Saturday meant two things: eyeliner thicker than usual and hanging out with Ash at the skate park, even though i couldn't skate to save my life.
I perched on the railing in ripped tights and my checkered tank top, sipping my third Monster of the day like it was holy water, while Ash launched himself across the half-pipe like he was born to defy gravity.
He hopped off his board, landing way too close to me, grin stretching wide. "You watching, love?"
My heart nearly lept out of my chest. "Yeah, whatever," I said, rolling my eyes so hard i thought they might actually get stuck. "Don't break your face, I'm not carrying you to the ER."
"You would," he shot back instantly, grabbing the can from my hand for a sip. "You'd panic if i so much as scraped my knee."
I snorted. "Shut up.
But he wasn't wrong.
We walked back to his car after dark, the summer air heavy with humidity, the street lights buzzing overhead. Our shoulders brushed, and I swore I could feel the static of it long after we pulled apart.
"You cold, love?" He asked when i rubbed my arms.
I nearly choked. "Stop calling me that."
He tilted his head, all innocent. "Why? Doesn't it suit you?"
"It's weird," I lied, voice cracking like a bad record. "It's... distracting."
Ash laughed under his breath, low and warm, and leaned just a little closer. "Good. Then it's working."
I froze, words evaporating into the thick night air. My whole body was screaming say something, tell him, just tell him already, but all I managed was a weak scoff.
"Gosh, you're so annoying."
He smirked, unlocking the car and tossing his board in the back. "And yet, you still keep me around, love."
The drive home was quiet, except for the music throwing through the speakers, some old Pierce the Veil song We both knew by heart. My lips moved with the lyrics, but my brain was somewhere else entirely.
Because I almost said it. I almost confessed right there in the parking lot under flickering street lights. And if he kept calling me love like that, so casual, so easy... i wasn't sure how much longer i could hold it in.