Her

Part Seventeen:

Sunlight streams gently through the slit between the two curtain panels on the old window. My eyes flutter open slowly, and I feel like a Disney princess in her own little magic world. My mind instantly races back to last night as Maddox shifts next to me.

"You are a Disney princess." He mumbles, his voice slightly deeper and groggy from sleep. I glance over at him, horrified that I actually said that out loud. His blonde hair his tousled and messy in an adorable way and his eyes are still closed. A faint amused smile traces his soft lips, the sunlight shining right on his face. 

"H-how long have you been awake?" I am mortified. Do I say other stuff out loud, too? Oh my gosh!

"Only for like, three minutes, Sleeping Beauty."

"Oh.. Uhm.. Okay." I sort of sit up and try to get out of bed. Maddy is instantly reaching his arm out, and he wraps it around my waist and pulls me back down.

"No. Sleep. We can drive later. I am tired because someone  kept me up all night." He pouts his lips like a five year old, and gazes at me. I sigh and decide not to protest. His chest is warm, and I don't need to life today anyways, right?

I remember my nightmares last night and start to pull my shirt up. Maddy jokes, "Woah, Sweetheart, getting ahead of yourself." But I tell him to shut up. The scar is still there, but I am okay. I think. I sit up and pull the shirt over my head.

"Maddy, look at the back of my shoulder. Is there a scar? Like the one on my stomach?"

"I.. uh.. well.." He mutters, and I glance back to see his face really red. His eyes shift to the other side of the room as soon as I turn around. 

"Maddy, this is urgent, please." I persist, though I can feel my face blush too. If we are going to be friends, might as well get comfortable, and I can't see that far on my back.

"I can't. I can't look at you right now. No." He sounds... strange.

"Maddox please, gosh- dang it! I need to know if there is a scar on my shoulder like the one above my hip, near my stomach." I say frustrated, but like I am talking to a first-grader. I feel him shift next to me, but I know he is not looking. Finally, he turns back around and mutters, "Yes." 

But then he moves closer to me in one swift motion, pulling me into his chest and lifting my hair off of my neck. He kisses the spot right next to my jaw line, beneath my ear on my neck. It drives me crazy and a million more emotions explode inside me. I gasp in a breath, and try to pull myself together. Only friends. Only friends. Only friends! I think, Oh Lord that is noted, do not kiss that spot or else. Maddy pushes of the bed and wipes his hands across his face.

"God bless it I told you I can't look at you!" He groans practically in one word and disappears into the bathroom. I hear the sink turn on and I stare at the floor for what seems like forever, then pull my shirt over my head. So many thoughts are running through my head, and longing is coursing through my veins. What the heck did he just do to me? I feel like I am in a daze. I am not falling 'in love'. No. No! No?

Maddy eventually comes out of the bathroom, but I am already changed and have my bag together. He is still not looking at me, and I feel guilty. 

"Maddy, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you mad, I just needed to know if I had the scar so I can figure out... I just, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Belle. I am not mad at you. You just make me feel things I shouldn't and I can't go wanting what I can't have." He says quietly, his eyes trained on the floor, and he packs his bag silently. Forty minutes later and we have paid Nancy, received lots  of winks, eaten amazing waffles and are now walking to the car. My shoes slap gently on the rain-soaked pavement, still wet from last night, and I am sad that we have to drive again. I wanna stay here for a little bit longer, even though we are in the middle of a city that I probably haven't been to much, and that is actually quite dirty. At least in this area it is. We shuffle into the doors and I pull out on the main road.

"Where to?" Maddy asks the window ten minutes later.

"A little further north. I feel like I have seen these streets before." My eyes glance in amazement at the street signs that we pass repeatedly. I know that I have seen these before. Somewhere. Not even in my memories at night, I just recall them from somewhere else. After the incident in the middle of the night last night, I actually had a pleasant dream. No memories, no nightmares, no bad stuff. Just me sitting amongst the wildflowers in a field. I can still feel the sun on my back and taste the humid air.

"I know it is close. So close. I can feel it."

"Whatever you say, Ariel."