Deon

I never thought I would do this, but I'm finally going to tell Presley I like her tonight.

After driving for ten minutes we reach the golf course. We didn't talk much during the drive other than for the fact that Pres kept asking where we were going, but the silence was comfortable. I kill Callie's engine before grabbing her key and stepping out. I move over to the other side to open the door for Pres, but she has already gotten out and she's looking around the empty field, baffled.

"Um...what was it you wanted to show me? You're not gonna kill me and dump my body somewhere, are you?"

"You need to be patient, and maybe I am." I laugh as I press the button on the car key that opens the trunk.

"Wait. I knew it! You're gonna kill me and then stuff me into that like the bad guy did in that movie, aren't you? What was it? Baby Driver?" She questions, pointing at the open trunk. She's ridiculous and a little paranoid, in a really cute and funny way though.

I refrain from laughing this time because she honestly seems a little afraid. Shaking my head, I walk to the back of the car to grab the supplies I packed into the trunk at home. I take out the massive waterproof outdoor blanket and drape it over one arm before grabbing the picnic basket and the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. Closing the trunk carefully, I turn towards Pres to see her stunned expression.

"Come on," I say, chuckling.

Without a word she follows after me like a skittish doe. She doesn't look up from where her gaze is fixated on the ground as we walk, which is a good thing because if not, what I'm planning on showing her won't be as much of a surprise.

When we reach the end of the golf course, I lay the blanket, then the picnic basket and the bottle of white wine down on the moist grass.

I found this place the day my family and I moved here four months ago. The second we unpacked all our things I went for a drive to clear my mind, which only ended up in me circling around the same area about five times, and eventually I spotted this golf course. It was a little late in the night, maybe around eleven. The best thing about this place is that the view of the night sky from down here is fucking spectacular. I had instantly forgotten why I had gone for a drive in the first place. People only come out here to play golf during the day, but I doubt anyone knows the beauty of the sky it holds at night. I had thought that this was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen, but that thought only lasted until that day I first laid my eyes on Presley Jones.

I lay the blanket on the grass and set the picnic basket and the bottle of wine I brought for us in the middle. Taking a seat on one side of the spacious blanket, I pat the other side, signaling for Pres to take a seat.

"You could've just told me you were taking me out on a midnight picnic," she says, gracefully lowering herself down onto the blanket before letting out a soft giggle. "Is this a date?"

I'd love for it to be one.

"No, but it can be if you want." I let loose one of my charming smiles that makes any girl swoon. Her face darkens suddenly and her eyes turn distant, which makes me feel like she's having some sort of an internal battle with herself. "Close your eyes," I say before she gets too lost in her thoughts. She studies me for a moment before she does what I asked. "Lie down on your back." When she hesitates I reach for her hand and graze her knuckles with my thumb. "Trust me," I whisper. A shiver rolls through her and goosebumps break out on her smooth fair skin as she lies down compliantly, so I retract my arm. Maybe she doesn't like my touch. "Now open your eyes." Her beguiling orbs flutter open and she blinks a few times. The flecks of forest green in her hazel eyes aren't visible in the darkness lit by the soft moonlight and a few street lamps.

She is quiet as her eyes dart from one end of our view of the sky to the other. I let her study for a while as I do the same. A gazillion gleaming and glittering stars wink at us from the endless arch of midnight blue. It looks like a large hand had tossed a fistful of diamond dust up into the sky. The shimmering stars seem like flashing pinpricks in a huge veil of darkness.

"Do you have music on your phone?" Pres questions randomly. When I tell her I do, she asks for it, then plays 'A Sky Full of Stars' by Coldplay, causing me to laugh. Placing my phone next to her on the mattress, she looks up at the sky. "This moment just reminded me of that song. And wow!" She lets out a shaky breath. I turn on my side to face her and prop myself on my elbow so that it's holding the weight of my upper body.

"Oh my God! Is that Hercules?" At her amusement, I look up to see the star pattern she's pointing at.

"Yeah, it is. How did you notice? It's barely recognizable tonight."

"I remember learning about star patterns in eighth-grade science. It was a favorite topic of mine."

"Oh." I turn onto my side again, beaming at her.

"You know, I've been living under Ontario skies for three years now." She shrugs, glancing at me sideways. "But I've never seen such a beautiful sight."

"Neither have I."

Pres shifts the picnic basket and the Sauvignon Blanc higher so that it's over our heads and there's nothing between us but space, before moving a little closer and mimicking my pose. She sighs heavily.

"Deon, please don't play with me."

"I'm not playing with you, and I never have. I've meant every single compliment I've made about you."

Her eyes light up at my words and even in the dark, the very prominent blush in her cheeks doesn't go unnoticed. She bites down on her lip out of habit, and it makes me instinctively raise my arm and gently pull her bottom lip from her teeth using my thumb. "I really like you, Pres."

