Chapter Text
1.
The first time Paxton Hall-Yoshida saw Devi Vishwakumar — as in, finally became aware of her existence — was just after the first swim practice of his junior year.
Being that he was *the* Paxton H-Y of transpacific Tumblr fame, a lot of girls approached him out of the blue. So that was nothing new.
But this girl had sought him out at night, apparently knew his entire school schedule (she could name every class he’d been in for the last two years?), and looked like she’d just run several miles in sweats that were a little too pajama-like to be exercise gear. So, that was different.
He couldn’t quite place her, even after she introduced herself. But then again, Paxton Hall-Yoshida meets a lot of girls.
“I was also paralyzed last year?” she’d offered anxiously, after it became clear he remained completely clueless as to who she was.
Ah. The girl in the wheelchair. His memory finally connected.
Swimming always left him in a blended state of fatigue and Zen, with most of the past and emotions fading evenly into the background. So it’s not like he was a TOTAL douche for not feeling a damn thing for this weird girl crushing on him so hard she stumbled over her words.
“I wonder if you’d ever consider…”
He waited, not entirely bored, as she visibly worked up all of her courage to ask him out.
“….having sex with me?”
Well. Now that was definitely different.
As she cringed and turned to walk away, freaking out over her own shamelessness, he finally bothered concluding that she wasn’t NOT cute.
“Yeah. Okay,” he found himself saying.
She stopped and spun. “What?”
“Just sex, right?” She was right when she said he’d never be her boyfriend.
“Just sex,” she quickly nodded.
“I’m down. But I, can’t tonight.” He really was tired.
Her face - no, her entire being - seemed to light up. Even her voice sounded different, though he only half-listened to her afterwards. He’d grown largely indifferent to the nervous chatter of underclassmen, even since he’d been in 8th grade.
They parted ways in the dark.
Well, more like he’d left her standing there still beaming.
As he walked to his car, his mind idly flicked through past propositions, half-consciously searching for one that came close to being as bold.
Impressive, even he had to admit.