From an anonymous prompt on Tumblr.
(Title comes from my favorite One Direction song, because it was one of the first songs I added to my Covinsky playlist, and completely summarizes how I think Peter feels about Lara Jean)
He's driving her home when he figures it out.
They sit in comfortable silence, enjoying the cool night air blowing in through the open windows of his car. Lara Jean glances at him every few minutes, a soft smile lighting up her face when he meets her eyes.
They're about five minutes from her house when he realizes he doesn't want to say goodbye to her.
(He thinks he'd be okay never having to say goodbye to Lara Jean.)
It hits him like a truck.
This relationship was supposed to be pretend, a way to get Gen and Josh off their backs. If he actually enjoyed spending time with Lara Jean, well, that just made their whole act more believable.
(He ignores the voice in his head that says it's never really been pretend.)
He remembers how kind she was to his mom after her slipup about Lara Jean's own mother, how she smiled and reassured the older woman for no reason other than that she didn't want his mother to feel worse. How she offered to help with the dishes, smiling sweetly at his mom and saying, "You can't cook and clean Mrs. Kavinsky. Let us do that while you go relax!"
He remembers how she coaxed a grin out of Owen when she was saying goodnight to his family, telling his younger brother that she and Peter would definitely be there to cheer him on at his next lacrosse game. Owen had blushed and given her a quick hug before darting back upstairs to his room.
He adores the way Lara Jean interacts with his family, but they aren't the reason he is currently experiencing a life-altering realization in the front seat of his car.
No, that lies firmly on the conversation they shared after dinner, when it was just the two of them sharing things they had never felt comfortable sharing with anyone else.
If he is being honest with himself, he has always found it extraordinarily easy to talk to Lara Jean. She has a way of leaning in whenever he talks, making it abundantly clear that his words matter to her and nothing will distract her from listening to him. Then, after he's finished, she will speak up, saying exactly what he needs to hear.
No one else has ever understood him quite like her, and he doubts that anyone else ever will.
So now, here he sits, fingers drumming nervously on the steering wheel as he realizes that he is completely, irrevocably, head-over-heels, crazy in love with Lara Jean Covey.
(And she still thinks he's hung up on Gen.)
He considers telling her right then, just blurting out the words, but he knows Lara Jean. She is a hopeless romantic; she has probably imagined the first time someone confessed their love for her a million times over.
It's probably a lot more exhilarating than a few hastily thrown-together sentences as he drives her home.
He decides to consult with Kitty on their "date" tomorrow. The youngest Covey will have a better idea of how to give Lara Jean the declaration she deserves.
"Peter?" Lara Jean calls quietly from beside him. He notices with a start that they've arrived at her house.
"Yeah, Covey?" he answers as nonchalantly as he can manage.
Please don't let her realize. Please don't let her realize. Lara Jean has been known to read his mind on occasion, so he wouldn't be completely surprised if she knew about the direction his thoughts have taken.
Then again, she does seem to have a blind spot when other people's feelings for her are concerned.
"Are you okay? You've been glaring at the windshield for the past five minutes."
"Oh, yeah, sorry." He laughs, but it sounds halfhearted even to him. He pulls into her driveway and puts the car in park.
"You were really great with my family tonight. Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me, Peter. I had a really nice time." She smiles at him again, and he thinks his heart is going to burst out of his chest.
(He is already in so deep it would be hilarious if it wasn't so terrifying.)
"Me too," he says, beaming back at her, because what else is he supposed to do when the girl he loves is looking at him like that? "Tell Kitty I'll be here to pick her up tomorrow at noon. Apparently, there's a sale going on and she needs me to be her chauffeur."
Lara Jean laughs and it's the most beautiful sound he's ever heard.
Then, because she clearly has no idea of the hold she has over him, she has the audacity to lean over and kiss him on the cheek.
(Is she trying to kill him? Because he'd happily die right now.)
"Thank you. For being so sweet to Kitty. And for tonight. I really did have a wonderful time."
She grins at him one last time before she opens her door and jumps out.
"Goodnight, Peter."
"Goodnight, Lara Jean," he says before she closes the door.
(God, he is so completely screwed.)
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