The Best Kind Of Beginning
1747 Words
Elaina’s POV
Daniel was still hugging me.
Neither of us had moved nor spoken.
It wasn’t awkward.
If anything, it felt quite nice……
Like somehow this had happened before.
Not physically.
But emotionally.
Like we had rehearsed this moment way before it happened without us realizing.
Eventually he let go.
Probably because we had been there about two minutes.
He looked at me, smiled, looked away again, then laughed to himself.
“What?” I asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“I can’t believe I actually did that.”
“Did what?” I asked.
He looked at me like I was a crazy person.
“I just confessed my love to my best friend!”
I shrugged.
“Well, you survived.”
“Barely!”
“You look pretty alive to me.”
“I almost s**t myself!”
I blinked.
“What?”
“Don’t judge me, I was nervous.”
“You hid it pretty well.”
He stared at me.
“….Elaina”
“What?”
“I spent the last 3 hours convincing myself not to run away.”
I burst into laughter.
“You?”
“Yes, me!”
“Daniel Brooks?"
“Live and direct!”
“The football captain?”
“Yup.”
“The one who talks back to half the teachers and knows basically the whole school?”
He sighed dramatically.
“What can I say? I get nervous too.”
“I’ve never witnessed that.”
“Congratulations.”
“You’ve officially witnessed history.”
I let out a small laugh.
He smiled.
It felt….
Different.
Not because Daniel had changed, but because knowing he loved me just made everything so much better.
And that made every moment feel different.
He suddenly cleared his throat.
“So…”
I folded my arms.
“You’re saying ‘so’ again.”
“I know.”
“You’ve said it like 10 times today.”
“I’m building suspense.”
“No you’re stalling.”
“…Maybe.”
I laughed.
“So?”
He looked at me slowly.
“Does this mean?”
He paused.
“…. you’re my girlfriend?”
I stared at him.
“Seriously?”
“What?”
“That was your huge question?”
“I think it’s a valid question.”
I slapped my hand on my forehead.
“You confessed your love, didn’t you?”
“Well….”
“I told you I loved you too.”
“Mhmm”
“So what’re you still asking?”
“I just wanted to hear you say it.”
I felt my cheeks warm.
“Oh.”
“So?”
“There you go again.”
“…Are you my girlfriend?”
I looked at him for a second, pretending like I was thinking about something.
“Hmmm..”
“Oh shit.”
“I…. don't know.”
“Elaina…”
“I mean.”
“El..”
“I have …. options you know.”
He looked like he'd seen a ghost.
“You have to be joking!”
“Chill… I was” I said as I laughed out loud.
He sighed so hard I started laughing all over again.
“I genuinely thought I was about to get rejected.”
“You’d have survived.”
“I would’ve changed schools!”
“You’re bluffing.”
“I’m serious.”
“Drama Queen?”
“I prefer passionate.”
“I prefer dramatic.”
“So…”
“Here we go again!”
“Is that a yes?”
I nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
He smiled brightly.
The type where one doesn’t even know he’s wearing, the type that reaches your eyes before your mouth.
“The best yes I’ve heard,”
“So you’ve asked multiple girls out?”
The smile began to fade.
“No!”
“I’m joking..”
“I hope so.”
“I am.”
“Mostly…”
“Elaina!”
“Just kidding!”
He shook his head.
“I’ve created a menace.”
“You’ve known me since primary school, should’ve expected it.”
“I really should’ve.”
The walk home should’ve taken fifteen minutes.
Instead it took forty.
Mostly because Daniel couldn’t stop talking….
I laughed so hard I nearly hit a lamppost.
“Careful.”
“I was fine.”
“You were about to go face first into a pole.”
“I was admiring the scenery.”
“The scenery?”
“The…..very interesting pole.”
He nodded slowly.
“Right.”
“I stand by my statement.”
“You know…..”
“What?….”
“I think I'm going to enjoy proving you wrong.”
“You just assume you’re going to win”
“I always win.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Name just one time.”
He opened his mouth.
“Give me a second.”
“Is that …….. speechlessness I see?”
“No, I'm just thinking.”
“You’ve got nothing.”
“Says?”
“Me.”
“I’ve got you though, that’s a win!”
