Airy kisses sprinkled over my cheek, hair gently brushing against my face. A soft smile played on my lips, my eyes fluttering open. I ran my hands up his sides, his hot breath pricking my skin.
Our noses swept past each other as Harry came to meet my eyes. "Good morning, Beautiful."
I felt myself melt faster than chocolate in ninety degree weather when I heard the roughness in his voice, sounding like gravel. It must have been the way his eyes looked when they bored into me, or the given petname "Beautiful" that made me realize I wanted to be woken up to sound of his voice and the sensation of his pillowy bubblegum lips every morning.
"Morning," I giggled. My lips pressed against his, kissing them repeatedly. We both had idiotic grins on our faces.
"I love seeing you first thing in the morning."
My grin became wider. "Ditto."
He pecked my nose, resting his forehead on mine. I heard light pattering sounds, my attention turning to the window. Small droplets of water scattered across the glass, trifling rainfall outside.
"Aw, it's raining," I whined.
"What's wrong with rain?"
"Nothing, I just hate when it rains when I have classes and I have to go to work and - Oh, shit!" I exclaimed.
I pushed Harry off my body, quickly rising off the bed and gathering my clothes.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked, confused and concerned. The dim light coming from the window hit his unclothed torso perfectly, looking like a god underneath the white sheets. I would give anything to have him on top of me, thrust -
I heard my brain reprimanding me, yelling judgementally. It seemed to more of a say in things these days.
"I have classes today, I have to go," I replied, sloppily putting my foot in a pant leg, nearly toppling over.
"How are you getting there? Need I remind you, you don't have a car."
I groaned. "I'll have Liv or Jenny pick me up. I can't miss this class, Harry." I removed the large t-shirt, throwing it on the floor. A tank top replaced it, and I knew it was somewhat innapropriate to wear, but maybe I could borrow something fron Liv, since she lived on campus.
"Ella," Harry laughed.
"What?" I said, irritated. "Why are you laughing?"
"You're wearing pajamas," he snickered.
I examined myself, seeing pink plaid Joe Boxer pajamas drape my legs.
I sighed, shaking my head. "I can't believe I did this."
"Calm down," he soothed, rising up from the bed. Calvin Klein Boxers suited him well. "What time does the class start?"
"Nine fifteen."
"Okay, it's..." He glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand adjacent to his bed. "Eight forty seven. So you have about twenty five minutes to go to your apartment, get a change of clothes, and get there. I'll drive you. You'll be fine."
I made sense of his logic, nodding as he grabbed a shirt from his drawer, putting his arms through the holes and raising it above his head to bring it down his body.
"I hope you're right."
"Trust me, the one year I was in Uni, I figured out how to wake up late and still manage to be on time. And if I wasn't, I figured out how to make good excuses." He shimmied his jeans up his legs before taking his car keys off of his dresser.
"Let's go."
___________________
I climbed into the backseat, detaching my shirt to put on the one I had randomly chosen from my apartment.
I caught Harry's gaze in the rear-view mirror. "Hey, eyes on the road," I reprimanded.
His lips coiled into a smirk, shifting in his seat.
Luckily, my haste decision in clothing was suitable. I chose a simple sky blue button up shirt and jeans, along with white converse that were the closest pair to the door.
"Is this it?" Harry asked.
I glanced out the window, seeing the side of the campus, students with umbrellas rushing around, attempting to get out of the rain.
"Yeah, this is it," I said, scurrying out the car. I held the small shoulder strap bag that contained my notebooks and writing utensils over my head to shield myself from the rain, which didn't help much.
"Ella!" I heard Harry call. I turned around, him motioning for me to come back.
I strode towards his open window. "What?"
"Take this." He handed me an umbrella through the space in the window, in addition to his light jacket.
"Thanks," I smiled, giving him a chaste kiss, jogging to the entrance.
"I love you!" he shouted.
"Love you!" I yelled, the sound of rain overpowering my voice.
___________________
I shimmied the key in the lock, turning the knob. My cheeks puffed out as I sighed, placing my keys on the holder next to the door. I wasn't exactly sure what to do while Ella was at school; she kept me entertained when she was here. I could listen to her talk or watch the way she did things for hours.
