Listen. To. Me! (Monryn)

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe did nothing but listen from the moment she'd started speaking. After all, this is all he'd wanted from her. He'd wanted her to open up to him, to just throw everything out there and let it soak in because he wouldn't judge her. And while he didn't understand completely hating himself and wanting to be someone different, he did understand wanting to look in the mirror and like what you saw, especially when he looked in the mirror everyday, all he saw was paler skin and bigger bags under his eyes. Sometimes he wanted to be more eloquent with his words, or more alert, rather than someone who just sat back and let everything fall where it may, he wanted to be more involved, but he guessed that he probably never would be and that's just how things were.

When she finished, his facial expression had softened. "Then be a normal teenage meta-human girl, whatever that is, and give a guy a second chance. Because I seem to recall that it's something teenage girls do." He winked. "And I don't blame you for being tired. I'm tired. Maybe not in the same way, but I understand. And you've realized that you're tired of being this way. You don't have to be that person with me and I won't judge who you've been in the past. It's not important."

The last thing she said is what really got him, what made his lips stretch into one of his lazy smiles. "You think you do?" he teased gently. "Well, in that case..." He felt stupid, as he clumsily got down onto one knee on the icy sidewalk with people all around, but he didn't care. The cold burned his cheeks and he didn't care. "Adaryn Breslin, will you give me the honor of driving you home on this freezing cold day?" His actions were bound to get a reaction from her, as if he was going to ask her to marry him right then and there because she'd said she liked his combat boots.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Monroe was right. Second chances were given regularly by teenage girls, in a hope that something might go their way. Nothing ever seemed to go her way ever, but maybe she could hope. That was really all Adaryn could do at this point, because nothing was definite. Not where she was going to live, not whether she was going to graduate, not whether or not she could attend college. It seemed as if everything was here and now. Maybe that was how she should live?

If only she knew how.

"Monroe, I--" Adaryn didn't have time to really say anything, because the minute she spoke up, he was getting down on one knee. She almost looked horrified, her gaze turning to everyone around them. Some people stopped and stared, and Adaryn didn't know how to handle that. "Monroe what are you...?" The brunette whispered frantically. But Monroe continued. Oh of course he would continue.

Adaryn Breslin, will you give me the honor of driving you home on this freezing cold day?

The relief in her eyes was clear as he said those words. For a split second, she almost thought it was a real proposal. Why? Adaryn was naive and had not one flying clue what else he would have asked on one knee in the freezing cold. But even despite her horror of all the attention, she began to laugh. Soft, girly, and honest was the noise that came from her.

"Monroe... you're crazy. But... yes. You can take me home."

All of this opening up, all of this speaking to others about her problems... It was leaving her feeling lighter than she ever had before. Maybe it was good to let go. Maybe it was good to let other people in...

"Now will you get up before you get frostbite?" Adaryn smiled, extending out her good arm to help him up. "Come on, I'm freezing."

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe had a feeling that Adaryn didn't know what to say, honestly, he didn't really know what he was doing, but he knew he would get something out of her. His knee was freezing cold as there was ice all over the ground and he was already freezing. The coffee he had drank that warmed his insides had kept him warm for a while, but it faded away.

And of course the first thing she told him was that he was crazy. He shook his head. "Maybe...but I got a yes, didn't I?" He smiled at her before taking her hand and letting her help him up, although he mostly helped himself up. "Oh calm down, it's better than blistering hot weather." He almost slipped again and regained his balance, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Well, that was a close one."

He stood there for a moment, awkwardly shifting from one foot to another, knowing that she wanted to get moving and so did he, because it was cold, but he leaned in close to her instead, his hands resting on her cheeks. Then after a minute, he declared, "You're right, it's too cold." And he made another snap decision, picking her up and throwing her over her shoulder before heading in the direction of his car.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"Don't rub it in. I can still change my mind, you know." Adaryn scolded. Though her tone was more playful than anything, she still held a stern look. It wasn't often she acted in such a way, but well, Monroe made it easy to act different; he made it easy to act confident.

