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“That’s it!” you exclaim as you furiously storm into you and your friend Piper’s shared apartment at NYU. Your friend blinks in surprise as she looks up from the novel she was reading. “What’s wrong?” she asked confused. You crossed your arms and groaned, staring up at the ceiling. “I got stood up! Again!” Piper grimaced sympathetically. “Come on” she said getting up and gently wrapping you in a hug. “You okay?” “I will be. Movie night?” you ask hopefully, desperate to get your mind off your disastrous date.
“Actually…” Piper said gulping nervously. “No” you groan slumping down onto your couch, feeling truly depressed now. “You’re ditching me for Jason?” you ask miserably. “Well, I can cancel. Jason won’t mind” Piper suggested, but her tone implied she didn’t want to. “No” you say shaking your head. “At least one of us should have a good day” “Aww” Piper hugs you again and gives you a grateful smile. “Thanks” she whispers before getting up to go to her room.
As Piper leaves, you wave goodbye to her as she heads out the door, before going to take a shower. You allow the cool soothing water to wash away your anger and irritation as you stand under the shower head, thinking. Maybe it was something I said? You wonder sadly. This always happened to you. Either you got stood up or your date was a complete d-bag who had no respect or manners (or brain cells for that matter) whatsoever.
Finishing your shower you step out and glance at the PJs you had set out earlier. You stared solemnly at them for a few minutes, before changing your mind. You weren’t going to sit at home and mope around because of a guy. No. nope. Nuh-uh! Instead you put on a tracksuit and grabbed your phone, room keys and earphones before heading out for a run. Taking walks and going for runs always helped you clear your head so you took a cab to Central Park and began jogging slowly around the park. It was early evening so several people were milling about, taking walks or simply sitting on the park benches.
As you ran you allowed the peace of the park to calm you and smiled slightly to yourself. The early autumn atmosphere of the park sent cool breezes blowing the leaves off the ground and swirling around the paths. The late evening sun, the red and gold leaves and the silent murmuring of the city outside was mesmerizing. Every time you came to Central Park you were always startled by how the park seemed to block out the chaos of New York City. It was almost as if the Park had its own little bubble of existence, separate from the rest of the city.
You had plugged in your earphones to your phone and were listening to y/f/a’s songs as you ran. You closed your eyes for a split second, bobbing your head slightly as you ran. In that one second, as you went around a turning, you smacked face first into someone. “Ow!” you both cried out, perplexed. You recovered quickly, helping the other person up. “Sorry-Leo?” your friend Leo Valdez blinked back at you. “Y/n?” “Yeah, what are you doing here?” you ask smiling at him. “I didn’t take you as the running type”
Leo shrugged. “ I needed a break. And Jason ditched me” replied. “What about you? Why are you here?” “Why? Do I need a reason to come for a run?” you ask, trying to change the topic. You felt embarrassed about having to tell Leo that you got stood up. He probably finds me boring enough as it is you thought. “Y/n, come on. Tell me. Am I not your friend?” he asked looking at you coaxingly. You bit your lip and sighed, relenting. “I was supposed to be on a date tonight but my jerk of a date stood me up”
Leo nodded, but something close to annoyance flashed across his face when you mentioned that your initial plans for the evening had been a date. You decided not to read too much into it. After all, he was your friend. He was probably upset that you’d been stood up. “Ah, flaking dates are the worst” “Tell me about it” you say chuckling half-heartedly.
“What were you gonna do?” Leo asked and you eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Huh?” you ask softly. “I meant, what were you going to do before Piper ditched you and you had to come to the park so as to not look like a lonely loser?” Leo said, a hint of a smile on his face. “Leo! You’re being mean” you say laughing slightly as you hit his arm playfully. “Jerk” you say in mock hurt as Leo chuckled, amused. “Well, I was going to watch a movie with Piper. That’s like our tradition” Leo smirked. “Translation, your choice in men sucks with a capital S” “Oh shut up” you complain pushing him in exasperation.
