we are young ↣ lunch club imagines

remind me of - ted

remind me of - hoodie allen
858 words

it was ted's first time home since moving out to LA, and you two were hanging out in the only way you knew how: crusing around your tiny new england town with the windows down and the music up.

"hey, ted," you began.

he turned down the music and glanced over to you as he drove.

"i'm really glad you're home."

a small smile grew on his face, "i'm glad i'm home too, y/n. i missed this."

in highschool you two had been thick as theives, doing everything together. you'd never tell him, but you couldn't deny the fact that you'd had feelings for him.

but as his channels grew, he became more distant, eventually moving across the country for his career. naturally, your feelings faded.

right?

then why did your heart still skip a beat whenever you'd catch him glancing to you at a red light? or whenever you'd brush against eachother during your terrible car dance parties?

the two of you reminisced as you passed through town, landmarks bringing up memories that you hadn't thought of in months.

"and-and remember how purple the clerk got when you stood up? the blue stained your shirt so bad!" ted was talking about the time that he'd jumped out at you in 7/11 and caused you to trip and spill your slushie everywhere.

"it's not funny, ted! i'm still banned!" it's true, you have to wait in the car whenever a friend needed to make a stop.

"speaking of," ted pulled into the parking lot of the very same 7/11. "usual order?"

you nodded, handing him the dollar for your drink.

"no, no. i got it." he smiled as he refused your dollar. he'd randomly started paying for your slushies about halfway through junior year of highschool, but you still offered every time.

he left the car running and jogged into the store. why are your feelings resurfacing now? it's not like he's back for good. but god did you wish he was.

soon enough, you saw ted walk out of the store with his typical dopey grin. he had you guys' slushies, a red and a blue, and an extra cup so you could trade half of your slushies with eachother.

you grinned and took your cup, pouring half into the extra. ted grabbed your cup as he dumped half of his in as well, his hand covering yours.

you never wanted him to move it away.

ted was oddly quiet as he drove, slurping away but not saying much else. he wouldn't tell you where he was taking you, but he'd been planning it all day apparently.

the silence got you thinking.

you thought of all the movie nights you'd had together, where you curled into his side and fell asleep every time, no matter what.

or the days that you'd tried to teach him to bake, but only ended with brownie batter everywhere, ted's hair included. but he always made sure to wipe the batter off of your face first.

you thought of sophomore homecoming, when ted had gotten stood up. you two went together and had the time of your lives.

god, he looked so dorky in that bowtie.

you almost didn't notice when ted stopped the car and turned off the engine.

"y/n," ted set his slush in the cup holder, so you did the same, shifting to face him.

glancing around, you realized that you were parked on daisy hill, a spot that couples frequented during your highschool days.

"ted," you shot him a grin, but dropped it when you saw his face. he had a worried look, a look you so rarely saw.

he took your hands in his, causing your heart to skip a beat. you flashed back to the day on his couch, took both your hands, and told you he was leaving. you couldn't handle this again.

tears stung your eyes as you immediately began imagining the worst.

"y/n, i have to tell you something." he's leaving for good, isn't he? "i don't want to ruin our friendship, but i wouldn't tell you this if i didn't mean it." he's never coming back for me. he's gone forever.

ted took a deep breath.

"i've... i've had feeings for you for a very long time." your heart stopped, just for a moment.

what?

"since about junior year of highschool, actually," he continued. ted looked to you with hope in his eyes.

"i..." you didn't know how to respond. the moment you'd wanted for years, but you couldn't think of anything to say.

"no, it's fine. you don't feel the same way, it's okay." he began to drop your hands, "just forget-"

"ted." you finally spoke.

"yeah?" the hope had faded from his eyes.

"i like you too."

a smile spread across his face, the smile you loved seeing. the smile you missed so dearly.

"i'm... i'm really glad to hear that," he began to lean forward. you did the same, closing the gap between your faces.

this was it, the kiss you'd been wanting for years.

and it was better than you ever imagined.