Fantasy Two Halves of a Whole

[mon]

Acacia greeted Callum with a bob of her head but made no effort to talk. She wasn't in the mood for conversation, given her sullen dark mood. Callum knew her well enough to leave her be, brushing it off as teenage hormones or that weird angst period most teenagers go through. He quietly cleaned the kitchen counter tops while Acacia looked around for Tyler, finding him in her room.

She stood at the threshold of her door. Leaving it opened, Acacia leaned on the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked over at him with a 'you're still here?' look but it was more tired than menacing. She wanted to get things over with. Whatever 'things' were, it can't be something pleasant.

 

[PlotBrownie]

The two seemed to be in a staring contest till the silence became unbearable for Tyler and he spoke first, "You want me out of here, I know. I'll leave as soon as we settle this." He told her, "I just want to know why you're so pissed at me and why you're so hellbent on pushing me away." He said that as he used the bed post to push himself up and leaned against the wall, trying not to show that he was nervous.

 

[mon]

Acacia exhaled a sigh and walked over to sit on the bed beside him. There was just enough space between them for another person and she didn't look at him when she spoke, staring instead at the open door. Because Callum was outside, she talked softly knowing her voice would travel if she spoke any louder. While she could easily walk over and just close the door, Acacia wasn't sure if she was comfortable being in a closed room with Tyler. Knowing herself, she might just do something she'd regret if they were.

"I'm not pissed at you," she started and paused. That was a lie. It was clear she was angry at him earlier. "Okay, fine. Maybe I was, but that doesn't matter. I already told you why I was upset. What part of it do you not understand?" Acacia frowned, finally looking over at him.

 

[PlotBrownie]

"All of it." Tyler told her, and got up to close the door. He leaned against it for a moment and turned to her, "Sorry I just think we need some privacy for this." He told her, then limped over to the bed and sat next to her, leaving no space.

"I'm not pretending, Acacia. I need you to believe that. I never pretended for a moment since I knew you. And all the things we did together just came naturally. We're bound to get close after what happened." He explained. "Yes, we don't act like friends, but in that case then I don't want to be your friend. I don't think I can."

He'd been looking at her the whole time, but now he couldn't. He turned and looked down at his lap as blood rushed to his face and he could feel the warmth spreading all the way to the tips of his ears. He scoffed. Chuckled. Rubbed at his face with one hand in nervousness.

Then spoke the next words so softly they were barely heard,

"God help me. I'm falling for you, Romans."

 

[mon]

There was an unreasonable twinge of panic that alarm the ravenhead when Tyler had closed the door, trapping her in the space with him. She forced herself to a calm, despite the hammering in her heart. Acacia almost felt nauseous, but it wasn't in an entirely bad way. Fifty percent of it was good, fifty percent of it was Acacia mentally burning the butterflies in her stomach with a flamethrower.

The first half of his confession made her feel light and bubbly. It was comforting to know that he wasn't forcing himself to be... whatever it was he was being around her because of the body swap ordeal. He was honest, she could tell that much. But when he told her he didn't want to be her friend, her heart dropped and she froze, immediately expecting the worst.

He hates me. This is the part where he says he wants me out of his life too.

But it never came.

"God help me. I'm falling for you, Romans."

She stared at him like a deer in headlights, clearly not expecting such an answer.

"Huh?" she blinked and then immediately sprung back to life, leaning forward towards him with her palms on the bed, her face in front of his. "Say that again or I swear I'm mishearing something here..."

The thought of Tyler like liking her of all people seemed incredulous. He was too good for her. Can't he see that?

There was nothing about her that warranted his affection. She was impulsive. Rude. Perverted. Hot-headed. Vindictive. The list goes on and on.

 

[PlotBrownie]

His heart was beating so hard he almost felt it brush against his ribcage, it was like it was trying to make its way out somehow, and it was pumping all the blood to his face leaving his hands cold and clammy. And it was falling for Acacia Romans.

Stupid stupid heart.

She moved and her face was suddenly right in front of his, their breaths mixing together, and if he moved just less than an inch closer their noses would touch.

He gulped as amber met chocolate and licked his dry lips. Reaching up, Tyler gently cupped her face in his hands and stroked the pad of his thumb against her shoft cheek.

"I'm falling for you. Hard." He repeated, then leaned in and their foreheads briefly touched before their lips did.

He left a soft, hesitant kiss, and pulled back before she had time to react.