Before my brain catches up with what I'm doing, I've shifted closer to her and my lips are on hers, and the craziest thing is that she's kissing me back. For a moment, it's just the two of us in our own little bubble.

When we both pause to come up for air, reality comes crashing down and I panic, putting some space between us. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...It sort of just happened——"

"Shut up and do it again." She grins at me.

Gladly.

Your wish is my command.

Closing the space I put between us again, I latch onto her lips with mine. They taste so sweet that they almost send my mind into a tailspin. I support my weight on one arm while raising my other to caress Pres's face, which is incredibly soft to the touch. I hold her head in one place and caress her bottom lip with the tip of my tongue and this makes her suck in a sharp breath. I do it again, but this time follow it with a gentle nip. "Mhmm," she hums softly. My hand slowly travels down her throat to her neck. Lingering on the side of her breasts for a moment, it continues its descent to her waist and then finally rests on her exposed upper thigh. I stroke the soft skin there and she moans, her breathing becoming erratic. Her shivers vibrate through my body.

When we finally break the kiss, gasping for air, Pres looks at me through her long brown lashes, her lips a little swollen from kissing, and gives me a megawatt smile.

"I really like you back."

Presley

"He what?!" Maddy demands for the second time.

We just came to Maddy's house after school to do a chemistry project that is due in four days, at the end of this week. I told her almost everything that happened three nights ago on our drive here. We're seated on bar stools at her off-white and black marble kitchen island. Her Victorian-style house has been cleaned spotless this morning by the part-time maid her parents have hired. This place is a second home to me because I come here very often to have sleepovers with Maddy. Her parents are usually off on business trips and she has the whole house to herself a lot. They are very sweet and kind, but they don't spend enough time with their only daughter. This is why my best friend is not as spoiled and stubborn as every other person who's an only child. She hasn't been handed everything to her on a silver platter, she has learned to fend for herself. Just like me. However, the difference between our families is that her parents are alive and mine aren't.

"Well, he um, kissed me," I tell Maddy. At her dumbfounded expression, I state, "You know. That's when a person's lips touch—"

"Yeah, I don't know what kissing means." My best friend's voice drips with sarcasm. "And you're telling me this now?" She gives me a look that says I should've told her this the second it happened.

"I know, I'm sorry. I've been a little...preoccupied with school and thoughts of Deon since that night," I admit.

"Wow. This is very much unexpected, but amazing news! Is he a good kisser? Better than Ryan?"

I snort. "Oh, he is."

Way, way better.

"So, um, what happened after that?" Maddy asks with a smirk.

"Nothing. We ate tuna sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies, drank some expensive white wine, then watched Saturn and Jupiter rise up in the sky at one a.m. before Deon drove me home," I state. "I've been avoiding him like the plague ever since because I have no idea what to say or do."

"Why don't you just go with the flow for now? You'll figure the rest out eventually."

"Hmm...yeah. I guess you're right."

* * *

Deon's birthday is only two days away and I need to make him a cake if he hasn't already ordered one from somewhere.

After a very boring and uneventful week, Maddy and I are driving home from what I would call a...fascinating day at school. Kayden got into a fight with some guy in his grade over a girl during lunch break and Deon had to get involved to stop someone from getting suspended. Thankfully, he stopped the fight right on time, mere seconds before our principal, Mr. Randolph walked into the cafeteria.

"Mads, do you mind if we stop by Deon's for a few minutes?" I ask as Deon's house comes into view on the left side of the street.

"Not at all. We didn't get any homework today, so I'm free for the rest of the day. But why, may I ask?"

"I wanna ask his siblings what kinda cake he might like. Back in March, he asked me if I could make a cake for his birthday after he tasted my muffins for the first time."

"Oooh. Seems like your muffins made a very good first impression," Maddy states, and I roll my eyes at her.

Her Ford Mustang comes to a slow halt in front of Deon's house. Once she puts the car in park and turns off the ignition, we get out and head to the front door. I push the tiny grey knob next to the door and the doorbell sounds from inside as Maddy starts complimenting the house.

A middle-aged woman, probably in her late thirties, opens the door wearing a pale yellow knee-length skirt with daisies on it and a white short-sleeved shirt tucked in. Her brown hair is tied up in a ponytail, and she looks gorgeous with light brown eyes and sharp features. "Mrs. Martinez?" I ask, presuming she's Deon's mom. She looks very young though, taking in the fact that she has a twenty-year-old son.

"Yes?" She smiles warmly. "How can I help you?"

"I'm Presley, and this is my friend, Madison," I say, gesturing at Maddy. "Um, we're Deon's friends from school."

