Tears of Blood (wlw)

the art of falling

ANDREA POV

Spring time rain was my favorite. There's always a nice breeze, flowers blooming, and rain slowly trickling down. I tied my boots and started walking out the dorm when I saw Ash waiting for me. He was in a red shirt and black jeans with his hair parted in the middle. The wind blew through his hair, irritating his eyes. I watched him run a hand through his hair as he was busy looking at a dent in his car.

"How'd that happen?" I asked as I approached him.

"Me and Devyn were racing last night."

"Ah."

"My dad is gonna kill me when he sees this." There's sweat starting to form on his forehead, and the look of concern is plastered on his face.

"You'll be okay." Reassuring him, I placed my hand on his arm and I felt him tense up.

"You know.. I've been meaning to ask you something..."

"Which is?" Looking up at him, I realized how beautiful he was. The sunlight creeping in, gave his face a glow I couldn't describe. His lips parted into a smile as he grabbed me by the hips, and pulled me close.

"We've known each other for months now, and I just can't seem to get enough of you. I go to sleep thinking about you, and you're the first thought in my head when I wake up. I feel like the best of me when I'm with you." Feeling myself blush I focus my attention on his chest instead of his face.

"Hey. I'm serious, I know it's cheesy but still." He softly lifts my chin, so that our eyes meet. His are full of passion, a passion that I could get lost in. Reading me, he leans in and plants a gentle kiss on my lips and my heart starts to thump against my ribcage. As his lips part away from mine, I let my hands travel up to his neck, going in for another kiss. I can feel him smile as he kisses me more deeply. He gives me a kiss on my forehead and opens the car door for me. When he starts the car, he places one hand on the wheel and one on my thigh, whilst looking at me; asking for my permission. Returning his gesture with a smile, he leaves his hand there.

"It wasn't cheesy."

"What?"

"What you said wasn't cheesy." We drive to the soccer field.

"Really? Well, " he clears his throat, " I wanted to ask you...." He parks the car in the lot and looks at me.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" His eyes twinkled while I felt like I was being thrown into a box. Suffocating.

"Ash, look, you're a really nice guy-great guy. And I really do like you, but a relationship is something I probably can't handle right now." I look down at my shoes.

"I understand."

"It's not you. It's just the level of stress from school and all of these side things, and I want to be able to do my part in a relationship, you know?"

He grabs my hand and holds it.

"It's okay. I can wait. I'll be there for you. Don't overthink it, I was just asking, but if you're not ready it's totally cool. We can just enjoy ourselves right now. No pressure." He gives me a sly smile and winks.

"Come here." I grab his collar and bring him in for another kiss, this time it's a lot more passionate.

"Have fun at practice!" He yells out as I exit the car.

I start to walk toward the field when I spot Devyn and Iris in a corner having a smoke. They're laughing about something, until Devyn looks up and her eyes meet mine. As she stares, she gives me her wicked smile, with her dimples taking over her face. Suddenly my legs feel like jelly and I don't know if I could take another step. Devyn won't look away, and it started to feel like a competition-who would look away first. I would never lose to her, so I kept staring back and making my way to the field. Iris grabs Devyn's face, and she looks at her. I win. As I enter the stadium, I take another glimpse their way, and I can see Iris putting a cigarette to her mouth, and she laughs again when Devyn whispers something. Everything about her angered me- especially that smile, I would wipe it off if I could.

The rain that had just stopped earlier, started again. It felt like it was communicating with me. The whispers between the raindrops, reminded me of how I was similar to rain, for the rain and I have both mastered the art of falling.