 

[mon]

"This must be some sick cruel prank the universe is playing on me if this turns out to be joke. But dear God, help me if this is real," Acacia thought to herself as Tyler's hands came to rest on her face, her cheeks burning within his palms. Her eyes were still wide and searching, still in disbelief until he kissed her. He actually kissed her! And that somehow sunk the truth in better than his words could.

If a reply was what he wanted, a reply was definitely something he got. But not in the way any normal girl would respond.

No, Acacia Romans was not any other girl.

She didn't respond with words or a blush.

Her hands came up around his neck, a palm against the back of his head and her soft lips crushing onto his. In a moment's time, she was seated on his lap, straddling him at the hips with his face in her hands, kissing him like he had fallen and this was the impact of his fall: Acacia, on top of him, stealing his literal breath away.

When she pulled away, it was not without a shy, yet teasing smirk. Something like a soft, breathless laugh left her lips as she pressed her forehead against Tyler's, her eyes still closed. "How does it feel to finally kiss a girl again?" Of course, she had to be cheeky.

 

[PlotBrownie]

She was kissing him back! He barely had time to register that she was kissing him back and stealing his breath away at once. His hands instinctively came to rest on her hips when she straddled him, keeping her in place as he kissed her back. Her lipstick tasted sweet with a hint of an ashy taste and her lips were as soft as marshmellows. He could easily get addicted to this.

She pulled back and rested her forehead against his and Tyler could breathe again. "I've been missing out on so much." He said with a slight pant before he pulled closer and kissed her again, lingering longer this time before he moved slowly to the corner of her lips, lower cheek, jaw, leaving a trail of kisses as one hand moved from her hip to her back, pulling her closer to him till they were chest to chest, till he could feel her heart beating against his.

He hadn't realized how much he'd wanted this until he got it.

 

[mon]

For once, Acacia Romans wasn't sure what to do next. Her arms settled around his neck, resting on his shoulders as he pulled her closer, her chest crushed up against his own. Such intimacy was rather foreign to her, despite her experiences with men. Sex was not something new to her but it had always been done quick and purposefully, never containing anything real, serving only to satisfy each other's own personal needs.

This was different. This was new. And unlike all the other times before, Acacia wanted to treasure this. She wanted to treasure him.

So she pulled back enough for him to look at her, and for her to look at him, and planted a chaste kiss on his forehead before burying her face into the nook of neck. Her arms pulled him into her crushing embrace.

 

[PlotBrownie]

She pulled back and gave him a look Tyler couldn't decipher, but there was vulnerability there. A strange look on Acacia Romans but he accepted it.

She kissed his forehead and hugged him tightly, burrying her face against the crook of his neck. It felt good to be held with such need, to feel so wanted. It was a known fact that this was new to him but now he couldn't help thinking that this might be new to her too.

His arms came to wrap around her tighter, left hand resting gently on the right side of her waist while his right was on her back, rubbing it in small circles. He wanted to speak, to tell her that he's falling in love with her, to ask her to be his girlfriend, reassure her that he won't leave like everyone else.

Nothing came out of him but a sigh of content that seemed to take out any tension left in his body, and he melted like putty in her arms with his face against her shoulder and her hair tickling his nose. He pulled his head back only slightly to kiss the spot on her shoulder where his mouth had just been, a lazy smile on his face as warmth spread to his entire body.

Callum started vacuuming outside, startling him slightly, reminding him they weren't the only two in the world.

Tyler's arms wrapped tighter around Acacia for a moment in a gentle squeeze before easing his hold, "You hungry?" He asked her, his voice muffled by her shoulder.

 

[mon]

Acacia chose not to answer verbally, afraid she'd break the moment if she does. Knowing her, it would likely be a stupid reply anyways so the babe just nods, her head still in his neck, clinging onto him like a koala unwilling to let go.

It isn't until moments later, where Tyler has to literally pry her arms from him, does she finally let go and reluctantly shifts off him so that he could get up.

"Why not leave the cooking to Callum for today? You're on crutches. I doubt it'll be easy for you to cook," Acacia points out, flopping down to her side on the bed.

 

[PlotBrownie]

It was sweet and melted his heart when Acacia wouldn't let go, but his girl was hungry and he had to feed her.

His girl. He likes that

"Nah, I like cooking for you. I'll manage with the crutches don't worry." He said confidantly as he slowly got up and grabbed his crutches to put his weight on them. He could make due with only one for now so he left the other against the wall.

