Skateboards and Cameras | Karlnap

Chapter 13 ~ Limerence

Limerence noun

             the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings but not primarily for a sexual relationship.

Sapnap pov

When my alarm went off like any other school day that was just what it was, just another school day. I begrudgingly got up, showered, brushed my teeth, got changed. The boring normal morning stuff that everyone does before school and it didn't hit me till I grabbed my skateboard to head to school what happened last night. I hated myself for that. 

How could I go throughout my morning and not remember how I left Karl last night, the conversation with George and the texts with Karl. It all started flooding back to me and I rushed my way to school since I was already running behind for meeting my friends before their classes started. Not to mention it would be Karl, and I don't want to miss out seeing him before school. 

Last night he mentioned that everything was okay and it died down after I left however I couldn't get the idea that it wasn't out of my head, I know what I heard. He might just be saying that to make sure I was quiet or didn't worry. I don't know, I've never dealt with something like that before.

As I was skating I guess I wasn't paying too much attention to where I was going with my head too busy with my thoughts about Karl, I almost ran into someone again, I was able to stop myself right before hitting them but I need to stop getting in my own head so much. 

I go to look at the person to say sorry but when I see who it is I freeze. It's Karl. He has his hood over his head but that doesn't block out the bruise on the left side of his cheek, not to mentioned it looked like he didn't sleep as he had dark circles around his red eyes. 

I don't take a minute longer to take him into my grasp and hug him in an attempt to comfort. I hold him tightly, bringing one hand to his hair as I knew it felt nice, brushing my fingers through his hair. It took a few seconds for Karl to do anything but when he did he brought his arms around me, hiding his face in my shoulder. His breathing became irregular and I held him closer. 

"It's okay, I'm here now." I mutter softly, repetitively, as to not to spook him.

I never saw Karl not bubbly, he always was smiling even when there was nothing to smile about so when there was no trace of a smile anywhere on his face I knew he wasn't okay, I knew he was hurt and so I hold him, whispering affirmations into his ear hoping that it will calm him down knowing that someone was there. 

His breathing slowly returns to normal and he starts to let go and I let him. He mutters out a "Thanks" but doesn't look directly at me and I feel my heart break a little. 

George warned me that he wouldn't be 100% today but I didn't know he would be so different. The bubbly laughing Karl that I knew was no where to be found and it is absolutely disgusting how someone could do that to him, he doesn't deserve it, any of this. 

I want to ask him if he okay even though I know how stupid the question was, he isn't and I don't need his words to know the answer. I stood there looking at him while he watched the ground idly, as if he was waiting for me to do something next, however I don't know what that would be. The only comforting I ever did was when a teammate got hurt during a game or my siblings fell doing something stupid and even then it didn't match the hurt that Karl was probably going through. I couldn't even imagine how he felt right now, what he was going through. 

I grab his hand as hugging him again would just be stupid, I needed to get his attention some how as I knew my voice would probably betray me at any moment. He looked up at me as he accepted my hand, there were tear tracks down his face and his normal sparkle in his eye was gone.