-I'm right on the edge
And I know how to swim, but I'm not jumping in
Not scared to get wet
But if we dip our feet, I know we'll go too deep"
"Words", Daya
...
Chris never said the three words, afraid that Clarisse wasn't ready to hear it or say it back.
He wasn't ready to deal with no answer anyway or to deal with the idea that maybe, just maybe, he loved her more than she loved him.
But even though, he'd always tried to show it to her with actions. Like when he stayed at camp with her and her brothers and sisters while the other campers were fighting in the war. Or when he did or said something stupid just to distract her when she fought with some random camper and got angry.
Clarisse could see it. She could see it all. And she wasn't scared, she simply didn't want to say it.
It was like standing on the edge of a big, cold ocean, and everybody thought that she didn't swim because she didn't know how, or because she was afraid to get wet or feel cold.
But she knew how to swim and she was definitely not afraid. She was perfect where she was. Although she had never said those words to somebody, she could say them if she wanted. But she did not.
To her, it was too early for it and she needed to slow it down and wait for a better moment before jumping into the ocean, even if sometimes jumping felt easy.
And she didn't need to say "I love you" to Chris, no when she could show it with actions.
And that was perfect for them, Clarisse would only jump when she wanted it, and Chris would be waiting for when she was ready. Both of them not saying the words but dancing around it and waiting for the right moment.
...
Hi, there! I'm just a random girl that needs to improve her English and thinks that there aren't enough Chrisse's fics into this fandom so did this.
And yep, English isn't my mother tongue, but it one of the idioms that I'm learning and I want to improve it because this is my last year and...nothing, just hope you like, and if you see any mistake, SAY IT! It'll help me to be better.