Work Text:
It was the usual hangout, a group of us would go to the park after school and ‘do homework’. Some of us were sat at those wooden tables, you know the ones where parents smoke while their kids play, but most of our friends had run off to get high in the surrounding woods. She was across from me, strands of hair falling in her face as she focused on her sketch. Her skills were like clockwork, somehow she could make an incredibly detailed drawing look effortless. No matter how hard I tried to focus on my open textbook I would always find myself fixated back on her; of course I had a crush on her, anyone who met her did.
“Y/N!” A girl named Stacey called out.
Her head perked up upon hearing her own name and for a second we made eye contact, with rosy cheeks I prayed she didn’t notice I was already looking at her. Stacey arrived to us smelling like weed and giggling.
“You have to come see this, Y/N, we found a turtle.”
“Wow, a turtle?” She rolled her eyes but stood up.
Stacey grabbed her wrist and began skipping back towards the woods. Once they were gone I took Y/N’s sketchbook, flipping it to the first page. I began looking through it, staring in awe at each stunning page. The Las Vegas Strip on a rainy night, watercolor bruises, bunched up sheets, a dog baring it’s teeth, musicians playing their hearts out on the stage, every piece was something unique. The time I spent searching through her sketchbook felt like mere seconds before I heard her walking back over.
I looked up and caught her gaze, giving her an excited smile as to compliment her art from a distance. Her eyes widened when she noticed her sketchbook in front of me, frantically running towards me. In a moment of cocky confusion I closed the book, holding it high over my head when she reached me.
“Ryan, give me my sketchbook.” She looked me dead in the eye.
“Why don’t you want me looking at it? You’re really good.”
“Ryan!” A devious smirk crept onto my face.
“Y/N… Is there something you don’t want me seeing?”
There was no reply aside from her clenching her jaw. Still holding it out of her reach I began going through it, trying to find what was so embarrassing. When she began jumping for it I stepped up onto the table. I reached a page with a painting of a fairy ring when she let out a small gasp forcing me to pause.
“Don’t turn that page.”
“As your best friend I feel I get the privilege to turn this page.” I smirked at her, holding the paper between my thumb and index finger.
“Ryan--!”
Before she could attempt to stop me again I had done it. I saw her hide her face with her sleeve clad hands out of the corner of my eye. Blood rose to my cheeks and my jaw went slack as I observed the page. It was an absolutely gorgeous portrait of a messy haired boy tangled in bed sheets with hickies trailing over his chest. The shocking part was who the boy resembled-- me.
“I told you not to turn the page.” He words were muffled by her sweater.
I stepped down from the table, standing in front of her. She didn’t move her hands from her face. A part of me felt bad about it, seeing how embarrassed she was.
“It’s… beautiful.”
She moved her hands from her flushed red face, expression quizzical. I realized how close we were standing in that moment but something told me not to step back.
“You like it?”
“Yeah… Who’s the boy?” She looked mortified, I already knew the answer but a part of me needed confirmation.
“You.” She avoided my eyes.
Taking a deep breath in I placed my hand on her chin, tilting her head up so that she was looking at me. I leaned in, connecting our lips. It took her a moment to realize what was happening but she began to kiss back, wrapping her hands around my neck and bringing our bodies closer. We broke apart after we realized all our friends were cheering.
“Fucking finally.” Spencer approached me with a chuckle, ruffling my hair.
For once I was glad about staying behind to study.