Darkest Desires [Joel Miller]

7

I turned to the other side, sighing softly. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table: it was 2pm and I've been up for the past hour, trying to get back to sleep. What woke me up in the first place was a thunderstorm raging outside the window. I hated thunderstorms. Once it woke me up, I couldn't get back to sleep, no matter how hard I tried.

I crawled out of bed, rubbing my face with my hands. The house was quiet and peaceful. The only sound I could hear was the thunderstorm outside. I walked down the stairs quietly, not wanting anyone to wake up.

It was so dark in the kitchen and I didn't even notice him at first. I took the glass that was left to dry next to the sink, filled the glass with water and when I turned around, I noticed Joel, leaning himself against the kitchen counter. He was only wearing his tank top, which emphasized his muscular body and boxers. I looked away before he noticed I was checking him out.

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone was up..."I whispered, taking a sip of my water.

"Can't sleep either?"he asked quietly.

I shaked my head. "Not really. I hate thunderstorms."

Joel nodded and his gaze remained on me. I was wearing my nightshirt, which reached almost to my knees. I didn't put on any pants because I thought everyone was asleep and I was only wearing my pink underwear underneath my shirt. Joel was definitely checking me out and I wasn't imagining things. I felt my cheeks turn pink, suddenly feeling too bare in front of him. There was this tension in the air and I wasn't sure if he felt it too.

I took a sip of water, noticing he was drinking whiskey instead of water.

"Whiskey in the middle of the night?"I asked, pointing at his whiskey glass.

"Helps me sleep better,"he shrugged.

"Maybe I should have drank whiskey instead of water then,"I told him, chuckling.

"Want some?"he asked, handing me the glass.

I put my glass down, taking his glass. I took a sip from the glass, thinking that Joel's lips had touched the glass before. I grimaced slightly when I could taste the whiskey in my mouth and I handed him the glass back.

"Gross,"I commented, shaking my head.

Joel chuckled. "Works better than water."

"I think I'll stick to the water,"I added, surprised to hear him chuckling.

"Good for you."

"I'll try to get back to sleep now,"I said, filling the glass up to take it with me.

Joel nodded. "Good night, Daisy."

"Good night, Joel."

I looked him in the eye for a moment but I turned around, going back to my room. I couldn't sleep for another hour or so, thinking about how his eyes explored my body.

✻✻✻

The next evening, Sarah and I were sitting in the backyard, drinking wine and enjoying a warm autumn evening. Joel was cooking dinner inside and we had time for our girl talk. To be honest, both of us have been busy with either work or college and I missed our regular girl talk or sleepovers.

"Wait, hold on! Why am I only now hearing about this guy you like?"

Sarah chuckled. "He's just a guy from my class... Nothing serious. I don't even know why I mentioned him. We're doing a group project together."

I smirked. "But you still like him, don't you?"

"Yeah but..."Sarah sighed. "We're just working on a group project."

I took a sip from my wine, looking at her. Sarah liked this guy much more than she lets on. I knew her too well at this point. I nudged her playfully, trying to lift her mood.

"Sarah, c'moon, make your move,"I told her, trying to encourage her. "Sit next to him in classes or ask for help."

Sarah took a sip of her wine, sighing. "I don't know. I don't wanna make a fool of myself."

I put an arm around her shoulder, keeping her close to me. "You won't make a fool of yourself, Sarah. You're the best girl I know and any guy who can't see that is just... a fool himself."

Sarah smiled but I could still see she was doubting herself and this whole situation. She took a sip of her wine, putting her arm around me as well. I felt like she wanted to say more but she didn't say anything and I didn't push her either. If she wanted to talk, she did so on her own time. I hoped that maybe I was boosting her confidence a little.

"You know, I'm glad you came to live with us,"Sarah told me, smiling. "I missed seeing you around."

I smiled. "I missed you too. Our birthdays are coming soon. Should we celebrate together?"

Sarah nodded. "What if we go out of town? We could take my dad and uncle Tommy too. I'm not in the mood for a huge party."

"That sounds like a great idea,"I nodded. "I'm not in the mood for a huge party either. Getting out of town would be nice too."

Sarah takes the last sip of her wine, looking at me. "Honestly, my dad and uncle Tommy deserve to rest too. They've been working their asses off on their construction site."

I nodded. We spent the rest of the evening talking about our birthday plans until Joel invited us to dinner.