India

"Hurry up." India laughed a little, running up the stairs of the subway station with Alex in tow.
"Its only three, we have plenty of time." He chuckled, looking around a little when they got onto the street.
"I know, but we're running out of time. Come on." She grinned and started walking in the direction she wanted to go, making sure he kept up.
Alex followed her, a small smile on his lips. He still couldnt quite pinpoint what it was about the blonde girl that had him all caught up. He didnt know if it was her mysterious ways or her beauty, or her sad eyes or her laugh. Something about her just interested every part of his being. He wondered what she would look like with a genuine happy smile on her lips, and what her eyes would look like if they werent sad. He wondered what it would be like to hold her close when she cried and be the only one who could calm her down. He wondered how she would feel pressed up against him during the night, blankets around both of them as she slept and he held her. Alex wondered what she would look like if he made her blush, how adorable she would be. Every part of his brain was slowly becoming consumed by this girl, and she hadnt the faintest clue.
It was almost pitiful, in a sense. He had always known exactly what to do with girls, but he hadnt the slightest clue how to go about things with her. She was completely different. She was something precious that Alex knew he needed too look after and take his time with so she would let him in. Almost like a rose. He was going to have to sit through winter, this dark and dreary time in her life until they got to spring, when the birds would chirp and the flowers would bloom. He didnt know how long winter would be, but hopefully it would end soon.

"Alex look! Its so pretty." She sighed happily and came to a stop after a decent ten minutes of walking. He looked up, seeing a little coffee shop nestled next to a magazine store and a tourist shop, filled with tacky keychains and hats with New York plastered over them.
"It is. Come on." Alex said and led her to the door, opening it for her.
There was something so simply perfect about this, how right it felt to be taking her out for coffee. It felt natural, yet it gave him the strongest feeling of butterflies, like he was doing something that he should be nervous about.
"What are you going to get?" He asked, looking down at her.
"Peppermint tea of course." She said.
Alex smirked a little and ordered for her, requesting his drink after. He got out his card and swiped it, not even thinking about it.
"Hey, you're not meant to pay." She frowned, and Alex looked down at her.
"Why not? Im the guy." He teased.
"So? That doesnt mean anything." She said, biting her lower lip.
"I dont mind, its fine." Alex chuckled and let his arm slip around her waist, bringing her closer to him.
India bit her lip at the gesture, tensing slightly.
"Why do you do that?" He asked, letting his arm slip away as they sat down opposite one another in a booth.
"Do what?" She replied, hands retreating back into her sleeves.
"Tense up whenever I touch you."
"I dont." She said quickly.
It pained Alex beyond belief to know that someone had done this to her. Somebody had broken her and made her into this fragile mess that was barely holding together. He just wanted to make her whole again, to see her happy.
"Who hurt you so bad India?" He asked quietly, his eyes darting up to meet hers.
A sigh passed her lips. Alex could see right through her act. He knew exactly how upset she really was, how he wasnt even half as okay as she claimed to be.
"Nobody hurt me, im fine." She said, crossing her arms.
"We both know that isnt true."
India looked up at him. She hated how easily he could see through her facade. He knew no matter what she said, that she was hurt and broken and that killed her. Nobody else had spent this much time trying to figure her out, and it was a strange feeling knowing that he even cared.
"Why do you care?" She asked, sighing slightly.
"I dont know yet. Theres just something about you that i cant quite put my finger on, but its got me hooked." He said, smiling slightly at the waitress who came and set their drinks down.
India wrapped her tiny hands around her mug to warm them up, biting her lip.
"I dont understand why. Im honestly nothing special."
"I beg to differ. You're special to me." He said, taking a sip from his coffee.
"I dont believe that."
"Dont you trust me?"
"No."
Alex bit his lip. He kinda knew that had been coming.
"You should. I could never hurt you." He replied.
"Not true. Thats what everyone in the past has said, and they all have."
"And what if im your one exception? The one person who wont ever hurt you."
India chuckled softly. "Alex you're talking as if you and I would ever actually be together."
That knocked him right back down to earth. Her words cut like knives.
"Well, why couldnt we?"
"It would never work. You're Alex Gaskarth, im just India." That was trully the only way she could explain it.
He really didnt like where this conversation was going. The thought of him not getting the girl he wanted did not sit well with him.
"I dont care who i am. I feel like i can really be myself around you and i've never had that before." Alex said.
"That will fade, trust me. That feeling always does. You'll feel it a million more times in your life." She said, sipping her coffee.
"Why are you so cynical?" He asked, his eyebrows creasing together slightly.
"Im not, im just concious."
"You sound like you know what you're talking about, with the whole fading feelings thing. Did that happen to you?"
She nodded.
"Was that guy the one who hurt you?" He asked a little quieter.
"Alex just drop it and drink your coffee." She said, closing the discussion. There was no way she was going to sit here and answer his questions.

