The First Rule

Chapter 23b: Winny

Tyler announces loudly, finally glancing back at you with a smirk. You notice Dom nearby, seemingly just catching up with Wyatt. As you wave, your expression lightens slightly—not until you realize the situation you're in—when your grin slowly fades into a nervous laugh.

Dominic, being the woke guy that he is, notices and narrows his eyes—even more so when he sees the way Tyler places his hand on your arm. The moment his eyes finally land on Tyler.. is when he knows something is about to go down.

"Y'all know my bestfriend here, the lovely—petite, Emilia Winters,"

Cavill casts a lopsided grin your way as you argue, "Hey! I'm not petite—" while silently mouthing a 'he's drunk' justification to everyone—prompting laughter from the crowd while he maintains his confident smirk.

"You must've been familiar with how I call her Winny—you might've wondered why either," he declares while taking a coke from someone in the front row before locking his gaze on Hunt—holding it while taking a sip before finishing it in one go. He effortlessly tosses the empty can into a nearby trash can—which annoyingly lands in smoothly.

Still locking his gaze on Dom, he pauses for a few seconds.. before finally adding,

"Am I right, brother?"

Dom scowls, folding his arms across his chest in defiance. Beside him, Liam brings a hand to his forehead in exasperation—while you desperately tug at Tyler's shirt, wanting to put an end to this fiasco.

"Now let me tell you a story," Tyler begins, his tone commanding attention as he takes center stage. "It was winter night, we were playing in our secret spot—"

"Ooohhh," the crowd murmurs in unison, intrigued by the mention of the word 'secret'.

Tyler smirks and leans forward, satisfied with the crowd's reaction. "Yeah, our secret spot," Cavill proudly announces, eyes still locked on Dominic, "we were lying on the floor, surrounded by snow.. just enjoying each other's company—and in that moment, we asked each other to be, you know—this known, special thing between us,"

...

Special.. thing..?

The way he said it like that makes you feel something—that strange.. scrunching feeling in your chest and through your stomach. He’s now fondly gazing at you while you stare back—torn between preventing an impending fistfight or getting lost in this sweet nostalgia.

"And then it hit me, why the hell not make her my very own, special nickname?"

As everyone coos with an 'awww', Dominic starts to clench his knuckles. Wyatt, sensing the tension, leans in and whispers something to Dom—perhaps trying to diffuse the situation before it gets to his head.

"Can't you see how creative I am? Making my own nickname for my lovely bestfriend? You just gotta make your own nickname for someone you love, right?" Tyler boldly declares, shooting a smirk in Dom's direction—who visibly bristles with anger.

"And so, everyone, I call her Winny,"

The chant of ‘Winny, Winny, Winny!’ fills the air, echoing loudly around you. However, you can't help but feel uncomfortable amidst the chaos—clinging to him with a forced smile. Your uneasy gaze navigates through the overwhelming situation—when his hand rests gently on your shoulder, and you feel the warmth of his breath as he leans in closer to your ear.

"Winny," he whispers softly, before continuing in a hushed tone.. meant for only you, "as beautiful as the first snow of Winter."

Slowly, you turn to face him, your heart pounding in your chest. And as you look up at him in astonishment, your eyes get wider.. and wider as his words sink in. However, you're met with a look of genuine affection in his eyes. "Heh," his voice barely above a whisper, a slight smirk gracing his lips as he holds your gaze with unwavering intensity, before adding..

"Pretty romantic, isn't it?"

Amidst the echoing chants of your nickname, Cavill's whisper breaks through the noise like a gentle breeze. His intense gaze locks with yours, and in that instant.. time seems to stand still. The sounds of the cheering dimming in the background.. the world fades away.. leaving only the two of you. Even you can't hear the thumping of your heart—

Wait. Is it not beating, or is it beating too fast to the point where I can't—

In a sudden moment of realization, both of your eyes widen—enough to snap you back to reality. And before you have a chance to react, he hesitantly redirects his attention back his peers—his voice echoing loudly as he shouts,

“Just got dumped but I still hit!”

