Curiosity Kills the Cat (An IDFB Fanfic)

Chapter 33

Chapter 33
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An Open Dam
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"Hey Leafy."

She opened her eyes at the sound of her name, startled at the sight in front of her. It was Coiny—who else would it be—locking eyes with her. She'd been sprawled out on the grass, letting her mind wander around ol' do-gooder memory lane, letting the soft sweeping breeze calm her down. How she hadn't heard him approaching was frightening, but her concern lay elsewhere.

Leafy blinked, her brain still registering his greeting. She never noticed his eyes were different colors. One green, the other amber. Her breath hitched, eventually coming to her senses as the strands of grass underneath her brushed under her hand.

She hated to admit the awkwardness she was created by the "sudden" presence and her lack of response. Despite being aware he'd show up, she hadn't prepared herself. She was hoping it would play out better than their previous interaction, seeing how nervous she was. The atmosphere was clouded with the thick awareness of her feelings that night, not focused on the array of words Coiny had said, and she wasn't willing to do that again. He was showing up with valuable input, only for her to ignore it. She needed her head in the game, and she was more than well aware of it.

It took her a second to pronounce the words stuck in her mind as she pushed herself up; the man stepping back, a tad bit away from her range. "Hey Coiny."

He stuck his hands into the pockets of his shorts, stepping in front of her and sitting on the ground. "Sorry if I woke you up," he began, shifting his sight away from her. "Wasn't sure if I should have left or not," his voice softened, a nervous grin washing on his face.

Leafy heaved heavily, bringing her hand up to her cheek. "No–I wasn't sleeping," her voice hoarse as she spoke. "Was just thinking is all."

He chuckled, leaning against his arm on the floor, finally looking up at her. "Doesn't sound like it."

With a scoff, she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I get it."

"Seriously though, sounds like you just woke up," concerned laced his words, unconsciously leaning in. "How much have you been sleeping?"

The woman shook her head. "I don't really sleep as much as I'd like to be honest," she stated.

The copperhead boy hummed, nodding in response. "I get it. Don't know why I can't sleep despite quitting caffeine." His voice had a wisp of annoyance, the slightly furrowed brow giving enough of a hint for Leafy to stay silent. "Gave up drinking coffee hoping to resolve," he struggled to find the right word. She kept her sight on his face, seeing his expression change from calm to dejection. "This, I guess," he signaled to himself.

It was faint, however. His sight crawled back to her, a tired grin forming as he brought his hand back to his neck, tugging his hair. "Besides that, whatcha been up to?" he asked.

She hadn't realized her breathing had stopped as she gasped for air, trying to formulate words to give in response. She could tell Coiny was avoiding a conversation, one that might be sour to hear but needed to be said. His forced grin and tired sight were just from what she could read. And she didn't know how to spring that conversation up.

"Uh," she faltered. "Nothing, to be honest. Kinda difficult to do stuff when you're out in the middle of nowhere. By yourself?" She cringed at her choice of words, immediately questioning them, despite being true.

"Sorry," she hastily apologized. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that." Her words hung low with a heavy sigh, leaving her lips. From the corner of her eyes, she could see him kindly smile, ready to reply. And she cut him off before he could talk. "I just don't think talking about me is the right thing, you know?"