DEATH WISH - j.hale

WHO LOVES THE SUN - 30

"THANK YOU FOR THE RIDE HOME," Sara said gently, her fingers lingering on the door handle behind her as she looked at him. He stood at the bottom of the porch steps, the darkness of the setting night sky shining down upon him in blue and grey hues. Looking like an angel, Sara felt herself almost breathless from his beauty, a feeling of admiration overcoming her.

It was dark outside, the early evening sky cloudless, giving a view of the stars and moon above them. It was a beautiful night, the soft chill of an autumn breeze blowing gently past them.

"I wasn't going to make you walk—" he replied, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. Sara smiled amusingly, rolling her green eyes.

She was going to be alone tonight; her mother had called an hour earlier to say she had an emergency surgery up in Seattle, and she had taken the opportunity with zero hesitation, leaving Sara alone again.

She really didn't feel like being alone right now. She felt slightly calmer after having the conversation with Jasper earlier, but she still found herself slightly creeped out with being alone.

As Jasper turned to make his way back down the pathway to his vehicle, Sara found herself stumbling over her words.

"Stay!" She blurted out quickly, biting her lip as she watched him turn around again. "I, uh — I just don't want to be alone right now," she said, an embarrassed smile creeping across her features as she fiddled with her fingers.

He's going to say no, she thought to herself as he hesitated. Immediately, she found herself regretting the question, her face contorting into a look of embarrassment.

"Alright," he finally said, shoving his hands into his denim jean pickets, gracefully walking his way back up the pathway.

She felt slightly surprised with his answer, but nonetheless, she turned to unlock her front door, shoving it open and holding it for the man behind her.

The house was dark, the sound of the door closing sending a small echo throughout the home, the silence being broken.

Kicking off her shoes, she made her way into the kitchen, deciding to make some tea. "Want some tea?" She asked him, sending him a look behind her shoulder as she pulled out a mug. He shook his head in response, pulling out a stool before sitting.

"What about something to eat?"

"No thank you."

Huh.

This man was rarely hungry.

"Okay, what's the deal with you?" She found herself asking, setting the kettle full of water onto the stove burner. She turned to face him, her hands behind her as she leaned on the counter. She watched as he raised an eyebrow, looking up at her questionably.

"What do you mean?"

"For one, you never fucking eat , which I find oddly strange since I alone can eat an entire tub of ice cream — two, you make me feel weird, like I'm not..." she trailed off for a minute, a huff of annoyance leaving her lips as she searched for the right words. "You make me feel like I'm not in control of my own emotions," she finished, eyeing him suspiciously.

Something was different about him, and she longed for the truth. As she looked at him, his face showed no trace of emotion, the boy slightly lost with his words.