Chapter Text
She stood in the crimson soaked land of her decimated home, her domain in ruins all to quench the hell fire that he had started.
Andi knew one thing, only a river of blood from his veins would satiate her newly kindled thirst for reve-
Woah, woah, woah! Sorry, wrong story! My fault, my fault here you go-
Amber looks away after a moment, unsure of what to say. All of this uncertainty is really getting on her nerves, this isn't her. The blonde looked to the side once more, knowing that those between eyes are taking in everything she does, scrutinizing her every action. She was deeply unnerved and enticed. She couldn't even focus on the cutie they both agreed was cute. That's when a thought crossed her mind and she decided to speak it instead of holding it in like she normally would. She straightened her back and leaned back in the chair, her posture exuding confidence. She stared back at Cyrus, it came to her that they held a similar weight with their presence. She wasn't sure if he was copying her or if it was her that was copying him. She reached for a baby tater.
"So when was it that you figured this interesting little fact about yourself?"
Cyrus looked down at the basket of baby taters and plucked two of them that hastened to be fused together. He smiled as he slowly peeled them apart. He ate one while still fidgeting with another. Not as confident as I thought. Amber brought the baby tater to her mouth.
"It was around the time that I came to the conclusion that had I fallen for your ex."
It didn't make it in her mouth, instead, she missed and it went down her blouse. She gasps because it was still hot, she reached down the front of her shirt and retrieved the snack. Her mind moved a mile a minute, making connections from the past that should have been noticeable but she overlooked them because it was middles-school and Cyrus was a boy. Cyrus had his hand over his mouth hiding a grin, but his eyes were filled with mirth. She took a deep breath and tossed the now ruined food at Cyrus. He held up a hand as it bypassed his defense and-
"Really? Why the hair? It’s always the hair." Cyrus stated with a tone that rang with seriousness, although she did not believe him because his smile was still as wide as ever. It was a laughter filled with kind teasing, the laugh of a mischievous friend who just wants to see everyone happy. Amber couldn't help but to start laughing with him, her own laughter filled with both her own want to be happy and her sorrow at the fact that she hasn't laughed like this in months. Since Jonah broke up with her, since her dad started lying, she couldn't remember when the last time she laughed with a friend. A friend that wasn't making fun of someone else, a friend that she could talk to unabated, a friend like Cyrus that she didn't know she needed.
They both calmed down when the waitress came over, Cyrus then asked for the bill and stated that he wanted to take what was left on the table to-go. He pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to the waitress. They both sat in silence. For the moment, content, even though they both knew much more needed to be said. While waiting Cyrus looked amber in the eye and the looked over to the object of interest from earlier. Ambers eyes followed and saw that the boys from earlier were close together and whispering while glancing at her table. The blond felt her face heat up a bit in embarrassment. She slowly looked away and brought her gaze back to Cyrus. He hadn't looked away yet, he took a sip of his the water on the table. Once he put his glass down he bit his lip and looked the boy in the green cap up and down like Amber had done earlier. Amber looked back only to see that the boy was staring right at their table while the other two were distracted arguing about something. His face had a Nervous look on it and he seemed uncomfortable. Cyrus looked back at her, and she couldn't help but ask a question that had been building in her mind ever since the brunette asked her to join him.
"Why do you seem so..." she paused and her eyebrows knitted together as she searched for the right word.
"... so different?" she said with no malice or judgment. It was a question that was unfiltered by the expectations of the outside world, for in this moment as they talked no one else mattered, no one else existed except for them. A boy, a girl, and a budding bond.
"I feel different, but in a good way. Lots of things have happened to me in the last few months where I feel I am no longer the person you knew when we were first introduced." Cyrus stopped talking as the waitress came back. He said thank you as she handed him the drinks, food, and his change. As she walked away he pocketed the coins and he placed the extra bills under Amber’s long forgotten water.
“Ready to go?” he ask. She confirms but before they stood up they both noticed a shadow hovering over their table. They look up and see the boy in the green cap they were both eyeing earlier. He was looking down and away from Cyrus. He looked quite embarrassed as he asked a question.
“Hey so I was wondering if I can get your number?” the two were stunned, it’s not often that people actually go up to others and ask for their contact info. The brunet and the blond looked to each other and both grinned.
“So which one of us are you asking?” It was Amber who broke the silence.
The boy looked up seeing them both grinning he exhaled and said, “I’m asking the pretty blond of course… no offence.” He stated as an afterthought to Cyrus. Cyrus released his own breath he was holding: because as much as he is trying to act confident about this being open thing, it still scares him what other people would say or worse, do. Seeing that amber was biting her lip and not responding Cyrus decided to help out a bit.
“Sadly since my friend here has been struck speechless, by your good looks, would you mind giving her your number instead?”
“Sure. My pleasure. I just need some-” Cyrus held out a sticky notepad and a pen. The other boy was surprised but took the items anyway. He scribbled down his number and-
“Noah, nice name. I’ll be sure to message you later.” Amber said with a new glow about her.
As they walked toward the exit Cyrus looked back and gave a wink, the other boy smiled bashfully as he made his way back to his two other friends who were giving him pats on the back.
-
On their way to the park Amber and Cyrus chatted about anything that came to their minds. The weather, test in school, the pros and cons of being asthmatic: something the brunet learned in the last hour of their merry jaunt to the park nearby. Something they were both worried about, but ended up enjoying so much they wanted it to last longer.
-
Cyrus was balancing on the wood that was the border to the playground and the rest of the park. Toeing that fine line with having fun like some of the younger occupants of the park that he and Amber were now in, and the watching of children playing like the parents sitting by the benches observing were doing. He couldn’t help but think about how astute that was for him and amber at this moment in their lives at the precipice of puberty and the cusp of their own juvenile maturity. He faltered and lost his balance. He caught himself on the ground and looked at Amber, and couldn’t help but admire her beauty in the evening light. He felt enamored and disappointment at the exact same time and couldn’t help but sigh out loud.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as they made their way to an empty bench. They sat down and he took his half of the food and his drink from her.
“I just can’t help but think about how pretty you are…” his face took on a somber look as he stated his thoughts. Amber couldn’t help but get a warm feeling in her chest, it means a little but more now because she knew that for Cyrus there was no end game. There was not plan to kiss her at the end of the night, no plan to see just how far he could make it into her comfort zone, no plan in general. The boy in front of her had no ulterior motives besides just letting her know his thoughts. It felt nice.
“… And at the same time I can’t help but think; what’s wrong with me for not wanting more than just being your friend. What’s wrong with me for trying to flirt with a guy that I know is only going to look at me with scorn because I just happen to appreciate him as much as the girl he knows in passing?”
Cyrus’ face held a bit of self-resentment that Amber is all too familiar with. So she commented.
“If they don’t appreciate the complement from someone with such good taste as yourself, then their opinions aren’t needed.” She reached and held his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
“So as we were talking about earlier, I want to know how the Cyrus I now know came to be?”
Cyrus looked at her and took a deep breath before he tried starting at the beginning of his story. The beginning of when he first realized that if he holds himself back he would never be happy, the beginning of when he realized that no matter what the one person he cannot lie to is himself.
“It all started with a chocolate, chocolate chip muffin.”
He paused as she just stared at him.
“A chocolate, chocolate chip muffin...” A question rang in her voice.
“Yes.” He replied.
“… Continue?”
And so he did.