• Enemies • Friends • Lovers •
What if two people destined to be together were too afraid to leave the friend zone?
This enemy-to-lovers story focuses on River, a boy whose scars aren't just surface deep and who has a mind that can't focus on anythi...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Silence shroud us.
He brushed the floor, I counted up todays cash.
An hour had passed by without any spoken words and the whole cafe felt trapped with awkward atmosphere and tenseness.
"So, what was that?" I asked, breaking through our silence. He looked up at me, flicking the hair out of his face with the simple motion of his head.
"What?" He asked, seemingly disinterested in any conversation I was about to strike up with him.
"The panic attack" I commented and his eyes instantly fell back down to the floor.
"That was none of your business." He spat out coldly, focused on his pile of dirt.
"Well, you kinda made it my business." I shrugged, grabbing the stack of napkins and inserting them one-by-one into the holders.
He remained mute, continuing to brush up.
"So," I continued because I didn't mind getting on his nerves, "it was like an anxiety attack?" He sighed, grabbing the handle of his broom and turning to look at me.
"God, you're so annoying." He spoke out. "It was nothing, just a momentary lapse of ... I don't know, breathing. Nothing to concern yourself with." He started sweeping again.
"Oh, I'm not concerned about you." I answered as a matter of fact. "I actually couldn't care less about you." I told him bitterly, shoving more paper napkins into the spring clasp holders.
"Good then shut up." He growled, without looking at me. Silence fell over us once more.
"Does it happen often, this momentary lapse of breathing?" He paused his sweeping again and looked at me, this time he wore a deeply rooted scowl and narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"What? I can't talk to you? I'm bored and there's no one else here to talk to." I folded my arms across my chest and he shook his head.
"No, I'm not talking to you about this, or about anything. So shut up."
"Okay fine, next time I'll just let you die instead of giving you one of my riddles."
"There won't be a next time." He promised. He scooped all the dirt and disposed of it into the trash bag. "Are we done here? I'm leaving."
River dumped the brush down on the floor and walked right past me into the staff room.
I followed him, also getting ready to leave. He slipped on his jacket and pulled a bunch of car keys out of his pocket.
"You have a car?" I questioned.
"I know, right? Shocker, the poor group-home boy has a car." I pressed my lips together. That's what I was thinking but it wasn't something I planned on speaking out loud. "Anyway, get home safe Millie... or don't, whatever." He zipped up his jacket and pulled up his hood.
"How about a ride?" I shouted at his back just before he left.
He spun around slowly and then laughed.
"For a second there, I thought you were talking to me."
"Oh come on River, don't be a dick."
"Call an Uber." He turned for the door again but I couldn't let him leave without hitching a ride.
"You owe me, you may not have liked my methods but I did help you. Your panic attack stopped." He paused in the doorway and I smiled to myself knowing that I had won him over.
"Alright, fine but then we're even and this doesn't get brought up again." Surprisingly he gave up his fight easily so I grabbed my bag and followed him out.
It was raining, the rain came down so hard and fast it hurt my skin, I secured my hood up and still held my bag over my head to shield me further. River didn't care, he stepped out like he was walking into the fresh spring air.
Levi's "joke" leaked through my thoughts like a slow poison. I convinced myself it was just 'male humour,' something I clearly didn't understand but now, getting into Rivers car, I was starting to feel nervous.
It was an old pick-up truck, with faded blue paint as well as some scratches and dents here and there. It was perfect for him and I was secretly impressed he could drive stick.
I climbed in and settled myself back on the passenger seat. He plugged the key into the ignition and a little world keychain hung loose over his legs.
I leaned over and touched the keychain, wanting a closer look. He gasped and flinched backwards, his cheeks heating up with an apricot-toned blush. What the hell did he think I was going to grab?
"You're into travelling?" I asked, ignoring the awkwardness between us now.
"I'm into the world." He answered, setting his sharp eyes on me. "We only get one." I leaned back in my seat again and faced forward.
He slipped some thick framed glasses onto his face and I chewed my lip trying to keep my surprise to a minimum.
"You wear glasses to drive, that's amazing." I teased.
"You're observant." He answered sarcastically.
"Yeah, clearly you're not." I laughed at my own joke and he just gave me a non-expressive glare.
"Where'd you get the car?" My finger trailed the window rim and he started up the engine, placing his hand on my head rest to aid him in backing out.
"Newspaper ad, some guy sold it to me for a hundred bucks." My brows raised at him, that was a good deal I guess, not that I knew anything about cars.
Riding with him was awkward, but not awkward in the same way as it was with Levi. He was doing a nice thing - giving me a ride. But he was quiet, we didn't have the radio to drown out the silence and I felt like I couldn't really create general conversation because he was reserved and private so he wouldn't appreciate it.
Instead I sat back and quietly admired his driving. He seemed so in control and natural behind the wheel, he didn't take his eyes off the road and I liked to watch his hands grip the gear stick.
He was actually totally gorgeous, an understated beauty. Or at least I understated it, the girls at school overrated it and now I could see where their attraction came from.
The angular jawline, the sharp nose, the baby soft olive skin, the delicate pink lips and heck, even the nerdy glasses.
Yes, River Crescent was actually fucking hot. Why was I only just realising this?
His hair was messy and kinda wet from the mad dash to the car in the rain, he tussled it with his fingers a lot. I think it was annoying him hanging over his face. He'd push it back and it would fall right back down because it was damp and heavy, then he would frown in a cute way.