Tucking it under his arm, he then bent down and dropped a kiss to the top of her head, a reassurance that the moment they just had wasn't a one time thing. "You could come and make the tea and coffee." Tyler suggested. They'd already had their cups this morning but another round wouldn't hurt no one.

 

[mon]

Acacia had half of her face buried in her pillow when he had leaned over to kiss her, but even then that did not hide the light blush which dusted her cheeks. She tried to scowl and failed miserably, embarrassed that she would get so flustered over small touches of affection.

"Okay," the ravenhead said, getting out of bed to open the door for him. She followed him out of the bedroom, pinching herself when he wasn't looking to be sure she wasn't dreaming.

The hot water was boiled and the tea and coffee was made. Acacia wondered then, what came next? Tyler had confessed he liked her. They kissed. Does that mean they were seeing each other? This was entirely unexpected and out of order.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler moved around the kitchen collecting everything he needed, most of the stuff was things he'd gotten with Acacia during their grocery trip, and setting them on the kitchen island so he can then sit down and mix his batch together using both hands without worrying about his leg.

Making pancakes onehandedly wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. He was still a master flipper.

"Sorry, Cia. No blueberries." Tyler said with a little grin at their inside joke as he set the plate in front of her then took the chair beside hers.

He set his phone on the table and dug in, taking a gulp of his tea to wash down mouthfuls of pancakes. Who knew confessing your love to a girl you knew a week ago could make you so hungry?

Tyler blushed at the memory and glanced down when his phone buzzed, receiving a text.

"The boys want to hang out today. Want to come with?" He asked as he looked up from his phone to her, "I'd like them to formally meet my girlfriend. They've been pretty confused since the chocolate and flowers business." That was a lie, they didn't care as much as he made them to be, but he did want to use the word girlfriend and see her reaction to the term.

 

[mon]

She couldn't help but smile at his little comment. It was cute how he still remembered the passing comments she shared on a whim. "I'll make do," she mused in reply, sitting across from him to eat. The ravenhead was still in her pajamas, even when she had stormed out angry that morning, and had yet to change. She ate her pancakes and downed her coffee. Because she had been sitting across from Tyler, she caught the slight reddening of his cheeks and rose a brow in curiosity.

When her meal was done, she picked up both empty plates and set them in the sink to be washed later. She also poured out her usual glass of milk and stirred in a dollop of honey before drinking it in sips, nodding at Tyler's invitation to hang. Technically, she doesn't have anything else better to do until 4 PM so why not?

Before she could answer normally, the girl choked on her drink at the term 'girlfriend' and went into a coughing fit from surprise. Acacia hadn't expected him to pop the word so casually, especially given how he hadn't even asked her out yet---but then again, everything they've done had been rather backwards.

After regaining her composure, her coughs died down but her cheeks flamed. "Someone's cocky. You haven't even asked her to formally be your girlfriend yet," Acacia pointed out, hiding her smile behind her mug.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler's eyes widened in panic as he got up and used the table to steady him while patting Acacia's back with the other. "Don't die on me, Romans. We haven't even went out on our first date yet." He protested.

Her coughing fit ended and he sat back down again, grinning at being called cocky. "Well considering we've been pretend girlfriend and boyfriend for the past week I took the liberty of making it official." He retorted, and though he was grinning there was some uncertainty in his eyes, "Unless we're not making it official? Are we?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

The way she held him earlier gave Tyler the impression that this wouldn't be just a fling, but then again Acacia wasn't known for keeping a boy long enough to be her official boyfriend.

 

[mon]

"I don't know. Is this your way of asking me?" Acacia asked, raising a brow at his passiveness. Being a decisive person at heart, Acacia usually taunted for a black and white answer when addressed with uncertainty. This being one of the cases.

(Sorry it's super short)

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Acacia Romans, consider this your official and formal offer to become my girlfriend. The offer comes with cooking, which I already do, a sweater, which you already have, lots of cuddling till you're sick of me, and we cuddled a lot so consider it done." Tyler listed off the things on his fingers, "Actually everything will pretty much be the same but we'll just kiss a lot more." He added with a shrug of his shoulders and a cheeky smile.

"So, do you accept?"

(mine too sorry)

 

[mon]

Acacia had to laugh. Out of all the ways she's been asked out, this was one of the most endearing. She made an exaggerated display of pensive thinking before taking his hand, weaving her fingers fluidly through his own as she leaned down and smiled smugly in his face.

"I accept," she hummed, bumping the tip of her nose against his own in an eskimo kiss. "But only because the last prospect sounds promising. We'll do more than just kissing, won't we?" she teased, pulling back to put her empty mug in the sink as well.

