Run Away; C.R

(nineteen)

riley:

I happily listened to leah ramble on and on about the most random of topics. she was absolutely adorable, I couldn't think of any reason as to why she could possibly not have friends at school.

when chandler, cage, and brandon went bravely outside to try and power on the generator in order to give us our electricity back, leah had immediately dragged me back upstairs and started to make a safety fort.

we conjured up each pillow and blanket we would find and put them together in the ways I used to do as a child with my own sister, jayden.

"We'll make a sign that says no boys allowed." leah demanded giddily, and I smiled whilst agreeing with her every idea.

"we need a name for our fort." I suggested, looking around at the widely covered inside of the fort. it took up the majority of her large bedroom with a wide range of different colored sheets linking together to shield us from the outside. we even went as far as to bring a few candles in here to glow it up a bit.

"of course!" she shouted, as if she'd been trying to think of that all along. "we'll call it 'the rileah place.' I can make a sign for that, too!"

I fell into giggles as she bolted out the room only to come back seconds later with a giant wad of pink construction paper in her arms, along with a bucket full to the top with markers, colored pencils, glue, and scissors. she placed her small i-pod in between us, turning on an old pop song that I could just barely remember, but I listened happily while cutting stars out of my pink paper.

"are you and chandler boyfriend and girlfriend?" she asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

I shifted awkwardly, not sure how to answer this. I don't know whether chandler even told cage or brandon yet, so would he be okay with me telling cage's sister?

on the other hand, why would it even matter? she is just a kid.

"something like that, yes." I replied, my lips involuntarily widening into a smile as heat rose to my cheeks when I thought about the mental idea of chandler and I being together.

"I think boys are gross." she pointed out, scrunching her nose up to show disgust, and I couldn't help but giggle.

"they definitely are, leah, "I told her. "some are just, less gross than others."

"so, you love chandler? like, my mom and dad loved each other?"

oh.

"I don't know about love just yet, but I know I really, really like him."

her smile faltered when I said that, but I couldn't love chandler yet, right? we just started dating, and I have never been in love before...

"well, my brother says that chandler loves you."

my eyes immediately snapped up from my craft, widening at her words. "what? when was this?" I asked, a nervous smile making it's way across my lips.

"I don't know... maybe two or three weeks ago." she replied without looking up from her delicately scribbling fingers.

but, that was before chandler and I were even together. and how would cage even know that? did everyone know this except me? but most importantly... is it true?

suddenly, the lights began to flicker on and off for a while before shutting back off completely again. I sighed, and moments later there was a few soft knocks at the door. I opened the two connecting blankets to peek my head through and yelled for the awaiting person to open the door.