To Die For

Chapter 1//You're Joking

     I felt my eyes quickly shoot open as someone familiar pounced on my bed. The weight and warmth of my blankets kept me from sitting up, despite my strong desire to move. The sun barely peeked through my dusty closed blinds, but it didn't take a genius to realize that it was late afternoon.

     Of course it was, I had layed down for a nap a couple of hours earlier to make the day seem...shorter, for lack of a better word.

     I finally built the strength to sit up, lifting several layers of sheets and the comforter off of my body. A cold burst of air coming from the overhead fan reached my body, engulfing me in what felt like ice water compared to the comfort I longed to go back to. I turned to my left, only to be faced with an obnoxious toothy grin, no less than half an inch away from my face. 

     My brother.

     "Caleb, what the hell?! Haven't you ever heard of personal space?" I growled, still shaking sleep from every inch of my body.

     He gave me a sheepish laugh in response, then continued on, "Sorry, but mom wanted me to tell you that Michael is better now! So get ready cause' you get to see him again."

     It took me a minute to fully process the information I was just handed, but when I did, it was pure bliss that washed over me in a matter of seconds.

     "If this is one of your sick pranks, Caleb, I swear..." I trailed off, looking hopefully into his big, brown, innocent eyes.

     "It's not, I promise! Just get ready." He ran out of the room hastily, leaving me to follow his instructions.

      I had absolutely no choice but to take my little brothers word for it. If he was lying to me I would be absolutely crushed. My entire family was extremely close to the Afton's and it had been close to two months since the last time we visited them They had gone to England to visit William's grandparents and as soon as they got back, passed around the flu. According to my brother, we were finally handed the opportunity.

     I wasn't going to let it slip away.

     I glanced over at the clock on my bedside table, which read 4:07 P.M. It only took me a quick couple of minutes to make myself presentable. Slipping on a pair of straight blue jeans that were baggy and ripped, a bluish-grey sweatshirt the complimented my E/C eyes perfectly, a pair of black Chuck Taylor's and finally, a gold necklace with star charms. I briefly brushed through my hair and was out of my bedroom in record time.

 As I made my way into the kitchen I stopped in front of the bathroom across the hall from my bedroom. The door was wide open so I took a chance to check myself for any imperfections. I looked...decent. When I did make it to the kitchen, I saw my family sitting at the bar stools around the island. My dad was swinging his car keys around on his index finger, clearly signaling to the rest of the family that he wanted to leave as soon as possible. His face might not have been easy to read, but he wanted to see his best friend. He turned his focus away from the keys to look at me, making them fly into the air and landing on the ground on the opposite side of the island.

     "Hey kiddo, ready to go?" He said, chuckling slightly. He went to go retrieve the keys.

     I laughed too, "Yeah, of course I'm ready!"

     I stepped out of our car and was immediately mesmerized by the giant house I was standing in front of. Oh, how I missed being inside of it. My brother and I raced up the ornate driveway, both trying to reach the front door first. Before we could, we heard the door open and watched as a young, redheaded girl stepped onto the patio. With the same toothy grin Caleb had before, she ran over to me and clung to my body as if she would fall to her death when she let go.

     "I missed you guys so much..." She practically whispered to herself as she let go of me to hug Caleb.

     I couldn't take the temptation anymore and without hesitating, I stepped inside the house. Woah. Two months can feel like two years when you're away from the ones that you love the most. I eyed everything to see if I could spot any changes made but things never changed. The curved staircase exactly in front of the front door, the office and play room which was neatly organized and decorated to Clara's liking, the hallway that lead to the living room that was precisely decorated with family pictures. That's where I was headed, the living room and kitchen.

     I walked down the short hall that revealed the living room and sitting there was Clara. She was reading a book but soon turned her head to face me, a bright smile appearing on her face. She said nothing, however, she cocked her head in the direction of the kitchen indicating she wanted me to go in there.

     I walked further into the living room and peered into the kitchen, and that's when I saw him.

     His hair. Wet, clearly from just showering, fell perfectly in his face. Those brunette locks of hair, middle parted and soft.

    His style choice. He was dressed in a sweatshirt with green sleeves. The cuffs and collar were a deep red and the rest of the sweatshirt was blue which covered his chest and stomach. He wore straight blue jeans which were cuffed at the end which perfectly complimented his ever so beloved red Chuck Taylor's. His shoes were tattered and dirty but they somehow still looked nice on him. His bruised hands clutched a water bottle as he leaned over the island, running his fingers through his wet hair.

     I made a quick coughing noise to get his attention. His blue-eyed gaze shot up at me and the biggest, cutest smile spread across his face as he ran over to the living room.

     Before I could say anything, he pulled me into a huge hug, lifting me off of the ground for a brief second. I hugged him back, my arms around his tall, toned figure. Feeling the warmth of him against my own body. He smelled faintly of brown sugar and caramel, something you wouldn't expect out of a guy like Michael. I wanted that moment to last forever. Michael pulled away from the hug, holding my shoulders like a proud dad would.

     "I don't think you realize how much I've missed you." He said, his voice quivering as he spoke.

     He tilted his head down so I could better reach his face for a peck on the lips. I took the opportunity, stood on my tip-toes and kissed him.

     His lips were soft and hydrated. That made it satisfying when his lips softly glided against mine. The kiss was short and sweet but tasted like freshly chewed watermelon gum. Michael's favorite.

     "Oh, is this a new thing?" We heard Clara say from the couch.

     "No mom, it's not," Michael was all flushed and it was adorable, "since my birthday..."

     "Ahhh," she let out a sigh, "seems like you got him the best present this year, LEXI."

     I let out a small laugh. I was too focus on Michael's red face to pay any attention to anything else. He had the most perfect features I had ever seen. His forehead, always slightly covered by his hair but never had acne. His eyes, a penetrating blue that I always managed to get lost in. His cheeks, cute and kissable but quite flushed at the moment. His nose, which always scrunched cutely when he laughed. His jawline, sharp and attractive. His lips, soft and delicate, the taste of watermelon gum always lingering. 

     He had those strong Afton genes.

     I didn't realize how much I had missed him until I shared that embrace with him.

     "Hey, you alright?" I heard someone's voice say. Michael's voice. Not too deep and slightly British.

     To die for.

     This sound snapped me back into reality.

     "Yeah, I'm alright, thanks."

     "Why don't we go hang somewhere else?" He said, a small smirk plastered on his face.

     "Keep it PG, guys." Clara joked as we walked back through the hallway I emerged from minutes before.

     "Keep what PG?" We all heard a deep voice boom.

     William. William Afton.