time zones. || rydellington

fifty two

With her heart beating against her chest, Rydel walked up the stairs of the adorable, typically Dutch house. Amsterdam was exactly as she had imagined it; the canals, the bikes, the cloudy weather...

"Ell?" She said, opening the door that lead to her friend's room.

He mumbled something she didn't quite understand; probably in Dutch. She bit her lip as she heard his voice and slowly, she made her way to the bed.

He was laying on his side, his back turned to her. The blankets covered him just enough to hide his white T-shirt and dark green sweatpants; only his brown hair showed. The curtains were closed, and the room smelled like a mix of coffee and cologne.

Once again, exactly as she had imagined it.

She pulled the blankets down a little and sat next to the boy she had been talking with for months now. He didn't turn around. She put her hand on his shoulder, her cold fingers making shivers run down Ellington's back. Another Dutch comment escaped his lips, and Rydel just ignored it, as she didn't know what to respond.

"Ellington?"

She felt the boy's body tense up under her fingers. He held his breath, not believing that the voice he just heard was real.

"Are you okay?"

His hand moved from under the blankets, and reached for Rydel's, which was still resting on his shoulder. He found it, and once he realised that was he felt was real, he slowly turned around.

He inhaled sharply as he saw her. The sunlight that shone through the curtains gave her hair a golden glow, and her cheeks were a light shade of pink. She was prettier that he could ever have imagined.

The girl herself had quite a similar reaction to seeing her friend's face. The dark circles under his eyes didn't made him any less handsome; his skin perfectly smooth and his hair not even greasy, although he probably hadn't washed it in days.

"Rydel?" he whispered, afraid to speak up.

"Hey..."

"H-how- when did you-"

"Sssh," Rydel said, putting a finger to his lips. Ellington sat up, staring at the girl in awe.

"You wanted me to come over and cuddle," she spoke, an amused smile creeping up on her face.

"I wasn't-"

"I know. I wanted to surprise you."

"How did you-"

"- get the money? I get ten percent of the money we get when we perform, you know, with the band. I never used it for anything. It was just enough."

"You just left?"

"For you."

Ellington stared at the girl, his hands finding their way to hers. He intertwined their fingers, and put their hands in Rydel's lap.

"You're insane."

"I know."

"And extremely cold."

"Do something about it," she responded, a light giggle escaping her mouth as she bit her lip.

"Well, it's your own fault," he said, chuckling slightly. "Wearing a summer dress in October?"

"It's warm, back in California."

"This isn't California," he said, laughing a bit. "Do you want one of my T-shirts?"

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all," he spoke, and he pulled his T-shirt over his head. Rydel's eyes widened slightly at his sudden action.

"This one is warm," he said, smiling amusedly as he handed it over to the girl, who gladly took it.

"Don't look," the girl said, and Ellington covered his eyes with his hands — although he did peek through his fingers to watch her every now and then, of course.

He let out a yawn as she sat back down. Rydel placed her hand on his chest and slowly pushed him down, making him lie down again. He took her hand and pulled her down next to him.

She snuggled next to him, her cold feet pressed against his warm ones. With her head on his shoulder, she traced patterns on his now shirtless chest.

"You're crazy," he whispered, running his fingers through her blonde hair.

"For you."

"Hmm, sure."

"It's a song my band and I wrote," she said, giggling softly. "I'm crazy, it's true..."

"Crazy for you."

"Those are the cheesiest lyrics I have ever heard."

She giggled, and he smiled. Her giggle was adorable. He had heard it through the phone a few times, but it was even better when she was really by his side.

"Go to sleep," she whispered, looking up at him. He shook his head no, but his drooping eyes showed that he would eventually doze off. She half smiled and gently rubbed his chest and stomach, until he had finally fallen asleep — which was all he needed. Sleep.

She pressed a kiss on his chest, on the place of his heart, before the jet lag pulled her into a deep sleep, too.