Paper Birds

Chapter Twenty-Five ; Leave

He wrapped his arms around her waist, staring into her light brown eyes. 

"You're beautiful, baby. Not just your looks, either," he played with her long strands of hair, curled naturally, "You're a beautiful person. I don't.. I don't know what I would do without you." He took a hold of her lips, his body molding perfectly into hers. His tongue played hers, fingers fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Electric shocks shivered her spine. She was helpless in his arms.

"I love you," he told her, planting kisses along her jaw line, tilting her chin up with his fingertips. "Now tell me you love me, too."

 She felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Turning around, she came face to face with bright brown eyes, dark hair swept to the side, head tilted the same way.

Jared stood there with a sickenly sweet smile, hands folded neatly on his lap. "Remember me?"

I woke up with a scream, again, wide awake now. God Dammit. These dreams were going to drive me into insanity some day if they kept this up. Miles was soon at the door, looking panicked.

"Are you okay?"

I coughed into my arm, nodded my head. "Yeah, just a dream. Sorry for waking you." But he was fully dressed, hair brushed and everything.

"I've been awake for a couple of hours. I made breakfast. Aunt Sandra's out getting groceries." 

"Oh, thanks." I went into the kitched and scraped some scrambled eggs onto a plate, filling up a glass cup with water. I sat down at the table and scooped some of the eggs in my mouth hungrily. I didn't have dinner last night, so I was pretty hungry. 

"Why'd you cut off your hair?"

"So people don't recognize me right away."

He grunted. "Well, you succeeded at that."

I shoved more eggs in my mouth. "Good." 

"Why do you not want people to recognize you?"

"So I get guns pointed at me less." 

Miles stared up into the ceiling, seeming to be lost in thought. "I don't understand why people want to hurt you all of the time."

"If I knew, my life would be that much better." 

He mouth twitched into a small smirk. "Enjoying my cooking?"

I realized I was practically stuffing my face in eggs. I stopped chewing and swallowed, pushing the plate away. "It's good." 

It was really good, actually. Growing up with four very messy boys adds up to not-so-gourmet meals. 

Miles shrugged. "I try." 

I could hear my phone vibrate all the way in the bedroom. I got up to go answer it, Miles narrowing his eyes and leaning up against the wall. Why was he so angry? 

"Claire!"

"Harry?"

"Clairedy, we're in!"

I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean?"

"Management booked us an interview on The View. Just us." 

My eyes lit up, bouncing on the balls of my feet. "That's fantastic! When?"

"It was a last minute thing. So, like, three days."

"Isn't The View that show where a bunch of old ladies talk about some hot celebrity-" I stopped when I realized what I was saying. "Oh, right."