She was literally breathtaking. I found myself watching the way her chestnut hair fell back perfectly over her shoulders, ending just at the middle of her back. When it would fall in her face, she would huff in annoyance and tuck the loose strand behind her ear and go back to whatever she was doing. Every now and then when she laughs, it comes out louder than she expected, and she would clamp her hand around her mouth. I didn't understand why she was embarassed by her laugh, it was the most heavenly sound. And her eyes. I don't know how it's possible, but when I look at her, I can see almost every single constellation in the sky in those copper eyes. And I never really understood how they were filled with so many emotions. She would smile, and they would have a light glint in them. She would cry, and they would become dull and empty, but still beautiful.
I loved her. I knew I did. And I knew she loved me. I had never really admitted to myself or her that I did until recently, but I did. "Love" hadn't been in my vocabulary for years on end. I think I even forgot what the word meant at one point. But Ella...Ella was the definition of what it means to love someone. She loved with her whole heart and more, if she could. I know that's what made me fall in love with her.
"She's mine," I said to no one, chuckling. "All mine."
___________________
I stumbled over legs, trying my best to squeeze between people and the seat tables.
"Excuse me," I whispered. "Sorry." I tripped over someone's foot, gaining my balance. I eventually found my way to an empty seat, next to Liv and Jenny.
"Hi," I said quietly.
"You're late," Jenny said through clenched teeth.
"I know." I rummaged in my bag, taking out my notebook and two pencils.
"Where's your laptop?" Liv asked.
"At home."
"Why is it at home?"
I scratched at the nape of my neck awkwardly, feigning interest in what the professor was saying. "Because I was at Harry's," I said timidly.
"You were - What?" Jenny scolded more than questioned.
"I slept over there last night," I shrugged.
"And you knew you had a lecture the next morning?" Liv chimed in, reproaching me as well.
"Not at the time, I just - "
I was momentarily silenced by someone in the row in front of us, shushing me.
I spoke in a softer tone. "I wasn't thinking last night."
"Damn right, you weren't," Jenny chided. "Ella, you can't let this guy - "
"Hey, chattie McGees."
We all looked to the front, seeing the professor glaring at us. "Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" About fifty pairs of eyes stared at us.
"No, Mr. Healy," Liv spoke.
"Thought so," he nodded, turning back to the board.
I exhaled deeply, my endeavor to pay attention failing.
I much rather would've spent this rainy day with Harry, being cuddled up in bed, feeling the heat of his body radiate onto mine. But i was stuck here, forced to learn about HDR techniques and neutral density filters.
This was the first time, in a while, that I could care less about taking pictures and editing. Because of him.
___________________
I opened the drawer of the nightstand, lifting papers to uncover the journal I was searching for. As I raised the small chronicle, the binding on the outside felt coarse, although flexible. Dust transferred onto my fingers before I brushed my hands on my pants. I settled myself on the edge of the bed, turning the wood colored cover page to reveal smudged chicken scratch.
It read:
To Ella and Austin, forever ago.
I was aware that curiosity killed the cat, but the satisfaction it recieved brought it back, didn't it?
I took the edge of the page, continuing on to the next.
At the very top, Ella was written in script. I supposed this portion was about Ella. My eyes wandered futher down the page.
Ella turns three today. Three years old. If I hadn't known any better, I would've said she was fourteen already. She is beyond her years, I can tell. She's only three, but she's so intelligent in every way possible. Emotionally intelligent, more than anything else. Yesterday, she was running around outside with Austin, and I think he had stomped on an ant hill. I heard her crying - basically screaming. I thought she was hurt, so I ran outside, only to figure out she was crying because of the ant hill.
I asked her what was wrong, and from what I gathered as she spoke through tears, she said that Austin killed the ants and that was their home and now they have nowhere to live. I wondered why she was so troubled by this; it was just an ant hill. I saw her point to an exceptionally large ant that was turned over onto it's back (and somehow still living), rolling it over, allowing it to walk as it rushed away. It was then I realized that she was going to grow up and have a heart filled to the brim with fidelity and passion. And I knew when she loved someone or something, she would give them everything she had.
