The Boy in Black

3

She didn't see his eyes, for his room was a blanket of darkness. However she knew he was there. She knew he was watching her from his window with his phone pressed to his ear. She knew, and she had suspected it for a while.

Everybody knew about Jaxson Maddox and his family, but Mattie never knew of the dark secrets behind the Maddox's that was burrowed deep inside Jaxson's mind, and her mother was intent on keeping it that way.

However, Mattie had only known of Jaxson's next door presence for less than a month. A single month after looking over at the window across from hers that had green vines and dense moss growing on the sides of it, a single month after seeing the boy in black throw his school bag onto his large bed before flicking his light off, consuming his room with darkness so that he could see her, but she could never see him. It should have frightened her, but she kept her curtains open for a reason.

Her phone was pressed tightly to her ear as she looked beyond her window and into the darkness of his, awaiting for the long period of deafening silence to end. And when it did, his room suddenly filled with light, and she saw him with his slender finger on his light switch.

Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of his tight black T-shirt and the way it hugged his toned body. His dark hair was messy and down his forehead, almost covering his eyes. He was breathtaking, but wore an expression that Mattie could not fully read.

His eyes were glued to hers at that very moment, and they seemed to darken under her gaze. His lips parted, and she stood still anxiously awaiting his response.

"Surprise?" He tried his best to grin, but failed as his gaze lowered to the floor of his surprisingly clean bedroom. The walls were bare of anything except for the gray paint that covered them.

She smiled in reply and ended the call before walking to her window slowly, her eyes never parting from Jaxson's. He did the same, and they both quickly opened their windows to reveal each other. The cool breeze came through instantly, and along with the leaves on the large oak tree outside, her hair spun around her face that was rushing with color due to the chill.

Jaxson's hair fell upon his forehead like it always did, moving only slightly when the wind blew past, a sight that had Mattie weak at the knees.

"Mr. Maddox, this is not acceptable behavior." Mattie cocked a brow at the boy in front of her, and he smiled, ignoring the sudden tightness in his jeans at the way she called him that.

"I'm not exactly the one for following rules, Miss Noelle." He replied, watching as Mattie giggled softly, careful to keep quiet so that her mother would not hear her.

Jaxson then imagined covering her mouth just then as he was on top of her on her bed, her virgin bed that was covered with a purple comforter with flowers and her favorite throw blanket that she loved to touch herself under.

He noticed that her walls resembled the walls of a twelve year olds. Posters of boy bands and torn-out magazine pictures filled them, and books and homework papers were scattered across her desk.

"Sorry- my room is kind of embarrassing." Mattie blushed, looking down to her hands that she silently fumbled with.

Jaxson laughed slightly to himself, shaking his head. "Obviously you're not the one that should be embarrassed here." He said, their laughter mixing in perfect harmony.