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Chapter Three
''The problem is, you don't want to be too overdressed for the theatre, because then you run the risk of getting cold and being uncomfortable.'' Enid prattled, steering Wednesday by the arm through the hallways of Nevermore. ''But you definitely can't go too casual. It's like that middle ground that everyone talks about, you know when people say the dress code is business casual, except business casual is kind of an oxymoron because… ''
Wednesday tuned out Enid's rambling about which outfit she was going to wear for her date with Ajax as the girls entered their classroom for Potion Making III. She allowed herself to be dragged through the centre walkway towards the back of the classroom, keeping her gaze trained forward and her chin up, avoiding the set of eyes she could feel burning into her.
With the arm that was not trapped in a chokehold with Enid's, Wednesday reached for her backpack and snapped her fingers once. Thing emerged from the top of the bag and slid the folded square of paper into her waiting fingers, before sinking back down and disappearing again. Still avoiding eye contact, she dropped the note in front of Xavier as they passed by his desk and continued to the back of the classroom, where she and Enid took their seats side by side.
''If I go with heels and then I have to use the bathroom in the middle of the show, I risk falling flat on my face,'' Enid said as she unpacked her stationery and notebooks. ''I mean, it gets dark in those theatres. But if I go for flats, that knocks out so many outfit options. Heels are a make-or-break element in how formal an outfit is… are you listening to me?''
''No,'' Wednesday said, raising a little in her seat. Xavier was unfolding her note, and even from several rows back, she could see the careful and elegant swoops of Thing's calligraphy.
Meet me at the art shed after class
''Wednesday!'' Enid huffed, smacking the desk in front of her. Wednesday flinched a little but didn't take her eyes off Xavier. He'd folded the note back up and slipped it into his pocket and was now keying something into his phone. ''This is important!''
''No, it's not.''
She was just debating sending Thing over to spy on Xavier and exactly what he was doing on that stupid little black box of his before her own stupid little black box let out an obnoxious ping.
''I'm sorry, is Wednesday Addams texting in class?'' Enid gasped, as Wednesday fumbled to bring the message up on her screen.
Enid leant over Wednesday's shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of her screen. Without even looking up from her phone, Wednesday planted her open palm on the side of Enid's face and pushed her away.
Xavier – 2.12 pm
I have a Nightshades meeting after class. I can meet you there at 4?
Wednesday placed her phone face down on the desk as their teacher rattled against the whiteboard to garner her class's attention. When she caught Xavier in her peripheral vision shifting in his seat, she finally dared to meet his eyes, just long enough to give him a small, almost imperceptible nod.
At 3.45 pm, Wednesday sat on the crumbling couch in Xavier's art shed, watching the sky shift through the opposite window. There would always be something so calming about watching the dark bruises of storm clouds slowly spread through the expanse of blue, bringing with it rolling thunder and the occasional crack of lightning. As the rain began to fall, creating a melodic drumming on the tin roof of the shed, she closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet scent of a fresh storm.
She was broken from her trance fifteen minutes later by the sound of the door swinging open. Xavier rushed in, slipping slightly on the wooden floor, shoes squelching with mud. He was saturated from head to toe, and water dripped from his blazer to form a puddle around his feet and ran from the fringe of his hair down the sides of his face.
''Where do you keep your clean towels?'' Wednesday asked, getting to her feet.
''Ah, back cupboard.'' Xavier nodded to the far wall of the shed, where a faded pink storage closet stood in the corner.
Wednesday fetched a towel as Xavier stripped off his drenched school blazer and hung it over a chair to dry. Wednesday motioned for him to crouch down slightly, accommodating the foot of height difference between them, and began running the towel across his face.
She wrapped the towel around his hair and wrung most of the water out of it, before moving on to the rest of his body. She ran the towel over him from top to bottom three times, until she'd managed to take him soaking wet to simply cool and damp.
''Thanks,'' Xavier said softly. She could tell by the look on his face she'd caught him off guard. She looked at her feet and awkwardly held the towel out to him, which he took and draped over his shoulders, to catch the last of the water running from his hair. ''You didn't have to do that.''
Wednesday only shrugged.
''How was your Nightshades meeting?'' She asked. Truthfully, she didn't care, but she needed to say something.
''Tedious. They always are.''
Wednesday nodded and began straightening some papers on one of the nearby benches. She could see Xavier watching her out of the corner of her eyes, and she could feel the game of Chicken they were playing. Who was going to say something relevant first?
''So, why did you want to meet?'' Xavier said. Wednesday couldn't decide if she was grateful that he'd ripped the Band-Aid off or annoyed because she'd just lost the game of Chicken.
''I couldn't stop thinking about you last night,'' she said, organising those papers in front of her like it was the most important task she'd ever had in her life. ''And I've come to the realisation that I'd like to kiss you.''
The seconds stretched out between them, and Xavier didn't respond. Wednesday cautiously looked up at him to see her staring back at him, slack-jawed and narrow-eyed.
The sting of rejection set in immediately. She tensed up, already mentally cursing herself out for being so stupid. She made a move for the door, chin down and shoulders pulled in.
''Never mind.'' She muttered. ''If you don't want to kiss me, that's fine.''
''No!'' Xavier exclaimed, springing into action. He grabbed Wednesday by the elbow, pulling her back with more force than she thought he meant to. ''No! No, that's not… no, no.''
