chapter ten

lydia was trying her absolute hardest to figure out why tatum was acting so much different now from when they were at the fair together. she studied him as he drove, and came to the conclusion that he was upset about something once more. again, lydia didn't know boundaries, so she had also decided that she was going to ask.

"tatum?" she softly said in a questioning tone.

tatum replied silently by looking in her direction.

"what's wrong?" she asked.

tatum thought for a second before responding. he didn't know how to state his feelings very well, and he did not like when lydia pushed him to answer things. as he pondered, he figured that he would simply tell her that he was excited to see the butterflies. he knew that this would distract her, and he knew that it would keep her happy for the time being. as much as he refused to admit it, tatum was slightly nervous about taking her. but this was only because he knew the news would travel around fast in the small city. but of course, tatum had a way around this.

"i'm excited to go to the exhibit," he started.

"-me too!!" lydia excitedly squealed back.

tatum had stopped talking and looked at lydia with a serious expression on his face.

"don't interrupt me."

lydias smile slightly dropped and she began to feel embarrassed. her mother had always taught her to use her manners and be polite, and she felt beyond stupid for breaking the honor code system in which her mom had taught her. "don't cut people off, always let them finish before commenting, lidie"

"i'm sorry, i got excited" she lowly and quietly responded, looking down at the floor of tatums car.

tatum noticed this, and he began to feel regret. he's almost never felt this emotion more, so it came off as confusing for him to deal with. he has never been one to comfort someone or apologize to someone, but he felt that it was needed for his little.

tatum took his right hand and placed it on top of her thigh, causing her to glance at him. his way of apologizing is physical reactions and affection, as he learned it from his mother. as a part of reassuring her that she was not getting on his nerves, he began to run his thumb in circles on her thigh. he felt as though he had never felt a surface as soft and smooth like lydias small body.

the two sat in comfortable silence for a bit, which gave lydia time to digest why he took action in touching her and why she felt a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach from his actions. lydia was comforted by it even though she didn't know his reasoning as to why he was doing it. she didn't know many social cues due to her mother sheltering her, so the thought had crossed her mind that maybe this is just what friends do. maybe this is equivalent to her holding his hand earlier in the day,maybe she was simply never taught that boys touching her was not friendly behavior.

lydia was brought out of her questioning thoughts as she laid her eyes upon the giant glowing ferris wheel not to0 far in the distance ahead of them. it was almost completely dark by now, and lydia was absolutely ecstatic to see the fair during the later hours. she had never seen it at night before, and she felt like a tiny child squirming for joy.

tatum noticed her shift in her seat as her excitement grew, and he couldn't help but watch her as he found it adorable. he had done nothing the entire silent ride but think about how quick he was to snap at her already. he knew he needed to let her know that she was safe with him and that she could be in his company without staying quiet and refusing the urge to speak about things that excited her.

as he watched a smile form on lydias face, he began to slightly smile himself. sure, he loved seeing her so happy and glowing, but for the most part his smile was solely caused by the thought of her being with him. he couldn't believe that in very short period she would be with him constantly. she was unexpecting of this, yes, but he would make her be happy with this decision that he had made.

what's so bad about him taking her? she would have exposure to new things, she would learn new things, see new places, experience new emotions.. she would have everything she'd ever need. and most importantly, she would be with someone who loves her. and in his mind, tatum did love her. he knew from the moment he saw her that he would do absolutely anything to have her for himself and away from others. providing for her, watching over her, taking care of her.

that's what love is, right? he didn't know, as he had never received it or given it. but when he met lydia, he knew he was going to give it to her. however, lydia had no idea. she was clueless, absolutely clueless. too clueless for her own good, many would say. but how could she help it? she had no experience with the outside world and the dangers that came along with it. all she knew was that nice people existed out there, and tatum was one of them.

"..tatum?" she repeated, as she gently placed her hand over his own on her thigh to gather his attention. tatum was brought out of his thoughts by lydias soft voice and gave her a glance along with a squeeze on her thigh to let her know that he was listening.

"we passed it," she stated as she looked at the fair grounds from her passenger side mirror furthering away as he continued to drive.

"passed what little?" tatum asked innocently, attempting to act confused. it wasn't very believable, but lydia bought it. her mother had taught her to believe others and assume that they are telling the truth, and as everyone knows, lydia listens to her mother.

"the fair, you need to turn around i think," she replied talking quietly and politely, as she didn't want tatum to snap at her again.

tatum didn't respond, though. he simply tightened his grip on her thigh and continued to drive whilst speeding rather quickly. lydia was not upset, but rather confused. she didn't understand why he chose not to listen to her so often, as she was just attempting to be helpful to him. why would he not exit the freeway so that he could turn around? why would he ignore her about such a small thing? her curios little brain was running wild with confusion, which led her to ask another question.

she softly asked whilst staring up at him from her seat in the car.

tatum responded with no further explanation given to his little.

hi guys i'm sry i haven't rlly been updating i've just been rlly busy :/ i'll be updating more frequently now so don't worry hehe

also thank u for all of the votes & comments it means a lot <3