Remembering Sunday

Five

Christopher's POV

     It was obvious I caught Cel by surprise with my question, and I didn't blame her. Shit, I was just as surprised. But I didn't take my words back. I hadn't even really believed it until then, but I'd been aching all this time for someone to understand me like she did. And we're practically strangers to each other! This girl was something else.

     I repeated my question, and a few moments of silence fell upon us before she replied, her voice soft and uncertain as she spoke, "You may, but for the love of God, don't fall in love with me. Got it?"

     "Only if you don't fall in love with me. Deal?"

     "Deal."

     We're sitting cross-legged in front of each other, our knees touching. My hand goes up hesitantly, and my fingers tangle themselves in her dark red hair as I hold her face and bring her closer to me, carefully closing what little space there was left between us.

     The wildfire in my body starts in my mouth, where her lips spark the flames and fan them to life. It's a soft, slow, terrifying, messy thing, the motion between us, but it was better than I ever could have imagined. We were learning each other's bodies and their cues, both unsure of what the other wanted and needed, afraid to overstep boundaries.

     The fire in me spreads fast as her hands go from her lap to my back, pulling my body in closer to hers. God, she molds in to me like clay.

     I don't mean for it to happen, but my tongue slips across her bottom lip, and I feel her gasp. Her hands curl in to fists on my back, clutching my hoodie in their grasp. I pull back, breathless and flushed. Her forehead is against mine, and we're sharing the same breath. I run my hand gently through her hair while I catch my breath, then I ask, "May I?"

     "Like I said," she replied, "just don't fall in love."

     That was all the confirmation I needed. I held her to me again and tilted her chin up to me. This time was still soft and messy and scary, but now we're a little faster and a lot closer than before. Now I had Cel pulled in to my lap, holding her in the space that my crossed legs left. My tongue asked for entrance past her lips and they parted in compliance, drawing Cel in to me. I pressed her hard in to my chest and she rested her hands gently on the back of my neck as I got my first taste of her.

     I don't know what I was expecting her to taste like, but the sweetness I discovered on her tongue from candy she'd been eating on the way here fanned the flames that she created. I pulled away again, scared of what could become of this. It was frighteningly easy to get lost in a moment with her.

     We were both breathing hard when we separated again. She bites at her bottom lip a little, and I look away before it distracts me too much. Cel runs her fingers through her hair and gets up from the floor, saying sternly, "That was a one time thing only, Chris. If my boyfriend ever caught me..."

     Oh, fuck, that's right. She's got a boyfriend. Of course. I stand and take a couple steps back from her, taking a few breaths to calm my racing heart. I shouldn't have done that. What if he hurts her again because of this? And why did I have to put tension on our budding friendship? I actually kind of sort of liked this girl a little and kind of sort of wanted her to hang around. The razor winged butterflies in my stomach reawaken, cutting deep in to me. I think I made a huge mistake.

     "Cel, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done it. Let's just forget it happened, okay? I don't want you to get in any more trouble with your boyfriend." She nods and tugs her shirt down, as it had ridden up and was now exposing her wounds. She pulled on her sleeves and stood, keeping her focus on the stars that were beginning to appear in the sky. She suddenly let out a gasp and exclaimed, "Shit, the dogs! We left the dogs outside!"

     I jump to my feet and follow her out of the mansion, sighing with relief when I found Jellybean right where I left her. Celestine grabbed Sunday's leash and we walked away in silence.

     I didn't know what to think, so I thought of it all. Did Cel dislike me now? Should I stop talking to her and just go back to my life as it was before? Did she not like the kiss? Or worse, did she like it enough to want more? Oh, God, if her boyfriend hurts her over this, I don't know what I'll do. I shouldn't have done it. Now she could be in danger. I fucked up. I fucked up bad.

     "Why do you stay with him if he hurts you?"

     I stop walking and stand in front of Celestine, making her stop too. Her gaze was glued to the ground, and I didn't try to make her look up at me. After what had just happened, I wasn't surprised that she didn't want to look at me. She tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered, "I'm afraid of what he'd do to me."

     She pulled down on the neck of the hoodie she was wearing to reveal a long, thin, jagged scar, stretching from one side of her throat to the other. My first instinct was to reach my hand out and carefully trace the line with my finger. She cringes and I immediately pull my hand away and mutter an apology.

     "This is what happened the last time I tried to leave. I'm trapped."

     Cel pulls her hoodie back up over the scar and we continue walking, again silent until we stop at a small blue house and Celestine says, "Well, here's my stop. Thanks for walking with me."

     "Cel, I -"

     My words are cut off by a woman hurrying out of the house and approaching Cel. She sounded frantic and stressed as she said, "Celestine, baby, your boyfriend showed up a little while ago looking for you. Sweetheart, he scared Eliza and Violet half to death, storming in here like that, yelling and hollering and making a big fuss. Please, Celestine, please find a way to leave him."

     "I'll try, Mama."

     Cel's mother suddenly realizes I'm standing there and asks Cel who I am, to which she replies, "Mama, this is my friend Chris. Chris, this is my mama. She adopted me when I was seven, in case you were wondering why she's black and I'm not." She chuckles a little and I smile at the sound.

     "Andromeda Davis, pleased to meet you." She shakes my hand and I nod politely to her before she turns to Cel and whispers something to her, making her redden and mutter, "Oh my God, Mama, stop."

     Cel turns her attention back to me and says, "Well, I've gotta go. I'll see you later." I nod and give her a little wave, then she and Sunday disappear in to the house. Her mom stayed outside, telling me, "I can tell she's starting to take a bit of a liking to you, hopefully that will give her the courage to leave that awful man of hers. Honey, just don't be like him, okay? She deserves the world and he's taking that away from her."

     I didn't know what else to say besides, "I know, I won't. We're just friends, Ms. Davis. You have nothing to worry about."

     Ms. Davis chuckled and said, "Sweetheart, I was your age once, too. I know the beginnings of young love when I see them."

     I was taken aback by her words. My mouth opened and shut, sound not able to leave my throat until I stammered out, "I'm sorry, love? No way, Ms. Davis, we just met, like, two nights ago. That's not possible. We barely even know each other."

     "Maybe not yet, but it will be. She'll come to you for comfort when he hurts her. You'll go to her for comfort when you hurt yourself - before you say anything, yes, I saw them. I know the little idiosyncrasies that people do to cover the scars. I saw them in Celestine not long after that boy came around.

     "Anyway, Christopher, all I'm trying to say is, please, just don't hurt my Celestine. She's been through more than enough."

     The image of Cel curled in on herself on that library floor, shaking and crying, her back  covered in bruises and slashes and teeth marks, flashed before my eyes and made me cringe. My response to Ms. Davis was a weak, "I know."

     "Just take care of you, and take care of her. You hear me?" I nod and she quickly turns her head, looking down the street with a startled look in her eyes. She turns back to me and whispers, "You need to get out of here, sweetheart. Don't let Celestine's man see you. But first," she takes a pen from behind her ear and scribbles her number down on the back of my hand, "take this just in case you need to reach us. Now go."

     I nod and again and walk away as fast as I can, occasionally looking behind me at Cel's house.