“If you’re done being mean can you please tell me why you even bothered asking me about my ‘tradition’?” you asked putting air quotes around the word. Leo grinned. “How would you like a substitute movie buddy?” he asked as you smirk in amusement. “So in your opinion, me sitting at home alone on a beautiful autumn evening watching cheesy rom-coms makes me a loser, but if you join me, then I’m not a loser?” you ask in mock skepticism. “Exactly” “Wow. Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go”
****
Ten minutes later, you were sitting on your couch, flipping through Netflix for a good movie to watch. Leo was in the kitchen, ‘fixing a snack’. You and Piper usually just ordered take out and made popcorn in the oven, but Leo had insisted so you let him continue making god-knows-what. After scrolling through a few more movie titles, you got up in defeat heading to the kitchen to bother Leo.
‘Whatcha makin’?” you ask peeking over his shoulder at the various ingredients spread out in front of him. “Tacos” he replied, picking up a bottle of Tabasco sauce and spreading it onto the bread loaf. “Are they any good?” you ask smirking teasingly. “Do you doubt my culinary abilities?” Leo asked placing his hand over his heart in mock pain as you laughed. “It would seem that I am” you reply grinning.
“I’ll have you know that Tacos are my specialty” Leo said waving a spatula as you ducked to avoid having tabasco sauce smeared all over your face. “Leo!” you complained and Leo smirked before returning his attention to the tacos. “Which movie do you wanna watch?” you asked, sitting down on one of the kitchen stools. “I dunno, your choice” Leo replied shrugging. “How about Mean Girls?” “We wear pink on Wednesdays!” Leo replied which you assumed meant he was okay with Mean Girls. “Do you need any help?” you asked as you got up to go set up the movie. “Nope” “’Kay”
You walked out to your living room, slumping down onto your couch. While you waited for Leo to finish making his tacos, you picked up your phone to see several texts from Piper.
[ bold- Piper, regular italics-you]
Heyy how u holding up?
Sorry for ditching you!
Y r u ignoring me?
Y/n!!
You laughed amused at your roommate’s antics.
M fine Pipes, thanks
Dw m not mad at u
Was busy
Piper being Piper immediately replied.
Busy? Gurl u home alone watchin’ movies…
Right?
Ya ya Leo’s making Tacos smh
Leo’s over? Girl wut
Oh stahp. Leave me alone.
Kk. temme later!
You laugh to yourself. Piper was too energetic sometimes. She’d always had this idea that you and Leo would end up together which you had always dismissed. Sure you did have a crush on him in high school, but that was so long ago. Now you were in your sophomore year of college. You had long gotten over your crush on Leo. It had mostly been puppy love. As you watched Leo walk over to you, a tray of tacos in one hand and a bowl of popcorn in the other, you wondered why Piper was so determined about you two being a couple.
Sure, Leo was sweet and funny, and you often hung out together but that was it! He was you friend and nothing more. Sure, you found his smile adorable and his eyes mesmerizing but that was also it! Nothing more…right? You thought back to all your failed attempts at dating and wondered if the main reason you found all the guys who did show up to dates with you annoying and disrespectful because you were always constantly comparing them to Leo in your head.
You felt as if you were blindfolded and someone had spun you around, given you the stick and pointed you in the general direction of the Piñata- absolutely confused and flustered. You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t even register Leo talking to you until he poked your arm gently. “Yo Y/n. Earth to Y/n?” “Huh?” you asked intelligently, feeling mortified. You wondered if Leo had somehow read your thoughts by the amused look he was giving you. “May I ask who was taking up your thoughts and pulling you away from our movie night so rudely?” he asked in a soft teasing voice.
Your cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. “No-nothing” you replied hastily. “Let’s watch the movie” you suggest, desperate to change the topic and un-pause the film. Leo gives you one last smirk before relenting, but not before muttering a quick ‘whatever you say’ as he turned his attention to the movie’s opening credits. You sigh in relief, hoping the dim light of the room will prevent Leo from seeing the mortified and look on your face.
