Celestial Worlds

Chapter Forty-nine

“Kids, wake up!”

    I open my eyes.

    I’m in Jonathan’s arms and I see him perfectly asleep, so he wasn’t the one who woke us up.

    Funny because that’s a woman’s voice I heard.

    I feel Debby’s hands shaking us lightly, attempting to wake us up. She catches my eye and she smiles. “You love birds wake up now, I’m going somewhere and I need you guys to watch the house. And since you’re awake, you wake up your boyfriend later. I’m going now, bye!” She says, walking back and waving good bye to us. I give a small smile and she shuts the door soundlessly, not making any sound.

     I fall my head back on the pillow and snuggle closer to Jonathan. I feel him tighten his arms around me and he releases a breath, the air touching my hair.

    “Is mom away now?” he asks in a husky voice. I laugh faintly and drape a leg on him. He snuggles closer to me, pulling me closer by his arms.

    Usually, we’re up by ten but I get a glimpse of the wall clock and it says eight.

    “It’s still eight, and I’m still tired,” I say in a sleepy voice. I yawn and snuggle my face on his neck.

    He chuckles faintly. “Then let’s not go down,” he says, kissing my hair. I snuggle close to him and he breathes. “I’ll go brush my teeth babe. I’ll be right back,” he says, kissing my forehead. He sits up and slings his legs over to the side, and then he stands up, leaving the duvet half-draped on the floor.

    I chuckle again because of his pyjamas. He really looks like a sailor.

    I decide to stand up and brush my teeth also, doing it on the attic. I also wash my face and brush my hair, I tie it up in a ponytail and I go back down, to his room. He’s there now, sitting on his bed in a new outfit. He’s in a pair of basketball shorts and a grey shirt, his hair still dishevelled and unruly. He’s fiddling with something in his phone. When I walk in, he looks up at me and smiles. I smile back and walk towards him, crawling on the bed to peek on his phone.

    “Who’s that Jona Banana?” I ask. He looks up at me and crinkles his nose.

    “That’s cute. Call me that every time. I like it,” he says. I roll his eyes at him and fall back on the bed beside him. He’s teasing me and I know it because of his tone. I turn my back to him and clutch the pillow a little too loudly. I hear him chuckle from behind and he pulls on my pillow. I clutch it back tighter but then he plucks it from my hands.

    “Hey!” I shout, attempting to grab the pillow. I stretch my arms out for the pillow but he clutches both of my hands in one of his. He pins it above my head and he leans close, his breath tickling my skin.

    “I was just kidding babe,” he whispers before leaving a light kiss on my neck. I sigh a little too loudly so I turn red and I feel his lips smile beneath my neck. He pulls back and places the pillow on my face.

    I release the pillow away from my face and stick my tongue out at him. He chuckles and return back to his phone. I lean over and rest my chin on his shoulder.

    “What’s that?” I ask not too persuasively. He looks at me sideways and places his phone on the bedside table, turning it off in the process. I pout at him put he just smiles. He cups one side of my face and says, “That was just Nick.” He leans over so he towers over me, propping himself up on one arm so he wouldn’t crush me. “I’ve missed kissing you so much,” he says, just before scooping his head down low and touches his lips to mine. I quickly wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. It’s like as if it’s my instinct to wrap my arms around his neck when he kisses me. I always do that because I just can’t get enough of him.

    His lips taste like peppermint. Maybe it’s because of his toothpaste but I don’t really notice most of the time. My brain shuts off as soon as he kisses me.

    He rolls over so I’m on top of him. He trails his hand to my face and behind my head, taking off my ponytail, letting my long hair loose. I should really get my hair cut. It’s getting too long; it’s already past my hips. He deepens the kiss and I let out a light grumble.

    But eventually, he breaks away. “Let’s go down,” he says while smiling. I smile back and give him a peck on the lips.

    When we go down, the house is clean. Well, technically, it’s always clean, but today, it’s unusually clean.

    The frames aren’t on the fireplace; the paintings are not hung on the wall. I can actually imagine them because they left little box shadows that formed over time. The utensils in the kitchen are in a plastic and the pans are in a box.

    “Why is it so…clean?” I ask Jonathan, narrowing my eyes on him.

    His eyes widen for a fraction and he bites his lower lip. I know there’s something wrong. He looks sideways and he purses his lips when I narrow my eyes at him.

    Finally, after a while, he exhales and looks down, his hair following. “Er…mom told me that I should tell you that…we’re moving.”

    My eyes widen at him. “And you didn’t tell me?” I ask him incredulously.

    He bites his lower lip again, his eyes looking guilty. “I…I didn’t want you to worry,” he says quietly.

    But another thing snagged my attention. “What do you mean by ‘we’?”

    This time, he doesn’t look down. He looks straight in my eyes as he says, “We means me and Debby.”

    I swallow the thickness that has built up my throat. “You’re leaving me?”

    He looks startled as he explains. “No! No, of course not. I would never leave you,” he says in a soothing manner.

    “When?” I ask sharply, looking down.

   “Victoria—”

    “When?” I ask again, looking at his eyes.

    He sighs, defeated and he scratches the back of his neck. “June.”

    “June what?” I ask, my voice thick. My eyes are threatening tears and I’m crossing my arms to keep them from punching Jonathan.

    “June 1st,” he says in a whisper.

    “So you’re leaving when I’m leaving?” I ask him loudly, my tears fast falling down on my face. “You are letting me go! You’re lying!” I shout at him. I’m sobbing now. I can’t believe he’s really ready to let me go.

    I can’t believe he’s letting me go.

    “Do you know I consider staying here? And not go back there?” I shout, pointing up. “Just because of you,” I say loudly, jabbing my index finger in his chest. “I’m willing to give up these,”—I open my wings—“To stay with you. And then the next day I know, you’re moving?”

    “No, Victoria, you can’t stay here, it’s risky,” he says, grabbing my hands. I snatch my hands back away and wipe my eyes with the back of my hands.

    “Yeah, I know it’s risky,” I say, my voice still thick and wobbly. “But to me, it’s worth the risk and too bad Jonathan. Too bad you can’t see that.”

    I go upstairs.