Our Roundabout Love

10

Hope POV

As I close the door to my house making sure to not make a single sound from this door my gaze adverts to the sky and I see all the stars. One of the perks of living in a quiet town is less polluted and more stars. Sometimes I wish I was a star observing the lives of people everywhere. I smile to myself at the thought and walk towards the bridge. I haven’t been there since what happened with Leo and I kind of miss it. As I approach I see a figure being illuminated by one of the street lights so I approach slowly. Debating whether or not I should just turn around. Damn dying right now by the hands of a c***k head doesn’t seem fun. f**k it I’m going home. I turn around and the gravel under my feet is crunching lightly. “How annoying.” I whisper to myself

“I see you can finally make it out of your house but only in the dead of night. My feet stop instantly at his voice. These coincidences are getting annoying.

“What are you doing here?” I ask

“Getting some air.”he breathed out. Maybe it was just me but he seemed to be frustrated then again maybe he’s just tired, he did plan for us to go out, then he tutored me and watched a whole movie while I slept so That could be a possibility.

“From?” I asked without thinking.

“The indoors, what else?” I rolled my eyes and climbed on top of the bridge taking a seat.

“You're not funny.

“I’m hilarious.”

“Anyways Mr.Comedian most people like fresh air after dealing with some sort of internal or external conflict.” I say looking at him he looks away fast and stares off into the distance. He probably thought I didn’t feel his mmm staring a hole into the back of my head.

“Really?” His nonchalant and almost sarcastic tone made me annoyed but mostly surprised, he has never been like this before and I somehow find it ingesting, normally guys who acted this way were instantly written off as assholes in my mind. Leo on the other hand was never this dry.

“Really. So which one is it?” I lean back on his shoulder looking up with a smile. I feel happy I get to see a side that he doesn’t usually show

“External.” He said, looking down at me are eyes locking for a split second before he went back to looking at the starry sky

“Care to elaborate.”

“Not really.” I shrugged, not really wanting to pry.

“Oh so he’s more than just a smiling face.” I say but he doesn’t even look at me and his hood is kind of covering his face so I can’t tell if I’m getting to him by his lack of responses I think I may have. “Do I need to apologize for that?”

“No need to apologize I’m not sensitive” His dryness was getting rather annoying but at least he didn’t sound upset.

“Still I feel as though I-“

“You didn’t push any buttons Hope nor did you cross any lines that would require us to have known each other longer than two weeks.”

“Yeah?” I was a little irritated that he was being so blunt.

“Yeah.” When he said that I had finally realized that I haven’t known him for longer than sixteen days. But once I’m around him those sixteen measly days feel like it’s been sixty.

“It feels longer than that.” I surprise myself by my own honesty and I feel regret running up my spine.

“I know. Maybe it's because I see you twice a day, everyday.” I shake my head yes even though I know that it’s not just that.

“I guess you being friends with my brother makes me see you a lot.”

“I’m your friend too.” It was like a flipped switch in him and it felt like the Leo I’m used to came back.

“Ughh you're so quick to throw the friend word around. We are not friends.” Apparently my words were funny because he laughed.

“We hang out, we talk, we laugh, I help you out with homework. Hell, look at us now.” He smiled down at me once more and he was so comfortable I forgot I was even leaning on him to begin with. So I move to sit myself up. He pouts like a dog jokingly and I feel the glare coming to my face.

“I do all that s**t with my mom doesn’t mean we are friends.” He rolls his eyes at me but he still maintains his smirk.” Sexy bastard.

“You're awfully delusional tonight.”

“I’m not, you're just weird.”

“Think about it this way, I'm basically a stranger who has no obligation to you and likes hanging out with you. I’m a friend.” He spoke so proudly that his point went past my head. I was not going to call him my friend no matter what he said.

“Keep dreaming, Fretz.” For the first time ever I saw a different kind of smile that made his usual grin seem so fake. There was a certain heat in my stomach that followed and it didn't feel unpleasant but I knew it was those pesky butterflies. God why did you make him so f*****g hot?

“Whatever. Anyways, what brings Cinderella out here?”

“I'm no Cinderella but I’m pretty sure I heard a moan when I went into my house from taking you home and I know the villainess is in my house.” I cringe just thinking about it. She’s not over a lot but when she is it makes my skin crawl.

