Romantic One Shots & Imagines

One Shot #49: The Lock-In II

     They found themselves in front of the teachers' lounge before he could answer. Everyone was showered with relief as the door opened. They walked in, hand in hand, with the rest of the food. Mr. Pink was able to board the windows with scrap pieces of wood, but had no hopes that it would hold up if the tree in front of the them were to fall.

     Everyone was sitting on the floor under a fort made of tables. Food was passed out and for a few moments, everyone was at peace. Mr. Pink and the principals were talking while Kevin was hopelessly trying to get a signal on his cell phone. Anna held Emily close on her lap as the sound of branches scratching up against the building became more frequent. Michael, however, was the only one standing up. Anna watched his feet as he moved around the room. Mr. Pink encouraged him to stay under the fort, but Michael convinced him that he was ok.

     It was well into the night and the storm was still wreaking havoc on the city. Mr. Pink, the principals, and Emily had all fallen asleep. Kevin was still awake playing games on his phone. Fading in and out of sleep, Anna noticed that Michael still hadn't come back down. Gently leaving Emily, she got up herself.

          "Mr. Losson?" She whispers.

          "You can call me Michael, everyone's asleep." He laughs quietly. She finds him near the window.

          "What are you doing over there? It's dangerous." She questions.

          "I need the moonlight so I can see what I'm doing."

          "Why didn't you grab the flashlight?"

          "Mr. O'Malley is guarding the only one with his life. I'm not about to come between him and his precious flashlight." They laugh together.

          "So what are you doing?"

          He sighs heavily. He held out his hand to show her. "It's an Iris." She picked the folded piece of paper up from him and twirled it around in her hand. "It's not my best work. I learned how to make origami flowers a long time ago back at summer camp."

          She looks back to him. "It's beautiful." She sits down next to him.

          "I'm glad you think so because it's for you." He says as he takes it from her and fixes it delicately in her hair.

     Anna was speechless. She looked away, failing to hide her mile wide smile. She then whispered "Thank you." He pushes a few strands of hair away and strokes her cheek. He leans in first, then she follows suit. Her eyes fluttered before closing, allowing herself to be engulfed by the touch of his lips. He teased her at first, brushing his lips against hers before kissing her. She had forgotten how close she was to the windows; how close she was to danger. Her mind was in a higher place; too high to to care about the risks. All she wanted to do was stay there and hold on to the moment; their first moment.

     The storm had passed and rays of sunshine broke through the cracks between the wood. Only the sounds of birds chirping could be heard that early morning. As Anna woke up, she realized where she had slept the whole night. Not shortly after, Michael woke up too. He stirred, careful with Anna still in his arms. As if in a domino effect, Mrs. Riley then Mr. O'malley woke up too.

          "What's this mess?" Mrs. Riley asked.

     Anna scanned the room. She was astonished. In her mind, it was far from a mess. A small smile crept up to her lips as she saw balls of paper scattered around the tables and floors. With a closer look, she could see the attempts of origami irises. Each were damaged and warped. None were as pretty as the one he gave her the night before, but to her, they were all perfect just the same.