The Girl he Wants

19- Her New Friends Aren't Her Old Friends.

   Jay's mind is a huge jumbled mess of thoughts. He doesn't even realize Asher is shoving him into a small closet with Elizabeth until darkness descends on the two of them and the only thing he can hear is her quick, nervous breaths. Outside the closet, sirens blare loudly and obnoxiously, revving Jay's adrenaline. "We should make a run for it."

    "Shh!" Is Elizabeth's fast response. Jay flinches backwards, and he wonders why Elizabeth isn't listening. He's smart, isn't he? If he was in front of her, he would totally make a run for it. That's the only way they are getting out of this.

   "We should really make a run for it-"

   "Shut up. You're being extremely loud." Elizabeth tells him, cutting his sentence short. "Asher said to hide in here."

   "Well, if we make a run for it-"

   Elizabeth puts her finger to his lips, quieting him immediately. He didn't even know she had turned around and faced him. Her soft finger is a nice feeling against his lips, but he still protests. "That's not very nice, Elizabeth. I'm really nice to you. Can't you be nice to me?"

    Elizabeth steps it up and clasps her hand over his mouth. "I am nice to you."

   "Are not." Jay replies, his voice muffled.

   "You're drunk, Jay, and you're going to get us arrested." Elizabeth's voice is desperate and breathless, but Jay doesn't comprehend why. He's just trying to talk to her.

   "Elizabeth, sometimes I don't share how I feel." He mumbles sluggishly, trying his best to keep his balance. "Like, I didn't tell my parents I wanted them to stay together, and they didn't. I didn't tell my mom I didn't like her new boyfriend, and then she got married. I didn't tell anyone, actually."

   "Jay, I would love to hear your feelings, but right now isn't a great time." Elizabeth whispers frantically. "Okay?"

   "No, not okay." Jay mutters, glancing around in the darkness. "Maybe I just want to talk to you, Elizabeth. Can't I talk to you?"

    "Jay-"

    "Can I talk to you and tell you that your smile is beautiful?" Jay stops Elizabeth mid-sentence. "Or that your laugh is as beautiful as a thousand angels' songs?"

   Jay can't see how Elizabeth is reacting, but he can't stop himself from talking, either. "Would you listen if I said you are the only girl that is my friend to just be my friend and not for other reasons? And that makes me feel wanted? Needed?"

   "Jay..." Elizabeth's voice is soft, just as soft as the fabric she wears on her body.

   "Elizabeth." Jay doesn't let her speak. "Can I tell you that I want to know more about you? That I can't stop thinking about you?"

    "The cops are here, everyone! Run!" Someone directly outside of the closet yells, the sound followed by hundreds of scattering footsteps. "Get downstairs!"

   "They're coming upstairs! We can't!" Another voice replies, scared and slurred.

   Jay suddenly feels Elizabeth's small hands on his shoulders. "Jay, you have to be quiet now, okay?"

   "But I'm sharing my feelings with you!" His voice rises. "Can't you listen? Don't you care? Elizabeth, sometimes-"

   Out of nowhere, Elizabeth's lips land on Jay's, silencing him and pulling him out of his drunken state. He stops swaying from side to side drunkenly, he closes his drooping eyes, and he lavishes in her taste, soaking it in. Her hands are abruptly on his cheeks, holding him close so he can't escape her grasp, but that's the last thing he'd ever want to do. Right now, there's nowhere else he'd rather be, no matter if he is about to get arrested.