Perfect Strangers

20| Hope

Chapter 20: Hope (Carter's POV)

"Come on, come on, come on!" I grabbed her hand and tugged towards the school exit. It was now Friday. Because I've been walking her to school and back every day, I still wanted to do it, but to set up our little date, I had to be home early. 

She was standing at her locker, talking to Hannah with some of her books in her hands. "Why are we rushing?" she asked while walking with me anyway. 

"Because I have to get home," I answered. 

"Why?" she asked. 

"To set up our date." I gave her a pointed look. 

"Why?" 

"If I don't set it up, who will?" 

"Why?" she laughed. 

"You think you're so funny," I narrowed my eyes at her. 

"I know I am, ouch," she laughed when I poked her sides. "I just show up at eight?" she asked, linking her arm with mine. 

"I will come get you at eight," I replied. 

"Oki-doke," she said as we approached her house. 

"Oki-doke," I chuckled, "Bye." 

"Bye," she smiled before going into her house. I continued walking home and then went straight up to my room once I got there. I tossed my bag aside and sighed. 

Let's set up. 

◆:*:◇:*:◆:*:◇:*:◆

I stood up with a sigh while crawling out. "Please don't fall apart again," I whispered under my breath. It seemed to listen because it didn't. Obviously, I wasn't just going to call her to my room and we played games, what the hell kind of a date would that be? So I set up a fort. 

And added those little twinkling lights- what are they? Fairy lights! Because she liked them. 

I set up pillows, blankets, snacks, put my laptop in there so we could watch a movie later if she wanted. I went and changed before crawling back inside and sitting there, staring at what I just did. 

I could not believe I put in so much an effort for a girl, the kind of effort I've never put in before. It seemed to click in me a few days ago that I liked her. I knew it, but I didn't really admit it to myself and just disagreed with it, blowing it off. But now that I was sitting here, looking at how foreign the feeling of wanting to please someone the way I want to please her was. I knew that I liked her.

I really liked her. I caught feelings for her. And all I can do is hope. Hope that she feels the same. Cause otherwise, this will be awkward. I stepped back out and pulled on my slides before grabbing my keys and going downstairs. I walked over to her house, suddenly very very aware of how I felt. 

What do I do tonight? Do I act on it? Do I tell her? Do I just sit there and let her figure it out on her own? I don't know! 

I dialed her number while standing in front of the door but she wasn't picking up. So I rang the doorbell. Despite knowing her mom doesn't want her to see me. And my luck, she's the one who opened the door. 

"Can I help you?" she asked. 

"I'm here to pick up Alex," I said. 

"Alex isn't home," she said. 

I stepped back and looked up. The light in her room was on and as I stood there, her head appeared moments later. She was dancing and lip-syncing to music. 

"Yeah, she is," I nodded, turning back to her mom, biting back a smile. 

Before her mom could say anything, Alex looked down, her eyes widening. She quickly grabbed her stuff before the light to her room turned off. "It's for me! I called him, I called him, I called him!" she exclaimed while running down the stairs.