(✔) 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙗𝙤𝙮 ↳ (𝔃.𝓭.𝓱)

thirty-six !

"You know I could never stay mad at you for long."

Zach grinned at Everly's words, but almost as soon as it had come, it vanished. He could feel his heart racing and his palms clammy with sweat. His face felt warm and prickly. Why was he so nervous that Everly was right next to him? They slept in the same room for Pete's sake, and he couldn't even sit next to her without feeling like he was going to start hyperventilating? Classic Zach.

"H-Hey, I'm sorry about getting mad at you earlier for beating up Aaron. I know you just wanted to help..." Everly said suddenly, breaking the silence between them.

Zach shrugged. "It's okay. And it was my fault. I should've thought about it before doing anything first. And I should've known you could handle yourself perfectly fine," He laughed rather sheepishly, Everly joining along with him.

"But seriously though. Thank you. For doing that when you didn't have to. You're always doing things to help me," Everly said gratefully, turning away from Zach so he couldn't see the faint blush on her cheeks.

Zach felt his heart thump harder in his chest. "Of course. Anything for you, Everly."

Another thing Tyler used to say to her.

Everly was confused. She hugged her knees to her chest, staring dazedly up at the starlit sky. Did she like Zach? I mean, she did. But did she really? But why else would she feel her heart beat faster when she saw him? The feeling of joy and sudden excitement when she heard his laugh, saw his smile. Loved any second of the day she spent with him? Of course she liked him. Maybe even more than like.

Her chest squeezed painfully and anxiety filled her. Was this love? If it was, she didn't know what to do, how to act. She had been hurt so much in the past, numbing her and scaring her away from any thoughts of love and affection with somebody. What if Zach hurt her too? She had grown even more attached to Zach compared to anybody else. If he broke her heart, what would she even do? It would be even worse than her previous guy.

"Everly? Are you okay?"

She hadn't even realised she had been crying. Her eyes and cheeks felt wet and she hastily wiped them away. She looked away quickly, but she could still feel Zach's worried stare lingering over her.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course."

Zach scooted over closer to her, concern laced in his tone. "No you're not. What's wrong? You can tell me," He said comfortingly, placing his hand gently over Everly's.

Everly leaned into his shoulder. She drew a deep breath. "I...I like you, Zach. I like you. A lot. And I know you probably don't feel the same. But it doesn't matter. I'm just...scared I guess? That you're gonna hurt me. I don't wanna be hurt again like I was last time. I'm scared, I really am. What if—?"

She was cut off all of a sudden when Zach pressed his lips against hers. Everly stopped breathing, stopped moving, stopped everything and just kissed back. She was in utter shock and bliss. She had read about how first kisses were supposed to feel like, and this was exactly how it felt. Fireworks and sparks and stars behind her eyelids. Warmth surged through her chest, and her heart was going a mile a minute. It felt like heaven. Butterflies that had only been fluttering around in her stomach earlier were now attacking it.

After what felt like an amazing eternity, they slowly pulled away, the both of them still in complete awe. Zach's cheeks were flushed pinker than usual, and his dark eyes were shining with stars.

"I do feel the same about you. I like you too, Everly. A lot. And I'll never hurt you. Never. I'll make sure that you're the happiest girl on the planet, I'll never break your trust," Zach said sincerely.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

Zach was only inches away from her now. If he moved any closer, they were going to be kissing.

"Because I love you, Everly Wilson. I always will."

And she witnessed what heaven felt like again.

_______________________________

SHIT I HOPE I GAVE YOU WHAT YALL WANTED. I WORKED REALLY HARD ON WRITING THIS. ANYWAY THIS BOOK IS ALMOST OVER. ALMOST.

x,
k