Aureate

[i] Green Eyes

Our gazes collided like magnets and my heart rate spiked until it felt like it would jump out of my chest. He took a step closer until our lips were almost touching, sending fire surging through my veins.

My lips parted in a breathy exhale, and his eyes flicked down, now fixated on them. I was suddenly aware of how little space there was between us, his body heat seeping into me, igniting a slow, burning flame in the pit of my stomach. 

My whole body ached. It ached with the sweet torture of wanting to touch his lips, bury my hands in his soft hair and kiss him until both our lips were swollen. It ached for things I couldn't name.

I didn't dare close my eyes, fixated on his face. The speeding pulse on the underside of his jaw, the way his pupils dilated, the vanilla smell of our mingled breaths. And his irises... Oh, God, his irises...

His dilated pupils were ringed with a vibrant green, interspersed with gold and brown streaks. I couldn't look away, ensnared by the foliaceous hue, comparable to a sylvan glade illuminated with dappled sunlight.

I felt like I was drowning in his eyes, the world fading until they were the only thing I could see.

 The startling, vivid green reminded me of forest leaves on a crisp winter morning. Leaves adorned with dew, the water droplets refracting the weak rays of sunlight into a myriad of striking shades.

"What are you staring at?" He whispered roughly, the deep voice startled me out of my reverie. The words sent a shockwave of searing heat and adrenaline coursing through my entire body, my toes curling in their boots.

His gaze lowered to my lips, long eyelashes flickering as they darted up again. Another wave of glorious, aching heat surged.

I was falling, drowning in his eyes, the world tilting out from beneath my feet. 

Is he going to kiss me? I licked my lips nervously and his pupils flared, head lowering slightly, eyes focused on my mouth.

I was suddenly hyperaware of the space between our lips, of every little sensation that sparked as his clothes brushed mine. There was barely a centimetre between us, and yet it felt like a gaping chasm. All I had to do was lean forward slightly...

His lips brushed the shell of my ear and I shivered, skin tingling. I closed my eyes, fisting my trembling hands, resisting the ache to reach up and run my hands over his face, his lips, his arms.

"Shut up and kiss me," he whispered into my ear, and my brain short-circuited. 

"Kiss you?" I whispered back, thinking I was hallucinating. 

A hint of a smile graced his lips, his eyes lighting up with a quiet joy.

And damn if it didn't kill her, the happiness etched into his elegant features. I leaned forward and cupped his face with my hands, noting with satisfaction the way his breath hitched. 

Still gazing into those damn eyes, I kissed him.