dating carl was still new—so new that his hand barely ever left hers, that his presence still made her stomach flutter, that the sound of his laugh felt like something she could keep in her pocket for the worst days. so new that they were still figuring out the little things, like what to call each other.
“we need nicknames,” carl said, lying back on the grass outside the walls, his hat pulled low over his eyes.
she glanced at him from where she sat beside him, picking at the loose thread on her sleeve. “nicknames?”
“yeah. y’know. cute couple stuff.”
she smirked. “like ‘grimes’ isn’t already a nickname?”
he groaned, probably rolling his eyes under the hat. “something better.”
she hummed, pretending to think. “okay. what about… babe?”
he made a face. “too basic.”
“sweetheart?”
“do i look like your grandma?”
“honey?”
“do i look like i run a bakery?”
she laughed, nudging his boot with hers. “well, go ahead then, genius.”
carl exhaled, thinking. “how about angel?”
her expression softened, her gaze lingered on a random spot before she slowly smiled. yeah angel sounds good.
“that one’s… not bad,” she admitted.
he smirked, satisfied. “damn right it’s not. now pick one for me.”
she studied him—the way his hair curled under his hat, the way the sunlight caught the flecks of blue in his eyes. something about him felt steady. strong. warm.
“how about cowboy?” she teased.
he rolled his eyes. “real original. come on, make something up that fits me. would be cool, no?"