's no 'why'," I said. "It's just something I got for you."
After a short pause, he said, "Does this have anything to do with my upcoming birthday? I told you I didn't want any presents."
He connected the dots fast. His birthday was on this coming Saturday, but there were still so many days until then.
"Did I say it was a birthday present?" I said, deciding on the spot that doubling down on it was the only thing I could do right now. "Did I wish you a happy birthday?"
His eyebrows furrowed. "No, but—"
"Then it's not a birthday present. I just wanted to give you something," I said. "Look, it's not even wrapped!"
While I was waving it in his face, he grabbed the cap with one hand and scowled at me. "I said no birthday presents."
"And I said it's a thing I'm just giving you." I rolled my eyes. "If you're that paranoid, I can take it back and give it to you before winter break. Would that make you feel better?"
He narrowed his eyes at me. We stared at each other for several seconds.
Eventually, he sighed and shook his head. "It's fine. You don't have to do that. Thank you."
I smiled at him. "You're welcome."
"It looks nice."
"Yeah, I chose it because I thought it would go well with the stuff you usually wear," I said.
"I like it," he said quietly, turning it over in his hands.
The almost searching way he was looking down at it made my heart start thumping harder than usual.
Why did something about his expression strike me as so lost?
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AN: happy Monday, everyone! ⸌̷̻( ᷇ॢ〰ॢ ᷆◍)⸌̷̻♡⃛ hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully I'll see you guys on Thursday, too! have A WONDERFUL WEEK and stay safe, everybody ◟(◔ั₀◔ั )◞ ༘♡ tysm for reading as always! ♡
dedicated to aki_2911, thanks for your support and for reading my book, i can't tell you just how much it means to me that you're enjoying it so far （'ω｀♡%）