..

They were out the door in no time.

Dray walked close enough to Wells to feel nerves swirl in the pit of her stomach. She let out a deep breath as silently as she could.

"This isn't a good idea." Wells shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, staring straight ahead.

They walked for a while towards downtown, but a little more east and away from the lake. Peter's house stood at the end of the block. Hero was proving to be quite the walking distance town.

Dray glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Not all ideas have to be good, Wells," she said with a pep in her step.

He snorted, shaking his head. "That is horrible logic."

A grin slid to her cheeks, but they had arrived at the door. She knocked before Wells could say anymore.

"Dray!" Porter yelled, swinging open the screen door. "I'm so glad you could make it." His outstretched arm tried to usher her inside, slithering its way between her and Wells.

Dray abruptly stepped away from Porter. "Hi," she said, keenly aware of a different hand that found its place on her back.

Finally taking a hint, Porter stutter-stepped to stop his movement forward and dropped the smile. "Wells."

One side of Wells' mouth lifted up in a smile only there to mock him. "Porter."

Cutting the annoyingly growing tension, Dray grabbed Wells' arm to pull him inside, but was interrupted by the younger Middleton.

"Porter!" Peter's head popped up behind his older brother's shoulder. "Time to check the grill." He pushed him back and slinked around him without a second glance. "Come on in guys." He leaned on the door, holding it back. His hand flopped in the air as he gestured them inside.

Quiet thank yous were given as the duo walked over the threshold, Peter following suit. He led a quick tour, essentially showing where the bathrooms were, and brought them outside to the party.

The backyard filled with people caused a different bout of nerves in Dray's stomach. She didn't know anyone aside form the small group she had met at the block party. Mikki's fiery red hair stuck out like a sore thumb.

Her lack of town people knowledge quickly came to an end as Peter wasted no time in dragging her along to be introduced to—what Dray guessed to be—every single person that stood in the yard. She felt like the special guest, though no one actually cared until Peter walked up to them.

For backup, she made sure to latch on to Wells and surprisingly, most said hi to him. Looked like Hero wasn't as gossip driven as she had originally thought.

With a little lull between handshakes, Dray mistakenly believed the introductions were finished, but Peter snatched her wrist yet again. She turned around to reach for Wells, but only grasped air. He left and she wasn't sure when he had.

With a sigh, she turned around. "I'm sorry, Peter, but this is sort of overwhelming. "She crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe we can save the rest for another time?"

Peter threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. "That's all right. I see your partner in crime has gone off somewhere anyway. Better find him." He winked.

Dray rolled her eyes and shoved him off. He only laughed as she excused herself to find Wells. She shook her head and smiled. How lucky to find a person as open and friend-ready as Peter.

Wells leaned against the tall wooden privacy fence at the side of the house, away from the party.

"That was quick."

Wells scrunched his forehead.

Dray swung her arms by her sides as she got closer. "I suppose you did better than I expected."

He chuckled lightly, but his shoulders dropped. "I should leave."

With rolling eyes, she grabbed his hand. "We need to eat." She pulled him back towards the party and he let her. Their hands stayed loosely together until they turned the corner into view.

Wells dropped his hand.

When they got to the food line, it moved fast, so their conversation held to a minimum and Dray concentrated on hoarding food to her plate rather than why she was sad Wells wouldn't hold her hand in public.

Dray, first out of the line, searched for a spot where they could stay to themselves, but not look like complete loners. A nice grassy area under a tree several feet from the house looked like a winner.

She got comfortable and took a bite of her sandwich, watching Wells. The wind ruffled his hair as he sat down cross-legged next to her. Their knees bumped together and he caught her eyeing him.

Wells wiggled his eyebrows. "Ya diggin' it?" He patted his chest.

Her smile failed with a mouth full of food, so she winked. She liked goofy Wells.

They sat in a comfortable silence after that, eating most of what filled their plates. The food tasted delicious and probably marked the only good that would ever come from Porter.

"Thank you for coming," Dray said, putting her plate aside, careful not to spill some chips far too salty to finish.

Wells cleared his plate and slipped it underneath hers. He stretched out a leg, propping up his arm on the other. "Whatever for you, darling."

She wrinkled her nose. "Darling?"

He looked right in her eyes; the kind of eye contact that she had to force herself not to break, the kind that warmed her face and her heart.

So naturally, she coughed and turned her head towards the party. She spotted Peter a few steps away.

"Let me take those for you," he said and bent over to scoop up the dishes.

Dray reached out for them. "No, that's okay. You don't have to."

"I'm the host." He grinned and puffed out his chest. "I can do whatever I want."

"Thanks, Peter," Wells cut in before she could reject again.

He nodded and left with another suggestive wink. It had become quite the standard for Peter.

A loud sigh escaped Dray as she tugged on her messy ponytail. She watched a group of people leave the backyard. The party itself had gotten significantly smaller. She bet people only came for the food.

She whipped her head towards Wells. "You ready?"

He popped his legs to his chest and stood up, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I thought you'd never ask." He grinned and held out a hand.

She rolled her eyes, but laughed as he pulled her up. His hand slid to her lower back, guiding her through the dwindling crowd.

They carefully avoided Porter, which ended up being quite easy as he isolated himself in an empty corner of the yard with his phone to his ear and a cigarette dangling between his lips. They found Peter inside the house and said quick goodbyes on the way out.

Back outside and on the walk home, Wells let out a sign of relief. "Feels good to be out of there."

"Okay," Dray said, "it wasn't that bad."

He pulled her into his side, his arm dangling off her shoulder. "It was kind of bad."

She shook her head. "Free food, though."

"Free food, indeed."

They chatted the rest of the way to Wells' place and his arm never moved. Dray could confidently say she didn't act much a fool, though her insides twisted in knots and she stumbled a few times over her own feet, but all in all, it had been a successful move towards a different Dray and Wells. She thought so, anyway. Well, she hoped so.

..

[EDITED OCTOBER 9, 2021]

Writing this one comes so much easier than any story I've ever written. I love it so much. 

What do you guys think?

Also here is my "Wells Edition" cover that I played around with yesterday. :)