When We Collide √

Chapter 70

It had been almost a week since the day I had almost broken my leg at Amell's house. I was trying hard to avoid him and I might as well add I was good at trying not necessarily good at the actual activity of avoiding him. During chemistry I found myself glancing at him more than once and I caught him a few times too , or maybe he was looking outside the window.

My new routine consisted of avoiding Amell and sitting with Cal during lunch at our usual booth (it suddenly became ours because he used to show up each lunch time and I was getting used to his presence ...but I wasn't the social type so I didn't actually talk much with him). I guess you could say Cal and I had become friends, sort of.

When the bell rang signalling the end of the day, I almost jumped out of my seat. I wanted to go to my special place right outside school. I frantically shoved my books into my bag and made sure to make it outside the door before the other hormonal teenagers who were clearly elated because of the coming weekend.

I had to wait for other kids to leave in order to go through the soccer field unnoticed. I walked slowly to my locker and took my sweet time putting my books in the locker, I finally felt secure once the halls were almost clear. I strapped my bag over my shoulder and walked unnoticed through the corridor that links the main block to the soccer field. Gently pushing the gate I walked into the field and immediately took the small familiar path that led to the clearing.

"Where are you going?"I hear a familiar voice ask. A voice I'd grown so accustomed to and so fond of. " What do you want?"I ask while turning behind and walking backwards.

"Answer my question first ," Amell answers with a slight smirk on his face. "Why do you care?" I ask waving my hands dramatically to my sides. He continues following me and I turn my back to him as I continue with my trek.

As I near the clearing I turn around and find Amell trying to keep up with me. "Are you following me ?" I ask knowing very well he is. "You wouldn't tell me where you are going ," he shrugs."Why were you at the soccer field?"I ask. "I'm a soccer player we are kind of connected with the -," he continues before I interrupt ,"okay I get it ,"I say.

I keep on walking and sigh when I notice the huge boulder that stands out. I turn around and Amell gives me a questioning look."Are we here because you want to murder me?"he asks with a raised eyebrow. "If I wanted you dead , I would have done it quite a while ago," I reply slightly chuckling. I walk through the long blades of grass and I feel Amell following behind.

"Look how open this place is -," I yell at him while twirling around with my hands freely swinging on my sides ,"- do you like it?" I choose to ask but he doesn't answer , I stop my twirling and look at him. He was on his phone , yeah he's one of this people obsessed with social media , but I blame society not him. He finally notices me and looks at me with a slightly furrowed brow. "What?" he asks putting his phone in his jeans pocket. "Nothing," I reply in a low tone.

I walk to the huge boulder and sit on it."This place seems magical,"I sigh. He walks towards me and stands at the foot of the boulder. "If you say so," he says subtlety. "You think it's boring," I say but it sounds more of a question. "I just don't see the magic," he replies. I didn't expect him to, it's my special place and he wouldn't understand the least bit of magic that this place holds. I jump down from the boulder and watch as his jaw hits the ground. I give him a faint smile. "See this," I say while stretching my arm." All of them look alike - ,"I continue, " - except that one ,"I finish up while pointing to the huge boulder I'd been sitting on. "It's different ," he says and looks at me with a look I couldn't quite understand. "Yeah ," I finish breathlessly. Amell walks towards me but keeps a small distance between us. "Can I ask you something?" He asks and I look at him with a raised brow.

"Yeah sure ,"

"When you ran away during the last soccer match - ," he says and I turn to face him," - was this where you came?"

"Yes,"I reply

"Why'd you run away -?"

Shit

"Was it because of - you know how I kissed Gail?" He asks slightly hesitant

"No , no it wasn't because of how you kissed her - ," I reply," - even though I called it sloppy ,"I say while remembering the look on his face when I said that

"Then why?" He questions and I look away afraid of seeing the look he's giving me or the emotion in his eyes.

"There was too many people,"

"You are afraid of people?"

"That's not the -" he interrupts before I finish

"Was it me?" He asks

"I hadn't even known you existed up until the other day ," I reply subtlety

"Oh," he says void of any emotion

Sighing ,"it's called claustrophobia."

"So you have the fear of enclosed places ?"

"I think I just said that ," I reply harshly.

"Yes I can't stand being in closed places, I get panic attacks a lot, and that's another reason why I ran away from the parlour the other day, because ,umm, because you were making me feel -", I stop when I find him staring at me. "- enclosed," I finish and begin walking away. I never wanted anyone else knowing about one of my many issues. I walk deeper into the clearing and notice a path that leads to some trees. I feel Amell following me but he doesn't talk and I appreciate it.

We walk to a small forest , with tall spaced out trees. I  hold onto the lowest branch of one of the tall trees and begin climbing.

"Are you seriously going to climb that?" He asks and I look back at him. "Yeah," I shrug. I continue climbing and I hear the breaking of a branch, Amell is following behind me.

"Don't you think this is high enough?" He questions and I stifle a laugh. "I could go further -" I reply ,"- are you afraid of heights? "I chuckle. " I just don't think.... this is safe,"he says stammering and I find myself smiling."I think it is ,"I say. At least there is a slight imperfection to him."You're afraid of heights,"I say cheekily and I hear him let out a frustrated groan.

We continue climbing higher ,by now you could see the clearing and the trees surrounding it the school is to the south and there is a small forest. Suddenly I step on a thin branch and it breaks making me lose my balance, as if on cue Amell grips my waist but because my arms were out stretched , my sweatshirt is raised up exposing a tad bit of my skin, and that's where Amell's hand touches me, I freeze when his cold fingers move upwards in a bid to raise me up a little so that I can place my foot onto the next branch.

"Careful," he says when he removes his hand from my waist. "Thanks," I say subtlety. I sit up on a stable branch and he sits next to me. "It's beautiful," he sighs. "Yeah," I reply not knowing what to actually say and turn to find him looking at me." Do you ever feel like you'd want to escape?" I blurt out before I actually think of what I was saying. " From what?"he asks but doesn't look at me. "From reality, from everyone ," I say breathlessly with a small smile on my lips.

"Yeah - ," he replies in a low tone."-this is your escape?"he asks and I look at him."Yes, I don't think anyone else knows this place exists, it's like my safe heaven, although I've never actually made it to this trees, it's been my escape for the past three months or so,"I say but it sounds almost like a whisper. Amell looks at me and I hold his gaze. We don't move for quite some time. He slowly lifts his hand from the branch and gently strokes my cheek. The small gesture sends shivers down my entire body. "Well now I know it exists ," he whispers and removes his hand leaving a tingly feeling on my cheek.

There is a peaceful tranquility between us as we watch the sunset. We watch as the horizon turns pink, then orange almost amber,and finally the sun begins slowly descending down. The sky becomes azure and I smile at it."We should go ,"I finally say and we both climb down the tree.