Sterling rubbed at his lips with his thumb. This was so confusing… He really liked her, and he definitely wanted to kiss her again, but they hadn't even gone on a date. Granted, he planned to take her on one as soon as possible.
Maybe he should get to planning that… That would probably be a good idea…
Willow shifted slightly in her sleep, brow furrowed slightly. Curling up, she whimpered quietly before taking up her soft snores again. This was the best sleep she had ever gotten, by far.
Sterling sat up in bed and grabbed the notebook he kept on his nightstand. He flipped to a new page and wrote across the top: Date Ideas.
If he was going to be dating Willow, he wanted to make it good. He didn’t want to just decide to do one thing and then have her not like it, so he would casually ask her what she liked to do, and then record it in his notebook.
Willow sat up, yawning quietly and stretching. Peering at the clock, she figured that not much time had passed since she fell asleep. A power nap, just what I needed. Yawning again, she grabbed the TV remote and switched it on, playing whatever was on quietly. Willow settled into the bed more, watching what seemed like reruns of Friends.
(Do you want to do a time skip?)
(Sure! Where to?)
(Hm… We could do the next day? They could go to school together, and people could spread rumors about why they were together?)
(Sounds good to me! Do you want to start, or shall I?)
(Would you mind?)
(No problem!)
Willow shut Sterling’s car door shut, shouldering her bookbag. Earlier this morning, she ‘raided’ her house, getting her school supplies and a duffel with a few extra clothes. Thankfully her father was passed out on the couch, bottles littering the floor. The whole house stunk of alcohol, so she tried to get out of there fast as she could.
It was chilly that morning, so Willow was grateful she was wearing Sterling’s sweatshirt. Sterling’s sweatshirt. What a nice thought.
Sterling climbed out after her and locked the car. He walked over, smiling as he offered her his hand.
“You ready?” he asked softly as he looked down at her. He was sure there would be some whispers about this, but he didn’t really care. People could think what hey would, but it didn’t mean any of it was true.
Willow smiled and took Sterling’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said just as softly.
She was sure there would be gossip; no, she was expecting there to be gossip. If someone is wearing a person’s sweatshirt, and that person drove them to school, she knew what teenagers would think.
“Then let’s do this,” Sterling said with a smirk as he led her into the building.
Heads turned as one of the most popular guys in the school walked inside with a girl at his side. When was the last time he’d had a steady girlfriend?
Willow shifted slightly closer to Sterling as she felt the school’s population eyes on them. She didn’t like being picked apart, but that’s what exactly would happen. Her too sensitive picked up on the whispers
Who is she?
Must be a gold digger. Everyone know’s Sterling’s rich.
That bitch! Sterling’s mine!
What is he doing with her?
Doesn’t he know there are other, better girls than her?
Sterling’s face remained impassive, and he leaned down to murmur to her softly, “If I do something, will you trust that I know what I’m doing?”
“Yes,” Willow whispered. She blocked out the whispers, knowing that if she focused on them too long, she would eventually break down. Her face too remained neutral, as to not let the gossipers grab onto her feelings.
“Good. Then I need you to laugh,” Sterling murmured before grinning. He spun her around and pulled her close, looking into her eyes for a moment. Then, he leaned down, tugged her into a kiss, his hands resting on her waist.
Willow did as she was told, laughing loud and clear, until Sterling captured her mouth in a kiss. She kissed back softly, her hands now resting on his shoulders. The kiss still held the same spark as the first one, and Willow loved it.
Sterling smiled against her lips. Nothing like a little PDA to get people to look away from you, right? Plus, it had the benefit of him getting to kiss Willow again.
He pulled away, somewhat reluctantly, and smiled at her softly. “There… Now the rumors will be settled…”
“I guess that’s one way to do it,” A giggle escaped Willow, her cheeks bright red. “I guess we should get to History, then.” she said, tugging slightly on Sterling’s shirt.
“Hm… Right. Need to go put your things in your locker first?” Sterling wondered, smirking at her a bit.
“Yes, I need to grab my History book,” Willow finally let go of Sterling, but intertwined their hands together. She began to pull him along to their lockers, looking back and smiling at him.
“Of course. But I think I can walk on my own, sweetheart,” Sterling chuckled as he walked behind her.
Willow blushed at the nickname, but continued to hold his hand nonetheless. “But I like holding your hand, love.” she said, smirking back at him.
Sterling grinned at her, that same grin that gave him his popularity. “And I like holding your hand as well. But that’s not what I meant. I meant that you don’t have to drag me along.”