Zoe's only wish is to be able to run barefoot through grass, but she knows it'll never happen. Ever since she was born, she's been unable to touch anything living without it instantly dying. It's a curse she would do anything to get rid of, but that...
I felt my nerves become more alert when Felix left. Alex was nice, and I enjoyed talking to her. She was fun, a bit harsh, I guessed, and forward. But she was the first person, apart from Felix, that I got to know in a long, long time. Plus, it was obvious that even though she seemed fine with me, there was some resentment there.
There wasn't really anything in particular that made me aware of it. If anything, she seemed more eager to tease Felix and take my side. It was probably the scrutiny that I felt from her. As if she really absorbed everything I said to properly assess me, and that a single misspoken word could set her off.
"I'm glad he gave us some time, because I have a few questions for you that I know he wouldn't approve of," she said, getting right to the point as soon as we were alone. "I really like you, I do. But all of this really baffles me. I've never seen him acting this in love with anyone ever. And I don't get why. No offence. You're pretty and cool and you seem to be very sweet, but you're not like this absolutely amazing, perfect person. And he was just so broken up after you... dumped him, I guess we'll call it. You two had had one proper conversation, and he acted like he had lost his reason to live. So that's what I need to know. Is there any risk of you leaving him like that again?"
Her eyes and hands had moved around as she spoke, but when she finished, it all became still and focused on me. I cleared my throat and took a sip of water. The truth, I decided on. As much of the truth as I could give her.
"The reasons for why I tried to leave before are still there. It would be better, safer for Felix if I wasn't around. But no. I want to be around him too much to be able to leave, even though I should."
"What you mean by that?" she frowned.
"I'm assuming you wonder about my clothes as well?"
"Felix told me it was none of my business." She shrugged, but her eyes burned with curiosity as they travelled over my clothes.
I smiled lightly. "I have a rare skin disease. It's completely harmless for me, but if someone else comes in contact with my skin, they become very ill."
Alex looked at me with wide eyes and then seemed to take in my clothing and appearance anew.
"So ehm. We established you haven't dated. But you've never kissed anyone? Like not even in the cute way ten-year-old's might?" she asked.
I laughed. "I've never held anyone's hand properly."
"Fuck... I'm sorry. That... But isn't there a way to make someone immune to it or so?" All the negativity I had felt from her was completely washed away. As blunt as she was with her words, her emotions were also easily read and understanding and sympathy were all there was now.
"Nothing that's been found yet."
"I... Damn!" She hit herself on her forehead. "And here I've been asking Felix all sorts of questions. No wonder he got all weird."
"What have you asked?" I giggled.
"I started with just asking if you two have had sex and he just got so embarrassed and flustered. And then I went down a level to kissing and he was still just being weird about it. I even then made a joke and asked if you two were little kids that needed to leave space for Jesus."
I laughed. She looked so uncomfortable, but when I started laughing, she relaxed and joined in.
"What's so funny?" Felix asked as he came back to us laughing and slid in next to me again.
"Oh, just that I finally found out that you two indeed are little kids that need to leave space for Jesus," Alex shrugged.
I had just calmed down enough to take another sip of my drink and choked on it when she spoke.
"Excuse me?" Felix said and looked at me.
"I... I explained to her about my disease," I answered while my cheeks were growing warm. To my surprise, that made anger flash in Felix's eyes and he turned to Alex.
"I told you it was none of your business and to leave her be. But instead, you started pestering her the moment I left?!"
Alex stared at him open-mouthed, but anger quickly erased that. However, I jumped in before she could yell back.
"Felix," I said softly. He turned and a bit of the anger disappeared as he looked at me again. "She didn't pester me. She didn't even ask me about it. I decided to tell her."
Alex had leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. At my words, she gave a little huff in agreement.
"You don't have to..." Felix started, but I cut him off.
"I know you don't want me to talk about something that might make me upset or sad. But... I think I might have chosen the path of avoiding the unpleasant for too long."
I gently stroke my glove-clad fingers over his cheek. He let a breath out and with that, all tension from his body as well. As I started to retract my hand, he caught it in his and moved it so that he could press his lips against my fingers. He closed his eyes as he did that, but I kept mine wide open and my heart raced. There was also a tingling sensation in my whole body.
Alex coughed.
Felix opened his eyes again, but had them on me as he lowered my hand. Then he turned slowly to look at Alex.
"I'm sorry. I overreacted before," he said.
"That's fine as long as you never do... that in front of me again," she said and then added in a mumble: "Watching a couple having sex would feel less awkward."
My cheeks were warm once again as I realized how this all must have looked like for Alex.
"I still don't get it, though," Alex added, shaking her head. If it was to get the images away or from confusion was hard to tell. "It's not normal to be so in love so quickly."
"Just because you haven't found your soulmate yet," Felix answered.
Alex clicked with her tongue while rolling her eyes, but for me his words spread a warm and fuzzy feeling through me. Soulmate. Of course, I knew that was what we were. But that he thought of me like that too already... He really was perfect.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
