Brooke 💋

You and Cherry were only a few months apart in age, and you’ve always been super close. Your family didn’t live in Tulsa, you lived about an hour away, but your family visited every summer. You and Cherry were basically sisters.

Another summer had come around, so that meant you were in Tulsa. You hadn’t even settled down yet before Cherry was dragging you out of the house. She had decided to take you to the drive in to see a movie, and you were more than happy to go with her.

You had been sitting in the front row of seats, watching the movie and chatting with Cherry. It was nice and peaceful, but then there was three boys who sat behind you. The older one, the one in the brown jacket, had been kicking Cherry’s seat and hitting on her.

The guy had stormed off after Cherry had yelled for him to get lost, and she’d been chatting with the two boys that were with him, which you’d learned were named Ponyboy and Johnny. When the guy had returned, he had cokes with him. He sat down next to you rather than Cherry. He handed out the drinks and popcorn, handing yours last with a smirk.

“Thought this might cool you guys down.” He said as he leaned back in his seat, then turned his head to look at you. “Hey, doll. I haven’t seen you before, I’m Dallas.”

You glanced over at him with a taking in his face. He was kinda.. cute. “Hi, Dallas. I’m Sherry’s cousin, I’m visiting.” You said as you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

Dallas turned to face you, his eyes widening slightly. “Oh yeah, you’re visiting? From where?”

You pushed a strand of hair behind your ear, biting your bottom lip to stop a smile from growing on your face. “Nowhere special, just some town an hour away.”

He nodded with a hum. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between his lips. “Y’got a light?” He asked. He had matches, but he wanted you to light it.

“Uhm.. maybe.” You mumbled as you searched through your purse. You made a soft noise of success as you pulled out the lighter. “C’mere.” You said with a smile.

Dallas leaned forward, and you reached up to light the end of his cigarette. He winked at you with a smirk, then blew the smoke in your face. You huffed slightly, rolling your eyes at him as he looked at you with amusement.

Before you could continue your conversation (really flirting..), Cherry looked over and her facial expression turned to one of annoyance. “Won’t you leave us alone, greaser?” She said, raising her voice.

Dallas grunted and shot up from his chair. “Fine.” He said as he stormed away like a child. “I know when I’m not wanted.”

You watched him walk away with a slight frown on your face. “Cherry, I was talking to him.” You said as you turned to look at her, annoyance showing on your face.

“Please, I helped you.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “I know about Dallas Winston, he’s bad news, hon.”

“He can’t be that bad.” You mumbled, mostly to yourself as you leaned back into your seat.

“He’s a hood. You’re better off staying uninvolved with him.” Cherry said as she tossed the coke he gave her in the trashcan nearby. “Trust me on this one.”

You just nodded and turned your head back to the movie. Throughout the rest of the movie, you couldn’t really focus. You were thinking about Dallas. You hadn’t spoke to him much, but you were intrigued. Despite what Cherry was telling you, you wanted to know him more.

Once the movie was nearly done, you turned to Cherry, who was talking to Johnny and Ponyboy. “I’m gonna go buy another coke.” You said as you stood up out of your chair.

“Y’sure? The movie’s almost over.” Cherry said, her face confused.

“Yeah, I’m thirsty.” You said with a shrug as you shuffled your way past the chairs.

You didn’t actually go to get a coke, you went outside of the drive in to get some air. You leaned against a metal gate, sliding down until you were sat on the ground. You took a deep breath and leaned your head back against the gate.

You’d been picking some grass when you felt someone sit next to you. You opened your eyes to see who, and much to your surprise, it was the hood.

“Oh-“ You said, your breath catching in surprise. “Hey, again.”

“Hey.” He replied shortly, taking a drag of his cigarette and blowing it into the chilly night air.

“I’m..” You started, turning to look at him and pausing when your eyes met his. You took a deep breath before continuing. “I’m sorry for the way she yelled at you.”

Dallas smirked and chuckled to himself. “Nah, I’m used to it.” He said as he stubbed out his cigarette. “I’ve made a name for myself.”