"I'm sorry, love, but Deon's not home right now. He's out with his brothers."

"Oh, no, that's alright. I just wanted to ask—"

"Wait. Presley...as in Pesley with the pretty hair?" She asks, and I remember Brianna calling my hair pretty the first time I met her.

"I guess so?" I answer, not quite sure if she's referring to me or another Presley.

"Please come in. It's very nice to meet you," Mrs. Martinez says, stepping away from the threshold. "And please call me Marissa, love."

Okay...

I look at Maddy who's smiling from ear to ear before stepping inside.

"Brianna, honey, look who's here," Marissa calls before turning to us and saying, "Please make yourselves comfortable, kids."

She takes a seat on the sofa in front of Maddy and me. "Would you like something to eat or drink?" Marissa asks sweetly.

"No, thank you. We are headed over to Presley's house, Mrs. Martinez—"

"Please. It's Marissa," Marissa interrupts Maddy.

"Um, I was just wondering what kind of cake Deon likes. He ate some muffins I made a couple of times and asked me if I could make a cake for his birthday." I laugh softly.

"Oh, really? I'm surprised. It must have been really good then because he's usually very picky when it comes to baked goods."

"Oh," is all I manage to say.

"Are you sure though, love? I don't want to trouble you. The person who was supposed to make the cake had to fly to Sri Lanka for an urgent family matter and won't be able to deliver the cake by Sunday for the party. The two of you are coming, yes?"

I've only ever googled and seen pictures of the lovely island. It first piqued my interest when I was thirteen. I fancy the thought of going there someday. It's such a beautiful country.

"It's no trouble at all, Mrs. Ma—Marissa," I correct myself. "I can get it done by Sunday before the party starts. And yes, we are."

"Oh, great! Thank you so much, love." She knots her fingers together. "Well, Deon usually likes chocolate cake. He loves anything that has chocolate in it. So, a simple chocolate cake would do. How much would you charging for the cake—"

"Oh, no. I'm not charging for it."

"I insist, love. Please let me cover the expenses."

"Um, consider it as my...present to Deon."

Deon's mom sighs.

"Alright then. I really appreciate you doing this, Presley. I can send one of the boys over to your house to get it. I heard you live a couple houses away."

"Yes. That would be great. I'll be done with the cake by around Sunday afternoon. By the way, can we keep this a secret from Deon? I wanna surprise him."

"Of course." She smiles at me.

"We'll be on our way then. Thanks, Marissa." I stand up from the sofa and Maddy follows. "No, love. Thank you—"

"Pesley!" I hear Bree's voice from somewhere close behind before two tiny arms wrap around my waist.

"Hey, sweetie." I chuckle, stroking her hair. "What have you been up to today?"

"I was playing dress-up with my dolls." Bree smiles brightly. "Who is this?" She gives Maddy a curious look. "This is my best friend, Maddy."

"Ohh...Why don't I have a best friend, Mommy?" Bree asks her mother. From the corner of my eye, I see Maddy trying hard not to laugh.

"You'll find one when you go to school next month, baby," Marissa replies with a chuckle.

"Ooh yay," she exclaims, then she directs a question towards me and Maddy. "Do you wanna come play with me?" I turn to Maddy to see if she's okay and she gives me a shrug that says 'whatever'. Turning back to my crush's little sister, I nod. "Also, can you do me a teeny tiny favor and not tell Dee Dee that we came by after school today?"

"Yes. I promise." She offers me her pinky and I take it.

"Thank you, Bree."

Brianna leads us to a part of their house where there's a charming little backyard with an elegant white outdoor furniture set consisting of a big oval-shaped table and about a dozen chairs. A white wooden porch swing is placed in a corner.

The three of us have a 'fairy tea party' as Bree calls it before Maddy and I head home.

Once we're out the door and heading home, Maddy smirks at me. "You've definitely got Deon's mom's and sister's approval. Now all you need is his dad's and brothers'."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, confused.

"Wedding bells, marriage, kids...Does any of that ring any bells, Elle?"

I shove her by the shoulders, laughing. "Haha. Funny."

As if that's ever gonna happen.

Maddy laughs as she opens the front door and heads inside. I head upstairs to my room to grab some supplies before going back downstairs and laying all of them out on the dining table. "What are you doing?" Maddy asks, holding a bag of potato chips she must have grabbed from the pantry cupboard.

"I'm making a birthday card and a key tag for Deon because who would give someone a cake as a present on their birthday?"

She raises a perfectly shaped blond eyebrow at me.

"What now?" I throw my hands up.

Maddy starts to say something, but I take one look at her smug face and say, "Shut up." She shrugs, then taps something on her phone, and 'Marry you' by Bruno Mars starts playing.

"Really, Mads?" I scowl at her as she starts singing along.

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