[ s k i n n y l o v e ]

p l e a s e

                                                                                     p l e a s e

 

                   The knock on her door didn’t surprise her as much as it should have, but the tall frame standing behind it made her heart race in her chest. Serenity swallowed before opening the door and speaking. “Wha-what are you doing here?” Her voice was croaky from the bout of crying and ice cream Mendel and her had shared the night before during Dinner and Fun time.

                   “Metathesiophobia. Bloody hell, Serenity.” Her name rolled off his tongue like chocolate and she shivered from the new feeling.

                   “Mendel?” she asked. He nodded, dark eyes boring into hers. Sighing, she stepped aside and let him in, his leather jacket brushing her bare arm and causing her hair to stand up.

                   She closed the door and breathed deeply. Breathe in, breathe out. Just do it like Mendel said. Just like the lipgloss.

                   “I’m sorry for snapping at you that day. I, uh, well, it doesn’t matter. Sorry.” Alex scratched the back of his neck, looking down.

                   There was a long period of silence where they stood in the hallway and stared at each other. Serenity realized she would have to say something. “This is my Me Time,” she finally said. “I switched it with my Coffee Time, but that’s okay. The reason I did that is because I felt like it. I can do what I wish.”

                   Alex was still, and apart from his jaw clenching slightly he didn’t say anything. So she continued. “My lips were chapped. I like to take care of myself, so I put some lipgloss on. New habits are okay. The coffee...” Her voice broke slightly and her palms started sweating. Mendel forgot the coffee.

                   Serenity willed herself to forget about the coffee. I can drink what I want. I drank coffee, whatever flavour it was. It was my Coffee Time. It’s okay. Her hands weren’t shaking anymore as she looked up at the man who had somehow become inexplicably close to her body. Her lips felt dry again.

                   Alex didn’t look at her like she needed help. He didn’t comment on her perfect recitation of the words Mendel had written on a paper and stuck to her wall last night. He just came even more closer to her.

                   “May I?"

                   He hugged her. He understood.