''No, what?'' Wednesday snapped, shaking her arm free. ''Is that all you know how to say?''
''No,'' Xavier said, then laughed a little at the irony. In spite of herself, Wednesday felt the corner of her mouth tug upwards. ''Wednesday, you just… I don't know what I was expecting you to say, but it wasn't that. You just surprised me, that's all.''
''So, you do want to kiss me?'' Wednesday cocked her eyebrow.
Xavier didn't answer verbally, but instead bent down and wrapped his arms around the small of her back, pulling her up towards him. Wednesday instinctively raised onto her tiptoes, throwing her hands around the back of his neck to meet him, pressing her nose into his. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, reaching out for one another, brushing noses together, hovering just inches apart. And then, finally, Xavier closed his eyes and pushed his lips into hers.
The kiss was slow and soft, hesitant, like he was scared if he pushed too hard he'd scare her off and she'd run away. It took a moment before she started to properly kiss him back, but when she did, she could almost feel the smile it elicited from him.
Wednesday became a little frustrated with the gentleness, wanting to be closer, wanting his mouth on hers harder. The height difference made it almost impossible, like a seatbelt that locked out just inches before she could reach the thing she wanted. She moved her hands to the sides of Xavier's face, clutching at him, trying to somehow pull him in.
Xavier responded instantly. He lowered his grip on her so that his arms were locked just below her bottom and hoisted her upwards, just lifting her feet off the floor. She hovered only inches above the ground, but combined with the way he leaned back ever so slightly and allowed her body to mould over his, it was just enough to give Wednesday that more she was searching for. She parted her lips just enough to allow his to sit between them, just enough to let him in.
When Wednesday finally pulled away, her head was swimming, and her stomach was a mess. Xavier set her back down on the ground and she struggled to find her feet, her knees bucking underneath her. He let go of her waist but kept his hands on her shoulders, keeping her steady.
''You okay?''
Wednesday swallowed hard and nodded. She was overwhelmed, but she was okay. Definitely okay.
''You wanna talk me through what you're thinking?'' Xavier stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet nervously.
''I didn't really like kissing Tyler,'' Wednesday admitted. Her gaze was untrained and darted from side to side. ''But I like kissing you a lot. I thought I found the act of kissing itself uncomfortable and too intense, but with you, I find it strangely endearing. I guess that's what happens when you have significant feelings for the person you're kissing.''
Wednesday wrapped a fist around one of her pigtails and pulled it once, hard.
Xavier didn't say anything, but he did get a sort of goofy, self-satisfied grin on his face, as well as a slightly red complexion on his cheeks. On anyone else, Wednesday would find it grating, but she had to admit, even if it was just to herself, on Xavier it was charming.
''I don't know how to deal with my feelings for you, Xavier,'' Wednesday said, wringing her hands over one another. ''I know I have them, but I don't know what to do about them. I'm worried that I wouldn't be what you deserve. I've put you through so much already. The last thing I want to do is hurt you anymore just because I don't know how to be a halfway decent girlfriend. I just don't think I'd be what you expect.''
''Wednesday, you know how I feel about you.'' Xavier sighed, leaning back slightly against the table behind him. Wednesday wondered if his legs were feeling shaky too, or if he was just trying to get a bit closer to her eye level. ''I don't expect anything from you except for you to be exactly the way you are. That's how I fell for you.''
''So, what should we do?'' Wednesday had her chin tilted forward and was looking up at him through the safety need of her bangs. ''I'm not ready for a boyfriend/girlfriend label just yet. That's too big of a step for me.''
''Why don't we start with a 'more-than-friends' label?'' Xavier suggested, taking a small step inward.
Wednesday's head shot up, and she felt cheeks hollow. She knew the panic was imminent on her face because Xavier immediately tried to backtrack, actually holding his hands up like he was ready to catch her if she tried to bolt.
''Still too much?''
Wednesday shook her head, struggling to spit the words out.
''I just…'' She double-fisted a pigtail and yanked it so hard it forced her head to one side. ''Tyler asked if we could be 'more-than-friends'. That's… that's the wording he used. I don't want to use that wording.''
''Okay, yeah, fair enough.'' Xavier still had his hands up. He took another cautious step in, not unlike how one might try and approach a wounded animal without scaring it off. ''What about 'people-who-date'?''
Wednesday resisted the urge to smile, but she knew Xavier could see the slight flicker in his eyes because he beamed.
''People-who-date,''' Wednesday echoed with an affirmative nod. She furrowed her brows, loosening her grip on her hair. ''What… what exactly do 'people-who-date' do?''
''Well, I have to admit, this is new for me too,'' Xavier said. He was now close enough that Wednesday had to tilt her head right back to be able to see him. ''But, just as an educated guess, I'd say they probably go on a date.''
''Right.''
''Can I… can I take you on a date?''
''That depends. What exactly would this date entail?''
''I can't tell you that!'' Xavier said, with a faux shock that made Wednesday roll her eyes. ''It's a surprise! Just be ready at 4 pm tomorrow and meet me in the parking lot.''
''Fine.'' Wednesday relented, folding her arms across her chest. ''But it's only fair to warn you that if this date involves any semblance of flowers or cheesy love poems, it'll be the last date we go on, and also the last day of your life.''
And with that, Wednesday marched out of the art shed and directly into the pouring rain, letting the strumming of the storm drown out the sound of Xavier laughing in the background.
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