As the movie began and Lindsay Lohan began narrating, you reached out for a taco and it seemed Leo did too, at the same time. This caused you to take hold of his hand while you were distracted by the movie. You realised this and immediately pulled away, flustered. You glanced sideways at Leo, but you couldn’t quite make out the look on his face. You reached out for a taco again, this time looking at the plate and picked one up before taking a small bite. “This is so good” you murmur and hear Leo chuckle. “I did tell you tacos are my specialty” Leo replied without taking his eyes off the screen. “I remember” you reply before taking another bite of your taco.
The next 45 minutes, the two didn’t say a word to each other. Once the Halloween party scene had passed, you spoke, softly. “I feel bad for Cady. She trusted Regina and Regina tricked her” “Me too” Leo replied, nodding before shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “Profound” you say amused as Leo shrugged. “Chubby bunny” he said simply as you watch in surprise as he puts another handful of popcorn into his mouth.
Do I really have a thing for this guy? You ask yourself. Yes shut up. You roll your eyes and pay attention to the movie again. “If you don’t mind me asking” Leo began and you turned to look at him, unable to make out his expression in the darkness. “Yes?” you ask confused. “Who was the douchebag who stood you up?” he asked, with genuine interest in his voice. You sighed softly. “Sherman Yang” you reply.
You hear Leo gulp audibly. “Sherman Yang? Seriously?” “Yeah. I guess I should have known he was just pranking me” you sniffle slightly, thankful for the dim light. “I mean, who was I kidding? Why would the ‘star’ of NYU ever ask a nerd like me out?” you say exasperatedly. “Because you’re amazing and beautiful” Leo replies without missing a beat. You gasp softly, taken aback. You paused the movie and turned the lights on.
“Wh-what?” you ask, feeling flustered. Leo shrugged. “I said what I said. You’re not a nerd, Y/n. you’re incredibly smart and super fun to be around. And I’m not lying when I tell you that you’re beautiful” Leo sucks in a breath after finishing his rant, not daring to break eye contact. Brown on y/e/c. you gasp and open your mouth slightly. “You really think I’m fun to be with?” you ask, your cheeks tinting pink. Leo grinned. “Of course I do. You’re even easy to talk to. It’s why I like you so much”
Leo’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t intended on saying that much. “I mean, like you as a friend, obviously” Leo spluttered as you smiled cocking your head slightly. “You like me?” you ask. Leo seemed to realise the cat was out of the bag and sighed in defeat. “Yeah, a lot. I’m pretty sure it’s creepy” you shake your head. “No, it’s good” “Good?” Leo asked squinting at you in surprise. “Yeah, ‘cause I’ve liked you since…forever” you reply shrugging. “I just wasn’t ready to admit it”
Leo mouthed a mall ‘oh’ and nodded, obviously confused as to what to say next. You were in the same position. “Wow. So this whole time, we’ve spent secretly crushing on each other and… wow” Leo said chuckling and you joined him, laughing. “You know why I didn’t like any of the guys who did show up to dates with me?” you ask, as your laughter subsided. “Yeah” “’Cause they weren’t you” you say scoffing. “I am so cheesy” you say laughing again. Leo grinned. “No you’re not. You just hadn’t realised I was your ‘perfect’ guy yet” “Don’t flatter yourself” “How rude”
You laughed and looked at Leo smiling. “Piper’s never gonna let me live this down” you say smirking as Leo shrugs. “It’s Piper. What do you expect?” “I guess” Leo dimmed the lights and played the movie again. “I like being here with you than being on some date with Sherman Yang anyway” you saying laying your head on his shoulder. “You do?” “Yup” “Well I like being here with you too” “Good” you lean up and kiss Leo swiftly before turning your attention to the movie again, before he could even comprehend what was happening. Leo didn’t take long to recover. He gently cupped your face and kissed you, the movie long forgotten. You knew when Piper came back home, she would never let you forget how she was right about you and Leo all along, you really didn’t care less.