You went to say something, but he was quick to cut you off. He’s too cool for mushy feelings stuff.. obviously. “How long are you gonna be here?” He asked.

“I’m here until next Sunday.” You replied, turning away to look up at the night sky and stars.

Dallas dug around in his pockets for a second before he pulled out a piece of paper. “Y’got a pen?” He asked.

“Damn, do you have anything?” You replied as you pulled a pen out of your purse. He took the pen with an amused smirk, scribbling messily on the paper. He handed you the piece of paper.

“That’s where I hang out. You should come around before you leave, just tell Buck you’re there for Dally. He won’t ask any questions.” He said with a sigh.

You took the piece of paper hesitantly, eying him with confusion for a second before pocketing the piece of paper. “Yeah, I’ll try to come around.” You said as a smile grew on your face.

“Great.” He said as a smile grew on his own face. He pushed himself off the ground with a groan. “Cherry’s coming out, you better get goin’. I’ll see you later?” He asked, looking down at you, hope barely present in his eyes.

“Yeah, maybe.” You said with a smile as stood up. “I’ll see you later.”

Dallas was sprawled across the bed next to you, his chin resting on his hand. You’d been studying for an anatomy quiz for a few hours now. You were studying to go into nursing, and as admirable as that was.. Dallas was starting to get impatient. So he was gonna get annoying.

“Okay.” Dallas said. “What is this?” He asked as he tapped your bicep.

You groaned, but obliged. “It’s the bicep, you know that one.”

Dallas nodded with fake seriousness before immediately moving to another spot, this time pressing two fingers into the soft dip above your hip bone. “And this?”

You rolled your eyes at him, but there was a smile on your face. “You’re ridiculous.” You replied as you pushed your hair out of your face. “Ilium.” You said deadpan. “Or iliac crest, if you wanna be extra.”

Dallas grinned, clearly pleased with himself. He leaned in and pressed a kiss right where he poked your hip, just to be extra annoying. Without warning, his hand slid down further and poked your thigh muscle. “This one. Name it.”

Dallas was watching you like a hawk now. He won’t remember any of these, but it was fun to bother you. And it gives him an excuse to touch you under the guise of studying.

You sigh, but you can’t hide the tiny smile on your face. You swat his hand away from your thigh before turning back to the page you were on before. “Quadriceps.” You muttered, scanning the textbook for confirmation. Of course, Dallas isn’t done. Within seconds, his cold fingers are tracing up your arm, stopping near your shoulder joint.

You finally caved and snapped, “Acromion! Jesus Christ, man-“ before breaking into quiet laughter despite yourself. It’s impossible for you to stay annoyed at him. Dallas smirked and shifted closer. He was 100% derailing your study session, but that’s what he wanted.

“You’re so smart.” He said with exaggerated pride, then immediately dived back in, pointing at your collarbone with a mischievous glint in his eye. You glared, but it’s a weak glare.

“Clavicle.” You said automatically, pointing at the textbook to confirm it. Then, before Dallas could poke you again, you grabbed his wrist and pinned it to the mattress.

“No more.” You insisted, even though you knew you’d give up in like.. two minutes. Dallas’ eyebrows shot up. You’re fighting back? Usually, you just let him endlessly poke and prod at you. A devious smirk curled on Dallas’ lips. He didn’t resist the grip, he flexed his fingers slightly against your grip, testing.

“Ohhh..” Dallas drawled. “You wanna wrestle now?”

Without warning, Dallas flipped your positions in one smooth motion, rolling you over so you were beneath him instead. The textbook went flying off the bed with a thud. You yelped as you were suddenly flipped onto your back, Dallas moved way too fast for someone who was being a lazy distraction for the last hour.

“Hey!” You protested, but there was no real anger in it, just surprise. Now Dallas was looming over you with that stupidly attractive smirk. You tried to shove at his chest halfheartedly. “I was studying, asshole.”

Dallas caught both of your wrists easily, pinning them above your head with one hand while the other came up to tickle your side mercilessly.

“Studying is boring.” He countered, grinning as he watched you squirm and giggle under him. The sound is stupidly endearing, but he’d never tell you that. You bursted into laughter, full unfiltered giggles, as Dallas’ fingers danced over your ribs. You hated being tickled, which is exactly why Dallas did it so much.

