Ethereal - a kiani au

twenty five

• Will's POV •

I walked outside behind Jordan. My name was big and bold across his back. I couldn't help but smile. I walked to the driver's side of my car and opened it. My heart dropped a little when I looked up and saw Jordan walking to his car instead of mine. I thought maybe we could drive together. No, that was stupid. He wouldn't want to come back over after school today.

"You wouldn't mind taking me to school today, would you?" He asked. I turned around to see that he was pulling his backpack out of the car. Right.

"I'd love to," I answered with a smile.

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"You look good in all black," I said, climbing out of the car to join Jordan on the sidewalk. He smiled at the compliment and stood on his toes to kiss me on the cheek. We walked into school together, side by side.

"Will?" Someone asked as we walked by. I turned and looked around to see who was calling for me. "Are you guys like fucking or something?" The guy asked, stepping towards us and pointing to my name on Jordan's back.

"Why don't you fuck off," Jordan said, grabbing my hand and lacing his fingers into mine. My heart was pounding as we walked down the hall to first period. His fingers fit perfectly between mine. We've never really held hands before, especially not anywhere this public. It felt nice. It felt right. We gained a few stares from people in the hallways but I didn't care. Jordan's hand fit wonderfully in mine and he looked amazing in my clothes. I felt happy and I felt like I belonged. Those were two things that I haven't felt in a long time. Ever since I moved here, I've felt like an outsider and I've felt like shit because of my parents. It was nice to finally have someone like Jordan in my life. Don't get too comfortable. You have to tell him tonight. My grip on Jordan's hand loosened a bit and I tried not to think about how I was slowly falling in love with this boy.

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I tried to distance myself from Jordan all day. It broke my heart seeing the sparkle in his eyes and knowing that it would soon disappear. I didn't want to tell him but I knew it would only hurt worse if I kept it to myself.

"I have to tell you something," I said as we walked up the stairs to my room.

"I do too," he answered with a smile. I couldn't quite match his happiness but I tried. I sat down on my bed and he followed, tossing his bag onto the floor. "You go first," he said excitedly. I shook my head.

"You first, please," I responded. Jordan shook his head and covered his mouth. I could see his dimples on each side of his hand as he smiled. I took a deep, shaky breath. Don't cry, don't cry.

"Jordan," I started. "I really, really like you,"

"I like you too," he said, still smiling.

"Which is why we need to-" I spoke but it got caught in my throat. I couldn't say it. "Stop," I said quietly, my voice cracking.

"What do you mean?" He asked quietly. His smile was gone now.

"Listen, I don't know how to tell you this so I'm just going to say it. We need to break up," I said. I could feel the tears starting to form in my eyes and I tried my best to keep them back.

"W-what?" He asked. His eyes searched mine for answers. "I don't understand,"

"We graduate in a few weeks. I'm moving back to England with my dad for the summer," I said. A tear fell down my cheek and I wiped it away, annoyed. I was right about the sparkle in Jordan's eyes, it was gone now. "If we end this now, it will just be less pain for both of us. I never expected for this to happen. I never expected to like you this much," I added. Jordan was looking down at his hands and we sat in silence for a few seconds. "Please say something," I begged. He looked up at me, tears in his eyes.

"Can I tell you mine now?" He asked. He didn't say a word about me moving. I hesitantly nodded. "What I really wanted to tell you was..." He said, trailing off.

"What?" I asked. I couldn't take any more silence.

"It's stupid now. Why am I always so stupid?" Jordan asked himself, setting his head in his hands.

"You're not stupid. Just tell me," I said quietly, placing my hand on his arm.

"You really want to know?" He asked, not looking up.

"Yes, I really want to know," I answered, anxiously waiting for his response.

"I wanted to tell you that I love you," he said. I could feel my jaw drop open a little bit. "I wanted to tell you that because I do, Will. I am in love with you. I love your accent and I love the way you sound in the morning. I love the way you smile and I love the way you say my name. I love you, Will, all of you,"