Maybe This Is Love, |✔️

Chapter 16

Two blissful weeks have gone by since the night Parker and I shared in the beautiful abandoned garden. Now, it was almost Halloween weekend and all that everyone could talk about was the Halloween costume party that Kimberly Siu is throwing tonight.

He has his arm swung casually around my shoulder and his green argyle sweater is so close to my face that I could identify the exact laundry detergent it had been washed with.

"You wanna sit with the guys and me at lunch today?" Parker suggests as we walk through the school's large quad. I could smell the freshly brewed coffee that the creative students love to sip as they relax in the sun between classes, rather than sit in the air-conditioned common room.

The school had decorated the garden area with Romanesque sculptures and statues that previous Art students had been forced to make on an assignment. It all looks very picturesque and makes Beaumont Hill School look even more elegant than it already is.

Sometimes I wonder to myself how lucky I am to be able to go to such a prestigious school. I'd always assumed that I was going to hate it here due to the reputation of it being filled with snobs and elitists but walking side by side with Parker makes me realise that rumours are exactly just that. Rumours.

I haven't been to the canteen since the whole Brett incident but now that he's been expelled I do admit I feel a bit safer. But still, the anxiety of having to walk in front of all those people who witnessed me being violently shoved to the ground like a football by a 6 foot 3 rugby player made me feel like sinking into the floor.

"I don't know..." What if Parker's friends don't even like me? What if they're the snobs that I had been warned about. As if he senses my apprehension, he gently draws me in closer with his left arm so his minty fresh breath is tingling against my cheek.

"We don't have to if you don't want to, Harls." He looks at me earnestly, with his piercing grey eyes. "We can chill in the quad if it doesn't get too cold and if it does we can go to an empty classroom like we normally do."

Now I felt bad, ever since he found out about my AvPD, he's been ever so considerate about learning my triggers and trying to help me avoid them. But I don't want to hold him back or keep him from hanging out with his friends. He's been having lunch with me ever since and I imagine his friends complaining about the lack of quality time he's spending with them.

I shake my head and the curls that I braided then unbraided this morning bob against my ears. "Do you know what? Let's do it." I decide.

"Yeah?" His eyes lit up and he squeezes my shoulder encouragingly.

"Yeah, why not?" I smile, feeling a new surge of confidence.

I can do this. It's just a few teenagers eating together, it's not as if it's such a big deal. Besides, I've been doing so well these past few months who's to say I can't overcome this disorder? It's not impossible, Tracy told me so. I just need to practice, right?

"You're awesome, you know that?" He smiles, his pearly white teeth gleaming at me.

He nudges me and jerks his head towards the doors. "Come on."

We walk through the entrance doors and the hallways towards the canteen. His arm still casually swung around my shoulder makes it a little difficult to move due to the significant height difference but I don't mind so much.

I come to an abrupt halt once we reach the canteen doors, much to the annoyance of the other students who were walking behind us.

Immediately, Parker moves in front of me, a look of worry planted on his beautiful face.