*Beauty*
My eyes were glued to Will as he tugged out his phone.
Oh my goodness Ellie, what were you thinking? What if he thinks you're a weirdo? What if he sees you?
Will's long eyelashes fanned his cheekbones as he blinked in surprise. Rapidly, he swiped the first screen. And, for a moment longer than any moment I'd ever lived through before, he stared.
Oh. My. Goodness. What is he thinking? What is he thinking? What is he--
Then he looked up.
Right into my eyes.
My heart stuttered and stopped.
And that's when it happened. Slowly, his lips stretched and a smile slid over his face. A smile that knocked the breath out of me till I was sure I was going to faint.
He had surpassed beautiful.
I couldn't hear anything but my pulse as I watched his fingers type rapidly on the phone.
Anticipation coiled in my gut.
A beep rang out from my phone. If I wasn't holding my phone so tightly, it would have slipped from my trembling fingers.
Hi. I see you too.
I risked a glance at Will. His gaze was still on me, a slight smile gracing his lips.
I couldn't breathe.
Do something Ellie, do something.
I like your jacket ;)
I texted back.
What the heck Ellie? That sounded totally creepy! 'I see you' then 'I like your jacket'? What are you, a stalker?
I remembered how I'd watched him jog every week for the last four years.
Ok, maybe I was a bit of a stalker.
Will glanced down at his phone. I bit my lip as I watched his eyes pore over the words.
My phone beeped a long moment later.
Thank you.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I nearly jumped when my phone vibrated again.
You look beautiful.
The words resonated in my head and red flooded my cheeks. Whether he'd said it before or not, that one word slammed the breath out of me every single time. That word I'd used to describe him for the last seven years.
I definitely couldn't live up to that.
I glanced up slowly and lost any breath I'd managed to gather into my lungs as our eyes met. The crystallized emerald eyes bore into mine, staring at me so intently I was sure I would spontaneously combust.
He looked at me as if I was something more than just the captain of the cheerleading squad. As if I wasn't just Ellie Kent who danced and did gymnastics.
He looked at me as if he could see it: the real me.
I wanted him to like me.
More than I'd ever wanted anything before.
Before I could even consider what I was doing, my fingers were typing the words. Hastily, I hit the send button.
Want to meet up?
I stared at the screen of my phone in anticipation, not daring to glance up. My heart pounded within my chest, sending nervous trembles up my spine.
Longest. Seconds. Ever.
Then he replied.
Where?
A blast of relief catapulted through my body and I smothered an excited squeal. My fingers tapped against the keyboard.
Next to the corndog stand at the end of the park.
I watched and waited. My eyes were glued to the screen.
Cool.
....
...
...
Oh. My. Goodness.
I actually did that.
I did that right?
I asked him to meet me?
Internally, I was squealing. My skin boiled and my eyes started to water.
I couldn't believe I'd done that.
I stood up slowly, my legs feeling shaky. In just a few minutes, I'd be with William Johnson. Alone.
What could possibly happen?
I risked the smallest glimpse in Will's direction and nearly fell back onto the bench. Will shot me a wide grin, his white teeth sparkling despite the dim lighting.
Without my permission, my lips stretched into a smile in response. Then, as if I had boatloads of confidence, I spun and strode away from the bench.
The whole while, the words resounded in my mind: William Johnson. Alone.
I kept walking till I came to the edge of the festival, the crowd thinning out to a few couples kissing on benches or with hands entwined beneath trees. Barely able to breathe, I stepped off the paved pathway, following a shortcut beneath a canopy of gargantuan trees. The lighting from the coloured lanterns faded, replaced by pale white moonlight filtering through the dark leaves above, streaking a white path across the floor.
I tried to force breath into my lungs as I weaved through the park.
Calm down, Ellie. Breathe. You can do this.
I continued as I noticed lanterns begin to flicker on in the distance. I spotted the corndog stand emerge, along with a few people and a pebbled pathway.
The corndog stand had been my safe haven when I was younger. Strange, I know, but when you live with a mother that would institutionalize you for touching fast food, a secluded spot with tons of oily fried delicacies is pretty spectacular. To add to it, just a few feet away, behind a row of trees, was slightly higher ground, perfect for watching fireworks. I couldn't count the times I'd stood here, watching the blasts of colour in the sky and imagining kissing Will under them. Imagining sealing our fate as an eternal couple.
And now I'd get the chance.
