Never In A Million Years

Chapter Twelve

"Hey, is this a bad time to come over?"

"Well considering you are here standing on my doorstep as we speak, I'm pretty sure it's too late to turn you down," I tell Drew, rolling my eyes.

I move to the side so he can walk inside past me.

"How's your day been?" He asks, following me up the stairs towards my bedroom.

"Fine, I guess..." I reply with a sigh.

"But it's better now..." He says with a wink.

"No, actually when you knocked on the door I almost cried."

"Of happiness....."

"No, because seeing your face makes my eyes hurt," I tell him.

"Yeah, because it's too hot. Maybe next time wear some sunglasses. That could help," Drew winks and laughs a little.

"You know... I've got nothing. You win," I roll my eyes, and open my door.

Drew just laughs. I try to ignore the melting feeling inside me as he does so.

"Do you have the recorder thing?" I ask, looking back at him before jumping onto my bed.

"No." He sits beside me.

"What? Why?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"It's illegal to just want to hang out with you?" Drew asks, laying down on the lower half of my bed.

I open my mouth to reply, but no words come out.

"I mean, I could go back and grab it, if you want," Drew shrugs.

"No, no, that's okay. We can hang out. We should hang out," I say quickly.

He laughs a little and says, "Great. I was worried about you only talking to me because you have to."

"No!" I exclaim before I realize it. "I mean, I always want to hang out with you. I mean, I wouldn't mind hanging out with you."

"That's a relief," Drew winks.

I let out a deep breath. I probably sound like a huge idiot right now. But I really find it hard to control myself around him lately. He makes me feel uncertain, unlike anyone I've ever known.

"I think I still have bruises on my arms from where you hit me with those apples," Drew laughs. "You can hit hard."

"And I still have bruises from rolling down the hill," I reply, with a smile.

When Drew starts laughing, I can't help myself from laughing along with him, letting my head fall backwards.

"You have a cute laugh," Drew says.

My eyes widen in shock.

What do I say now? Crap, he's looking at me. Think of a comeback, how do you reply to that? Think fast. Just say something!

"Your have a cute face."

I slap my hand over my face. Are you kidding me? This is what I get for pressuring myself. I've got to stop giving myself anxiety. And being stupid.

Drew's laughing. "Lili, it's okay." He gently removes my hands from my eyes. "You're too cute."

I feel my face turn bright red. I want my hands covering it again to hide me, but Drew is still holding onto my hands. He's staring intently into my eyes, watching me curiously.

"Why don't we go outside? It's nice out there. I've also got this really nice hammock," I tell him, desperate to remove his gaze from me for a few moments.