Lily Of The Valley (Aris x Reader)

22) Other People

His bed was warmer than mine, further from the air conditioning that was right above me every night. I always have to huddle up in blankets and layers, my arms inside my sleeves as I go to sleep as quickly as possible. It's the only way to avoid the cold.

His is a little more protected, nice and safe as mine blocks it out. It's just better enough for me to be jealous to the point I have to remind myself he has it because of his limp. Just better enough for me to be relieved when I sit on his bed in the morning, waiting for him to awake with fear in his eyes.

“This outfit is atrocious,”He judged as he flipped to the next page of the magazine from hundreds of years ago. There was a whole crate of them that we’ve been through a thousand times and will go through a thousand more.

“She's too pretty to be wearing that,”I agreed. Her light blonde cascaded past her body, reaching right above her waist. Her pale skin was flawless, completely smooth and without one mark. Her lips were a soft pink and glossy, admittedly extremely kissable. Her eyes were a bright blue, her black eyeshadow making them pop even more.

“She's not bad,”He shrugged.

“Not bad? Are you crazy? She's breathtaking,”I argued.

“I know she’s pretty. I just wouldn't look at her twice if I saw her.”

“How could you not do a double take?”

“She's not my type.”

“She's literally perfect. How could she not be your type?”

“I don't know. She's just not.”

“What could possibly be your type then?”I questioned, resting my chin on my hand as I looked at him, slightly raising my head while my elbows still rested on his bed. He let me take up basically all of it, my feet swaying back and forth as I laid on my stomach.

He looked at me as he started biting his bottom lip, his eyes a little too serious for my liking. Turning his gaze to the wall, he stayed silent. It didn't put us in our usual comfortable silence where we could be present while giving the other space for our thoughts. It was tense, off, something that made me let out a nervous laugh.

“It's gotta be next to perfect if you don't want someone prettier than me,”I tried to break the mood.

“Don't say that,”He almost snapped, his eyes back on me.

“It's not hard to see that-”
“Don't. You don't need to put yourself down to lift someone up. You don't get to put yourself down at all.”

“You're thinking too much into it. I’m just pointing out the obvious. She's gorgeous, and I’m just plain old me,”I defended.

“If you say one more word-”
“It's not a big deal-”
“No,”He cut me off, his hands holding my face as he leaned closer. My eyes widened at the sudden action, mouth dropping open as I stared at him. He didn't care, didn't even seem to notice, as he kept me in his hold, his eyes flickering to each of mine. He seemed to be taking his time as he did his best to remember every detail of me, making me squirm against my will, my free hand scratching at my wrist as shivers ran down my back. Not the usual kind from the air conditioning though. Something else. Something deeper, more intense.

“I don't just call you pretty girl for fun. You understand?”

“Understood,”I nodded.

“You mean it?”He asked almost skeptically, narrowing his eyes for a second as if to detect any lies.

“I mean it. I’m pretty,”I reiterated, pushing down the way I wanted my tone to make it clear I’m sure that he’s thinking too much into this.

“Yeah. You are.”