“RIVERS!”

The crowd shouts—except for Dominic and Liam, who’s still in the latest position, with Dom throwing death glares to Cavill and Liam whispering in an urgent manner. While like automatic, Brad eagerly continues the chant,

"HIT THE LOG AND I WILL HIT”

“RIVERS!"

"WINNY, MY BESTFRIEND EVERYBODY!"

Tyler’s declaration hangs in the air, and as the crowd erupts into cheers—

"Oh just kiss already!"

Scott's boisterous comment brings everything to a sudden halt, leaving everyone stunned into silence. Beside him, Dom swiftly turns to him and roars—

"SHE'S MY GIRLFRIEND YOU i***t!"

Rule #2: Our nickname is only for us.

"Ok girl. Now tell me what the hell happened out there?"

Eve eyes you intently. Slouching on the sofa beside her, you still feel the lingering fatigue as you hide your eyes behind your arms.

"He was just clarifying the misunderstanding—"

"Girl that I know. You know that's not what I meant."

Opening your eyes and slowly lowering your arm, you adjust your posture and scoot towards her. Awkwardly, you rest your arm on the back pillow—but it doesn't feel right. You quickly change positions, holding your arm with your left hand instead—still, doesn’t feel right. Fidgeting uncomfortably, you eventually revert to your initial position with a frustrated squeal,

"I don't know! I—" Eve lets out a sigh—giving you a jaded look as you yell, "f**k! I don't even know what happened—it all happened so fast!"

Pouting exaggeratedly, you moan and cry while moving around as if you're having a seizure, earning a slap from Eve. "f**k—Eve. I dare you to analyze whatever is happening to me right now in your poem! No—please, do!"

Eve seems to contemplate for a moment before pouting and giving an approving side nod—when someone hugs her from behind. "Evieee baby~ Where have you been?" You turn to your right.. to see that it's Wyatt. Not that you haven't already known that it's him though.

"Just around, babe. Right on time for the drama, though," Reed sarcastically remarks as she gives you the side eye, earning an approving scoff from Liam.

"Say it louder. I can never with these two." Liam adds with a shake of his head as he hugs his girlfriend from behind—when you feel a pat on your head. And even by the way he pats you, you already know that it's him.

You feel a rush of butterflies fluttering from head to toe when you subtly shrink into the sofa. Silently anticipating his next move, you cautiously glance at him from the corner of your eye—but he doesn't seem to come. Sensing his presence lingering behind you, you reluctantly look up.. only to find him leaning casually with folded arms on the back of the sofa, peering down at you with a small smirk.

At the sight, you immediately bring your head down—feeling your heartbeat suddenly beating a little bit faster! However, the realization that there's other people brings you back to reality, and you briskly turn your attention to the couple sitting next to you—who are still giving you the bombastic side-eye.

"Wussup, Winters?"

Shivers run down your spine when a low whisper reaches your left ear. Panic floods your senses—eyes start darting around frantically as heat rushes to your cheeks. Thank God your makeup's still on right now. Desperately wanting to end this torture, you grab his head—or his cheeks, whatever—and forcefully drag it to your left, shouting,

"Just come sit normally, brat—"

He yells and struggles against your grip—slapping at your hands clawing at his face. As you release him, he jerks your head back and yells,

"Just ask nicely why don't you, Ugly Yoda?!"

"Ew you're such a nerd," you mumble awkwardly, pouting with your hands folded above your thighs. Meanwhile, he's already leaping onto the sofa and settling down beside you with a bounce. As he fixes his hair—running his hands through it effortlessly, you can't help but almost gawk at him—admiring him as if he's in a shampoo commercial.

Until he says, "Come again, noob?" leaning his face closer to yours with a smirk.

Gazing at him for a moment, you search his face. Delighted expression paints the lines of his face and you can’t help but shake your head. Finally, with a subtle smirk on your face, you ask,

"Satisfied?"

A look of understanding falls on his face before he raises his eyebrows smugly. His smirk transforms into a wide, lopsided grin as he delightfully responds,

"Oh, very."