(Newt's p.o.v.)

▬Newt couldn't wipe off the stupid smile on his face the next day.

All night, he had tossed around in bed, replaying the kiss over and over in his head until it was practically engrained in his memory. Rose had kissed him back - but did she really like him or was she just caught up in the heat of the moment? And, oh bloody hell, Minho saw it. He was never gonna stop teasing him about it for the rest of his life.

Newt woke up early the next morning, a dazed smile on his face, and waited as Clint and Jeff came in to check on his broken leg.

"You seem extra cheery today," Clint observed.

"Yeah, what kinda dreams did you have, man?" Jeff asked.

Newt felt his face heat up, though he tried to hide it as best as he could. "Um, uh..."

"He was probably dreaming about Rosalind," Clint snickered.

"Wait, what?" Newt exclaimed,eyes wide.

"Yeah, yeah, good one!" Jeff said, and he high-fived Clint, not bothering to disguise the playful smirk that tugged at his lips.

"Oh, bug off, you two," Newt muttered, quite sure that his entire face was as red as a tomato now. 

The two Med-jacks continued examining and patching up his foot and when they were done, they handed him his crutch and helped him climb out of bed, grinning mischievously the entire time. A bad thought occurred to Newt: what if Clint and Jeff had saw the kiss? Or what if Minho had ratted out to them?

Stop it, he told himself. Stop being so bloody paranoid. As much of a slinthead Minho was, he wouldn't go to extreme lengths to tell everyone his secret. 

He leaned against his crutch and wobbled out of the Homestead and to the kitchen. As soon as he spotted the kitchen, memories of the previous night came flooding in and he had to stop himself from blushing.

Alby and Minho were already there. Newt tried not to feel disappointed when he realized Rose wasn't up yet.

"Hey," Alby greeted as he sat down. Minho just wriggled his eyebrows at him.

Newt rolled his eyes at the boy, trying to hide his irritance. Frypan came over and handed out rolls of bread and they munched on them. Throughout their meal, Minho kept glancing at Newt, snickering, while Alby looked on with confusion.

"Why on earth do you keep laughing?" Alby said finally when Minho smirked for the millionth time. "What's going on?"

"Newt had a nice private time last night with R-" Minho said, but Newt threw his bread at him before he could continue.

"Shut the bloody hell up!" He snapped, his face a lovely shade of red as Minho burst out laughing.

"No, seriously, what's going on?" Alby said.

"I'll tell you later," Newt said quickly before Minho could intervene. "Not out loud here."

"Alright..." Alby glanced at someone behind me. "Oh, hey Rosalind."

Newt's face warmed up again as a pale, petite figure sat beside him - it was indeed Rose. Her dark hair was tied back into a messy, hasty braid, hair ends sticking out in some places. She looked cute with it. As Frypan hurried over to serve her a bread roll, she gave Newt a small, shy smile and he felt his heartbeat escalate, his mouth twitching up into a nervous smile of his own.

Minho was watching the two of them with a smirk, his eyes full of eager and mischief. Newt ignored him as Rose ate her bread. He tried not to think about the way her arm grazed his as she ate, and how every touch sent an electric tingle up his arm.

"So, Newt..." Alby said, apparently oblivious to the weird situation at hand. "How's being my second in command so far?"

"It's pretty good," he answered, avoiding his eyes. Newt didn't tell him, but he wasn't really comfortable with discussing about his new role as second-in-command. The role was given to him when it was clear that he could no longer be a Runner due to his broken ankle. It reminded him of painful memories; of him jumping off the Maze wall, of the pain and regret that came afterward, of Rose ending up in the Slammer even though she saved him.

"Newt gets to boss the other shanks around, of course he's happy with his new job," Minho snorted.

Sometimes, Newt wonders why he was friends with a guy like Minho. 

"Alright, I need to go now." Minho got up and squinted at his watch. "Yep. Doors open in about five minutes. See ya later, shanks."

He ran off before they could say properly say goodbye. Alby turned to Newt again and raised an eyebrow.