Things were tense after they left the coffee shop. Alex didnt like the fact that she had no intention whatsover of even trying to be with him. He didnt even now when he got so caught up in this. In her. Four weeks ago, Alex wouldnt have even considered having a girlfriend. Now, that seemed to be the only thing on his mind. Calling India Hamilton his was something he wanted more than anything in the entire world. Any other girl in Baltimore would be jumping ontop of him and crying if he said he wanted to be with them for more than one night, yet he couldnt even get India to kiss him. She was trully the most frustrating yet the most perfect girl he had ever met in his life,
Granted Alex was only seventeen, but that meant nothing. The feelings he got whenever she was near him or whenever somebody mentioned her name, made him feel like the hero in all those romantic movies your mother watches when you're a child.
India, although she hated to admit it, was absolutely terrified of Alex. Not in the way she had been scared of her ex boyfriend or her Father. Not in that way at all.
She was afraid of the possibility of her actually caring about somebody again. Afraid of all the heartache and pain she would be left with when he found somebody better. Somebody prettier, or skinner, with straight white teeth and nice hair and a lot of money. She knew that would happen if she let Alex get too close, and that was not something she would put herself through again. She was angry at herself for letting Alex be the centre of her thoughts so often. All she could think about was how sensitive he was when they were alone. How he made her feel so safe when he hugged her or held her hand. She couldnt stop thinking about his eyes, and how the left was just a slight bit darker than the right. She thought about the stubble he had in his jawline that drove her crazy. He was truly beautiful, in every sense of the word. She craved to be around him, yet she feared being too close.
The city was definitely more beautiful at night. India had decided just to go for a walk, wanting to wait until it was pitch black before she saw times square for the first time.
"Arent you cold?" Alex asked after a bit, one hand dug deep in his pocket and the other entwined with hers.
"A little, i'll be okay." She said, half smiling.
"Here." Alex said and slid off his leather jacket, sliding it around her shoulders. He smiled when she put her arms through the holes, her hand resting in his again.
"Thank you." She smiled.
He shrugged simply, looking up at the city. It was almost dark, right at that time in the evening when the suns gone but the moon isnt up yet.
Alex felt strange when he was around her. He didnt find his thoughts anywhere else. He wasnt thinking about alcohol or his friends or the score of the last ravens game. All he could really think about was how adorable she looked in his clothes and how badly he wanted to sweep her off her feet and kiss her.
"Go this way." Alex smiled a little and led her down a street, starting to head towards times square.
India chuckled, her fingers lacing themselves with his. India too was beginning to get confused about why she thought of him so much. It felt like all the terrible stuff happening in her life was pushed to the back of her mind when she was with him. The hard part about that was that she knew how she would feel once they parted ways and went to their own hotel rooms. She'd be left alone with, her thoughts once again.
"We're almost there." Alex grinned down at her.
"Wait, im going to close my eyes okay, tell me when we're there." India said and shut her eyes tightly, her nose scrunching up just a little,
"God you're adorable." He murmured and slid an arm around her waist so he could guide her better.
The rest of the walk was slightly slow, but that was more than okay. Any excuse to have her this close was a good enough one for him.
The two came to a stop, and Alex let his arm linger around her waist.
"Open."