Effervescent

Chapter 16

Romeo

Hours later, the food and drinks I packed are all gone and the clearing has been taken over by shadows. Athena and I are lying on our backs, her head on one of my arms as we gaze up at the clouds changing colour. They've been through the range already, and now all that's left after the yellow-turned-orange-turned-pink, is a gloomy greyish blue.

A soft breeze has picked up, creating a symphony of rustling leaves accompanied by birds chirping. As magical as the scene remains, I've noticed Athena shift closer and closer to me, getting either restless or cold as we stay in silence. I turn my head, bringing my face inches from hers, and try to get a read on her.

I don't want our time together to end just yet, but Athena's holding the reins here. If she's getting cold or anxious, I'll do whatever to make her happy so she remembers this date as the success I hope it was.

She turns to look at me, those jarring grey eyes locking on mine, and I shift my arm to stroke her shoulder with the back of two fingers. God, she's beautiful. All I want to do is keep her close and keep looking at her.

As I caress her, though, I notice the goosebumps on her cool skin, and as reluctant as I am to move from this position, I'll be damned if she catches a cold on my watch.

"What do you say we get going? It's getting kind of cold and it's a school night, after all." Exactly why I suggested this evening. Even though she doesn't have classes tomorrow, it's a reminder to not be too greedy and keep her for myself all night. Not yet. It's not that I doubt that I could control myself around her and keep things innocent for her sake- I'd sooner walk over hot coals than go against my word- but we haven't talked about where either of us wants this to go, and I don't want things to get messy.

Whether we cuddle all night or make out for hours, it sends a message.

A spark of anxiety blooms in my stomach at the uncertainty. Is it too soon to have the "what are we" talk? Yes. Definitely. Especially since I don't know what I want. Athena is great, and sweet, and I'm quickly realising that spending time with her is addictive. She seems like the kind of girl you lock it in with when you get the chance. But you barely know her.

I wait for the familiar crippling pressure at the thought of something serious to make an appearance and wreck havoc on my nervous system, but it never comes.

"Romeo? Are you coming?" Athena's voice shatters my trance, and I blink up at where she's standing next to our blanket.

Damn it. I zoned out.

Smiling sheepishly, I get to my feet. Before I start packing everything up, I step closer to her and cup her face gently. The inexplicable urge to tell her she's precious comes over me. I don't know what's happening to me or what makes me want to compliment and reassure this girl constantly, but the urge is there. I fight it, not wanting to come off too strong.

Instead, I lean in and press a lingering kiss to her lips, savouring her small sigh. She melts into me, stepping into my body and getting to the tips of her toes so I have to lean in less.

My other hand comes around her waist, gripping her just gently enough to let her know I'm right there with her. She deepens the kiss, and it takes my all not to lay her back down on the sheet and kiss her like she deserves to be. The spell is only broken when a shiver runs down her spine, shaking her limbs softly.

I pull away and brush a stray strand of blonde hair out of her face. She smiles up at me, her steely eyes gentle. "Let's get you somewhere warm," I say.

She lets me lead her back to my car, her cool hand safely secured in mine as I make sure she doesn't trip over anything on the ground.

"So, where are we going?" she asks once we're both in my car.

"I was thinking back to our respective homes? I don't have any particularly early classes but it's still the middle of the week," I try to reason, although the excuse seems less and less convincing with every second she looks at me with slightly pursed lips and amused eyes. "Unless you have something else in mind? We could check if there are any good movies in the theatre tonight? It's not that late."

"It's only eight pm." She laughs. "But I don't know about the movies. I mean, you probably have a Tv or a Laptop we could watch a big selection of movies on without paying for seats that are nowhere near as comfortable as your couch. Right?"

Her voice is confident, at odds with her searching eyes. It hits me again how inexperienced she is. How much courage did it just take for her to invite herself over to my place? And is she suggesting we Netflix & Chill? Or is the offer more innocent than that?

Oh, what do I care. I'll end up reading her cues and giving her whatever she wants either way.
I'm down horribly for her.

I agree readily with her, throwing caution to the wind and ignoring the nagging voice that demands a talk on where we stand. I'll make sure nothing happens tonight that calls for an immediate discussion. We'll be great.

"My place it is." I start the car and pull back onto the road, hoping like hell I left nothing embarrassing lying around my place.

—————
Another update. I wrote this one on a plane with a lot of distractions, so you'll have to excuse any mistakes.

Let me know how you want the story to proceed! This is your story as much as it is mine. You can make suggestions on the pace any minute. (I've got the main plots and dramas down anyway...;))

Have a lovely day