reticent

27

• AMALIA •

We walk to the park, talking quietly as Ally walks a few feet ahead with Petal, who seems to adore her.

     "I'm sorry you got suspended because of me." I say quietly.

     He sighs. "You didn't do anything, Amalia. I chose to, and I don't regret it."

     I wrap my arms around myself. He glances at me, then back down at the floor. Then he looks back at my face, a soft expression on his.

     "You don't care that I did, do you? You're not mad at me, or anything?"

     I shake my head.

     "Are you still with him?" He asks me after a moment of silence.

     "We haven't broke up, or anything. Like, neither of us have said it. But.. I think it's pretty obvious that I don't want to be in a relationship with him anymore." I say. I let out a shaky breath, and he looks at me again. "He.. he made me not feel like myself."

     His eyes soften. He reaches his hand out, then interlocks his fingers with mine. He squeezes it. He doesn't say anything, but just his hand holding mine is enough to comfort me.

     I step a little closer to him.

     Ally turns and walks into the gates of the park. We follow her and she brings Petal back before rushing off toward the swings.

     I sit down on a bench, and Archer takes up the spot beside me as I set Petal on my lap. He sets an arm on the back of the bench so it's behind me, and I blush even though there's hardly anything to be flustered over.

     I lean back so it grazes my back, and tingles spark in the space he touches.

     We begin an easy conversation—as all things are with him. When I say something, his response is immediate. I don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing, because I know he won't have a bad reaction like Frankie did.

I frown when I feel a raindrop on my head. I look up at the sky, and Archer follows my gaze. He sighs. "It was so nice before, now it's cloudy."

"I like rain. Only when I'm inside, though." I say.

     "Well, princess, we're outside now."

     I look back up at the grey sky. "Hm. I guess."

     His lips tick up into a smile.

     "Do you wanna go?" I ask him.

     "Not if you don't want to."

     "Can we stay for a little while longer?"

     "'Course we can." He replies, moving his arm so it's wrapped around my shoulders as Petal curls up into a ball on my lap. He tucks me into his side, and I fit perfectly there, as though we're two pieces of a jigsaw connected.

     "I'm proud of you." He whispers, his eyes searching my face. Now that I'm closer up, I realise that his eyes are more of a grey than a blue. They're gorgeous, and they're twinkling with something I'm unable to decipher.

     "Why?" I question quietly.

     "Because—"

     "Amalia!"

     I snap my head toward the sound, the voice who the word belongs to sending a bad feeling through my body. Archers arm tightens around me as he draws me even closer to him.

     "Archer." I say breathlessly as Frankie approaches. I glance over to Ally, finding her safe on the swings that face the opposite way.

     Petal begins to growl as Frankie approaches.