2024 Story Collection

All I Wanted In That Moment Was To Exist Beside You II

She makes it back to school with just enough time to get her bag and head to class.

She walks through the halls, and everyone's eyes are on her, unsurprisingly.

"Who are you?" James asks. She turns to face the school's fuckboy.

"I don't have time for your shit." she turns away. "I'm going to be late for class." She walks off, but he follows her, trying to get her attention.

She ignores whatever the hell he's saying.

She is about to enter her class when he jumps in front of her, blocking the way. "Give me your name and I'll let you through. Just a name is all I want."

"The only thing you care about is getting your dick wet," she says.

His jaw drops at her words while everyone else in earshot bursts out laughing.

"Who are you?" he asks now through gritted teeth.

"She let down her hair, changes her clothes, shows off her tats and you don't recognize her? You really are a dick." Rodger says from behind James.

"Hey Leanne," he waves to her. "You look fucking fantastic."

She's so taken aback by his compliment, she doesn't know how to reply. That might be the first nice thing he's said to me.

Good thing James interrupts with a screech. "Leanne?"

"In the flesh." She smirks.

"But-" he asks, checking her out. She rolls her eyes at him.

"I'm hot, I know." She kicks him in the balls, making him crumple to the ground.

She goes to step over him, but he's curled up at an such an odd angle that makes it difficult. Rodger offers a hand. She hesitates for only a moment before taking it and stepping over the crying man at her feet.

"Thank you," she says. She goes to pull her hand back, but he intertwines their fingers before she has the change.

He leads her over to their usual seats.

"What are you doing?" she asks, looking at their intertwined hands.

"I take it that now that you're done playing dress up for your mysterious lover, you're available," she looks at him. No one knew she was in a relationship.

"This is me making my move," he says as he helps her into her seat, taking his seat beside her, once again taking her left hand in his right hand.

"You hate me," she says in disbelief. "What sudden'y changed?"

He turns to fully face her. "I never hated you," he says. "Were friends."

"What?" she asks in disbelief. "How does that work?"

"Did you not consider us friends?" he asks, hurt clear in his voice.

"You always insult me," she reasons.

"And you insult me back," he says. "That's our thing."

After a moment of her prolonged silence, he adds, "I thought it was friendly banter, bickering like an old married couple. I'm sorry if I hurt you. That was not my intention."

She thinks back then. She could see how he could've thought that. It changes everything. She looks back up at him but now seeing him in a completely different light.

"That's why you were so curious last night." She says in realization.

"You had been crying, I could tell," he says. "I wanted nothing more than to be there for you, but I could tell that wasn't what you needed. Seeing you today, I know I was right."

"How did you know I was in a relationship?"

"You would smile only when looking at your phone. You have no family, so I just put two and two together." He shrugs as if it was obvious.

"-and my tattoos?"

"You missed the back of your arm one day. I don't think anyone else noticed, but I did. Also, your skin was far too consistently one tone." He rubs the back of her tattooed hand with his thumb. "Not even you could be that flawless."

She sits there silent for a moment, taking in everything he just said. He had noticed all that?

When he came to meet her when he found out she was back from Japan, he was wearing pajamas, his hair was a mess. He was always dressed to the 9s. He would never let anyone see him like that. She felt stupid for just noticing.

He had always been there to say something shitty when she was down. She would throw an insult back and would soon forget about whatever she was upset about. He always sat with her. He was always there for her in that strange way.

"How long have you liked me?" She asks so unbearably curious.

"I liked you from the first moment I saw you, but only after I saw you at the convenience store down the road smoking one night did it hit me," he says, his eyes off somewhere else.

"You were dressed in a loose white t-shirt and basketball shorts, your flats kicked off. You sat with your legs wide apart, your oh so perfectly crafted character was gone and it was just you. Your makeup was half worn off and your real hair was in a messy braid down your back. You were smoking the strongest cigarettes that store sells. I know because I tried them once and about died, but there you were in all your glory-just existing and all I wanted in that moment was to exist beside you. I realized then that I loved you."

The words fell from his lips with ease, as if it hadn't changed everything all over again.

"Love?" she mumbles out the question.

"I shouldn't have said that," he says, turning away to hide the slight blush that spreads over his cheeks. He pulls his hand back from hers to cover his face.

She sits there, watching him, staring at the man beside her. The man that saw her, the real her and loved it, loved her.

He lets down his hands and glances back at her, "I wasn't trying to pressure you, I just-"

"Fuck it." She pulls him by the collar and kisses him.

He's in shock at first, but quickly pulls her closer into him, kissing her hard. People cheer around them. She flips them off as she smiles into the kiss.

The End.

February 8, 2024