RADIOACTIVE

Hungry

(Sorry it's kinda short. Enjoy!)

Chapter three

Ashton carried me into the barn, sitting me down on a red and white fleece blanket; made definitely for his favorite team, The Oklahoma Sooners, or OU.
He moved over to a water pail and dipped in a piece of torn clothing in and back out. His stride back towards me was gentle and smooth, he'd always been a ladies man, but I never saw him for more than what a geek he was in my 3rd grade year; his 5th, playing gameboy, beating anyone who challenged him. I'm pretty sure he was even in a Pokemon club too. I almost liked him better that way. Innocent and not filled with teenage hormones and expectations.
We grew apart once he went to highschool, I was two years younger and I'd 'cramp his style'. Or at least that's what he told me. We had a huge fight my freshman year, walking hand in hand with his best friend, Tyler. Ashton told me that Tyler was a total jerk and was only trying to take advantage of me. I told him I could choose whoever I wanted to be with and that he was just jealous.
That was true. He admitted it. Which angered me even more. He was wrong about Tyler; my first real boyfriend till last year. He was amazing and sweet, but we decided long distance relationships wouldn't work; he moved to New York to study music at Juilliard.
And here's Ashton, looking almost as innocent as he did so many years ago, like nothing at happened, flashing back to when we were children playing in mud and eating bugs.
He knelt beside me, dabbing the wet cloth over my cuts, my eyes instinctively fluttered to his, catching his soft brown silky ones; that had always matched the color of mine. I jumped as he smoothed over one of the deeper cuts, grimacing against the pain. His thumb found my cheek, gently caressing it.
"It's okay. I have to clean it so it won't get infected."
I nodded. His words seemed so reassuring, he acted nothing like the Ashton I once new in highschool. This Ashton made my heart pound against it's will, catching my stuttering breath and keeping it captive in my lungs.
Nothing like it was when we were kids when I found him nice to look at and sweet sometimes. And definitely not like when he yelled at me in the cafeteria for kissing Mark in front of him.
'It's just because you've been alone for two and a half weeks, Maeve.' I thought furiously to myself.
Or maybe it had always been like this. I shook it out of my head and let him lather antibiotic ointment over my wounds, wrapping gauze over them. He poured water into a bowl for Rex and patted his head, handing me a a bottle. I took it almost ripping the cap open, chugging the water into my longing mouth and stomach.
His smooth warming smile filled the air, running his fingers effortlessly through his black shaggy hair.
"Mae. I want to apologize. For everything. I was making my way to your house. I was so. I was so scared that you were gone. I...." His voice trailed away as his head turned to a fire crackling in the distance. He began walking slowly towards it, forgetting the soup he was making before finding me.
His words sank into my heart and I tried to get up to follow him, falling frustratingly back down. I sighed and gave up. My joints and bones, muscles and tendons, everything was too sore to move.
Then a smell hit my nose, soothing and strong. My eyes widened and I spotted him tending to the pot over the bright glistening fire.
Food.
'Obviously it was food. What else would it be?' I laughed hysterically to myself, standing up carefully, putting only what weight on my left ankle that I absolutely needed to. He had bandaged that as well, already feeling a bit better from the water and brace and the neediness for food; I walked, well limped towards him, using the stables to support me.
"Is that food?" I had spoken for the first time since I uttered his name outside. He smiled and nodded, taking a spoonful of the steaming soup, blowing on it and putting it up to my lips. I sipped it willingly and I craved for more, sitting down quite closer to him than I had expected to.
His thumb moved over my lips, pouring the warm liquid into a silver bowl with his other gentle hand.
It definitely wasn't just the soup I was craving; It was his chapped, burnt, but somehow soft lips.
His hand traveled lovingly down my cheek and rested on my neck, pulling me into his chest; It'd been since his freshman year that he hugged me.
He kissed my head softly and scooted the bowl towards me. I brought it shaking to my lips as he poured another bowl for him, and then the same, but in a bigger portion for Rex.
As he sipped his soup his arm never left my waist, holding me for as much his comfort as he was for mine. His heart beat in sync with mine. Soft but hard as it pumped blood through our bodies to keep us breathing.
I guess kissing him would have to wait, for who knows how long, because right now,
I'm hungry.