NEVERLAND ✧ Louis Partridge

14 | Death Wish

Y/N

_

THE THING ABOUT me and Louis, is that we don't exactly know how to tell the other goodbye.

I found this out twelve seconds ago, because we're standing dripping wet in a forest, freezing to death, but we still can't figure out who should get the last word or go in for a farewell action.

"Goodbye, then," I said, sticking out my hand towards the boy in front of me.

"Yes," Louis said, opening his arms for a hug sheepishly, "goodbye, then."

As soon as I saw his arms splayed out, I widened mine in return, but he switched to a handshake at the exact same moment. After staring at him inquisitively, I switched back to the handshake, but he switched back to the hug.

This was ridiculous.

"For goodness sakes," I sighed, furrowing my brows, "let's just shake on it."

Louis seemed offended at that statement, "I think we're past the point of giving handshakes."

"So you want a hug?"

"Are you not comfortable with a hug?"

"It doesn't matter to me," I shrugged, "I'm just trying to say goodbye in the most convenient way possible."

"So you don't want a hug?"

"Louis, it doesn't matter!" I said, flustered, "it's up to you!"

He waved his hands around in confusion, as if he couldn't possibly fathom how I was giving him the option to do anything on his own, "why is it up to me?"

"Well, what do you want to do?"

He paused, blinking, his hands slapping down to his sides with a loud smack. He had this sudden seriousness lined onto his face, as if he was fighting with himself internally. About what, I don't know, but I was honestly tired, and I had to get back to the ship in time.

"Honestly?" He mumbled, a profound look glazing over his eyes, "I want to kiss you."

I stared at him in the dusky moonlight, the sounds of the forest humming around us, goosebumps trailing along my arms, and a pile of wet tangled hair dripping onto the ground.

I was cold, and tired, and I didn't want to play any games with the boy at the moment.

"Whatever, you idiot," I exhaled, grabbing his hand and giving it a firm shake, "that whole kiss joke is old, so it doesn't work on me anymore."

Louis didn't have a chance to mutter a sound, before I spun on my heels and disappeared into the leafy branches of the trees around us.

As I stumbled my way back towards the shallow cove where my row boat was docked, I couldn't help but rack my brain for answers. 

I was usually very honest with myself, but now I could tell there was something I wasn't outright expressing. Was the whole reason why we couldn't figure out how to say goodbye, was that we didn't want to say goodbye in the first place?

Now that I think about it, I can't help but drift back to that one moment in Skulls Rock, where we were so close to each other it felt like we could...

Kiss.

"Sod off, Louis," I swore under my breath, clambering into my boat, "you and your bloody antics."

He knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what would happen if he so much as looked at me with that expression he always makes. The one where he tilts his head, his brown hair swaying perfectly to the side, flashing me a pearly smile where the indents of his cheekbones carved into his skin like a freaking sculpture.