Give Me a Break

Nightfall

(Pictured above is Braden without glasses.)

"...for never was a story of more woe,
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo," I finished, breathing out the last stanza of the play into the old, cracked binding. The power had gone out in the bookstore, and the moon had risen in the now-clear skies.
About four feet of snow lay on the ground, and as a former citizen of Florida, I can't say I wasn't frightened. I had hardly ever seen snow in my life. Braden, however, reassured me that it wasn't abnormal.
"It's just Massachusetts weather, Viola," he said softly from where he leaned against one of the bookshelves. His voice was low and sleepy, kind of raspy, and his eyelids drooped halfway shut, but he still listened to me read through the script of Romeo and Juliet. After I read the last few lines, he sat up, and looked straight at me.
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"I mean, I've read Romeo and Juliet before, but not like that. It's always been forced on me. But that... You really have a gift of reading out loud, Viola," he told me, nodding and leaning back onto the bookshelves. "That was entrancing." Removing his glasses, he rubbed his eyes and stood up, offering me a hand up. Once we were both standing, he led me to the front of the store, where the barista sat at one of the tables.

"Hey, you two. The news says that snowplows should be by in a couple hours, so we're just going to have to wait this out," she said, handing each of us a pillow and a blanket.
"You can sleep here in the front, and some of the others have moved in between the aisles for privacy, but just keep it down, okay?" She asked, winking at us.

"Oh.." I said, realizing what she was implying. "Oh, no, we're not together," Braden interrupted.
"We just-"
"I mean-"
We both spoke at the same time, and I could feel the heat rising in my face. Pink flushed Braden's cheeks too, and he quickly took the pillow and blanket and moved to go back into the aisle. "Come on, Viola," he said in a flustered tone, pulling me along.

"Thank you-" I called to the barista, before Braden yanked me behind another shelf.

"That was not fun," he hissed, running his hand through his hair again. His jaw clenched, and he turned away before looking at me again, a little calmer. "I don't want to prove her right, but I don't know anyone else here, and this place is a little creepy, so can I sleep next to you?"
"Like, next-"
"Yes, just beside you. Not with you, just next to you."
"Okay..." I breathed, conscious of how close his face now was to mine. "That works."

"Wonderful," he huffed, and looked around the bookstore. "Where do you want to camp out?"

*******************************************
When I woke up the next morning, sun was streaming in through the bookshelves, and it was warm and comfortable. I wanted to go back to sleep.

Then I noticed that my pillow was breathing.
Oh, shoot.
Braden's arms wrapped around me, one on my waist and another behind my neck. My head lay on his chest, and his chin fit perfectly over the top of my head. I leaned back to see his face. It was softer than when he was awake, more serene. His lips were parted, and his eyes and eyebrows were relaxed, less angry somehow.
Wait. Viola, forget how his face looks. How did I get in this position? I couldn't possibly move. I tried to shift once, but Braden's arms only tightened around me, pulling me further into his chest. He smelled amazing. Taking a deep breath, I slithered out from beside him and sat down, trying to breathe. How did that happen?
I finally start dating someone, and then I spend the night cuddling (unwillingly, might I add) with another guy? What was wrong with me?
Maybe it was accidental. Primal instinct, probably. I repeated that in my head until it made sense.
I got up to leave, but hesitated. He looked so vulnerable on the ground, lying there unconscious. Did he know we had been cuddling? Maybe not. I decided to leave a note.
I still wanted to be his friend; he seemed so intelligent and thoughtful, and he also knew his way around literature.
"Meet me here on Friday," it said. "From V."

When I walked out of the bookstore with my copy of Romeo and Juliet clutched to my chest, I looked back once more. You could just barely see Braden, his upper body poking out of the classic literature aisle, his arms now sprawled around him, the top button of his shirt undone. His hair glinted in the beams of sun that shone off of the snow, and his lips looked soft and nearly cherubic, still parted slightly as he breathed.
Taking a deep breath once more, remembering the smell of his cologne, I turned away and stepped out into the cold Massachusetts morning.

******************************************

"Hey, Jaida. Yes, I'm fine. I'm coming home now. It's okay. I'm sure dad's fine. Are you alright?"
I spoke to Jaida over the phone as I drove home through the freshly plowed streets, her frantic voice reminding me of her situation.
My plan was to call Greg and let him know about the baby, but I wasn't sure if Jaida would be okay with that. He was the father, though.
I would think about it later, but right now I had to get to Nathan's house and make sure he was okay. I didn't know whether or not he was at his house last night, and to be honest, I was slightly worried.
When I pulled up, I saw him come out of the house with a smile on his face. Thank god he was okay- I began to get out of my car when I noticed someone else coming out of his house.

A girl. A VERY pretty girl, with thick curly black hair and tanned skin, who was also smiling and talking to Nathan. As I watched them laugh together, my chest began to hurt. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Before she got into her car and drove away, he hugged her and waved goodbye.
My pulse was going a million miles an hour. My face felt hot, and I was confused and angry.

I got out of my car and walked over to Nathan.
"Who was that?" I asked in what I hoped was a nonchalant voice. "Your cousin or something?"

"No, actually," he replied, smiling at me. "She's a friend. Just a friend," he emphasized, taking my face and forcing me to look in his eyes. "Nothing more. Her name is Miranda, and she was checking in on me to make sure I was okay."
"Oh," I said. "Well, that's what I'm doing, too- are you alright? The snowstorm didn't catch you off guard?"
"Nope," he said, taking me in his arms and hugging me to his chest.
Against my will, my mind went back to this morning and how Braden had held me against him. How he had smelled, his soft shirt, his vulnerable face- this was bad. Really bad.
Nathan's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "How did you do last night? Were you at your apartment?"
"No, actually, I got stuck at the bookstore downtown. I'm okay, though," I answered, pressing my face into his muscular chest. "I had coffee, so I'm going to be fine."
He laughed, a low rumble that echoed through his chest and out of his mouth, a loud brash sound. "I'm glad. Did you want to come inside?"

"No, she doesn't." Victoria Bennet's voice rang out, as clear as the sound of glass shattering. "Viola, honey, I think it would be best if you left. I have to talk to my brother about some things."

"But Vicky-" Nathan began to protest, but I shook my head.
"It's fine," I said as I walked back to my car. "I'll go. Nathan, call me, okay?"
He nodded, an apologetic look on his face, and as I began to drive away, I could see Victoria get close in Nathan's face and begin to yell at him.
"...that little...keep your eyes off..she..Jean.....doesn't.." Her voice slowly faded, and I could feel tears edging on my vision. How could I be close to Nathan if his sister always interrupted us? And how could I trust that he wasn't secretly with this Miranda girl? When I got back to the apartments, I put my head on the steering wheel and stayed there for a couple seconds.
"Everything will be okay," I said. "Everything will be okay." I got out of my car, and went into my room, picking up the picture of my mom. "Everything will be okay," I whispered to her, and collapsed on my bed, exhausted.

*******************************************
Many exciting things happening!! I love how Viola woke up with Braden; and she's starting to realize her feelings for him. I have BIG plans for Nathan- I'm so excited that you guys are reading this, and get to experience the story along with Viola.
Happy reading!!XX