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"can we, i don't know...talk?" i ask orion, pushing aside my half eaten sandwich. he looks up from his book, raising an eyebrow in confusion. the sight makes my heart soar.

we had been eating lunch together for a week―aka me sitting down at his table, and him being kind enough not to kick me out―and the only words he's uttered to me were, 'hi annalise' and 'bye annalise'.

"let's play twenty questions." i say, taking his silence as encouragement. "what's your middle name?" he looks away from me, his cheeks tinting pink. "what?" i press curiously.

"it's embarrassing." he says, playing with his hands. i shake my head, gesturing for him to go on. "lulnera." he mumbles, his words incoherent. when i cock my head at him, he sighs looking up into my eyes. "luna, it's luna, okay?"

i stare at him, my lips curling into an infectious smile. "that's beautiful. honestly."

i'm rewarded with a boyish grin that erupts upon his face. "what about you?" he asks softly, his voice a mere whisper.

"bellatrix." i respond, my voice a few octaves higher than usual due his panty dropping, heart stopping, drool worthy smile.

he smiles to himself. "what is it?" i ask, and he shakes his head. "nothing. what's your favorite book?"

and that ladies and gentlemen, was how my very first friendship blossomed.

"mr. clarkson again?" orion asks gently, munching on a deep burgundy colored apple.

i sigh, slumping in my seat and resting my head on the cool surface of the table. "i swear, he marked six of the answers on my test wrong, but when i got it back i checked them and they were all correct!"

"well if it makes you feel better, i got two marked wrong, and one of them was actually wrong." he says, his voice soft and light. he was terribly shy, but i knew what he was trying to do.

i shake my head trying to suppress my laughter. "stop it, i know what you're doing, you're trying to make me laugh."

"and?" he asks, a hint of a smile inching its way across his face. "maybe i like to hear your laugh." his cheeks tint pink and he fumbles with his apple as a distraction.

it had been exactly three weeks since we officially became friends. three weeks of utter joy. in my whole lifetime, i never had a friend that lasted longer than two days.

he had opened up a significantly amount to me, and his confidence grew, which made me so happy that it seemed unreal at times.

still, his small comments, that seemed innocent in his mind, caused my heart to flutter and threw my brain into a frenzy. butterflies would inhabit my stomach at just the thought of him, it was insane.

orion was my first friend, my only friend, and i wasn't willing to risk it all for a silly crush.

especially because i know my feelings won't be reciprocated, just like all the rest.

a/n

ShhBethsReading who makes me laugh and cry at the same time x

#312 in short story, 200 reads in one day? I WANT TO HUG YOU ALL.