by Mercy Amare
It took everything in my will power not to pull away from his touch. It felt so intimate that it made me shake. I blinked at him, confused. “To do what?”
“We’ll get your parents to relax so you don’t have to sneak out.”
I smirked again. “Now who is being idiotic?”
He smiled, sincere and warming. “I mean it.”
“You don’t know me. Why do you care?”
He shrugged. “Friends help each other. We’re friends now, aren’t we?”
I couldn’t answer him right away. Could it really be that simple? Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to attend parties or even just hang out. Outside of school, I saw no one. Friends were the people I sat with at lunch. I never said a word to them otherwise, never called, never went to the mall with them. The truth was I didn’t have a clue what a real friend was supposed to be like. Was friendship supposed to happen so quickly? “I suppose so.”
He nodded and then stood up, taking my mug from me. “I’m going to take these downstairs and put Max into his crate. You go hop into bed.”
My mouth fell open and I glanced at his bed. “But... you...”
He laughed at my expression. “Don’t worry. There’s a roll-away bed underneath that one. When I get back I’ll pull it out and will sleep there.”
My parents would have a fit. Still, I shivered with excitement. I’d never been out anywhere and my first night away from them, I would be sleeping in a boy’s room. “But maybe I could sleep on the roll-away thing. I mean, it’s your bed.”
“Just get in, will you? It’s late.” He turned and thudded his way back down the stairs.
I froze where I was for a moment. Again, tears came to my eyes. He was so nice to me. How could I leave now? Maybe he was right. Would he keep his promise though? Could I trust him? I’d already told him so much and I couldn’t believe I’d admitted out loud what I had never told a soul. It was those green eyes and the way he looked at me. He made it so easy to talk to him, because he was so calm and he instantly knew what to do. It was almost like magic.
I fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as I stepped toward his bed. I swallowed thickly, trying to still my heart. Forbidden territory. I inched myself down, sitting carefully on the edge until I heard it creak. Was I afraid it would bite me? I think I was more afraid of my parents somehow finding out.
Only they wouldn’t find out.
I tucked my toes in between the sheets, relaxed my head onto the pillow and yanked the blanket up over me. With the blanket pulled up to my chin, my body warmed a few degrees. I hadn’t realized how cold my body was before. When my bones thawed, my whole body melted into the bed. I inhaled a delicate scent, a spicy fragrance. Is that what he smelled like? The softness of his pillow forced my eyes shut. Kota’s bed. A boy’s bed.
The next time I opened my eyes, the room was dark. From what little light came through the window, I could see the roll-away bed that had been pulled out. Kota was on his back, his elbow against his forehead. His mouth was open and he was breathing slowly. With his glasses off, he looked completely adorable. I stayed awake as long as I could to watch him.
My new friend.
∞ ♥ ∞
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