He didn’t know why it felt as if his stomach was in knots. He just knew that his heart was pounding so much he could barely hear the sound of his own breathing.
It had taken him almost twenty minutes to get himself to walk back up the stairs and knock on the door. He knew the answer, but at this point, what did he have to lose?
As soon as it swung open, he froze. The person behind the door wore a loose black tank top with nothing underneath, exposing her toned torso. A few short strands of dark hair were pulled into a tight ponytail atop of her head, leaving her face mostly unscarred save for one long scar near her right eyebrow. Her blue eyes widened slightly when she saw who stood before her, giving away that she already knew who it was.
She opened her mouth to speak, “Hey, you alright?” Her voice was low and rough, making his breath catch in his throat. She took one look at his face and reached out towards him, “Come on in, I’ll make some coffee. You don’t look so good.” He nodded dumbly as he let himself be guided into the apartment. He could see the bags under her eyes now that they were closer to each other.
The room was warm and smelled faintly of cologne. It was filled with books and old movies stacked in a neat pile in front of the TV. There was a desk with papers scattered across it. There were various figurines lining the shelves, along with several stuffed animals. His gaze lingered on the large bed pushed against the wall opposite from them. There was a lump under the comforter that looked suspiciously like a head poking over the edge of the mattress.
He cleared his throat, trying to gain control of the situation he found himself in.
“Um… where do I sit?” His voice sounded raspy and broken. This wasn’t the first time he’d been around her—infact, they had become good friends ever since last Christmas — but somehow, things still seemed different than usual. She looked at him quizzically for a moment before answering.
“Oh! Right… come here,” she said softly as she patted a spot beside her on the couch. Once he sat down, she started to make the two cups of coffee she promised. When she handed one cup to him, she smiled shyly, a blush painting her cheeks. She bit her lip, “I usually take mine black, but you can have whatever you want if you want anything. Just give me a yell if you need anything else.” He nodded as she settled down on the other side of the couch.
She took a sip from her own cup and sighed softly, leaning back slightly as the heat hit her tongue. He watched her closely, taking in the way the corners of her lips quirked up ever so slightly. He was starting to feel like an idiot.
“Why are you here?” she asked, breaking the awkward silence between them. His eyebrows furrowed.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You know exactly what I mean,” she replied dryly as he shrugged and stirred sugar into his coffee.
Oh, he hated how bitter it was sometimes. After sitting in silence for another moment, she broke eye contact with him and turned her attention to the television. Her voice was softer now, “Do you have any plans for tomorrow? Or today, maybe.” He hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should say before deciding to tell her all about his plan. “Well, I'll be leaving the country tomorrow and can't help but feel sad that I didn't get to know you well enough or even got the chance to hang out! Look, I know this might sound strange but... I think I really like you..."
He expected some kind of response, but when none came, he glanced back to see that she had fallen asleep. He laughed quietly to himself, thinking it was cute how easily exhausted she could be even after having stayed awake all night. He put a hand under her head as he gently shifted it onto his lap. He didn't think he'd ever seen someone sleep so peacefully before. It's something only people close to you would ever get to see.
He leaned back against the cushion behind him as he stared at the TV screen. His body was growing numb and the exhaustion was setting in. It was only when he heard her mumble something unintelligible that he decided to wake her up. He brushed her bangs off of her forehead. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she woke up.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Looks like I fell asleep there for a while..." she muttered. "Are you gonna stay the night?"
"Uhm, tempting. But I really should be heading back home to pack up for my flight tomorrow."
A frown crossed her features briefly before quickly vanishing again. He could swear she tried to hide it, but he saw right through her act.
"Alright. Don't let me keep you, then." she replied. She gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to the TV. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out to grab her hand. Before she could pull away, he wrapped his fingers loosely around hers. With her free hand, she covered his with her own. Her touch sent a wave of warmth throughout his entire body and he felt his heartbeat speed up slightly.
For a brief moment he thought he would melt into the couch if she kept holding him.