"What time are we meeting up with your friends? I don't mind tagging along but you know I have classes at 4," Acacia pointed out, rinsing most of the dishes but leaving them unwashed for Callum. There was no point in hiring a butler if she was going to completely rob him of all the menial tasks. "It might be best if you come along with me this one time so you know your way in and out if we ever bodyswap again."

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler blushed at her suggestive hint but he was actually looking forward to losing that card. He just hoped she didn't have too high of expectations.

"I'll text them and see if they're free to go now." He told her as his eyes followed her around the kitchen. "And just admit that's an excuse to hang out with your boyfriend." He added with a grin as he reached out once she was close enough and grabbed her hand, pulling her quick enough to make her lose her balance so that she'd fall in his lap. His arms wrapped around her waist and he stole a quick kiss. This was definitely his favorite activity. For now.

"Sorry. Couldn't help it." He said sheepishly though his grin was nowhere near apologetic.

 

[mon]

She rolled her eyes in response but did not bother to refute. It would be a lie if she did anyways, though she was worried on whether Tyler could catch up with Skylar's syllabus. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about her boyfriend soon discovering all the hidden talents and skills Acacia kept closely under wrapped. For all the school knew, the Mad Dog was a good for nothing, soon to be drop-out. Oh, how wrong were they if only they knew.

The sudden pull had her yelping but she was silenced by a kiss. Her anger fizzled as quickly as it flared and she pouted instead of scowled.

"You," she said in a light scolding voice, pulling his cheek as she got off his lap. "I need to go change. Let me know if you need me to call Callum to drop you off at your place so you can change too," Acacia said, despite Tyler having only one pair of apparel left at her place. Not to mention, she had a number of unisex tops which she didn't mind lending if he needed them.

Entering her room, with the door closed behind her, Acacia fished out one of the rare, feminine articles which she rarely wore: a dusty pink floral top paired with some jeans. Though she had already met Tyler's friends on numerous occasions, this was the first time she'd be introduced to them as his girlfriend. She didn't want to leave a favorable impression. At least then, perhaps they would stop convincing Tyler to stop seeing her.

The extra effort went a long way. Coming from a high-class family, Acacia knew how to dress herself well. Like the sorority party, she looked quite different when she placed her skills to use. A little bit of make up was used, her hair was curled and hell, if Acacia was really feeling up for it, maybe she'd wear heels. But for now, this was as good as it was going to get. She wondered if the drastic change would be off-putting.

"You ready to go?" Acacia asked, finally exiting her room.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler whistled when the babe came out. "Hey there, gorgeous." He flirted as he got up and walked over to her, taking her hand and twirling her around like a ballerina. "I'm so fucking lucky." He added with a grin.

Acacia was one of those annoyingly pretty girls who can look good in sweatpants and an oversized t shirt, Tyler can vouch for that as he had seen that look several times, but with a little bit of effort she can make heads turn around.

"I'm definitely going to need to change." Tyler said with a little bit of amusement. When she was looking like that and he was coming with her to classes later then he'll definitely need to step up his game. This was their first outing as boyfriend and girlfriend (for real this time) and they both wanted to leave good impressions in the other's group.

 

[mon]

Acacia rolled her eyes as she playfully backhanded Tyler's chest in response to his whistle.

"Don't be a sap," she said, despite grinning when he twirled her. Taking her phone from her pocket, she texted Callum to drive them over to Tyler's place.

"He'll be here in ten minutes. Let's wait downstairs?" Acacia said, grabbing her house keys and leading Tyler towards the exit once they both took what they needed. The two waited at the sidewalk curb for the usual black Royce to pull over and the trip to Tyler's place took only a few minutes by car.

"Shall I be picking you up here for your classes, miss?" Callum asked just as they were getting out of the car. Acacia looked over at Tyler in question. She had forgot to ask where he and his friends planned to hang out.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler looked at Acacia then back and Callum and gave a little shrug. "Yeah, sure." He told the man as he got out his phone to text his friends and tell them to come over to his place.

Callum left and the two made their way to the front door but not without passing by Tyler's car first.

"Oh baby I missed you!" Tyler said dramatically as he leaned against the car with his arms sprawled out in a weird version of a hug.

 

[mon]

Given her close proximity, Acacia caught Tyler's crutches before they fell over when he clung over his car. She rolled her eyes again and shook her head at the heavens.

"You call me crazy," she mused dryly before handing him back his crutches.