March 2014

The library was a sanctuary of quietude, filled with the soft rustle of turning pages.. occasional murmur of whispers.. Amidst the rows of bookshelves, a little girl with auburn locks sat engrossed in a book. Her small fingers tracing the words as she read with rapt attention. Abruptly, a whisper stood out from the others, piercing the serenity. Curious, she reluctantly turned to peek between the stack of books.

A boy and a girl sat nearby, their heads bent over a table strewn with books. The difference was—while the girl remained engrossed in her reading, the boy with jet-black hair had forsaken his own book in favor of a sleek green toy car. With playful abandon, he deftly maneuvered the car across the girl's open book, eliciting soft giggles from her.

Despite her amusement, the girl with dark brown eyes repeatedly lifted her books to shield them from the intruding toy car. Yet, as his persistence grew, the girl's amusement gradually waned—replaced by a growing sense of irritation. Eventually, unable to tolerate his interruptions any longer, she left him in seemingly annoyance.

Meanwhile, the girl observed the scene from a distance, curiosity piqued. With determined steps, she approached him—her hand outstretched towards his shoulder, intending to offer comfort.. or perhaps—to scold him for his antics. As her small hand reached out.. the boy stood up. The girl's little fingers almost reaching..

The boy took the books..

Almost..

The boy took his precious toy..

Just one.. more step—

"What're you doing?"

Startled by the sudden tap on his shoulder, Cavill grabs the shelves in a tight shake, causing the books to wobble precariously. As he steadies himself, he turns around hesitantly—heart still pounding with surprise.. to find a girl with short hair cut, staring back at him with her downturned eyes. Still feeling startled, he looks around as if he's a fugitive on a run—before finally looking back at her in a dumbfounded manner.

"I.. I was—hiding—wait," narrowing his eyes as he retracts his head, he tilts his head in recognition, "do I know you? You look.. familiar,"

Eyes widening in surprise, the girl gasps excitedly, "It's Lucy! Lucy Burns!" but Tyler narrows his eyes, seeming unsure—prompting her to roll her eyes and make another attempt, "You know, elementary school. I was the girl in—"

"Holy shit! Lucy Burns!"

Like a switch turned on, his expression lights up with recognition and he immediately grabs her hand excitedly and shakes them. "Wow—it's been—"

"7 years. Yeah, I know—"

"Ok but listen—I really need to get out of here, can we—save the talk for later—"

"Who're you hiding from?"

Turning back to his initial position, Cavill peers out from between the bookshelves. In ultimate focus, he narrows his eyes.. But abruptly, his head goes right and left like he missed something. "Wait—she was—"

"She was what?"

Tyler hears a voice he knows too well, echoing right behind him. Slowly turning around, he finds another girl.. arms folded in front of her stomach—eyes narrowed.. annoyance radiating all over her. Giving her a busted grin, Cavill scratches the back of his head.

"Hi.. Winters.."

Rolling your eyes, you move your body slightly to the left—that's when you notice someone staring blankly at the two of you. "Oh—hi!" you gasp, before turning to Tyler with a questioning look.

However, he just shrugs and stares at the two of you in confusion, causing you to narrow your eyes in bewilderment. You watch the girl tilt her head and glare at him in disbelief, her lips forming a pout—but that's—when you feel a nostalgic recognition wash over you.

"L—Lucy.. Burns..?" you hesitantly guess, inclining your body forward, careful not to pick any needle.

In a flash of lightning, Tyler snaps his head to you in loud bewilderment, blurting out, "What the—" but you quickly make a hand gesture to shush him out, wanting to make sure to the girl herself. But before the girl even reacts, he already adds, "Well no need for another clarification, Winters. She said she's Lucy Burns—wait—so you actually know her—"

"You idiot!" you finally snap your head back to him in disbelief before clarifying, "She's our childhood truth or dare og! Remember the day we made that no-kissing rule?!"

Eyes widening in surprise, Tyler turns to the girl and exclaims, "Shut the fuck up! The no-kissing rule?! It's because of her?!" pointing at her as he converse with you. Now he remembers. The kind of trigger he's gotta get is amazing sometimes.

The girl, seemingly on edge, rolls her eyes, completely in a different mood as of earlier when she first busted Tyler out of his hiding spot.

"Yes! She's the girl who always wanted us to kiss—!" you blurt out, but immediately cover your mouth at your own words, checking him and then to her.. and your eyes roam around the room. Thank God you're in some secluded space though.

As for Tyler—he just raises his eyebrows, creating a half lidded gaze, and watches her in an elevated chin before blurting out, "Do you still want to? Because FYI, we already did—"

Immediately, you tackle Tyler in a headlock, covering his mouth in embarrassment. "Please don't mind him," you plead, grinning in discomfort.

Letting out a slight scoff, the girl gives a bitter lopsided grin. "You two are still the same, huh?"