“S-stop—!” You gasped between laughter as you writhed uselessly beneath him. Your cheeks were flushed pink from both the tickling and how close Dallas’ face was to yours. But of course, Dallas persisted. If anything he doubled down, now peppering kisses and nibbled along your jawline as well.

You were a mess, laughing too hard to even catch your breath, and tears pricking at the corner of your eyelids. Dallas’ kisses were messy between tickle attacks, but it was all so stupidly perfect and you couldn’t help but melt into it.

You finally managed to twist yourself just enough to headbutt Dallas lightly in the shoulder, not hard, just a playful nudge. Panting slightly from laughter exhaustion, you glare up at him. There’s no heat behind it, just fondness.

“Stop! I concede..” You panted. Dallas finally relented, releasing your wrists and leaning back just enough to admire his handiwork, the flushed face and dazed smile from laughing too much. He brushed a stray hair out of your eyes before leaning down to press a soft kiss right on your nose.

“Good.” He murmured smugly. “Now you’re properly distracted.”

Suddenly, you heard the patter of little feet outside your door. You knew it was your little sister, so you gently shoved Dallas off of you and sat up, earning a noise of confusion from Dallas as he got shoved. Within seconds, you heard someone fumbling with the doorknob, then your little sister’s head poked in.

“Mommy said dinner is ready.” She said, staring at you with big eyes.

“Okay, tell her we’ll be down in a second.” You said as you got out of your bed. Your little sister nodded and skipped away, humming some cartoon theme song as she returned to the dining room.

“C’mon, you bum. Dinner.” You said as you tugged on Dallas’ hand to pull him off your bed. After a few seconds of just laying there and groaning, he finally got up.

“I hate you.” You said as you looked up at him with annoyance in your gaze.

“No you don’t.” He said with a smirk as he looked down at you and poked you in the ribs one more time. Just to assert dominance or something.

“Oh, alright.” You said with a giggle as you gently pushed him along. “I guess I don’t.”

Dallas had made a deal with you a couple days ago. If you went out with him, he’d leave you alone. You took him up on the offer, but you told yourself that it was only so he’d leave you alone.

But every time you thought about it, you could feel excitement brewing in your stomach.

You were sitting at your vanity, doing some finishing touches to your hair and makeup. You were usually quite meticulous about your appearance, but today you seemed to care more.

You had been reapplying your lipgloss when you heard a tap at your window. You whipped your head around to see Dallas staring in your window like a creep. You rolled your eyes, but you felt your heart flutter when you saw him. You stood up and slipped on your shoes, then went over to the window where Dallas was watching you with a smirk. You opened the window and stuck your head out.

“Why couldn’t you just go through the front door like a normal person?” You asked, your voice annoyed.

“That’s boring.” Dallas pushed off with a shrug. “C’mon, we’re gonna be late.” He said as he grabbed your hand to help you jump out. Once you were back on the ground, you smoothed out your dress and looked up at him.

“Hi.” You said after staring at him in silence, a small smile growing on your face.

“Hey.” Dallas replied, his hand landing on your lower back. “Let’s go.” He added as he gently pushed you towards the car.

~ ~ ~

Dallas had taken you to the drive-in, which you thought was an overall safe decision. You were sitting in the passenger seat of the t-bird, Dallas was next to you smoking a cigarette. You’d been making small conversation, but you were trying to focus on the movie. You kept your eyes on the movie because every time you looked over at Dallas, your heart would beat faster than you thought was healthy.

Dallas cleared his throat and turned to look at you. “I’m gonna go get a coke. Y’want a coke?” He asked.

“Yeah, I could go for a coke.” You replied as you reached into your purse to grab money. “How much do you need?”

“Nah, it’s on me.” He said with a shrug. You looked at him in disbelief, then put your purse back on the floor of the car and leaned back in your seat as it really hit you. Dallas was being nice. Huh.

“Thanks, Dal.” You said as a smile grew on your face despite your confusion.