“Really?”

“Yeah and it’s super annoying.”

“What’s up between you two anyways, doesn’t she know she’s dating your brother.”

“Yeah but she’s been like this since we were kids I used to follow her around like a puppy dog back in first grade but then around fifth grade she changed she became meaner and decided to discard me like I was some used rag but she stayed close to my brother I guess she’s always liked him.” Thinking back on those times

“That doesn't explain anything.” I roll my eyes once more.

“She basically hates me for no reason. Once she found out that Cooper was my brother. It was like a flipped switch in her brain to be as mean as possible to me.” He looked confused but rightfully so I’ve been in the situation for five years and it still confuses the hell out of me.

“So friends to enemies, what a cool story.” I laughed at his need to make my life seem like some fantasy novel.

“It’s rather annoying, I see her all the time and she only acts like I exist at school. If she's in my house I’m invisible to her.” which is fine the less coming out of her mouth the better

“What about Cooper, do you hate him for dating her?” I giggle at the question, I haven’t thought about this in a long time.

“No, not at all Cooper has been in love with her since she walked past him in third grade and has latched on to her ever since and I’m not the type of sister who will put my own feelings before his.” I’m not even the type to believe in love but those two make it hard not to. The way they look at each other is enough to make you want what they have.

“Oh so she is more than just heartless.” Leo whispers referring to me. I can’t help but smile at the fact he used my own words against me but I turned away so he couldn't see.

Touché.” We went silent for a bit and in that silence it dawned on me that I have shared a part of me with him once again without anything in return. Damn why is he so easy to talk to

“Okay frets give me something, anything.” I see the confusion flash across his eyes but he immediately knows what I mean when I could tell by his sly little grin.

“What do you mean?” I groan what a headache.

“You rarely talk about yourself, you're always a goofball or trying to get to know me.”

“Why would you want to know someone like me?” The serious tone caught me off guard but I didn’t let it visibly faze me.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”

“You have no intention of being my friend so why should I.” I know he couldn’t see me but I wish he could because he would know how irritated I was.

“I’m curious, okay you come and go and every time I feel like I know less and less.” He stayed silent for a bit but when I heard him sigh I knew he had given in to me.

“What do you want to know?”

“Um, how many girls have you slept with?”

“Really?”

I shrugged, “What? It’s a good question.”

“It’s childish but, just don’t get mad at me when I ask you the same thing.” I could hear the smugness in his voice and it bothered me. Oh I live to pop bubbles of teenage boys.

“You won’t have to, 14 im not ashamed, I like s*x and it happens to like me back.”

“Fine.” He looks me dead in my eyes and I see the moon in them and the slight regret as well. “Somewhere in the upper 30 lower 40.”

“You don’t know?” I quickly mask the shock in my voice as best as possible but it’s still there, I know it is. He’s only like eighteen and he has slept with that many people. Normally I would just assume a boy is trying to be cool but there is no way that this is the case with him considering how apprehensive he was to answer in the first place.

“Not a definite number if I really wanted to. I could tell you their names but if I saw half of them I wouldn’t be able to recognize them. I was going through a lot before I moved here so… never mind.” I didn't chase for more because I somehow knew that was his limit.

“Want to head back Fretz?” I felt him nod and I was about to get down but he wrapped his hands around my waist. I was picked and sent down on the bridge, in the process my hood fell off and a gush of wind passed, blowing my hair around. The moon hung high above us and I could see those delicate green eyes that held nothing more but interest in them. His hand went to my head pulling my hair out of my face and he let them linger in my cheeks. What soft hands. Hands that are filled with a warmth I’ve never felt before. As I look into his eyes I wonder what I look like to him and for the first time in a long time I wonder what someone else thinks of me. It makes me nervous.

I turn away from him and begin to walk. I hear his footsteps following behind. We stay like this for a while in silence, me in front of him and him behind before I turn around just to catch a peek at him. He has a small smile that plays on his lips and his hands in his pockets. He must have felt my gaze because we made eye contact but I immediately broke it. But as low as possible I hear him whisper under his breath. “How lovely.” It’s almost as if the wind took it to my ears. Maybe he was referring to the stars. I look up at them once more and indeed they are lovely. If only he thought that about me.