#barleylightfoot

“Look at us,” you whispered. You were dressed as a princess and Barley was dressed as a knight.

“You guys take forever! Are we going to this party or not?” Ian yelled from the living room. You both laughed and walked to the living room to find Ian dressed in his wizard costume. 

“That’s so cool Ian. I especially love the beard,” you teased.

“Okay, enough jokes. Lets go!” Ian insisted. This was the first Halloween party Ian had been invited to and he asked if you two could come along with him. The three of you got into Guinevere and headed to the party, which was at Ian’s friend’s house.

“So who’s the friend?” you asked.

“Um… her name is Hailey. She’s in my class.” You looked at Ian in the car mirror and noticed he was blushing. You looked over at Barley who was already smirking and looking at you. You had known Barley and Ian for years because of the proximity of your houses and you and Barley were always trying to get Ian out there. It seemed your efforts had finally paid off.

“This is it!” Ian got out of the van first and waited for the two of you. You noticed he was wiping his hands on his robe and looked nervous.

You put your hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay. Come on, let’s go have fun.” With that he led the way inside, making his way through an already packed house. It was a bit overwhelming. There were a ton of people. You and Barley went to the living room where they were playing Mario Kart while Ian went in search of his friend.

“Hey, can I give it a go?” you asked the person that had just lost. They nodded and handed you the remote. 

After a few rounds you had impressed everyone with your win streak. You beat everyone that played against you.

“Okay my turn,” Barley said. He sat next to you on the couch and the last person you beat handed him the remote. “Let’s up the stakes. Let’s make a bet. What do you want?”

A bet? You had gotten so good at Mario Kart from playing with Barley. You were both good so you had about a 50% chance of winning. “If I win… you have to let me borrow Guinevere whenever I want for the next month.”

“Okay, fair. If I win, I want a kiss,” he said with a sly smile.

You felt heat rise to your cheeks. In the past year you realized you had feelings for Barley. You never told him because you didn’t want to ruin your friendship. Was he messing with you? That’s probably the only thing he could think of, you thought.

“You're on.” You both played hard, neck and neck most of the game. In the final game you were pulling out all the stops to make sure he didn’t win. Not because you didn’t want to kiss him, but because you didn’t like losing in general. Unfortunately he beat you to the finish line by seconds.

“Okay pay up,” Barley said, leaning in. Of course you obliged, meeting him halfway. You expected the kiss to be a short peck but it wasn’t. As soon as your lips touched his, fireworks went off inside you and he didn’t pull away. He instead deepened the kiss and pulled you in by your waist.

When you pulled apart you were both flushed and breathless. 

“Oh wow,” Ian said from behind you.

“Oh my god,” you whispered. Barley looked at you with a soft gaze and smiled. He held his hand out and you took it. He led you outside and you both sat in Guinevere.

“So…” you said.

“Um… Y/N I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time. I know that wasn’t the most conventional way to ‘confess’ but it was spur of the moment and I was feeling confident. I totally understand if you don’t feel that way about me. We can still be friends and things can go back to the way they were before,” he rambled, twiddling with his thumbs.

“Barley I like you too. I’ve liked you for over a year.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’re so bubbly and true to yourself and kind to everyone. It was hard not to fall for you.”

At that you and Barley both leaned in and kissed again, just as passionately as the first time. This time the kiss was different. It felt like a new beginning. When you pulled away Barley looked like he had stars in his eyes.

“Will you be my princess?”