“Yeah, yeah.” He said as he got out of the car and walked to concessions and out of your sight. Seeing him walk away, you let out a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding. You pulled your compact mirror out of your bag and quickly looked yourself over. You fixed any smudged makeup and out of place hairs, and quickly put the compact back in your bag before Dallas came back.

“Here, doll.” Dallas said as he slid back into the driver’s seat and handed you a coke. You mumbled a quiet “thanks” and took a sip before placing it in the cup holder next to you.

The next few minutes were silent. You knew that you were too nervous to speak, but Dallas literally never shut the fuck up. It was odd for him to be this quiet.

Silently, his hand reached over and rests on your knee. You glance over at him as your heart skips a beat, but you don’t say anything. It’s kinda like when you approach a stray animal, you can’t be too loud or you’ll scare it away. Your hand comes up and rests on top of his, but neither of you address it. You both just stare forward at the screen.

The movie ended soon after. The car ride home was silent, there was tension in the car.. but not bad tension. As Dallas pulled up to your house, you sighed and reached for your bag. You turned to Dallas.

“Thanks for, um.. tonight. It was nice.” You said nervously, your free hand tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Yeah, man. Of course.” Dallas said, one hand gripping the steering wheel as he looked over at you. “Well, good night.”

“Good night.” You replied softly, but you didn’t move. You just sat there, watching his face. You leaned towards him slightly, watching his eyes trail down to your lips. Before you could think too hard about it, his hand came up to cradle your jaw and pull you in for a kiss.

Your eyes widened slightly, but you kissed back immediately. Your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. He only broke the kiss to catch his breath. When he pulled away, you giggled and ran your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

The kiss hadn’t felt awkward. It felt right. Natural. You pulled him in for another kiss, albeit a shorter one. When you pulled away from that kiss, your cheeks were flustered and your heart was racing. Dallas had a smirk plastered on his face as he removed his hands from your face.

You giggled nervously. “Okay. Uh.. good night, Dal.” You said as you reached for your bag again.

“Good night, Babydoll.” Dallas said as he leaned back into his seat and watched you get out of the car.

Before you’d gotten in the house, you looked back at the car and said, “We should go out again sometime.”

“Yeah.” Dallas replied with that cocky smirk on his face. With that, you walked into the house with the widest smile on your face.

Darry was working a late shift, so you ended up being responsible for dinner and tidying the house after. Not that you minded, you liked to help out when he needed it.

You were settled into bed, nodding off, when you heard the front door open and slam shut. You perked up, turning around to watch the bedroom door. You heard footsteps on the hardwood floor, then the bedroom door opened. In the door was Darry, looking exhausted and frustrated. He kicked his boots off, then laid down next to you and buried his face in his pillow.

You sat up and gently pulled him in, his head resting on your lap. You carded your fingers through his hair.

“How was work?” You asked quietly. He wasn’t one to really talk about work, he didn’t like to reflect on it. Still, you tried every day.

“The usual.” He muttered, dismissing the question silently. You knew what that meant, it wasn’t the best and you knew not to push it. You just sighed to yourself and gently massaged the area between his shoulders, earning a moan from him.

“If y’keep touching me like that, I might fall asleep.” He said with a chuckle, but you knew he wasn’t joking. He was usually so tense, so when he actually gets to relax, he’s quick to doze off.

“Good. Sleep.” You said as a smile grew on your face. He turned his head to look at you with those tired eyes.

“You don’t have to take care of me, honey.” Darry said quietly, one of his rough hands running up your arm. “I’m a grown man, I can do it myself.”

“Yeah, but you don’t. And someone has to.” You replied, rolling your eyes affectionately. He grunted in response and pushed himself off of your lap. He laid back against his pillow and pulled you into his chest.

“You’re too nice to me.” Darry said as he wrapped an arm around your waist and pressed a kiss to your temple.

“I think you’re just too rough on yourself.” You said as you looked up at him and placed a hand on his jaw. You pulled him down for a sweet kiss, and when you pulled away you said, “You deserve gentleness too.”

Darry didn’t respond to that. He never did. He just pulled you closer and held onto you like you’d disappear if he let go. He hated to admit it, but he loved these moments with you where he didn’t have to be the stronger person.

