Lily Of The Valley (Aris x Reader)

15) Sensible

The rain hadn't stopped. If anything, it had gotten worse, frantically pounding on the roof of our shelter. The thunder was roaring, and the flashes of lightning were threatening to blind me. Even when Aris pulled the shades down, the disruption of the storm was practically taunting.

It was too dark to read or really do anything. The batteries in the flashlight weren't infinite so they had to be saved, making it essentially useless unless there was an emergency, which this techniquely isn't.

Still, it wasn't all bad.

My head had stayed glued to his shoulder while he very lightly played with my hair. I let him run his hand through it and curl it around his fingers without a word.

“You still awake?”He whispered.

“Yeah,”I quietly confirmed.

“The rain should clear up soon.”

“Yeah. It can't rain forever,”I agreed, shutting my eyes but not moving.

“You tired?”

“Not really. Just calm,”I answered.

“Even with the chaos outside?”

“If the outside is going to be chaotic, it's up to me to stay calm,”I shrugged.

“You were always good at that. At being sensible when nothing else was.”

“There was always a lot to do. I couldn't afford not to be,”I shrugged.

“I’m pretty sure that's why I stole your hoodie.”

“My white hoodie that went missing years ago?”I clarified, raising my head to look at him.

“Yeah. That one,”He confirmed.

“You helped me look for it,”I reminded him.

“Yeah.”

“You helped me look for something you stole because I’m sensible?”I asked slowly.

“Kind of.”

“What do you mean kind of?”I asked, resting my legs under me and my head on the seat. He slightly turned and did the same, looking right at me in the dark.

“Life was hard, and when it got really late at night and I was alone, I would think about that. A lot. A lot of things about WICKED sucked. One of the only things that never did was you. So when you left your hoodie at my room one night I kept it under my pillow. I was going to give it back, but I realized that I didn't have to think about everything that sucked as long as I was thinking about you. So I just didn't give it back.”

“I would have given it to you. If you would have just said that,”I told him.

“I’m sure, but I guess I didn't know how to say it then. I didn't really realize how much it sucked until years later. All I knew was that I didn't have that sinking feeling I always seemed to carry with me as long as you or your hoodie was nearby,”He whispered.

“Well, everything is okay now. You can rest now,”I promised.

“Yeah. I know that now,”He smiled.

“Yeah?”I yawned.

“You can't deny being tired now,”He sighed.

“I wasn't going to,”I mumbled.

“For once?”He teased.

“Yeah. For once,”I shrugged, my eyes shutting again.

“Come on. The sun should be out when we wake up,”He whispered, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I placed my head on his chest, listening to his soft heartbeat with my good ear as he lightly traced his fingertips up and down my spine.

Rain or not, it's been a good day.