For the first few minutes I paced, nervous butterflies making it impossible to stay still. Of course, Will would be much later that me, considering I knew a shortcut here. Despite that, nerves still clogged up my throat.
William Johnson said he liked me.
That was what I needed to think about. That was all I needed to know.
And if it was true...
I blew on my hands, trying to regain warmth in my fingers. I can't imagine what could happen if it was true.
"Ellie?"
My heart sputtered to a stop before starting up again in double time.
I spun rapidly to face Will.
And, because I was embarrassing like that, I stumbled.
Will caught my arm, steadying me. He steeped closer, his brows furrowed in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Too close, too close, too close!!!!
The words pounded in my mind as his scent bombarded me. His breath tickled my face and my gaze jumped to his lips.
Dang.
"Y-yeah, I'm OK," I stuttered.
He smiled. "Good."
There was silence for a few seconds before he stepped back, releasing me.
Aww, I was enjoying that.
With him a metre away now, my eyes pored over his appearance. Somehow, he was even more attractive than before. His clothes fit over him perfectly, accentuating his flawless frame. And something even more awesome: we matched, both wearing red and black.
I bit back a smile. I totally love you guys! I mentally squealed to my best friends.
"Hey," he said softly. His lips twitched, almost as if he'd realized I was checking him out.
Abruptly, my face was burning. "Hey," I replied.
"So..." he shifted on his feet. I watched as he glanced down, his lashes brushing his cheekbones, before turning those amazing eyes back on me. "How has everything been?"
"Good, I guess." Lies--I really missed seeing you. "You?"
"Pretty good," he replied.
I frowned. There was a brief flicker in his eyes, as if his week hadn't been as good as he made out.
I sucked in my lips, my heart yearning to ask him what was wrong. Stop being an idiot Ellie, you'll invade his privacy.
I inclined my head towards the trees. "The fireworks are coming on soon, want to check it out?" My heart thumped loudly at the question. Obvious much Ellie! Why don't you just drag him off and force him to kiss you?!
Heat warmed my chest as he smiled, the dark look disappearing from his eyes. "Sure."
With my heart pounding in my skull, I led Will to my special spot, the spot I'd imagined meeting him in all those times I came to the festival.
"This is a really good view," Will noted.
For a moment, I watched him. I watched the way the moonlight silhouetted his dark hair, making the edges almost luminescent. I watched the way his green eyes glittered and sparkled, reflecting the moon's beams. My eyes latched onto the way the moon framed his chiselled features. My gaze traced his breath, great cloudy puffs that floated from his lips into the cold night air.
He was so beautiful.
And so out of my league.
What was I thinking? Being here, with him.
He glanced down at me and my heart stuttered.
His brows furrowed and he tilted is head. "Ellie?" he said softly.
"Y-y-y-yes?"
He seemed to lean closer, and I could smell his spearmint breath in the air.
Here it comes. The moment. Here it comes....
"Are you cold?"
I blinked back to my reality.
I glanced down at my fingers--the focus of Will's gaze--which had grown red. Oh.
Before I could say I was fine, Will gathered my hands into his palms and brought them up to his lips, blowing warm air onto my fingers.
Can. Not. Breathe.
"You must be freezing," he frowned between puffs. "Wait, let me give you my jacket."
He dropped my fingers, slipping off his leather jacket. I stood there, completely frozen, gaping up at him like a weirdo. My heart stuttered back to life as he slipped the jacket over me, his fingers inciting electric sparks from my shoulders to every inch of my flesh.
Then he returned to blowing warmth onto my fingers.
One of these days he was going to give me a heart attack. No joke.
Could he get any more perfect?
"T-thank you," I finally stumbled out.
He shot me a smile. "It's my pleasure."
Yes, he could totally get more perfect.
At that exact moment, blasts went off in the distance as the first bursts of fireworks exploded into the sky. A spray of pink and blue fizzled over the onyx atmosphere.
My gaze zoned in on Will, my heart stuttering when I realized he was already looking at me.
His gaze dropped to my lips, dark lashes bordering that flawless emerald gaze.
We were close now, bodies only a few inches from each other. His hands clasped mine, sending heat through my skin and into my bones.
His face was only inches away, his breath caressing both my hands and the skin of my face.
It was now or never.
"Will," I started softly.
I like you.
*
Thanks for reading wonderfuls! I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)
This chapter is dedicated to one of my super nice new readers ;)
Love you guys!!
God bless
xxx
Yemi Everest