Guns and Roses

Wild and wonder

Genevieve

I waited until after school.

The moment I spotted him outside, sitting on that familiar bench near the gym—hood over his head, headphones in, his foot tapping against the pavement like he was trying to stomp out his feelings—I knew this had to be the moment.

No more silence. No more guessing. I needed to know what we were. If he liked me, he had do it right. I hate sketchy relationships.

I walked straight up to him, my heart thumping like it was trying to fight its way out of my chest. He saw me coming, but didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just looked up from under his hood with that unreadable expression I was growing to hate.

“Hey,” I said, my arms folded, my voice firm.

He pulled out one earbud. “Sup.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t ‘sup’ me like you haven’t been ignoring me.”

His jaw tensed. “I ain’t ignore you.”

“Really? Then what do you call walking past me like I don’t exist? Leaving the room the second I walk in? What’s that about, Leo?”

He blinked slowly, leaning back against the bench. “You told me to stop acting up. I listened.”

“That’s not what I meant,” I snapped, taking a step closer. “You just flipped the switch and shut everything off. You were hot, now you’re cold. One minute you’re climbing through my window like a damn thief in the night—telling me I’m yours, holding me like I was breakable. Then the next? You act like I’m just air.”

His gaze dropped for a moment, then flicked back up to meet mine. “You said I was immature. A bully. A joke.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I muttered, suddenly aware of how harsh I’d been.

“You was right,” he said quietly. “I ain’t never learned how to feel for real. Had to teach myself emotions like math. You think that’s easy? Nah. It’s like… every time I look at you, somethin’ breaks inside of me, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

I bit my bottom lip.

Saint-Laurent stood slowly, his height towering over me. “I was tryna give you space. Be what you said you wanted. A man who ain’t a storm.”

“But you don’t even talk to me anymore,” I said, my voice cracking. “That’s not giving me space, Leo. That’s pushing me away.”

We stood there for a second. The wind tugged at the edge of my skirt and I crossed my arms tighter to keep my composure. He stepped in, just slightly, his eyes searching mine.

“I heard what Lizzy said,” he murmured. “About your eyes and thighs.”

My face went hot.

“She got a warning. And if she opens her mouth again, she gon’ lose teeth.”

“Leo…”

He leaned in closer. “I ain’t playin’ ‘bout you, Geni. I just don’t know how to show it the way you deserve.”

There was a beat of silence between us. My heart was doing that stupid somersault thing again.

“You don’t have to be perfect,” I said softly. “You just have to be honest. Don’t give me mixed signals like I’m some side character in your story.”

He smirked, just a little. “Nah. You the whole plot.”

I rolled my eyes, but it didn’t stop the small smile from tugging at my lips. “Saint-Laurent Leo,” I muttered. “Why do you have 3 names anyway?” I asked finally.

“I don’t. I got one”. He responded.

“Leo Saint Laurent”. I said to prove my point.

“Nah, my name’s just Saint-Laurent. With the hyphen”.

“So Leo’s your surname?”

He nodded.

“So people call you both your surname and Name?”

“Yes”.

I giggled. “You’re such a mess”.

“But I’m your mess, right?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You ain’t deny it either.”

He bumped my shoulder gently, and I sighed.

Maybe we were both a little messy. A little broken.

But somehow… we were learning to be whole.

—————————————————————

He’d sent the address with a red heart emoji and the words: Wear something pretty. No heels. Trust me.

I didn’t know what I expected when I got there, but I didn’t expect this.

The beach was quiet, golden from the setting sun, soft waves brushing the sand like lullabies. He’d set up a little picnic under a tall palm tree—thick checkered blanket, two cushions, a small cooler, and candles pinned into the sand in glass jars. A Bluetooth speaker played something low and jazzy, almost like background music to a dream.

And then there he was.

ASitting cross-legged in a black shirt with the sleeves pushed up, silver chain around his neck catching the sun like it was flirting with him. His eyes found mine the moment I stepped on the sand, and his lips tugged into that smirk that always made my stomach twist.

I’d worn red. A soft cotton sundress that hugged my hips and stopped just above my knees. My hair was big, wild, soft curls tucked behind one ear with a white hibiscus flower sitting just right. I’d drawn white liner around my eyes-sharp, intentional.

He stood up slowly, and for a second, we just stared.

“Damn,” he muttered, walking over. “You look like you stepped outta a poem.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I said, laughing as he pulled me into a brief hug. Firm, careful, like he was still asking permission.

I sat on the blanket and looked around. “You did all this?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. Figured I owed you somethin’ soft. Life already been hittin’ too hard.”

We unpacked sandwiches, fruit, snacks. He even had a bottle of sparkling grape juice. The boy was trying.

“By the way,” I said as I popped a strawberry into my mouth, “thank you for the package you sent. The roses, snacks, novels. I—I didn’t expect it.”

He grinned, mouth full of sandwich. “Yeah, I ain’t know how y’all survive that. If I had to bleed every month, I’d file for early retirement from life.”

I laughed. “You’d remove your ovaries.”

“Facts,” he said, dead serious. “Snip snip.”

We both laughed harder than we needed to, but it felt good. Natural.

Then it got quiet. The sun was setting lower, painting the sky in strokes of orange and purple. He turned to me, a little serious now, arms draped loosely over his knees.

“I ain’t used to this,” he started, voice low. “This… feelin’ stuff out loud. My whole life’s been noise. Chaos. Wild.” He glanced at me. “But you… you calm me, Geni. Even though you a storm yourself.”

I looked at him, caught off guard.

“You make my chest feel like it’s holdin’ fireworks,” he said. “But the good kind. Not the ones that hurt. And I ain’t never known how to care the right way. Ain’t nobody taught me that. But if learning how to care…like really care, means you might love me back someday…” He paused, eyes holding mine. “Then teach me. Please.”

My throat tightened.

He reached for my hand, fingertips brushing over mine. “I’m made of wild and wonder, Genevieve. But if you stay… I’ll learn how to be soft with you. How to be good. Just… don’t give up on me.”

I stared at him. The boy everyone feared. The boy they whispered about in locker rooms and hallways.

But tonight, he was just a boy sitting across from me on the beach, asking to be loved.

And I… I was starting to realize I already did.

I thought when he’d brought me home, he’d kiss me. But he didn’t. I mean he did but just chastely on the forehead.

I wanted to move a few inches down. Maybe to the location that was below my nose.

I knew he was making me wait. Biding his time. Making me want him before taking me. It drove me mad.