If Only

Chapter 13

I was looking into his eyes…

Our lips almost touching…

This was so wrong!

He had just broken up!

Sia! NO!!!!

*15 hours ago*

“Stop it Skye. Give me back my peeps.”

At the moment Skye was making me work for my food or in this case jump for my marshmallows. The hunk of a man had been messing with me the entire night after I called him back to my place for a coffee. I had grown tired and taken my leave to turn in for the night with a packet of the melt-in-the-mouth sinful indulgence, but Skye suddenly snatched it from me and ended up making me beg for it.

“You know what Skye, eat ‘em. I don’t want them anymore.” I turned and walked away. I had just taken two steps when Skye caught my arm and turned me around. “I’m sorry Si.” He let go of me and scratched the back of his head, “I just didn’t want you to leave. And was hoping you’d stay up with me.”

I looked at his puppy dog eyes and laughed. “Skye…”, I was struggling to talk through my laughter, “That so doesn’t work on me….especially when you do it.” He pouted and that earned another round of chuckles from me. He huffed and walked away to sit on the couch.

He was a big softy and I knew he was hurtin’.I plopped down next to him and nudged him with my elbow. He just sat there staring ahead. “Aww come on hotstuff…”, I was using my best material on him. Yeah, best lame material. Ugh! The voices in my head make things so difficult for me. But this time the lame material worked for some reason. He tilted his head in my material and his lips hinted at a ghost of a smile. “Hotstuff?” he asked me, amused.

“Sure.” I said throwing a wink in his direction and getting up off the couch. “How hot am I? In your opinion.”, Typical male. I so knew he would ask that. “You know hot. Kinda slightly above room temperature.” I said. I had made my way all the way to the kitchen by now and was searching for my peeps. I lost sight of them and still had the craving. I was looking through the cabinets and realized that I hadn’t heard a smarta$$ comment from Skye.

I turned around to see his still figure on the couch. All I could see was his back but he wasn’t moving at all. The TV was on but it was muted. I inched closer to him with empty hands because of my failed peep rescue attempt. I had reached his side and saw him holding my peeps and a silent tears streaming down his face. I rushed to his side and held his hand in mine, the peeps falling to the floor. He stared unblinkingly at the screen. “I loved her. And now I’ve hurt her.” He spoke in a whisper but the night was silent, so his words reached me loud and clear.

I moved to hug him but he held me at a distance. Stupid move Sia. “Everyone I care about… I’ve hurt them all.” He turned to look at me. “I have grown fond of you Sia. I don’t want to hurt you too.” I pulled him into a hug. He stiffened at the contact but relaxed against me. I felt his hand in my hair and then realized I was almost completely sitting in his lap.

He was hugging me tight and I was finding it hard to breathe. “Wanna watch a movie Skye?”, I asked delicately untangling myself from him. His face was tear-stained and looked pained but he still managed a smile and agreed. We ended up watching ‘The Italian Job’ and somewhere in the middle Skye fell asleep on my lap. I stroked his hair softly and somewhere towards the end of the movie I also drifted off to dreamland.

~~~

I was rudely awakened by banging on the door. I opened my eyes and the sun shone directly in. I was beautiful weather and a great Sunday to sleep in. But the knocking was incessant and I had to get up to stop it. Skye’s head was still on my lap but when I stirred, he jumped up. “Where’s the fire?” He shouted and looked around the apartment.

I stifled a giggle. He looked so cute in the morning with his unruly hair. “Lie back down Skye. There is no fire.” He groaned and flopped back down on sofa. I laughed and rushed to open the door. On the other side stood someone I vowed not to see again. But he kept coming back. This was getting annoying now. I was trying to run away from him and anything related to him. But now he stood at my doorstep, looking flustered and angry and upset. I immediately tried shutting the door on his face, but his foot stopped me. “What the hell Enzo?!”

“Sia…I broke up with Ash!”