Feeling embarrassed, you release Tyler from the headlock—but he immediately interjects, "Wait—" pulling back slightly with a knowing look, he accuses, "aren't you the girl who sometimes bully My Winny—"

"Were. Past Tense, everyone. I'm not the girl I used to be~" she sings in defense.

Raising an eyebrow, Tyler wraps an arm around you and leans towards the girl, his tone tinged with protectiveness, "Are you a walking red flag, Lucy Burns? Are you going to harm My Winny?"

Shit. Why does everything he does feel different now?! Even the way he says My Winny..

You feel your heart start to race—but quickly regaining your composure, you shake Tyler's body in embarrassment, but he doesn't budge. In reluctance, you shift your gaze back to the girl.

However, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, Lucy Burns finally responds, "Oh, relax, Cavill. I'm not here to cause any trouble. Just passing through," rolling her eyes—turning as if preparing to leave. "But if you're that concerned about your Winny here.." she flashes a grin before adding, "maybe you should keep a closer eye on her yourself."

For a moment, the two of you watch her back in bewilderment as she leaves. Automatically, you turn to each other with the same expression, eyebrows knitting.. and shaking your heads in confusion. But somehow.. it gradually shifts into.. something else.

In each other's embrace, you gaze at each other.. eyes start dropping lower—but he pulls away, clearing his throat in awkwardness.

In helplessness, you sigh as he doesn't even want to look at you. Yeah, it's been like this for the past few weeks—especially for him. Rolling your head before turning back to him, you plead. "Ty? I think we should talk.." and at that, he finally turns his gaze up to you. The intensity of his gaze somehow ran shivers from your head to toe.

"I know you've been avoiding me—"

"I thought you said we should pretend it never happened?"

Observing your startled reaction, he lets out a smug smirk. In the name of all the seriousness, you roll your eyes, before complaining, "Yes, I did. But our gestures definitely not a resemblance of a pretending-it-never-happen,"

Letting out a small smirk, he nods and looks around, careful whether anyone's watching. Then, dragging your arm slightly, he whispers, "Our place, 6 o'clock?"

"So.."

The two of you stand beneath the shade of the tree, legs stretched out toward the tranquil lake. Uncertainty hangs in the air, reflected in your distant gazes. Replying to him, all you can muster is a, "So—"

"Can I go first?"

He props himself up with his hands on the back, eyes fixed on the horizon. Your silence is a sign enough for him to continue, because now he lets out a deep sigh.. before confessing, "I gotta admit. It.. got me in the feels, Winters,"

It's still the first line.. but those words already catch your throat, making each breath a struggle. "But I really don't know why. All I know is that this made me dizzy," he admits, turning to look at you, "and it got me tracing back.." his voice trails off, lost in thought.

"Well, for starters, I don't like you with Hunt, that's no secret,"

The comment causes your eyes to roll automatically, eliciting you to reply, "Ugh, no need to remind me. Even every guy who dates me always got bashed by that favorite wooden bat of yours,"

Chuckling, he crooks his head smugly and says, "Well, true—" but as fast as the wind blows, his playful demeanor fades as he continues, "This case is different though. Maybe because he's my bro, or—" he pauses, uncertainty clouding his features. "I don't know."

"Well, I could relate."

Startled by your agreement, he carefully turns his head to you, seeking confirmation. "You.. do?"

"I feel the same when you're with Taylor—" you begin, then pause, noticing his expression shift into one of recognition. "That's no secret either I guess," you add as he bounces his eyebrows while a little smirk forms on his lips.

"And yes, I'm not gonna lie. What we did.."

Your voice trails off as you look down, unable to meet his gaze—though you can feel his intense gaze piercing through your left. Nerves begin to fray your composure, prompting you to intertwine your hands and stretch, scrunching your face in embarrassment as you finally muster the courage to look at him.

Noticing blushes start spreading all over your faces, he stifles a big laugh—though it escapes as a series of chuckles. He looks away briefly before meeting your gaze again with a grin and a shake of his head to sigh.

"Okay—" you start, but you stop again. Attempting to hide your embarrassment, you press your hands to your cheeks, only to dissolve into your own laughter. Squealing in frustration, you try to let out all the embarrassment—but your frustration builds as your squeals turn into a half hearted scream—only causing him to let out a big laugh, embarrassing you more than it should.

"As you can see—" you begin again, pausing to let the moment sink in—until you sigh, expression turns serious as confusion comes clouding your mind. "It's been occupying my mind too."

His initial laugh turns into a slight smile.

Hesitant, you meet his gaze. "But we're bestfriends, we shouldn't have these kind of feelings, right?"

And his smile falters.

"If you said we crossed that line, I think we should take another step back—"

"What if we already burned that line?"

With a raised eyebrow, he smirks seductively, implying a nod to the moment you had together. Your cheeks flush pink again—but you quickly shake your head internally before steeling yourself.

"We draw.. another line."

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote, comment, and add to your library!

Check out some additional content on social media💖

Cecylia Costania @rcpcswrites

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! Full Playlist on bio💖

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

https://youtu.be/IytWDiq9Vwk