𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧
━━ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈

     The night was cold so Juliette was all cozied up in bed, reading a book that Alex had recomended to her not long ago. However, her metal trip to Paris was interrupted by something hitting her window repeatedly. After making sure it was not the wind, she got up and got closer to the window to see who was throwing pebbles at it.

     "Ricky? What are you doing here?"

     "Can you... um... can you get down?"

     "Sure, give me two minutes, I'll be right there."

     The girl put a light jacket on, not expecting to be downstairs too much time, and some shoes and got out of the house as silently as possible to meet Ricky.

     "Have you ever thought of sending a message? Where did you get the pebbles anyway? They are not from my lawn," the girl smiled at the simple sight of the boy, making him chuckle.

     "I wanted to be romantic, give me a break," he laughed, "the pebbles are from your neighbour's lawn. I'll return them if she wants them. Cute pyjamas, by the way."

     "Is everything okay, Ricky?", she cut the conversation short. It was obvious it was not, it was noticeable not only on his prominent under-eye bags but also on his trembling voice, "do you want to talk about it?"

     "Sorry to bother you but... no, it's not okay. And I... I don't want to talk about it but I feel like I need to?"

     "Hey, you don't have to excuse yourself. Always happy to help," she smiled to him, "tell me what's wrong."

     "Thanksgiving is supposed to be a beautiful day and today everything is going as bad as can be. My mom got a new boyfriend and she didn't even tell me about it, Gina is moving away again, my dad is not well and I don't know what to do. I hate to bother you with my problems but... I don't know. I feel comfortable talking with you."

     "Ricky, I'm always here for you, okay? I'm always here for whatever it is you need, even if you just want pancakes for breakfast and you don't have the ingredients at home. I'm actually glad you came," she smiled looking up at him while fidgeting with her hands, "look, come to my garden. I have two swings and let me tell you, I know from experience that everything is clearer while on the swings".

     Juliette took the boy to her back garden, where not only did she have two sings but also a treehouse and some chairs and a table. The swings, however, had always been her favourite place in the whole world, she had spent so many hours there that she could not recall all of them.

     "I know it does not seem like it right now, but things will get better. Everything has come to you all at once and that is hard, you need some time to process it all. You have talked to your mom and that is already a step and your dad needs time to heal, but it is only normal. Change is hard. And same goes for Gina. Let her process everything, she'll answer you. You're great friends," she looked at him, doubting if she should say other words.

     "You really think everything will get better?"

     "I do not think it, I know it."

     "Thanks for the chat, Jul. You were right, everything is clearer while on here. Are you cold?", he inquiered, seeing that the girl was shivering.

     "Don't worry, it's nothing."

     "Take my sweatshirt, it's the least I can do for keeping you up so late."

     "Oh no, don't worry. I am actually having a really good time here. It is great to be able to take my mind off of everything for some time."

     However, he did not want to listen and he handed her his maroon hoodie, which the girl put on. She was cold, she just did not want to admit it. But Ricky's sweatshirt felt great, and it smelled amazing. She put the cuffs over her hands and Ricky, taking a step towards her, put the hood on and tied the laces, making a ribbon.

     "Throb, eh?"

     "Oh, yeah," he laughed, "I haven't changed it because you told me you liked it."

     "I actually do."

     Some minutes later, they got tired of the swings and decided to climb to the treehouse, looking at the stars through the little window and talking about everything that went through their minds: the musical, childhood anecdotes, jokes, school... They did not even bother to be responsible and go to sleep at a decent hour. Without noticing, soon, both teenagers were cuddled and whispering, so as not to wake up anyone. Ricky played with Juliette's rings, making her laugh from time to time.

      Neither of them wanted to get up, but it was getting too late already and Juliette's eyes felt heavier by the minute. So, after putting it off for the longest time possible, Juliette walked Ricky to the door.

     "I really had a great time, Juliette. Thanks for everything, really."

     "Oh, don't mention it. You can come whenever you want. It was the perfect ending for an unfortunate party."

     They then hugged each other but did not break apart. Instead, they stayed there looking at each other's eyes in the middle of the cold night. Ultimately, Ricky took a step forward and kissed Juliette softly.

     But this kiss tasted different. His grip on her waist was stronger, his sweatshirt on her and his lips moving sweetly over hers. Maybe it was because of everything they had learnt about the other or maybe it was the night but it just felt different, they felt different. Once they broke away, they didn't say anything but just looked at each other before Ricky gave her a quick peck and mounted her skateboard to go home, telling her that they would see each other the next day.

     "You forget your sweatshirt," she reminded him, secretly hoping that he would let her keep it.

     "Keep it, it does not fit as well anymore!" the boy exclaimed, skating away already and making Juliette chuckle. She knew it was not true, that hoodie fit perfectly, Ricky just wanted her to keep it and she was not about to complain either.

lxngbottom speaks!

We have only 10 chapters left for this story! So let me know, are you liking the story so far? What do you think will happen?

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You are the best, xx