Rae’s POV
The light coming in through the windows woke me up. I opened my eyes slowly. Shaant was staring at me.
“What?” I asked. He shrugged, leaning on one elbow.
“I like looking at you,” he said simply. I didn’t ruin the moment by saying it was a little weird. Instead I let out a small laugh. He smiled. “I like your eyebrows.”
“My eyebrows?” I repeated, raising them. He nodded, lying on his back again.
“And your eyes. And nose. And everything else.” I smiled and put my head on his bare chest. He wrapped his arms around me. The sound of his heart beating was making me sleepy.
“Will you marry me one day?” he asked suddenly.
“What?” I asked, smiling, never hearing it put that way. I lifted my head to look at him.
“I said, will you marry me one day?” he repeated.
“We’re too young to be married. We’re only twenty.”
“I know. I don’t mean soon. Not like an engagement.”
“Then like what?” I asked, smiling lightly.
“Like a promise. Like that someday, when we’re ready, we’ll get married.”
“Okay,” I agreed, still smiling. “Someday.” I put my head back down. The doorbell rang as soon as I did, causing Hacky-sack to bark like crazy. I ignored it for a few seconds.
“Who is it?” he asked, not moving.
“Tom and Sadie, probably. We’re going to the mall, remember?” I sat up. “Will you get it while I change?” I asked. He got up, pulled on a shirt and headed for the front. I searched for jeans and a t-shirt. I sighed. I was having trouble finding things. I had only moved in a few days ago. I pulled on the first matching outfit I found and headed for the living room, where Tom and Shaant were talking and Sadie had her best pretend-bored face on.
We were at the outdoor mall half an hour later. We wandered aimlessly for an hour.
“It’s cold,” Sadie complained. I rolled my eyes. It was her idea to come in the first place.
“Do you want me to buy you a sweatshirt?” Tom offered.
“If I want something, I’ll buy it myself,” she snapped in annoyance, crossing her arms.
“Just asking,” Tom mumbled as she walked ahead.
“What’s her deal?” Shaant asked once she was out of earshot. I sighed.
“Let’s just say some asshole fucked her up about a year ago,” I blurted out heatedly. Tom glanced at me. “She just doesn’t trust guys anymore,” I explained quietly.
“She trusts Seb and Zack,” Tom pointed out.
“Well, she’s not dating Seb and Zack, now is she?” He shrugged glumly and concentrated on the ground as we walked. She slowed down and we caught up with her again.
Sadie’s POV
I frowned. There seemed to be an awkward silence because of me. I glanced sideways at Tom. He was staring ahead, an odd expression on his face. I felt bad. He was only trying to help, and I had snapped at him.
I hesitated for a second, then reached out to grab his hand. His hand twitched but held on to mine. He obviously wasn’t expecting it.
I stared straight ahead as he looked curiously sideways at me.
