Pink Camelia - Neil Perry x Reader/OC

'~ Chapter 15 - NO! ~'

~~~

Neil and Dione walked up the front steps of the house, Neil stopping before they went to knock on the door. 

"Wait a minute. So does this mean we're... together?" Neil asked, praying that he hadn't interpreted the entire thing wrong.

"N-Neil were you there? Did we witness the same thing?" 

"So is that a yes or...?"

"I mean I would hope so!?" 

"Good." Neil said simply smiling at Dione, who looked like she was about to explode from a mixture of confusion, annoyance, and admiration. 

"You're an idiot." Dione said smiling.

"Oh don't pretend you don't love it." Neil teased as they walked in the door. 

"Hey! Sugar's here!" Mr. Hawthorne called from the kitchen.

"Took you long enough!" Bella sassed. 

"So I take it you were giving Neil the tour!" Mr. Hawthorne walked over to speak in a more hushed tone- "The flower field?" he motioned to the flower crowns.

"I thought he might like it." Dione said simply.

Mr. Hawthorne left it at that, taking the bag of sugar and heading back into the kitchen. Neil and Dione made their way up to Dione's room, where they dropped the snacks they'd found on the bed, before sitting cross-legged facing each other.

"Hey, since we seem to be on a role of 'opening up'- can I tell you about something?" Neil began- "You can't tell anyone though- not even Jo or Lilith."

"Okay..." Dione said tentatively. 

"So you know that teacher I told you about? Mr. Keating?"

"Yes?"

"I found his senior annual in the library, and me and the boys had a look through it- we found something weird..." he paused dramatically- "He was a part of a secret club-"

"Where they read poetry?" Dione cut him off.

"Y-yeah- how did you-?"

"I was looking through a book Miss Thompson gave me and a card fell out-" Dione grabbed the book, and the card out of it, reading it out- "The Dead Poets society- Henley chapter."

"No way! So are you a part of it?"

"Well we're initiates- to be a member you have to be- you know- dead..."

"So they have the same rules too-" Neil jumped up, overjoyed at yet another of his interests overlapping with his friend's- "what if we could do a meeting together? You could meet the guys properly!" 

The two spent the rest of their time until dinner talking about their respective clubs, making plans for catch ups- that admittedly probably wouldn't happen, and discussing the play. The pair subconsciously moved closer and closer to each other, eventually they ended up with their knees brushed up against each other, faces mere inches apart. Dione could feel her whole body fluttering- Neil felt lighter than a feather- the two inched closer...

"Can I-" Neil began before being cut off by Mr Hawthorne calling the pair down for dinner. 

The two shuffled awkwardly down to the dining room, slightly disappointed. 

'~'

"No grades at stake gentlemen, just take a stroll." Keating directed as Cameron, Pitts, and Knox marched their way around the courtyard.