Reef Knight was Ivette Winter's neighbour and best friend. Since the age of 4 they had done everything together.
However this friendship changed as time went on. Both attended Oakvale High as Juniors where the issue arose. Reef slowly became popula...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Reef and I had yet to discuss our relationship and what was happening between us. We'd kissed on his birthday 2 days ago and it became apparent that the both of us were trying to ignore what happened. And I decided to leave it that way, if he wasn't going to approach the situation at hand - then neither was I.
Instead we kept our relationship unlabelled, despite the way we're cuddled up on the couch now, my knees pulled up to my chest, leaning into Reef's side, his warmth wrapping around me like a blanket, encapsulating me in the musky scent of his cologne.
My head lay on his shoulder, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing whilst my arms wrapped around his torso and tightened with every second the suspense built.
"You really don't like horror movies do you? I thought you were being dramatic," Reef's low voice whispered in my ear, earning a scoff from me at his blatantness.
"I did warn you Reef," I shrugged as much as I could with my arms squeezing the daylights out of him - which didn't seem to be affecting him.
"We'll change the movie, I can't breath right now," proving my thoughts wrong, I smiled sheepishly and loosened my hold on him before removing my hands completely.
"Hang on, put them back," Reef frowned, looking down at me. I tilted my head but none the less wrapped my arms back around him.
"I didn't know you were such a cuddler," I grinned, moving my legs so they sat across his lap.
His hands readjusted themselves so they held me closer to him, if it were possible.
"Physical touch is my love language Vi," he said and butterflies erupted at the 'love language' part. Where did that put me? I hated physical touch, well not in private - in private, I thrived for physical touch. But in public? I freaked out, I felt like everyone was judging me for being so open. Their eyes picking every flaw and mistake about me. It was a visceral experience, akin to being stripped bare and laid bare for all to see, a moment of vulnerability that left me wishing fervently for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. A moment in time where everyone is disgusted by how clingy I was being. That they were horrified by my actions to act so out of place in public.
It felt inappropriate to be touched in public, even if it were holding hands, I just could not do it. And I felt so bad for anyone who wanted to be with me, to hug me in public and experience love in physical ways, like romance in movies of kissing in the rain, dancing under the stars. But I couldn't. I don't know if I ever would be able to.
"Hey, hey what's wrong?" Reef asked and when his thumb came up to wipe under my eye, I realised I was crying.
"Nothing, I'm just being emotional," I croaked, curtesy of being on my period.
"No tell me Ivy. I want to know why you just started crying out of no where." Reef demanded, tightening his hold on my body curled into him. His eyes spoke of a thousand truths, of a thousand words he wanted to say, yet none escaped his lips.