Life hadn’t been gentle to Darry, so you always promised to be.

Your mind was a confusing place right now.

You’ve hated Dallas the whole time you’ve known him, but since that day a few weeks ago.. something changed. You can’t stop thinking about him. You weren’t sure what was happening, but every time you saw him, your cheeks would get warm and you’d get that tingly feeling in your stomach..

You had gone out to see a movie at the drive in. You needed a distraction, you haven’t been able to think straight in days. It was a decent movie, and you were able to get your mind off of him. That was until you felt someone standing over you, and you looked behind you to see the exact guy you were trying to avoid.

Dallas.

You jumped a bit, you hadn’t been expecting to see him. Your cheeks flushed and you pushed your hair behind your ear. “What do you want, Dal?” You asked, feigning annoyance.

“Hey, Doll.” Dallas started. “Just the Curtis I was lookin’ for.” He said with a self satisfied smirk.

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t deny the butterflies in your stomach. God, had he always been this cute? “Why? What do you want?” You asked, eyeing him subtly.

He sat down in the chair next to you and rested his arm on the back of your chair. He turned to face you. “I owe you for the ruined jacket, man.”

“No, it’s fine.” You argued, not bothering to look at him. You knew that if you looked at him.. you’d never be able to look away.

“C’mon. Let me take you out to eat or somethin’.” He insisted, squeezing your shoulder. His touch made your heart skip a beat. You pretended to think about it.

“Fine.” You said, turning to look at him. “Lead the way, Winston.”

~ ~ ~

You were sat across from Dallas in some diner as you sipped your coke. You hadn’t talked much on the way there, it felt too risky. But now that you’re sat across him in silence, it’s awkward.

“Thanks for paying, Dal.” You said to break the silence, looking down at your food as you picked at it.

“‘Course, man.” Dallas replied, leaning back in his seat. He didn’t seem nervous, quite the opposite really. You, however? You were shitting bricks.

Dallas leaned closer to you, reaching out to mess with one of the curls resting gently on your shoulder. “Like these, man. They’re nice.” He said.

“Thanks, I try.” You said, your voice barely above a whisper. You couldn’t have spoken louder if you wanted to, but you had no idea why. His hand playing with your hair made your heart begin to race, but against what you really wanted, you pushed his hand away. You pushed his hand back onto the table, but you didn’t pull your hand away. Not yet.

You leaned closer subconsciously, your hand curling around his without realizing it. You could feel his breath mingling with yours, but you just couldn’t pull away. You felt drawn to him. His eyes trailed down to your lips, lingering for a second before meeting your gaze once again. He leaned slightly closer, nearly closing the gap between you.

You could feel his lips brushing against yours gently, it felt surreal. Before your lips could properly meet, your waitress came out with the check. Upon seeing her, you snapped back into your senses and jumped back. You pulled your hand back and looked away, your cheeks flustered.

The waitress set the check on the table then left, leaving just you and Dallas. You couldn’t look at him. You almost..

Fuck.

You cleared your throat and reached to grab your drink, taking an urgent sip. You had to go, because you didn’t know what would happen if you didn’t.

“I’m, uh.. I’m gonna go.” You said, your eyes not meeting his gaze as you gathered your things. “You’ve got the check?” You asked as you slipped on your jacket.

“Yeah.” Dallas said, his face now slightly withdrawn as he watched you. “Need a ride home?”

“No, but thank you.” You said as you stood up out of your chair and grabbed your purse. “I can walk.. walking never hurt anyone.”

Dallas just nodded in response. You cleared your throat quietly again before saying, “Thank you for lunch.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dallas said as he pulled a cigarette out of his cigarette pack.

“I’ll see you later, bye.” You said before walking away slowly, waiting to see if he’d say anything. After he didn’t, you started walking at a normal pace out of the diner.

The entire walk home, you were thinking of only one thing. You had just almost kissed Dallas Winston. Just two weeks ago, you were talking about how annoying he was and how much you hated him, and you just almost kissed him.

Jesus fucking Christ.