#18 in TeenFic
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❝Don't,❞ he pleaded softly, offering her a tiny smile, ❝please don't make me a promise you will never be able to keep.❞ He released a quiet but deep breath, leaning forward even more, tilting his body towards her, until thei...
BREE didn't understand the guy. She really didn't.
He was a damn paradox and she felt like each good moment was only going to be neutralised by a bad one. There was no black and white with them -- just grey. A whole stretch of unfaltering grey.
They always had to come to a midpoint, a balance of some kind. Things were really good one moment and she felt like she was making progress, and then something would happen, and it was like she was back to square one.
Things seemed to be at a midpoint now. And it felt safe, stable even.
Howard's class was done and the sounds of chairs being dragged back, thick books being shut, and the scrambling of feet filled the air. Soon enough, murmuring began and it slowly turned to loud chatter.
Bree gathered her study materials too and was slightly let down when she saw that Nick had already collected his things and left the class. Either way, she was still fixated on the fact that he'd actually smiled at her regardless of how tiny it was.
It was something.
Bree found that she was involuntarily smiling to herself, and she quickly dropped it from her face, feeling lightheaded for reasons she couldn't possibly fathom.
Today was strange. Nick was behaving strange. She herself was acting strange. It was a good kind of strange and she liked it.
Silly girl, she chided herself teasingly.
When she stepped out the room, still debating whether to to head to the cafeteria or the quad because it was lunch time now, she passed by somebody without really paying attention.
The particular person's hand caught onto hers, unfamiliar and unrecognisable, and Bree stopped in her tracks, turning her whole body around in astonishment.
Nick?
Was he waiting by the door the entire time while she gathered her stuff?
The fact that he hadn't just abruptly left like she had initially thought seemed to please her. Such a strange, strange day today.
"I'm sorry," she said, "didn't see you there." Bree smiled sheepishly.
Nick pressed his lips together, as if pushing back a smile. Bree didn't know why he had to do that. He looked better than he already did when he smiled.
Maybe she should tell him that. But then she realised he was still holding her hand and figured it might make things slightly awkward.
"I don't doubt it," he muttered, but there was no rudeness in his tone and Bree was glad about that. "Remember me telling you once that you aren't one for observing your surroundings?"
Bree rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "I guess that aspect of me needs some changing, huh?"
Nick seemed to be finding it harder and harder to hold back the smile that was threatening to slip onto his face. Bree could see it in the way his lips twitched uncontrollably and how he bent his head downwards slightly, scratching the side of his nose in a discreet manner. Except that she'd noticed it.
"No, Bree," he told her, the smile finally taking over his sharp features. "I don't think that needs changing. It's quite endearing, really... when you think about it."
Blood rushed to her cheeks like wildfire and he fiddled with the strap of his backpack, not meeting her eyes.
This was so painfully awkward.
"Um, Nick?" Bree called, surprised her voice was steady as ever. "You wanted something? I mean, you were waiting here for me and I figured there must have been something you wanted, you know, otherwise there'd be no point in you waiting while I gathered my stuff. Not that I don't like talking to you or anything, but I'm just guessing there must be something--"
"Jesus Christ, Bree, please feel free to shut up anytime now," his tone held humour -- like there was the ghost of his laughter Bree was yet to hear woven through his words. And she suddenly wished Claire could see how teasing he was being now, and not his otherwise snappy self.
"Right," she mumbled, feeling like slapping herself. She needed to get that mouth of hers under control sometimes. Oh, who was she kidding? Most times.
"But yeah, you were right," he nodded, "I did want to say something."
Bree was hearing what he was saying and she could swear she was paying her utmost attention -- but then why did her mind also stay fixated on the fact that he hadn't let go of her hand yet?
"I wanted to thank you," he told her sincerely. Nick didn't scratch the back of his neck, or the side of his head or even shift on his feet. He was being a goddamn man about it, and Bree couldn't help the surge of admiration she felt for him in that moment. "I really, really didn't expect you to do something so... considerate, I guess. Especially since I basically bit your friend's head off yesterday. I'm not apologising for that, by the way, because I still hate her." He shrugged, lifting his left shoulder and dropping it down like he was sorry about it, but not sorry at the same time.
"But thanks for the notes, and thanks for respecting me enough to send it through my..."
"Relative-of-sorts?" Bree suggested, a soft smile on her face when he left his sentence hanging.
Nick opened his mouth, seemed to think deeply about something, and then closed it. Bree watched as an unreadable expression slowly took over his face.
"Friend," he finally said as if he too just came to this conclusion, and the left corner of his lips lifted into a half-smile. A nostalgic sort of half-smile too. "He is family to me at the end of the day."
Bree smiled at that, feeling touched at the idea that he may not be so alone as she initially thought after all.
"Yeah, it's kind of hard to not grow fond of Dale," Bree laughed.
"He's an insufferable dork," Nick snorted, but Bree could swear there was an undercurrent of affection in his tone.
"Grows on you though," Bree remarked, watching as the very person the two of them were speaking about descended the staircase on the other end of the corridor, his messy dark brown hair all over the place, sticking out at every possible angle. Such an idiot.
"He really is an old goof, isn't he?" Nick sighed, shaking his head to himself with slight amusement as they stood there together, watching as Dale walked towards the entrance of the cafeteria with his bag over his head and one of its straps in his mouth as he chewed on the end of it.
"He really is," Bree agreed -- and the moment was perfect.
Smiles on their faces, worries tucked away for a few seconds as they watched the proof of innocence still existing in this world.
All they needed was to take a look at the simplicity around them sometimes to be reminded of that fact.
