Wildflowers and Tattoos (The Crow: Bill Skarsgard)

Chapter 20

𓅩Erik𓅩

My lips are prickling with the past embers of passion.

They haven't stopped tingling since the first kiss I placed on Lillie's neck. It's like glowing embers from a recently blown out fire, waiting for the introduction of a new spark to light them aflame. My fingers itch to touch them; make sure they're still capable of feeling something other than Lillie's skin.

I want to spark that flame again.

It would be so easy to bury my face into Lillie's neck and not come up for air until her skin is a canvas painted in blues, and purples of my own making. It would be so easy to slide my hand up her front, and pull her head to my shoulder, barring her beautiful skin to me. It would be so fucking easy to get lost in her: lost in the feel of her under my lips, in my hands, sprawled carefully in my lap.

But she's not easy.

No she's difficult, a challenge.

She's both breakable, and tough as nails. Her mind is a meticulously put together puzzle, with missing pieces, and jagged edges; and unfinished image. She isn't repetitive, running around in the same circles like a racehorse... No, she's unpredictable, like an ocean in a hurricane. She's the raging, powerful waves, magnificent in their destruction. But she's also the calm depths, flowing as if the chaos at the surface is nothing but the whisper of the wind. She's gorgeous, and dark, and complicated, and wild, and peaceful. Being near her is like sitting in a cozy chair by a crackling fire. Being near her is like standing in the middle of a vengeful tornado. Being near her is like being trapped below the surface of a frozen lake. Being near her is like the freedom of falling through open air with no landing in sight. Being with her is both wild and calm, eventful and peaceful, hectic and serene.

She's like everything.

𓅩

The stars sparkle and the cool night air is still. A blanket rests beneath Lillie and I, creating a slightly softer surface than the hard cement of the roof. My arms are banded around Lillie's waist, and her body slouches comfortably against my chest. Exhausting simmers beneath her features, displaying how much going out affected her.

Worry gnaws at my mind, twisting vile doubts into very possible realities.

What if I pushed her too far?

What if she really wasn't ready for a night out?

What if she's still shaken from her anxiety?

What if–

"Erik." My name spills from her lips with the gentility of a falling autumn leaf. "Thank you."

I press my nose into her hair. "For what, Lills?"

Her fingers twine around mine, her thumbs curling around my hands to brush my palms. "For taking me out. It was the most fun I've had in years."

"Even though I deprived you of your precious pizza?" I smile.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Her hands squeeze mine, and I can picture a mischievous smirk lighting up her face. "I'll just order some tomorrow while you're sleeping."

I hum, tightening my hold on her small frame. "And what if I tie you to the bed, prevent your little gremlin hands from getting a hold of any money or a phone."

Lillie twists in my lap, so that she's peering up at me. "Don't threaten me with a good time unless you plan on following through with it." One of her eyebrows raise challengingly.