Chasing Normal || Leondre Devries

Chapter 18

Janitor's Closet

I remember the first time I read it. Her footsteps were getting faster and closer. I faintly heard her say my name.

I looked down the hallway, trying to imagine myself running towards the closet. A grin tugged at my lips at the thought. I'm surprised I didn't trip over my own feet on the way.

It smelled like skunk. I looked at Leo, who looked back at me. I smiled, thinking about what he was doing the first time we met. I love this idiot.

His hand turned the door handle and he pushed the heavy door open slowly. It was pitch black, just like it was the first time.

"What the hell," I whispered to myself.

There was no lock on the inside.

I was locked in.

I was startled when I heard someone else's voice.

"What are you doing in here?"

Leo turned on the light. It was very anticlimactic. Everything was the same as it was since the last time we'd been in here. But it still felt so nostalgic and familiar. He closed the door behind us.

We stood there in silence for a moment before Leo let out a chuckle.

"What?" I asked, smiling.

"Nothing," he shook his head, still laughing. I questioned him again. "Remember the first time you ran in here? You thought you were locked in?"

"Yup," I said, giggling. "You were smoking." He shook his head, laughing at the ground.

"I thought I was so cool. When the janitors would come in and not even say anything to me I thought I could get away with everything I set my mind to."

He wrapped his arm around my waist.

"I was so scared when you said something. Why were you just sitting in here in the dark?" I asked. It was a question I probably should have asked a long time ago. He shrugged.

"Usually I set an alarm and slept until the period was over."

"And you didn't just go home because..?" He shrugged again.

"I don't really know. I was still living with my mom when I started coming in here, so I didn't want to go home early and have her question me. I guess I just never stopped. Good thing I didn't" He said. I kissed his cheek.

"When I first saw you I thought you were going to make fun of me or something," I admitted.

"Why?"

"You were intimidating. Looking back now you were just a cute little rebel, though, huh?" I pinched his cheek playfully.

"You wanna know something?" He asked, meeting my eyes.

"Hm?"

"The first time I saw you I knew something was gonna happen between us."

"Why's that?"

"Just had a feeling. Also, how could I just forget about the girl I met in a janitor's closet?" I laughed. "I didn't want to tell you how to open the door because I thought you were going to leave."

"I didn't want to leave once you told me how to open the door."

"Why?"

"You were cute."

A blush fell upon both of our cheeks. He went over to the far corner, where he always sat, and sat down. I went and sat in my corner. It felt so familiar.

He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. It was the most common position he'd sit in. Usually he'd stare at his feet or the floor as he spoke. Now he was finally comfortable enough to look at me when he talked.

A while passed of just silence, me soaking in the surroundings and Leo probably doing the same.

"Honestly..." I spoke up. "It doesn't feel as good as I thought it would."

He stood up, and I did the same. I walked over to him and he rested his hands on my waist.

"Why not?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure. I wanted it to feel like... like home or something. But it's just this really familiar feeling. Not... home." I looked up at him, our eyes locking. I smiled at the realization I finally came to.

"You're home," I mumbled, barely audible.

"What?"

"You're home," I repeated clearly. "You are home."

His face immediately softened. He pulled me into a tight hug, kissing the top of my head in the process. He pulled away after a few minutes.

"I love you," he said. I brought my hands up to his face, cupping his jaw.

"I love you, too, Mr. Devries." I pulled him in for a kiss. It lasted a while, but I couldn't tell exactly how long. When we finally pulled away from each other, I noticed his lips were kissed red.

We took one more glance around the room before I followed him out the door.

"We really met in a janitor's closet, huh?" I giggled.

He nodded. We stared up at the sign one more time. Janitor's Closet.

Normal. I mocked myself in my head. I followed Leo back out the door to the school we had entered through. We traded glances, and we didn't even have to communicate what we were both thinking.

We both broke into a full sprint to the car. He was ahead of me until he almost tripped on a branch. I ran full speed towards the car, slapping the hood seconds before him.

"HA!" I cackled. We both laughed until it hurt, then he planted a gentle kiss on my lips.

Normal. What even is that? I wouldn't know.

******

The End:)