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You bumped into each other again, like you had been doing all day. It was strange, since you were usually so in sync. Jonathan let out an awkward chuckle and held your hands up again, avoiding to touch you.
“Are you in the clouds?” You asked him, noticing how absent he had been. “Usually our dates go so smoothly”
“Can you stop calling it a date?” Jonathan replied, still averting his eyes. “We’re not dating”
“Okay, grumpy” You held him by the chin, forcing him to look at you. “What’s going on?”
He paused, deeply staring into your eyes. Your frowned, utterly baffled as to why he was behaving like that. It felt like when you first met, when he was still getting used to your presence and he would constantly shy away.
“What are you talking about?” Jonathan tried to smile, but he only managed a nervous chuckle as he looked away yet again. “I’m fine”
“No, you’re not” You took his hand in yours, gently tugging at it to hopefully gather his attention on you. “Are you mad at me or something?”
“No…”
“Then why are you acting so strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“Jonathan, we’ve been friends for so long” You were starting to get very annoyed as well as worried. Your tone became demanding as you continued speaking. “I know there’s something you’re not telling me”
“It’s nothing, Y/N” Jonathan slipped his hand from yours, taking a step back to put some distance between you. “Just forget it, okay?”
The annoyance gave room to fear. There must have been something very wrong with him. Since when did he not trust you? When had he stop telling you what worried him? Was something wrong with his family? You needed to know.
“Jonathan Byers, you tell me what’s wrong right now or I will-” Your exasperated exclamation fell on deaf ears when his lips were suddenly pressed against yours.
His mouth muffled your awed scream as he passionately kissed you. You were still too astonished to reciprocate, so Jonathan backed off as soon as he realized.
“I-I’m sorry” He said, breathing heavily. You realized you were too. Trying to forget about how disheveled you suddenly felt, you tried to focus on what he was telling you. “I just… I…”
“Why did you do that?” You stupidly asked, even if you knew already.
“I’ve been in love with you for years” Jonathan gathered enough courage to look you in the eyes as he confessed. “It’s been killing me, Y/N”
You gawked at him, finally understanding every single one of his strange gestures. He wasn’t mad, or suddenly grossed out by you. Jonathan was flustered. That usual closeness you always had was overwhelming him now.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” You whispered, unable to find your voice.
“I was afraid!” He had started pacing, passing a hand through his hair. His tone was also frantic and high-pitched. “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, or scare you away!”
“Jonathan” You took him by the shirt, dedicating him a comforting smile and a soothing look. “It’s okay”
“It is?” He stopped pacing and focused on you. “Do you… feel the same?”
“I…” You stopped to analyze your own feelings. “I don’t know…”
“Guess I should give you some time to think about it…”
You absently nodded and bit your lip, thinking about what exactly you felt for him. One thing was for sure, you loved Jonathan. You enjoyed spending time with him, you missed him whenever he wasn’t around, and you were comforted by his presence, endeared by even the sound of his voice.
“Yeah” Still not letting go of his shirt, you leaned closer to him. “I guess”
Jonathan frowned a little, watching your mouths getting closer. On their way to meeting again. When they finally reunited, the kiss felt… good. Right. It was a brief peck, but it was just enough to stir something within you. Was it only a strange new feeling, or did it awake something you hadn’t realized lay within you?
“See you soon” You promised, trying to focus as the feeling of his lips lingered on yours.
“See you around” He lowly replied as you turned around.
You absently waved your hand at him, walking away as those thoughts overwhelmed you with their meaning. You loved Jonathan, but as a friend… or something more?