But he definitely didn't make it easy for her to maintain her balance.

Her hot chocolate fell out of her hand and into the snow mound beside her. It splashed, but it was already cooled, and the majority went to the snow. She pursed her lips, and stared at the hand that rested on her shoulder. "Close for you, but--"

And then he was close, his hands cupping her cheeks. Those chocolate brown eyes stared into her blue ones, before pulling away, leaving her stunned. He had been so close, and there was even a thought that slipped through her mind to just get up on her tip toes and close the distance. Adaryn didn't, obviously, because she had absolutely no idea what to do. Like, the concept of kissing was still entirely foreign to her. When she thought about the prospect of 'french' kissing, it made her blush and shudder. Well, not for long.

You're right, it's too cold.

Then he picked her up, placing her over his shoulder. "Monroe, what are you doing?!" The normally quiet girl yelled. "Put me down!" This was not happening. He did not just pick her up! She thrashed in his arms, vastly uncomfortable in the position she was in, though she doubted she inflicted any harm.

Addie was harmless, her hits weaker in her right arm than in her left. Even still, she hoped he would just put. her. down.

"Come on, Monroe!" She squeaked.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Honestly, I'm not really sure," Monroe told her and for the first time since they'd stopped talking, his voice wasn't strained. It was care-free and he even managed to laugh at himself, because he just didn't know why he'd decided to pick her up like that and carry her to his car. "I'm just trying to be a gentlemen and you're not being very much of a lady, you know, with your constant hitting," he pointed out.

It was a few more feet to his car, but the whole way she didn't stop thrashing, he stopped when they got there, setting her down near the passenger side door. He knew she was going to complain, going to scold him for what he'd just done and he wasn't going to give her the chance.

He took a step forward, gently pressing her against the car door. "Guess I should have just went with the ungentlemanly thing to do," he said with a small shrug of his shoulders, before he leaned in and kissed her, hands on both sides of her face.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"A gentleman doesn't drape a girl across his shoulder and hauls her over to a car!" Adaryn whined, still thrashing, though she was getting tired of the whole thing. She was about to stop when she was placed back on her feet in front of the passenger side door. The brunette looked up at him, ready to start fussing at him about how she doesn't like to be touched, and how he already knew such things, but then he took a step forward, and her mouth went dry.

Her body was pressed against the car door, though not pinned, she still felt very uncomfortable in that position. However, this time it was a different kind of uncomfortable, the good kind, that made her shift her eyes downward and bite her lower lip.

Guess I should have just went with the ungentlemanly thing to do.

And then he kissed her.

This... wasn't like the dream kiss. She fumbled far longer than she had before. It was embarrassing, really. In the dream, she didn't realize there would be any repercussions, so if she screwed up, there were no worries. Plus it was a dream. But finally, after a moment, she figured out what was going on, and how she was to respond, and finally her arms slid up to wrap around his neck.

She was grateful for the support of the car, because she felt her knees were going to just... collapse from underneath her. All the anger and hurt melted away, and instead she was finally focused on now. Well, more specifically, the boy in front of her.

Monroe Montgomery.

It didn't last long, the kiss, mainly because she was afraid of fumbling even further and screwing up. Adaryn pulled away, and the first thing that she managed to say, in the middle of a nervous laugh, was "I'm sorry... I'm still... no good at that."

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Now what's that you said about a gentleman not draping a girl over his shoulder and hauling her to his car? Because I think it was very gentlemanly. You didn't have to walk," Monroe pointed out after they'd pulled apart. He'd been worried that it would have been too intense for her, or it would have been too early to kiss her in such a way, but besides the reaction he'd expected of her not knowing what to do at first, she'd adjusted and wrapped her arms around his neck which made him smile against her lips.