"So... mind if we talk in private?" He asked.

"Oh... yeah, sure."

Alby and Newt waved Rose goodbye and they went to the edge of the woods, where no one could eavesdrop on them. The tall trees loomed above them, the wide canopy of leaves providing a cooling shade from the sweaty heat of the Glade.

"So what was Minho talking about?" Alby said. "Something about you having a private time with someone?"

Newt felt himself turn red from head to toe for what seemed like the millionth time that day. He didn't like to talk about his feelings with people - not even with his closest friends. Confessing to Rose was hard enough by itself and it had taken every ounce of courage he had.

"I... well..." He took a deep breath and told himself to calm down. It was only Alby. Alby was a trustworthy friend. He knew he won't rattle his secret to others. "You know how I liked Rose, don't ya?"

Alby nodded.

" I... I kissed her last night," he admitted.

Alby's eyes widened. "You're shucking serious?" He said, astounded.

"As serious as I'll ever be, Alby."

"Holy shuck... wait, so are you two together now?"

Newt shrugged. He hadn't really thought that far yet. "Not sure. I mean... it was only a kiss, and we haven't talked about it at all. It-It might not mean anything."

"Ah, come on, Newt!" Alby let loose a laugh. "I saw the way you two looked at each other at breakfast - she clearly likes you too, man! You should ask her out on a date."

"Ah, yes," Newt said dryly. "A date, that's a bloody brilliant idea. What, should I take her on a stroll in the Maze? Maybe have a nice chat with her in the Slammer, just the two of us?"

Alby punched him lightly in the arm. "You know what I mean, man. You gotta make a move."

"I-I'll try."

Alby grinned at him, and they walked away, checking up on the other Gladers.

-

That night, Newt laid in bed in the Homestead, waiting for either Clint or Jeff to check up on his broken leg. But when the door opened, he was surprised to see Rose instead.

She gave him a small smile, tucked her hair behind her ear and set out to work, not saying a single word the entire time. She propped his broken foot on a pillow and examined it, face full of concentration. Newt swallowed the painkillers and water she gave him and handed back the now-empty glass. She set it aside on his bedside table and finally lifted her gaze up to his. He could tell she wanted to say something to break the silence between them, but her mouth remained closed.

As she turned to leave, Newt reached out and grabbed her hand - his injured leg ached from the sudden movement, but he ignored it.

"Don't go," he said.

She turned around slowly and faced him once more. She sat down at the edge of his bed and grasped his hand, her skin warm.

"You need to rest, Newt," she whispered, though the spark in her eyes hinted that she was reluctant to leave.

"I want to talk to you," he said. "About... you know."

"What about it?"

"I know it might sound ridiculous, but I... I was wonderin' what the two us are now."

She laughed; it was a clear, comforting sound. "Well, what do you want us to be?"

"Something... Something more than friends."

She bit her lips and looked down, obviously trying to hide her smile.

"If that's what you want," she whispered, and placed a hand on his chest and face, making his cheeks heat up. She placed her lips on his and his eyes closed as he kissed her back, slowly.

His hand went to her waist and pulled her closer to him; she leaned her body onto the bed so that the upper half of her was lying on him, her legs dangling off the edge of the bed. He felt her rapid heartbeat on his.

His hand slipped under her shirt and trailed up her spine, making her gasp softly; her breath was warm and sudden on his skin. He lifted his face and kissed her mouth, her jawline, her neck, each contact more insistent than the last. Newt savoured the moment as best as he could, wishing it wouldn't end - but alas, it did, for Rose pulled away. She laid her head on his chest, eyes closed, a serene smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him, and nestled his face into her hair.

He knew they would get into trouble if someone discovered them like that, but Rose seemed so comfortable that he didn't want to move her away. They fell asleep together, the sound of their breathings bringing comfort and sweet dreams.

[ END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN ]

(yayy i actually really like this chapter haha! anyway i changed the cover of this story and im actually debating if it looks better than the previous one... and i also need to remember to update more frequently lol)