Beside me | ONESHOTs

I took a deep breath and said goodbye to my little roommates. I didn't have the heart to kill them. Poor spiders were more afraid of me than I was of them. I'd let them multiply, and when there were too many, they'd crawl into my body and eat me alive. A good way to go.

I shouldn't think about that, though, because I was already on edge. Why? Obviously. I was heading to the pier. In the dark. In the cold. To meet the guy I'd fallen for without even realizing it.

How ironic.

It took about thirty minutes by bus to reach the edge of the city, and another ten minutes on foot to get to the lake. I didn't mind. I just hoped it would all be worth it. This… whatever this was. Our date? I had no idea why he'd chosen this place—or much of anything, really. But I didn't have some omniscient guide next to me to answer all my questions.

Though, to be fair, Ari kind of felt like a walking encyclopedia sometimes. Maybe I should start using him more.

Me: Are you there yet?

Ari: give me 10 minutes.

Me: If you find an ice mummy when you arrive, please lock me in a freezer and stare at me every day until your guilt drives you to join me, and we both freeze to death. In 3,000 years, aliens will discover us and use us for scientific research.

Ari: dramatic as always.

Me: I'm not dramatizing—just defining a possible future.

Ari: translation: move your ass, Ari.

Me: Glad you understand.

Ari: always

I couldn't help but laugh. If Ari turned out to be some jerk, and I ended up shoving him into the icy lake, I'd still miss our conversations. Definitely. Because obviously, there wouldn't be anything else to miss about him.

There weren't many people at the lake. Actually, there were none. Only idiots like me and Ari would come to a place like this in such disgusting, foggy weather. It was eerie. So when I finally heard footsteps, I wasn't exactly thrilled. Instead, I was shivering—from the cold, from fear—and the footsteps sounded even more menacing because of it.

And if you're wondering if I managed to figure out Ari's identity over the past week, considering there aren't many guys at school who are six-foot-three, the answer is no. I hadn't figured out a thing. But there was one guy I'd been eyeing as a possibility. He had dark hair, was tall, rich, handsome, smart. Only problem? I'd never actually spoken to him. Or if I had, I didn't remember.

And who was my top suspect?

Arian something. The name even matched the nickname.

Wait. There were two possibilities. The other one I thought of was—

"Hey."

Oh, crap. I didn't think of this.

I turned around in shock. Ari was just a few meters away from me. The only streetlamp on the pier cast sharp contrasts of light and shadow, and through the misty droplets, I couldn't see him clearly. But I still recognized him.

Because, of course, I'd just figured it out.

Who else but the school's golden boy and introverted rich kid?

"Ari, you're... Blake? Seriously?" I managed to get out, completely stunned, as I turned fully toward him.

His black hair curled slightly from the dampness, and those disgustingly handsome features softened as he smiled and shrugged.

"Angel Aristoteles Blake. A pleasure to officially meet you, Tate Russo."

He took a few steps closer, but an invisible barrier lingered between us. I noticed how his eyes shimmered with nervous energy.

"Does it bother you a lot?"

I was at a loss for words. Had we ever talked before? Maybe? Probably not?

Now that he stood in front of me, everything clicked into place. Sure, Angel was popular, and there were rumors about him being a player and a spoiled brat who used his status to manipulate others, but I'd never actually seen him with anyone romantically. He seemed more like a talkative introvert, someone who was hard to read.

But none of that mattered.

I didn't care who Angel Blake was at school.

I cared about who Angel Aristoteles Blake was standing here in front of me.

"No. Should it?" I finally exhaled and closed the distance between us, stepping so close our toes touched.

I had to tilt my head back to look into his eyes. Damn, he was tall—like a freaking giraffe.

"Honestly, from how scared you seemed of revealing yourself, I thought you might turn out to be a complete jerk. But to be fair, I've always thought you seemed alright—just stuck with a few annoying relatives, that's all." I raised my hand and let my fingertips trail along the edge of his jaw. "Who'd have thought the school's little prince Blake is actually a creepy stalker?" I quirked an eyebrow and flashed him a teasing grin.

His lips twitched, but he turned his head away.

"Sorry. For being such a coward."

"Hey," I said, catching his attention again. "I'm not exactly the bravest person either. And if this is what you were so scared about, it's really not that bad. I worry too, y'know? About whether I'm good enough for you, when you're rich, smart, and gorgeous, hm? I can't even outdo you in arrogance."

He laughed—genuinely. Seeing him like this, unguarded, was… surreal. He was dazzling, stunning, and completely irresistible.

I suddenly understood his "cannibalistic" comments about me. Those dimples in his cheeks were way too cute.

Seriously—how could someone so tall, with such a dangerously good-looking face, be cute? And his slightly raspy laugh was like a shockwave to my dopamine levels, sending my heart and nerves into overdrive.

"You have no idea how much I care about you," he said when his laughter subsided, pulling me into a tight hug, his arms wrapping securely around my waist.

"Enough to stalk me daily, take secret photos, and jerk off to them at home? That's not exactly affection—it's more like a creepy fet—"

I flinched as his hand suddenly covered my mouth.

I glanced up at him, raising a questioning eyebrow. His brow was furrowed, but there was a playful glint in his eyes. It was a look I'd never seen from anyone before. Because no one had ever looked at me so... in love?

I blushed.

"Shh. If you keep talking, you'll fry my brain, and then we might actually end up having public sex—which we definitely don't want. But yes, you're right about everything. Except the photos. I'm just a pervy stalker who thinks about you when I—"

This time, I clamped my hand over his mouth, glaring at him in mortified frustration. The things that came out of his mouth—and the vivid images they conjured in my head—were too much.

He, of course, just looked amused.

There we stood, two stubborn idiots refusing to remove our hands from each other's mouths. It was ridiculous. And oddly exciting.

Am I stupid?

Yep. Seems like it.

I should have known he was a horny weirdo, so when he moved his head to lick my palm and bite my finger, I wasn't even surprised. I reluctantly pulled my hand away. He did the same.

"What should I call you? Blake? Ari? Angel?" I asked, draping my arms over his shoulders.

"Blake's too impersonal, so not that. Otherwise, whatever you prefer. But my first name sounds sexier coming from you, so Angel, please," he said, grinning as he began swaying us gently from side to side for no apparent reason. Then he laughed—again, just because.

So, I laughed too—mainly at his behavior.

"You know, for someone with names like yours, you're not exactly virtuous or wise."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Not true. I'm smart, considerate, generous, open with my feelings to people I care about, faithful, and incapable of lying. I just don't always share everything, which is different from lying. And I'm a philosopher, too, if we're going there." The smug, mischievous curve of his lips was so infuriating that I pinched the back of his neck. He yelped.

"Self-centered and full of self-praise. Perfect description."

"And you, as always, are stunningly sharp-tongued and irresistibly sassy," he said with a dramatic flourish. "Hey, want to come over to my place? I live nearby, it's freezing, and I want to spend more time with you. Plus, I live alone."

"I'm starting to feel like I should run before you do something inappropriate to me, sir," I said with a mock grimace.

"And what inappropriate things do you mean, sir? My intentions are always pure," he replied with mock innocence.

"I feel like I'm agreeing to walk into a lion's den."

"You're not far off," he said brightly, clearly thrilled that I'd agreed to come over. And honestly, once I was at his place, there was no way he'd let me leave in this weather. He'd probably lock me inside if he could.