amsterdam ( central cee )

10

I listen to his heartbeat while he plays with my hair, curling a coil between his slender fingers. Once in a while, he rubs the tips of his fingers on my scalp before dragging them through my hair again. My eyes are fluttering shut but I'm trying my best to keep them open, intrigued by the collage of tattoos on his arms and hand. I trace them with my finger as though redrawing them, wondering what they imply. Why does he have that many? Do they all have a meaning?

"What time is it?" I whisper. He doesn't say anything but shifts in his spot, reaching for his phone.

"'Round three pm or sum', what you tryna do?" A corner of his mouth curls and a dimple deepens.

"I dunno," I mumble, enjoying the feel of his muscles rippling as he puts his phone back on the nightstand. "I have class in the morning." I yawn after speaking and he chuckles.

"You best get some rest then."

He tries to move away from me but I tighten my grip around his waist. "I'm not tired yet!"

"But you gotta go to class, you needa be focused."

"I won't go anyway."

A few heartbeats of silence follow. I feel his chest deflate with a long, drawn-out sigh. "Why'd you move to London? To study right?"

"I guess."

"You guess?"

Heat rises to the surface of my cheeks and it's my turn to let out a long, drawn-out sigh. I play with the elastic waistband of his boxers and shrug.

"My mom basically begged me to do something with my life." I laugh breathily, hoping it'd ease the edges of the sentence I just spoke.

"What were you doin'? Nothing?"

"I finished the highest level of high school in six years and could've applied for uni in Amsterdam but... After Valentine died, I lived with such strong guilt it all felt pointless." He begins playing with my hair again and I melt to his touch. "So I wouldn't do anything. I wouldn't work, wouldn't want to study. So my parents were begging me to just fucking do something with my life. Basically, the only way my mom won me over is by promising I could study abroad."

Cench doesn't say anything. I wonder what he thinks of me. I might come off like an entitled brat that has her parents wrapped around her finger. I don't want to give him that impression.

"I just... Can't stay in Amsterdam. Everything reminds me of him, I needed to escape him."

I hear him swallow.

"Why did you choose London?"

I perk my head up, needing to look into his eyes. I smile. "Why not? London is amazing. All my favorite artists are from London... Well... not really. The UK at least."

"Who are we talkin' about?"

"Certainly not you." His face runs surprised and quickly morphs into amusement.

"You haven't even listened to any my music yet."

"I know..." I can't help looking at his lips when he talks, they're so pink and inviting it's driving me crazy. But I don't want to be the first to kiss him. "Your music isn't really what I listen to."

"It's not, huh?"

I shake my head.

"What do you listen to then?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Basically anything my ears like to listen to." Cench laughs like I've said something funny. "I'm serious! I don't like just one type of music."