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August sipped away like a bottle of wine
‘Cause you were never mine
A pang rings through the air when Tory’s kick misses Miguel and instead hits a pole, almost knocking her back. She can see the playful smile forming on his face but before he can process what’s happening, she’s using the pole to power up another kick, sending him back. He manages to move out of the way when she attempts to strike again and takes grasp of her leg and waist. Rather than knocking her off balance like he was hoping this would, she uses this to her advantage and spins them, pinning him against the wall as a small wince escapes his mouth.
It’s the last weekend of summer vacation and Tory couldn’t think of a better way to spend it.
She forgets about their friendly sparring match the second she has him against the wall and she can’t help but smile at him softly. His competitiveness seems to vanish the second they lock eyes and he can’t help but smile back.
(He tries not to think about the adoration etched on her face, mixed with longing. Why is she longing for someone she already has? They know why and it breaks both of their hearts.)
Moving one hand into his hair to pull him closer, she leans in and so does he. Tory’s never hesitant when she kisses Miguel and today is no exception. Her kisses are quick and desperate. Miguel’s are not. His are always slow but enthusiastic and make Tory feel comforted. They’re familiar, in a way, like this was where life had always planned for her to be.
Warmth flushes her cheeks when he wraps his arms around her waist, tugging her into him, like they couldn’t get any closer. She gives him one last long kiss and then pulls away, the corners of her lips turning up when he tries chasing them. He decides to plant a light kiss on her cheek, still holding onto her waist, grinning when it has its desired effect of making her face turn red.
It’s moments like these when any insecurities leave her mind. They had spent an entire summer together. She really liked him. He liked her. They were good. They were great, actually. She can’t remember what she was ever worried about.
“Are you sure you can’t stay for dinner?” Miguel questions, rubbing circles with his thumb on the exposed skin right above her waist, “You know my mom and Yaya wouldn’t mind, they love you.”
She grins, moving her hand up to cup his cheek again, pulling him into one last quick kiss, “I’d love to but I have to go shower and get ready for later.”
His eyes flash with recognition and he hums in understanding, “Moon’s party.” He’s pushing himself off the wall and moving his hands from her waist, Tory doesn’t move too far before he’s taking a hold of her hand and intertwining them, “I’ll meet you there?”
Unable to help herself, she snorts, “Well yeah, unless you want me to ride on the back of your bike.”
He rolls his eyes playfully, “We could manage that if we tried, I believe in us,” and he’s smiling teeth and all before he composes himself and nods his head in the direction of his apartment, “I’ll go ask if we can drive you home.”
Back when we were still changin’ for the better
Wanting was enough
For me, it was enough
It’s twenty minutes later and he’s walking her to her door, his mom’s waiting in the car, scrolling through her phone. Tory knows she’s making a show of not paying attention to them, it makes her smile. Miguel lets out an embarrassed laugh, “So, I’ll see you later?”
He reaches out to play with the tips of her hair, almost like he doesn’t realize he’s doing it or as if it’s second nature to him. She doesn’t allow herself to think about it too much, she’s afraid of the feelings that’ll surge out of her if she does. She does allow herself to miss his touch when he moves his hand back to his side.
Realizing he’s still waiting for an answer, she replies, “Yup. You know, as my boyfriend, I’m expecting you to be my own personal cheerleader when I beat Rickenberger.”
Miguel smiles and rolls his eyes fondly, playing along, “Right, of course. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t? I mean, it’s in the rule book and everything.”
Tory mumbles out an, “Exactly”, before she’s leaning in to give a quick goodbye kiss, laughing when he looks over to see if his mom was looking before closing the gap once again. It’s one of his slow and sweet kisses, but more brief. She pulls away and beams, turning to unlock her door, hoping he didn’t catch the red spreading across her cheeks. She can feel his eyes on her.
Once she’s unlocked it, she turns back to him and he brings two fingers up to his forehead, saluting her with a soft smile and walking back to his mom’s car. She enters her house and closes the door, not missing the way he’s still looking, making sure she made it in okay. Warmth fills her chest, it’s consuming her. She thinks Miguel has that effect on everyone he’s ever met. It’s something powerful and would be terrifying if it was anyone else, but it’s not, because it’s him.
Looking back on it now, she wishes she hadn’t shoved him off when he tried helping her up. She wishes she’d allowed herself this one thing. Just one thing. But she didn’t.
It’s the last weekend of summer vacation and she’s pushing his arms off, walking into a bathroom by herself, crying because she’s just humiliated herself.
Some time has passed and she’s finally gotten over herself, walking out of the bathroom, trying to find her way back to Miguel. Except she can’t find him. And then she does, a dozen emotions making its way to the surface. The first one is disbelief. There’s no way Miguel is kissing Samantha fucking Larusso in the Moon’s backyard. He wouldn’t.
But he did. He is.
And it’s just the way he kisses her. Slow. Sweet. Only there’s something else too. Tory realizes it’s wanting. She walks away as this big, ugly feeling sinks into her chest, her entire being aching.
It’s an hour later when she’s in bed, trying to make sense of everything without wanting to cry. Miguel had tried reaching out to her a couple of times, asking if she was okay, but she ignored the messages. God, she felt so stupid.
So much for summer love and saying "us"
'Cause you weren't mine to lose
You weren't mine to lose, no
The realization that this entire summer didn’t mean to Miguel what it meant to her felt like a slap to the face. None of it meant anything.
But it did. To her it did.