In Between (lynn loud jr x fem! oc)

Close To You

     Lynn and Daisy had just left the game when Lynn's dad pulled up in Vanzilla. The backseat was cluttered with a few sports gear items and empty coffee cups, evidence of a busy week with 11 children. Lynn opened the back door and gestured for Daisy to climb in first. As they buckled up, Lynn's dad glanced at his daughter through the rearview mirror, his eyebrows quirking up when he noticed the shimmer on her cheeks.

     "Lynn," he said with exaggerated curiosity, "is that glitter on your face? Did you have a run-in with a craft project gone wrong, or...?"

     Lynn felt herself blush as she quickly rubbed at her cheek, realizing the sparkles from the impromptu glitter fight in the art room earlier had stubbornly clung to her skin. "Uh, yeah. Just some... leftover art class mishap," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

     Daisy snickered beside her, covering her mouth with her hand. "Yeah, a very intense art class," she added, trying to keep a straight face.

     Lynn's dad gave them both a suspicious but amused glance, his lips twitching up into a smile. "Alright, alright. I won't pry. But you two are looking pretty festive." He returned his eyes to the road and added, "What did the left eye say to the right eye?" Without waiting for an answer, he said, "Between you and me, something smells!"

     Both Lynn and Daisy groaned in unison, exchanging a look that said typical dad joke. But Daisy's eyes sparkled with amusement, and Lynn found herself smiling despite the awkwardness.

     The ride continued with Lynn's dad rattling off more bad jokes, keeping the atmosphere light and just a little bit embarrassing. When they finally reached Lynn's house, they quickly scrambled out of the car, thanking him for the ride as they headed inside.

------------------

     Once they were in the living room, Lynn grabbed the remote, glancing at Daisy. "Okay, so what do you wanna watch?" she asked, already bracing herself for a potential argument. She had a list of favorites in mind—action, horror, maybe something animated—but she could tell from the glint in Daisy's eye that they weren't on the same page.

     Daisy folded her arms and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hmm... I think I know," she said, snatching the remote from Lynn's hand playfully. "We're watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days."

     Lynn rolled her eyes but didn't put up much of a fight. "Of course you'd pick a rom-com," she teased, but there was no real annoyance in her voice. If anything, she liked the way Daisy looked when she was being stubborn. "Fine, fine. But you owe me the next pick."

     "Deal," Daisy said with a triumphant smile as she flopped onto the couch, pulling a fluffy throw blanket over her lap. "And no backing out of it."

     As the movie started, Lynn sat down next to Daisy, leaving a small gap between them. It wasn't long before the on-screen banter and romantic hijinks made the space feel unbearably wide. She glanced at Daisy, who was intently watching Kate Hudson's antics with a grin.

     Lynn's thoughts kept drifting away from the movie, her pulse quickening at the idea of closing the distance between them. She debated it over and over—should I make a move or not? It wasn't like she hadn't thought about it a hundred times before, but now, sitting together under the soft glow of the TV, it felt like an actual possibility.

     She took a deep breath, then decided to go for it in the most cliché way possible. Lynn stretched her arms up with an exaggerated yawn and let one arm drape over Daisy's shoulders, trying her best to act casual about it.

     Daisy glanced at Lynn's arm, then up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Did you just do the classic arm-over move?" she asked, half-teasing, half-smiling.