for you

Part 66

"Do you have any history with Oliver? You know, during middle school?" I ask. 

"Yeah, he threatened me for something. I think I caught him harassing a girl and he threatened me saying if I told on him he'd make my life hell. It was the last week of me being in that school anyway so I told the teacher not long after so he never had the chance to fuck my life up."

My eyes widened. "Ethan.. he's here now. He's probably gonna find out and if I break up with him in the future, he's gonna blame you for it."

"That's something between me and Oliver, don't think about it too much."

"Yeah but.. I don't wanna add fuel to the fire. You don't know what he's capable of, Ethan. I've-"

"Ruby" he cuts me off. "You're too selfless. Stop putting others before you if it's gonna harm your own happiness. At the end of the day, it's you. So might as well focus on yourself than others hm?" 

I fell silent again. He was right, but I didn't want to believe it. 

Out of no where, he stood up and held out his hand. 

"This isn't the most suitable place. Let's go somewhere else."

"Suitable place for what? Ethan stop dragging me everywhere, you're making me go insane" I whine. 

"You'll see. And you won't regret it." So he brought me to his bike and we cycled away. 

---

"Do I get a hint of where this mystery place is?"

"No."

I pout. "I don't like you dragging me everywhere."

"It's not dragging. You just dramatically put it that way" he chuckles. 

"It's dragging if I don't wanna follow you!"

"Then do you want me to leave you right here?"

"No" I sigh. 

"Then shh." We went into the road and his bike went over a bumper, making his bicycle tilt backwards slightly so out of defence I hooked one arm around his torso so that I don't fall. 

I could feel his body tense in surprise, and it stayed like that for a couple seconds. I smiled to myself. There were times where his face became red and flushed out of no where, and I felt like it happens to me too when I'm around him. 

The one that stuck with me the most was when I hugged him, with my head buried in his chest the only thing I heard was the beautiful sounds of his breathing and the rapid beats of his heart. 

At first I thought those heartbeats were some sort of illness that he has but never told, but the heartbeats sounded calming, and the weirdest part was it aligned with my own. 

Without thinking twice I wrapped another arm around his waist and leaned into him. Like the vague memory in my mind, I could hear the faint sound of his heartbeat that warmed mine.

I was unfamiliar of this feeling blooming in my heart. It has been like that for the past few weeks whenever I hang out with him. It's a jittery, giddy and safe feeling? 

The kind that never fails to put the biggest and stupidest smile on my face, the one that makes me feel excited to go through a day, the kind that makes me feel so lucky and honoured. 

Something even the biggest trophy earned isn't worth.