𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝙀𝙅 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡

↳ 15

(A/N - Hi guys! I want to apologize for being absent this past few days, I was on vacation with my family and, therefore, didn't find much free time to write.

From now on, I want to write more and more chapters, especially because I love all these characters so much, and I just LOVE where the plot is going. Thank you for reading and sticking with me through this, I hope you enjoy today's chapter!)

Autumn tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep. After a while, the girl finally settled in laying on her back, facing the little stars painted on her ceiling.

No matter how much she tried, Autumn seemed incapable of shutting off her own brain. It was like her mind was playing tricks on her – every time her eyes fluttered close, the events of that afternoon would replay in her mind.

﹏﹏﹏

A few hours earlier

"Are you kidding me?" Autumn mumbled. She was supposed to accompany EJ to the school's nursery, which she did.

However, the nurse was nowhere to be seen, and Autumn was still worried about the boy she grew to entitle her best friend.

Suddenly, a glint of determination appeared in Autumn's hazel eyes, and EJ swore that he saw a light bulb lighting up above her head.

She gently pushed him towards one of the chairs, making him sit down as she swiftly disappeared behind the white shelves full of medicines.

A few moments later, Autumn was already back by his side, carefully holding a bag of ice against his injured lip. EJ winced at the sudden coldness, but he let her take care of him.

She was taking care of him. For the first time in his life, someone other than his cousin was willing to be kind to him, to care for him, even when he stepped out of line.

That thought alone made his heart melt. He could feel it beating rapidly in his chest as he took in the sight of the girl's focused yet kind expression, and he completely embraced all these new, marvelous feelings.

The senior leaned into Autumn's touch, and she smiled softly at him. EJ was too focused on his own thoughts – thoughts of her – that he didn't register that she was speaking.

"Are you even listening, J?" The girl asked, immediately giggling at his confused expression.

"I'm sorry, tulip, I dozed off. What were you saying?" EJ replied, his voice so soft that if she wasn't so close to him, she wouldn't have heard it.

In reality, Autumn was also having trouble keeping any thoughts of him away from her mind. But how could she when he was right in front of her, looking at her like she was the best damn person in the whole universe?

"I said you should take your shirt off." She repeated herself. Only a second later, she realized how blunt she was, and her eyes widened, a crimson blush warming her cheeks. "I-I mean, it's already stained with blood, you probably want to wash it."

He chuckled at her nervousness, although he could feel himself blushing as well – another first for him. Autumn sighed in relief, his beautiful smile telling her that he didn't misinterpret her words.

EJ quietly rose from his chair, sliding his shirt off before applying a soft kiss to her forehead, silently thanking her for all her love and support.

The moment was cut too short when Ricky entered the infirmary, looking for EJ. He frowned at the sight of his best friend and his sworn enemy together in what seemed like a very intimate and private moment.

Ricky never understood what Autumn saw in a guy like EJ, and their friendship really bothered the Bowen boy at first. However, Ricky saw how that very same friendship made Autumn so happy, and of course, he had to accept it.

Still, that didn't mean he was used to seeing them together. Ricky cleared his throat, announcing his presence, and Autumn looked at Ricky over her shoulder, her eyebrows creased in a slight frown.

"Hey," Ricky said, approaching the other two teenagers. "How's the lip?"

"All good," EJ answered shortly, while the Campbell girl turned back to him, returning to her task of gently pressing the ice bag against his bloody lip.

"Listen, uh, I don't know what happened out there... It was an accident." Ricky tried to explain, stumbling over his words.

"Really? Because infinity plus one sounded pretty real." The senior affirmed bitterly. Autumn lightly hit his arm, trying to tell him to behave.

"That's not even a number," Ricky mumbled, clearly feeling guilty.

"Do me a favor and stay away from me and Nini, okay?" EJ questioned, although it was more like a threat. Autumn took a deep breath, already knowing where this little fight was going.

"Excuse me?" Ricky asked, confused by the sudden mention of his ex-girlfriend.

"Rick, maybe you should go." The girl stated, trying to prevent whatever was going to happen.

"Don't act like my best friend, don't act like her boyfriend, just stop acting, period." EJ declared, rolling his eyes as he slipped on his jacket and zipped it. "Just stop trying, it's embarrassing."

"Dude, I'm just trying to say I'm sorry." The junior boy muttered, not knowing how to deal with EJ's anger.

"You want to apologize? You can start with that thirsty voicemail you left for Nini." The senior blurts out, and Autumn's eyes quickly widen as she realized that EJ just revealed too much info to Ricky. "Just go home."

Autumn grabbed EJ's hand, dragging him outside – not before she apologized to Ricky for his behavior, though.

The realization of the impact of EJ's previous words sunk in and the boy started shaking, knowing it was the end. Ricky would figure it all out and tell Nini before he had the chance to. And that scared him.

Autumn's arms wrapped around him in a warm hug, and EJ allowed himself to calm down a little, knowing that at least she didn't abandon him, even when he told her what he did.

For a second, it didn't matter if Nini would forgive him or not because, no matter what, he still had Autumn.

﹏﹏﹏

Back to the present time

Autumn sighed, closing her eyes once more as the image of EJ's chocolate brown eyes evaded her mind for the millionth time that night.

She knew her feelings towards the boy were blossoming into something more, something deeper, of course she knew.

That night, she fell asleep to the thoughts of the Caswell boy.