𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 (j.martell)

₀₁₂ 𝐈𝐌 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐁𝐘𝐄𝐒

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

THE OLEFF twins were gathered among their friends around the campfire in their backyard. The air was frozen and thick, but it hadn't snowed in a few days.

Jaeden's arms were snaked around his girlfriend's neck, her hands interlocked with his. Wyatt was sat beside the two with a small, wooden stick grasped between his fingers, a marshmallow hovering over an open flame at the other end of it.

Meanwhile, Chosen, Finn and Jeremy sat across from them, each silently roasting marshmallows of their own. Jack had gone home after bowling as he had to wake up early the next day for a flight, and it was far quieter despite there being only one less person present.

Jaeden was leaving early the next morning too. He had to leave the Oleff's house at around four for his flight to Philadelphia at seven. He'd insisted on staying for the final evening so that he could say goodbye to all of his friends.

"When will you be back from Philly?" Asked Wyatt, earning a shrug in response.

"I'm not sure exactly... a few weeks?" He said, turning back towards the group. 

Throughout the night, waverly's smile had been thinning; she started to feel emptier the more she thought about him leaving, and tightened her grip on his hands to help reassure herself that everything would be fine.

Jaeden, however, felt the squeeze of her shaky hands and turned to face her worriedly, "hey, everything alright?" She nodded weakly as he kissed the top of her head, feeling a knot ball up in the back of her throat.

She suddenly had that awful feeling that you get before you're about to cry - that gut wrenching pain that you get when you're about to lose someone. So she laid her head onto his shoulder and let herself sleep. A dream-filled sleep, hopefully, so that she could forget about everything bad that was happening.

——

SHE SHUFFLED uncomfortably in her seat before giving in to the pit in her stomach. A single whimper escaped her mouth, a lonely tear dropped slowly from her saddened eyes. 

Why was she crying for someone she'd known for less than a week? She knew exactly why. There was just something about him. He was her Romeo, and she was his Juliet.

Maybe not love at first sight, but she knew she couldn't keep her eyes off of him at first sight. But now, he had to go. Her first boyfriend - no, her first trusted boyfriend. He made her feel safe and happy.

Only Waverly knew that she wasn't the bright, perky girl that she seemed to be. But the way that he told her she was perfect as she was and the way that he assured her that she didn't have to change one bit; that was what she would miss the most.

And if she was honest with herself, she would know that the reason she needed him was because she felt empty until he had stepped into the snow just a few days ago.

He really did just waltz in and sweep her off of her feet. And now he was waltzing back out, and she would still be off of her feet, but he wouldn't be there to catch her.

So now, sat trembling in his arms, she already knew she was falling. Falling to the ground; metaphorically, yes. Falling in love; literally, yes.

She wiped her tears away, stood herself up, and walked towards the house. The others all watched her leave, shrugging, but Jaeden could see through the glass doors as she faced them that she was crying.

He sat in silence for a few minutes, looking up at her bedroom window, seeing her talking to someone. He scrambled to his feet and followed her inside, slipping his shoes off and darting up the stairs after her.

Waverly was sprawled across her bed, the sheets crumpled and out of place, her hair loose and messy, as though she'd already been crying for hours.

She was on her phone, most likely talking to Hermione.

Jaeden reluctantly leant against the door frame, clearing his throat slightly, "Hey, Wave." His voice was soft and serious - calming, even. Waverly's head snapped back towards him.

"Look, I'm-" he stopped himself, shaking his head, "I don't wanna leave you." He sat down beside her. "But I have to, and so I'm going to make it easier for both of us."

Waverly furrowed her eyebrows, sitting up so that she was facing him, "what do you mean?" She asked, fiddling with her fingers.

"I mean, maybe Wyatt was right." He sighed, Waverly's brain whirring with thought as she tried to figure out what was happening, "he was right that we've known each other for a week."  Jaeden paused, sighing. "He was right in saying that we totally rushed things." He continued, "so maybe he's right in saying we should just be friends first."

Waverly let out a slight gasp. That was it. Jaeden hadn't even waltzed out. He'd ran out and slammed the door, leaving Waverly to crumble to the ground.

She couldn't muster up a single word. Not one. So, simply, she pointed to the door and Jaeden frowned. "Please, can we talk." He pleaded, his voice shaking, "you can't just shut me out, Waverly. This hurts for me too." He watched as she took a deep breath in, collecting herself.

"So all of those things that you said to me, you were doubting yourself the whole time?" She asked, Jaeden nodding his head nervously. "Well since we don't know each other, here's something that not even my brother knows." She stood herself up and looked down at him.

"My last boyfriend mentally abused me. My last best friend physically abused me. Then some amazing guy, who my brother already loves, walks into my life, and makes me feel safe and hopeful for the first time in a while... and it feels amazing." Wverly paused as she watched jaeden's face contort into a concerned expression.

"I thought that you'd be my key to happiness, Jae. I thought that, finally, I would have everything I needed." She wandered towards her window, looking outside at her brother and his friends laughing together.

"Don't get me wrong." She said, "I love everything about my life. My brother. My friends. How fortunate I am." She looked down at Jaeden, "I love everything about my life except me."

"Well then you must be crazy." He said, letting out a breathless laugh, "because everyone who doesn't love you is crazy. You are amazing! I'm not doing this because I don't love you, I'm doing this because it's too hard to love you without being able to see you."

He sat beside her and tucked a strand of her messy hair behind her ear. "Waverly, this is nothing that you should take personally. You are perfect. This is just me trying to make us both as happy as we can be." A small smile wandered across her cheeks, followed by a faint blush. "And I'm only in Philly for a few weeks. If Mike and Eleven could go 353 days, then we can go 30, right?" He laughed, Waverly letting out a small giggle with him.

"You know, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe we could do it." He said firmly, looking up at her. She gave him a confused look and he simply smiled back. "Maybe we can stay happily together. And by the time I get back, we'll have texted each other so much, that I'll know everything about you." He grinned goofily at her.

"So?" He asked as she looked hopefully up at him, her head nodding ever so slightly. She leaned up towards him, her arms wrapping around his neck instantly and carefully pressed her lips onto his.

Jaeden was surprised at first, but his arms were soon at her waist as he kissed back. "I'm so in love with you." He whispered, leaning their foreheads together. "We can keep this a secret for a little longer, right?" He asked.

Waverly suddenly pulled away from him and she twisted abruptly to face her discarded phone.

"You've gotta be shitting me!"

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.