Paper Hearts

01. l e t t e r s

|| i dedicate my first chapter to Jeanne, my best friend, who has such a beautiful mind and has been there for me since day one || 

🂱 🂱 🂱 🂱 🂱

I promise to play with your hair, not your feelings.

Confusion bubbled inside of me. Without it wanting to, those ten words seemed to have such an impact on me. A strained sound came from my throat, a mixture of both anger and exasperation.

"Another letter?" I turn my head to see Tomas leaning against the lined lockers beside me.

Sighing, I sling my backpack onto my shoulder as I shut my locker. "Yeah," I step in unison with him and together we walk towards the exit of our school. "I mean, come on Tomas, this is already the fourth letter in the past two weeks!" I continuously bang my head against his shoulder. The muscles flex in his shoulder to pull me away.

"Calm down there, Buttercup." He says, patting my arm. I give him a look of distraught while deciding to pull my leg back and kick him in the shin. Tomas chuckles lowly, a smile spreads across his face allowing me to see that glorious smile of his.

Placing my head down on his shoulder, I wrap my arm around his waist. To my surprise, Tomas brings his arm out and does the same, his fingers tightening on the side of my stomach. "I just want to know who this person is." I choose to close my eyes and let Tomas do all the guiding for me, knowing I can trust him.

I feel others brushing past me, either grazing my skin or harshly bumping into me. But there's nothing I can feel more than Tomas' skin against mine, the side of his waist pressed on my waist. His fingers graze the skin peaking out ever so slightly from under my shirt, the touch warm and soft. It makes me understand all those girls I hear bragging about their best guy-friend. Now it was my turn to live that experience myself.

I felt a gust of wind flitter across my face, and decided that was the best time for me to open my eyes. The sun welcomed me with its bright ray's that never failed to temporally blind me. I put a hand over my eyes to shade them from the sun. I hear Tomas chuckle lightly next to me.

"What's so funny?" I turn my head and gaze at him, my eyes holding a challenge.

"Oh nothing," he smirks. "You just look like a deer at headlights whenever you look at the sun."

"Doesn't everyone?" I ask.

"Not necessarily." He said.

I huffed, attempting to stop this conversation. I stop in front of my car, and dig through my backpack for my keys.

"I still don't see why you won't get a purse," Tomas interjects. "Like every other girl in this school."

I waved him off with my free hand, shooing away his thoughts. "Purses are overrated. Why do you need to take a purse and on top of that a backpack to school? It's not like you're going to go shopping in the school library or anything." Rolling my eyes, my hands land on what felt like my keys. Smiling, I pull them out and quickly unlock my car.

"But- "

"No 'buts', remember? 'Buts' are for people in doubt." I grabbed onto the handle of my car door, and gently open it. I slip inside and place my backpack on the passenger seat, gently patting it.

Once I turn on the ignition, but not before putting on my seatbelt, I wave to Tomas from my side of the car."Cya, buddy. I got to go home and do my homework."

"No!" He suddenly gasps. "Don't leave me, Coralina! I love you!" He dramatically grips onto the passenger side window, his knuckles turning white. "Be my Juliet, and I promise to be your Romeo!"

I bite my lip to contain the laughter that was threatening to spill out, and I slowly begin to drive. "Romeo, Romeo, where art thou?" I ask, glancing around. "Oh, right, dead." I let my laughter spill out as a smile spreads across Tomas' face, his dimples peaking out. "Now I must go." I say, in between laughs.

I press on the accelerator and drive home, the thoughts of what just occurred lingering like the lost memories of what could've been.