The train

Ch. 6 [N]

Present-day

Thinking about what happened that day made me nervous and happy at the same time.

Although, after that day, Ivan was distant from me and wouldn't acknowledge any of my texts or calls. It was like he completely dismissed what we did.

"What are you thinking about?" Ivan inquired.

I'm guessing I must've tensed up next to him and he noticed. Also, I'm not the greatest at hiding when something is bothering me or I'm thinking about something.

"Nothing," I answered.

I stared across from us, where he was seated before. I wasn't one to feel a longing feeling for someone but the kiss we had, I thought it was something he was trying to tell me without directly saying it.

We have been speaking for over 2 months and this was the second time we were alone without Rose.

"Why are you lying, Lyra?" He asked me, his voice low. "You tense up when you're thinking hard or nervous. Your cheeks grew a light red. What are you thinking about?"

I looked at him and to my surprise, his brown eyes were watching me with a tint of softness in them. "Why did you tell her, Ivan?" I asked him, feeling defeated at this point. This train ride was ending in about 45 minutes.

He moved himself a little away from me and sighed. "I... I don't know, Lyra. I should have never told her let alone even kiss you." I watched his neck as he swallowed hard as if he was trying to bury something deep inside.

All of a sudden, I felt light-headed and my vision was slowly blurring. My mind was all over the place and I was slumping into my seat. I felt myself being slowly submerged into darkness. My heart was racing and I couldn't make any sounds. Before I let the darkness engulf me, I felt Ivan's hands wrap around my waist and he held me in his arms. The last words I heard before I fainted was, "Lyra, please don't leave me."

Ivan's POV

Lyra was in my arms, kept safe from anything outside of this barrier I made. After I told her about me telling Rose about the kiss, I felt awful. Lyra is the sweetest person I've ever met. She has not done anything wrong since I met her and I was drawn to her. The night I kissed her was the best feeling ever. Everything felt so right as if it was destined to happen.

After I inched away from her, I noticed her behavior. Something wasn't right but I wasn't sure if I should step in right away. When I noticed her not coming back up from almost falling to the ground, I had to step in.

I scooped her up into my arms and held her close to me as she - I'm pretty sure - fainted. For the next 7 minutes, Lyra laid peacefully still. I made sure to check her pulse and her breathing and everything seemed fine.

It's quite alarming seeing her in such a position but her aroma was so calming and strong. Even the clothes I wore when we kissed, I still haven't washed because they remind me of Lyra.

I wouldn't say I'm falling for her so soon but damn, this girl is one of a kind.

"Ivan?" A quiet voice croaked after 7 minutes had gone by.

"Lyra?" I asked as I slowly moved my arms from around her to give her some space. She instantly clung onto me and shook her head no.

"Don't go, please. May you pass me the water in my bag?" Her voice was low, and clearly, when she spoke she needed water.

I nodded and used the closest arm to her bag to grab out her water bottle. I gave it to her and watched as she drank almost the whole thing.

"Someone's thirsty," I said as I took the bottle back from her. She sat up as she drank her water.

"I don't think I drank enough water for the last two days. I've been working extra hours and not getting enough sleep so that must've caused my faint," She paused for a moment before she turned and looked at me. "This isn't something new. It happens when I overwork myself and don't give back to my body. I hope this doesn't creep you out." She added.

I took in what she said and nodded with a smile. "Lyra, that doesn't make you creepy at all. I'm glad you told me." I told her before taking both her hands and pulling her towards me. She gave in easily and rested her head against my chest.

I ran my fingers through her curls and looked down at her resting peacefully against me. Her arms soon made their way around me. Thank god for the cabin doors because things got heated quickly.

I unwrapped her arms from around me and held her wrists with one hand. She looked at me innocently and I grinned before I brought my face closer to hers. Like really close. I could hear her shaky breaths and heart racing. Her eyes traveled all over my face and made frequent stops at my lips. I kept staring directly at her to see what she would do.

I missed her lips and the feeling of her hands wrapped around my neck as I kissed her. I missed the butterflies I got in my stomach the first time our lips locked.

"What do you want, Lyra?" I whispered as I let go of her wrists and inched away from her a little.

She watched me before dropping her gaze to her hands where she folded them into a tight fist. "You. . . I mean, I want to kiss you." She told me and never looked back up.

Using my finger, I brought it to her chin and made her look at me. Her curls shaped her face structure very well. "Like this?" I asked before leaning in and locking my lips with hers. Her lips did the same thing and I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her closer.

With her arms wrapped around my neck just like before, I felt myself drowning in her spell. Whatever she was doing was working miracles on me. I couldn't let myself fall for her so soon. It was too early but I still wouldn't mind.