She may have pulled away earlier than he would have liked, but that was okay. Afterall, "Practice makes perfect," he told her. He leaned in and kissed her one last time, lingering there for a moment before helping open the door for her.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn didn't even have time to protest once more about his 'gentlemanly' comment, because he leaned in once again for another kiss. It was beyond insane, feeling the way she did. She no longer felt weak, but instead, buzzing with life. The aura surrounding him was beyond happy, incredibly excited. It fueled her own excitement.

Coming into this school year, she was expecting everything to be the same it always had been. She would be basically friendless, taking all the crap that she had in life, entirely alone. Never in a million years would she expect being able to sit there and say that somebody liked her, that somebody kissed her.

It was absolutely surreal.

Addie simply nodded after he pulled away, sitting herself on the seat with her now empty hot chocolate cup. She sat there, grinning to herself. Her finger trailed the edge of the cup idly until he sat himself in the drivers side.

"You know, you still owe me a hot chocolate," Adaryn laughed, turning her gaze to the boy beside her.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Was she really complaining about a hot chocolate right now? "Well, tell me how you really feel, Addie," Monroe said, half-joking as he put the keys in the ignition and brought his car to life. Another day in the cold that it started. "I totally just swept you off of your feet and you only want a hot chocolate from me." He shook his head as if he was disappointed in her as he put the car in gear. "I should have known. That's all girls are after these days...chocolate." He couldn't help it, he had to grin.

As they drove along, he looked over at her for a moment. "You know, you'll get your hot chocolate." Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be Starbucks worthy, but he had a coffee pot back in his room. As long as Dante wasn't brooding around it, he could brew some hot water and fix her a cup. He was sure he had some Swiss miss. His mom always sent some, thinking he'd kick his coffee habit or something. It mostly just sat around.

He started driving towards campus and after a fairly short ride, pulled into the parking lot. "You in a hurry for anything?"

[Adaryn Breslin]

"A girl has to have priorities, you know." Adaryn teased lightly, shooting another glance his way. This day had taken an entire 180, going from absolutely miserable, to frustrating, to blissful. The boy of her dreams was doing a good job at surprising her every single moment they spent together, good and bad. But the guy understood her, well, as much as she let him know, at least.

"I should hope so," She nodded, trailing her finger along the edge of the cup once again. Addie made no move to do anything but stare down, occasionally glancing at Monroe from time to time. She may have just had the most... interesting time with him, but she was still horrible at conversation.

Luckily the ride was relatively short, so they pulled up to the school in no time. This was so much more convenient. The girl hadn't even expected to be home until at least an hour later than it was at the moment. Adaryn was taking off her seat belt when he asked if she was in a hurry.

"No, why?" She asked, her head tilted slightly to the right.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Apparently that's just the new thing. Girls want chocolate, boys want sex." Monroe shook his head. "At least that's what everyone says..." he added awkwardly after that. He didn't mean to say that he wanted sex from her. And the thought of her thinking he meant that made him run a hand through his hair uncomfortably before he fumbled with his seatbelt.

But she'd made a joke about having priorities and he'd just been trying to play off of it. No harm in that, right? Still, the conversation was slightly awkward as they parked and both got out of his car. "Good because we still have plans. If you come with me, I won't pick you up and throw you over my shoulder against your will. Deal?" He offered her a gloved hand.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Normally the thought of sex would make her run right there, especially with a boy she liked. Yes, she admitted it. She liked him. A lot. But Adaryn knew that he was only fumbling over words, making a joke. It was like that when they first met, except that time she actually didn't respond well. That being said, that didn't mean that she wasn't uncomfortable with the sheer mentioning of it, but it didn't cause as much of a reaction as he probably expected.

Her lips pursed at the mentioning of being picked up again, and she narrowed her eyes. Looking down at his gloved hand, she reluctantly grabbed it and shook. "You better be being honest, Monroe. I can make you laugh until you cry without even touching you." She was teasing, really, but the amount of anxiety it caused her to imagine herself being picked up again, well, she didn't want that at all.

Either way, she gave him a quick, reassuring nod. "Deal," She said.