He wanted more. He wished he could kiss her. He wanted to take his shirt off completely. And most importantly, he wanted her to kiss him back.
"Goodnight Kara" he whispered hoarsely.
His chest ached when she didn't reply, but when her grip tightened around his hand, it didn't hurt quite as bad.
The next morning, he awoke with a start. He sat upright and immediately regretted it when his entire body protested. His whole body screamed pain, reminding him painfully of last night's events. As far as last nights go, it wasn't that terrible, considering the circumstances. Still, he couldn't help but wince as he stretched and sat up. When he turned his attention back to the woman sleeping next to him, he realized that she was no longer wearing her tank top. He quickly averted his eyes.
He hadn't realized until that moment that they were still holding hands until he felt her squeeze his lightly.
‘Shit... did I fall asleep while holding her hand? Shit shit shit!!’ He inwardly cursed and tried to pull his hand away, but she tightened her grip on it instead. His brain froze as she turned to face him and he caught sight of those familiar deep blue eyes staring right back at him. A tiny, hopeful part of his brain told him that she may be returning his feelings; a bigger part of him hoped that maybe she just didn’t want to hold hands in case he didn’t return her feelings.
“Good morning!..~” she purred seductively.
“Uh… morning...” his voice cracked slightly.
“Are you okay? Did you not sleep too well?” She scooted closer to him, and he instinctively scooted away.
“No… uh… actually, I was hoping I could… um… talk to you…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. "Did we?... Last night?"
He looked straight into her eyes as he spoke.
"Yeah," was her simple reply. "But don't worry, I don't mind. Besides, I didn't think you had the courage to ask me yet." He could feel the blood rush to his cheeks. "But I guess that’s what made yesterday so memorable…" She grinned wickedly at him, her eyes bright and sparkling like diamonds in the light of dawn, the sun finally rising above the horizon.
"You're so beautiful." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He winced internally at the volume of his voice. Then, with though, his attention turned to the clock: it was 8:25am and his flight was at 9:20am!
He stood abruptly and began pulling clothes on hurriedly, ignoring her protests. Then soon enough, his heart pounded wildly against his ribs, threatening to burst out of his chest. How could he possibly leave without telling her good bye? What was he going to do?? He stopped and pulled a pair of jeans and a sweater over his head.
"Hey!" Her sudden shout made him yelp in surprise. He whipped around to find her standing up, looking at him with angry frustration. "You're leaving?!"
He shook his head quickly, "Nooo! Not yet, at least. I've gotta get going now anyway! I'll just be gone for a little bit and I'l be back soon, promise!" He gave a strained laugh as he grabbed his phone and rushed out the door. He had to leave before he changed his mind. She followed after him frantically, shouting, "You can't go! You've barely spoken a word!" As he stepped out the door, he turned to glance back at her.
He saw tears brimming in her eyes as she cried out, "Please wait for me!!" His resolve weakened once again as he looked into her eyes. "Kara, I-"
He couldn't manage to finish the sentence though, because she suddenly ran toward him, throwing herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle and pressing her cheek into his chest. He stumbled backward, but managed to remain on his feet. His legs almost gave out beneath him as he hugged her back tightly and closed his eyes. Tears spilled over his lashes as he buried his face into her curls. The scent of her shampoo filled his nose, the scent of vanilla and honey mixing together. There was just something about the smell of her hair that reminded him of everything he loved about her.
After a few moments, she pulled away slowly lowering herself to the ground. Then he spoke:
"I'll be back, okay? I'll make sure everything is okay." He pressed his lips gently against her temple in order to convey his affection for her.
"Promise?" she whispered into his chest. He could feel her breathing slow down as he continued to hold her close. Finally he pulled away, took one look at her pouting lips, and smiled.
"Yes," he said softly, kissing the corner of her mouth.
She sighed and nodded slightly before leaning into him one final time. Her soft, pink lips gently touched his for the shortest of moments before she pulled away again.
THE END
|
|
|
|
Thanks for reading and keep exploring!