Miss Park

Do you like the beach?

"So, this colour is your natural colour?" Rosie pulled and tugged at my hair, now and then her fingernails would gently tickle my scalp. I watched the genuine awe in her eyes while she ran her hair through my soft, brown locks, ones that were healthy and not yet damaged by bleach.

"Mmhmm, I've always wanted to dye it darker but I was gonna wait until after school in case I didn't really like it."  

The two of us were up in her apartment, after a little over a week of missed calls, unread messages, and rainchecks. Everything had just been so full-on with school in my case, work in her case, extracurricular activities and both of our families. So, here we were, cuddled up on the couch after jumping at the first chance to hang out. The movie we had put on was long forgotten and had since had the volume turned down so it wouldn't get in the way of our conversation.

"Have you ever dyed your hair?" I asked, Rosie's hands quickly reaching up again to brush loose strands away from my eyes.

Her mouth formed a lop-sided smile. "When I was younger. I think I dyed it red when I was around seventeen. And then I had it a light orange colour for a while when I was nineteen. But this dark brown I have right now is my natural colour".

I pushed myself up off of her stomach so I could face her properly without craning my neck. "Do you have pictures?"

Her relaxed smile deepened when we locked eyes. "Possibly, but that does not mean you will ever see them".

"Why not? As your girlfriend I believe that I have a right to see all the embarrassing pictures of your childhood and teenage years that I choose".

She scoffs. "I was not aware of this rule when I asked that you be my girlfriend. Maybe I am reconsidering!" Her tone was teasing and light, and I loved it when she was joking around like this. I could see the amusement glimmer in her eyes, it was nice. "Well, then as your girlfriend, do I also get this same luxury?"

I falter, realising my logic is not very logical. "No, that's for the youngest person in the relationship only".

I genuinely don't know how I had gone from a horny, blushing mess of a teenager that had a crush on her English teacher, to Rosie's presence being so normal. It was all happening so fast and it was scaring me how quickly I had grown comfortable with her. I don't know when her presence had become so frequent that I was now finding it empty when she wasn't there.

It was like she was some sort of anchor or escape. She was someone I could never get sick of spending time with, I found myself wanting to be by her side at any chance I could. It was the moments where I was laying in bed at night and the bed seemed to be a little too empty. Despite seeing her just about every day, I wanted her warmth in different ways, in ways that I couldn't explain. I loved nights like these ones where we were just here. Together. Arms and legs entangled. Feeding off of each other's warmth.

I wanted to wake up to the smell of her perfume in whichever bed we had spent the night, I wanted her sweet voice to be the first thing I heard in the morning. I wanted her.

And here I was, curled up with her in a way I hadn't thought possible.

I have her.

"The youngest person in the relationship, huh?" Rosie chuckles, the movement of her chest rising and falling making my arm bounce up and down a little. "I think you're full of shit". Her arms wrapped around my front, encasing me in a cage of warmth and comfort. She pulled me in close until my back was nestled comfortably against her chest, my head tucked under her chin.

I rolled my eyes slightly. "I am not full of shit". I tried to make my voice sound annoyed, but the affection in my tone and the small smile that had made itself comfortable on my lips told her otherwise.