I laughed.
Exactly.
I shook my head smiling as we continued walking.
A few minutes later, we saw an ice cream truck on my street.
“I want ice cream!” I announced.
Daniel looked at me.
“Of course you do.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.”
“It sounded like something.”
“It was definitely something.”
I walked up to the truck before he said any more.
He followed me.
I got my usual chocolate and caramel milkshake before turning around.
“My favorite!” I said grinning widely.
“Of course.”
“What?”
“You get that every time.”
I looked at him.
“You noticed.”
He gave me a look.
“Elaina, I've known you for like 13 years.”
I shrugged.
“Fair.”
I reached for my wallet,but Daniel graded it right from my hand.
“I’ll pay.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Daniel.”
“Elaina.”
“I can pay for my own food.”
“I know.”
“Then give it back.”
“No.”
I stared at him.
He smiled.
“Can I not pay for my girlfriend’s ice cream?”
I rolled my eyes.
“We’ve been together for what? Twenty minutes.”
“And I'm already so good at it.”
“You’re impossible.”
“And yet you like me.”
“Unfortunately.”
He paid before I could argue any further.
As we walked away, I gestured the ice cream towards him.
“You want some?”
He looked at me.
“You’re sharing?”
“Don’t make me take it back.”
He immediately took a sip.
“Thank you, girlfriend.”
I laughed.
“You’re never going to get tired of saying that, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
By the time we reached my street, the sun had started to set.
Daniel slowed down beside me.
“So….”
I looked at him.
“If you say ‘so’ one more time!”
“I was going to say goodbye.”
We stopped outside my gate.
Neither of us moved.
Again.
Daniel laughed.
“We’re really bad at this.”
“Apparently.”
He looked at me for a moment.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Obviously.”
“Okay then.”
He started walking away.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“I forgot something.”
I frowned.
“What?”
He smiled before pulling me into another quick hug.
“Now I'm done.”
I laughed as he walked away.
“Bye Daniel!”
“Bye girlfriend!”
I shook my head.
Idiot.
I had barely stepped through the front door when Mum looked up from the kitchen.
She took one look at me.
Then smiled
“What?”
“Nothing.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Why’re you looking at me like that?”
“Why’re you smiling like that?”
“I smile.”
“Not like that.”
I dropped my bag beside the stairs.
“I’m tired.”
“Uh-huh.”
Mom laughed.
“Okay okay, come here.”
I walked over.
She lowered her voice dramatically.
“So…”
I immediately groaned.
“No.”
“What?”
“Don’t start.”
She smiled.
“Did Daniel finally ask you out?”
My eyes widened.
“Mom!”
She laughed.
“Oh please, your father and I have been waiting 11 years for this moment.”
I covered my face.
“I’m going upstairs.”
“Tell me first.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“Then why are you blushing?”
“Mum!”
She laughed as I hurried up the stairs.
I closed my bedroom door behind me and immediately fell onto my bed.
My phone buzzed.
Daniel
“Home?”
“I smiled.”
“Just got in.”
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly.
“Good.”
“I was going to make sure you got home safely.”
I stared at the message.
“I literally live five minutes away.”
“Still.”
I smiled.
Before I could reply, another notification appeared.
THE FANTASTIC FOUR
Hazel
“HELLO?????”
Another.
Grace
“Don’t think we didn’t see you two walking home together”.
Then Emma:
“Finally.”
I laughed.
“You people need hobbies.”
Hazel replied immediately.
“WE HAVE ONE.”
“YOU.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Goodnight guys”
Hazel:
“NO.”
Grace:
“Absolutely not.”
Emma:
“Details. Now.”
I put my phone down.
There was no way I was surviving this group chat.
It buzzed again.
Daniel.
“Goodnight, El.”
“Then another message.”
“Girlfriend.”
I stared at my screen for a few seconds before smiling.
Girlfriend.
It still felt strange seeing the word next to my name.
I put my phone down and pulled the covers over myself.
I was just about to close my eyes when my phone buzzed again.
Daniel
“Don’t make plans for tomorrow.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
The typing bubble appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Then his reply came through.
“You’ll see.”
I stared at the screen.
And somehow, I had a feeling Daniel had something planned.
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