HIS JOY in my boy next door reality,, or an ( 676 words: ~2:28 min read ) excerpt for @withluvvenusâ emotions shiftblr activity except⌠dun dun dun! iâm not only posting about my emotions in my realities.
PREAMBLE đˇ At this moment in time ( Oct. 20th, 2021 ) me and Tommy have been âpracticing kissingâ, with an occasional something something more, for nearly a month. Weâve been friends for a little while longerâsince July. Iâm not yet aware that Iâm in love with him. Heâs been painfully aware of his feelings for me well before we were even talking to each other. Right now though, weâre just in a fun little dynamic that he enjoys way too much. While subsequently trying to ignore all the dread he feels over our âno feelingsâ rule that he agreed to despite already harboring intense ones.
I knew he spent his flex periods in here. Why he doesnât skip school when our flex period ends the school day like the rest of us, Iâll never understand. I mean heâs told me. And his claims that, âSchool is a better setting for studying,â only make me more sure he would spend the night here if they wouldnât inevitably kick him out before 5pm. But I canât have him be that lame.
So now Iâm testing my luck with him to see if I can get him to abandon his studies to hang out with me instead. If you asked me a couple months ago, I wouldnât like my odds. But I feel like my chances have improved drastically since then.
I slide into the chair next to him, and the feet screech across the ground loudly. I wince, and watch his head whip towards me. âTheodore,â I mutter stiffly and through an awkward cough as I nod my head at him.
A smile quirks at his lips while he looks back to the papers in front of him, shaking his head. âThomas,â he greets me back.
Excitment is vibrating inside me at how close it feels I am to spending time with him. The lack of annoyance is already a fantastic sign. I rest my elbow on the table next to him then lean my head on my hand, propping myself up in his peripheral vision. âCome hang out with me,â I offer.
âNow?â He looks up at me, taking in my face. I like watching his eyes roam me. I like to imagine heâs enjoying what heâs seeing, like Iâm a work of art heâd analyze at a museum.
I hum out my answer, âMhm.â But ultimately am patient as he takes in my invitation, thinking it over while his thumb plays with his mechanical pencil. Clicking the lead out, then pushing it back in against his thigh.
His eyes are studying the papers and notebooks in front of him like theyâre gonna give him the answers he wants. He scratches the back of his neck then looks towards me again, âWhat would we do?â
I smile wide, Iâm closer than Iâve ever gotten before to stealing Theo away from school work. And my optimism is soaring at this moment. âGet a sweet treat, then head back to your place?â
He chucks his pencil on his stack of notebooks, and his arms cross over his chest. âItâs rude to invite yourself over to peopleâs houses, fyi.â
I sigh dramatically then shove my legs onto his lap. This is a very unstable, and honestly uncomfortable, position. But it adds to my charming yet annoying persona that Iâm fairly sure is Theoâs kryptonite, so itâs full speed ahead.
My optimism grows when his hands go to rest on my legs as I tell him, âYeah well Billy is probably at our house already, soooooâŚâ
A small chuckle that I almost canât hear escapes his mouth, âIâm fucking with you Shep, yeah those plans sound nice.â
I rip my legs of his lap, my shoes doing more damage to his thighs that I would have liked, but Iâm too excited to apologize. Leaning in, I blurt out a âReally!?â
His hands move slowly and meticulously, slipping pencils and highlighters into their case, closing his notebooks, filing papers into folder and binders, and stacking them all in front of him. Heâs smiling to himself as he does this, âYes really. Youâre paying though.â
I nod so quick and messily, I donât know how I donât get dizzy. âOf course,â I spill, âI offered, itâs my treat.â
He just hums, letting me know he heard me. With his school stuff in his backpack now. He turns to me in his chair, our knees are touching and itâs all my brain can focus on untilâŚ
âIs there another treat youâre giving me when we get to my place?â
The smile that was permanently etched on my face during this whole conversation practically splits my head in two when it grows into a grin after I hear that question. âIf you assumed otherwise, youâre not as smart as you claim to be.â