New Kid On The Block

Ch 20: mAze

"Wrench?"

I stretched with a yawn turning over in the bed. I must have kicked off the blankets in the middle of the night because only the sheets remained tangled around my legs. Wrench was sitting on the window ledge blowing smoke out of the window and flicking his ashes into the street below.

He took another pull from the cigarette exhaling out the window. He knew how much I hated the smell of smoke. I wouldn't even let him kiss me until he'd brushed his teeth.

An ashamed look crossed his face when his eyes met mine.

"Nightmares again?"

"Yeah."

He sighed flicking out the rest of the cigarette and watching it fall.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I ask watching him shut the window.

He rubbed the back of his neck looking down at the ground. In the dim light I almost missed the blush that crept up his cheeks. "You just looked so comfortable wrapped up in the sheets and adorable and I didn't want to wake you..." he stammered on.

"Wrench?"

"Yeah?" He sighed looking up at me shyly. I smiled back at him, sometimes he could be a total goof and other times it was like he was a nervous teenager in his first ever relationship.

"Come back to bed."

He chuckled before tugging his shirt over his head and joining me back on the bed. I curled into him as he instinctively wrapped his arms around me.

"Wake me up next time, okay?"

"Okay." He let out another, more content sigh as his fingertips found their way to my scalp. He gently dragged them along massaging and playing with my hair. In response my own fingers found their way to the tattoo at the base of his neck, the anarchist symbol, and begone tracing it absentmindedly.

"You know it kind of was a good thing, your apartment blowing up, I mean."

"Why's that?" I smile but know he can't see it from the position of my head on his shoulder.

"I probably never would have..."

"Made a move?"

"Heh. Yeah. I'm not exactly good with girls or anyone for that matter, not even in high school." I try to picture a younger, nerdier looking Wrench. In my head I could see him walking down the halls, sunglasses and everything else a young edgelord would have.

"You're doing just fine."

He chuckled softly stroking my hair. "I'm sorry I smell like smoke."

"I'll let it slide this one time." I joked.

"I know you hate it, I really am sorry-"

"I said it's okay Wrench."

"I just don't want to fuck this up Kalla." His voice was barely above a whisper, his lips only brushing the top of my head. "Being with you is the happiest I've ever been. I don't want to lose you."

I got the feeling that his nightmares weren't about the past anymore. He was scared I was going to leave and I didn't know why he thought I would. Something to do with his past? The lack of family in his childhood. I couldn't begin to guess but I could ease his fears. I pulled away from him slightly so I could rest my head on the pillow next to him.