She never imagined something like this to happen. Something from a fairy tale or even a T.V. show. It was always just dreams for her, but for it to actually happen? She just couldn't see it.
It probably first started with the chemistry class they had together. She didn't think anything of it. After all, they were just lab partners. Nothing really occurred between them. She just knew that he was popular among the ladies and she was just quiet.
That's all she ever was, really. Quiet. Maybe alone. Sometimes lonely. But, being alone was fine with her. But feeling lonely? Now, that made her feel empty.
They were just lab partners, she thought. Nothing more. Until they had to do a project together. They would sit together and just work on it. She would ask for help and he gave her an answer. She learned a lot from him. He actually knew more than he was letting on.
Nothing really happened between them. They talked, sure, but that was about it. After chemistry, there was nothing between them. It was just the way of life after all. It was high school and she couldn't change the laws of it.
But it did change.
Slowly, they started talking more to each other. It never really started until he got bored. He started asking her questions. Not just your everyday questions she expected him to ask. No, it was always a question about political views or what if questions or even the occasional favorite questions. She would answer and then ask her own. Some stuff about his dreams, home life, and all that.
Soon, they started knowing each other better.
And she felt slightly better.
She was quiet. Sure. But she spoke a bit louder and bit clearer and bit braver. She was still alone. But, she was rarely felt lonely. She felt… Actually, she doesn't know how she felt. She just felt something. Something she couldn't explain, but feel. It was just something.
They turned in their project soon after. It was simple, but complex really. They both got an A+ on that project, plus some extra credit. The teacher was amazed by their great chemistry, really. They were efficient and got the project finished with effort. She knew what was going to happen next though.
She would get quieter. Smaller. Weaker. She would still be alone. She would feel lonelier.
That never happened though. As she walked towards the school library, she was stopped by him. She didn't expect him. They never met outside of chemistry. They were just stuck with each other in chemistry. Nothing more and nothing less.
He wanted to get to know her better. He wanted to become friends. He wanted to see her smile. She never thought this of him.
She felt a bit better because of him. She felt needed. She felt wanted. She was quiet. But, you could hear her. Something plain as a camellia, but with something in her voice. Was it strength that she could hear? Was it passion? Was it bravery? She couldn't tell.
She wasn't alone. She was always pestered by him. He sent her the most random of text messages. It ranged from questions to one word answers forming sentences to pictures of his Pikachu wearing silly outfits. She felt him there, but not there. It was just this connection to him that she felt.
They talked during lunch. It was usually about random things. It ranged from undergarments to having Magikarp as the one true lord and savior.
She started laughing and smiling.
Not at the jokes they shared. But the idea of having him. The idea of having him to do stupid, crazy stuff with. Stupid, crazy stuff like cross-dressing for a local anime convention or forcing each other to run five miles just to get to coffee shop. It was those moments, those connections, that made her feel. She didn't know what she was feeling, but she never felt it be so, so… bright.
They spent their lunch together talking about stuff they heard or jokes they saw online. They spend their nights texting the dirtiest jokes to each other. They spent their chemistry classes with deadly efficiency and lots of bad chemistry jokes.
She felt stronger. She felt better. She sometimes felt lonely, however. She would look at a couple and long for that touch. A touch that meant that everything was going to be all right or a reassurance of love. That touch.
Homecoming came and went. They went with a group of friends, but all they ever did was ship them together. They both scoffed at this. They were just friends. Right?
Was she right, though? She never thought about it until she was home on her bed. She looked through her text messages, searching for an answer. A connection. Anything that connected her to him.
Was there even anything to begin with? Later in the week, she glanced at him and saw his smile. She never really thought much of him. He was just a friend, right? Was he though?
He pulled her out of the darkness of loneliness. He gave her comfort. He gave her something to hold on. Something worthwhile.
She kept it hidden from him. Not until she felt sure.
New Year's came by and she went to his party. Someone brought alcohol there. She could smell it. The smell was practically in everyone's breath. He was just as drunk as them.
The countdown began and she anticipated every moment. She heard heavy footsteps. Like they were stumbling behind her.
10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5…
She could have sworn that the footsteps were getting closer. She wasn't worried. There were a lot of people around her.
4… 3… 2… 1…
She could feel someone's breathe around her and she turned around to see him. The countdown was over and everyone cheered. Not him. He grabbed her tightly and kissed her. She felt the connection. She pushed away and ran out into her car and just drove.
She drove.
And drove.
And drove.
Until she was home. She thought of the possibilities. He was drunk. He wouldn't remember any of this. It was New Years. Everyone kisses on New Years. There was something gnawing at her. The doubt. She felt it. She felt the connection. Was it anything to begin with, though?
How can she even begin with someone she knows inside and out?
She tossed and turned in her sleep. She would have to wait and see.
Winter break was over and nothing seemed to happen between them. It was just the same old, same old. Just old connections. No new, electrifying connections. It was just like everyday to them.
Valentine's Day came and both of them joked about the possibility of even getting a date. Even though he was popular among the girls, he never really liked any of them. They only heard the stories and never asked him.
She was just standing by her locker, getting materials. She closed it and saw him, next to her. She just stared at him. He stared back.
He joked about getting a date for Valentine's before getting closer to her.
He held up a camellia and and smiled at her. She took it and before she knew it, she was dragged into his car and was taken to this restaurant.
It wasn't fancy. But it wasn't a dump. It was middle-class. Simple enough, but complex in its own way.
They went inside and ordered dinner. They didn't talk much. She knew though. She knew that he also knew.
Why should they talk? It was already awkward enough for her. Having been kissed and forgotten and then suddenly being thrust into a date on the most cliché holiday? It had to be a joke.
Was it really? Maybe, it was his second chance. A second chance for the first kiss. For that first connection.
They ate the rest of the meal in silence. He drove the car. She didn't know where,
But they drove.
And drove.
And drove.
They arrived at a garden just as the sun was setting. At the garden, she could see different varieties of camellias. She could smell some with no fragrance at all. A Plain Jane. Nothing special about them.
But some, some were more breath-taking. More passionate. Bolder. Braver. Nothing quiet about them.
In the middle of the garden was a fountain. It was just a regular fountain with water spewing from the top. She walked over there and sat on the edge, with him following soon after.
They didn't say anything. He nudged her with his foot. She looked over at him and he just smiled. She didn't want to smile, but she did. He wanted to see her smile and he finally did.
He moved closer. And she moved closer to him. This was the part she loved the most. She saw it in movies and read about it in books. It was always about the almost.
It was always about that connection, but never connecting. Loving, but not touching. Feeling the connection between each other, but never really kissing each other. She loved that. As their faces inched towards each other, her heart started beating faster. She could feel him there, kissing her. But he wasn't. It was just the connection between them. The drumroll leading up to its last note. The suspense of knowing the kiss, but can't feel each other's lips. Just for her to feel the other's connection…
And they made that simple, but complex connection. A connection that began with their chemistry. A connection of their stupid, crazy moments. A connection of their doubts and wants. It was all the connections she ever wanted, and then some.
She put a name to the feeling she didn't have a name for.
She felt alive.
She felt alive because it all started with the connection of having chemistry with him. That simple, but complex connection, known simply as love.
I wanted to do a story where there's no dialogue or hardly any dialogue at all and hopefully, I fulfilled it to the best of my ability and I hoped you enjoyed reading this oneshot. If you could leave a review, that would be wonderful and awesome to me. Any tips or any mistakes you saw would be as wonderful as well. Thanks!