A Twist In Our Love

Chapter 12 : "Eyes"

MAPLE'S POV

Her arms enveloped me, surrounding me with the kind of warmth one can only receive from those that truly care about you.

"I thought the only time he'd drive away from me like that would be when he left for college," I sulked, burying my head in her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Maple. Try not to think about it. He fucked up and you shouldn't be suffering because of him," she responded in a calm voice as she stroked my hair gently.

I couldn't not think about it. His words stuck to me; I was unable to shake them off.

This whole time I thought he was the one distancing himself from me, when in reality... I distanced myself from him as well.

There were many occasions before this that I could've talked to him but I didn't. I stopped texting him. I only talked to him occasionally and I didn't suggest going out.

I was much too busy texting Raine and having long phone calls with her. Too busy going out with her on the weekends and too busy thinking about her.

I leaned back and gazed into Raine's sapphire eyes. And here I was with her, once again.

The guilt stirred in my stomach, swirling around like sharp daggers.

RAINE'S POV

It broke my heart to see Maple so upset but there was this selfish part of me that was happy. It was a truly horrid thing to admit but after all, I am human.

It hurt me when Maple said that I was such a good "friend" so I saw this as an opportunity to show her how much I cared about her, that I would help her get through this breakup and possibly along the way she could think of me more than just a friend.

She leaned back to look at me and I saw the universe in her eyes. I found myself leaning forward slowly, my lips begging to touch hers. I realized what I was doing and stopped myself.

"I wanna go home," she said getting up from my lap and wiping her tears with her sleeve.

"I don't think you should be alone right now," I commented. "You don't have to go through this alone. I'm here for you, Maple."

She smiled warmly at me and looked down at her apple watch. "It's 9:30 and you have a big exam tomorrow. I really don't wanna bother you."

I'd do anything for you.

"No, no, no. It's okay, really. You can sleep over if you want. Besides, I can just skip school tomorrow. It's fine," I responded reassuringly. I couldn't handle the thought of her going home to cry in her pillow.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

I nodded my head, "I'm sure."

COLTON'S POV

Breaking up with Maple gave me a sense of freedom. I had broken from my rusty chains. The chains that squeezed me like a boa, tightening every time I breathed out my true self.

I took a sip of my coffee and looked down at my old notebook. I looked around the cafe to make sure no one was close enough to see the drawings inside when I flipped it open. I fiddled with the pencil in my hand. Finally, I opened the notebook. I quickly flipped to a new page and let my hand dance across the paper.

It had been about a month since I stopped drawing so my strokes were slightly sloppy. Still, I put my heart into it. I took my time with the eyes. William Shakespeare once said, "The Eyes are the window to your soul." It's very hard to capture that in a simple drawing.

When I finished, I leaned back to take it all in. The husky waist, the carved muscles, the sculptured arms, the soft lips, the bridge of his nose, the eyes that stared back at you like they knew everything, and the hair of a god.

"Is that me?"

The sudden voice made me jolt and I bumped my hand against my coffee in an effort to try to cover the drawing. The lid popped right off and the coffee engulfed the sketch of Ivan.

I look up alarmed, my cheeks flushed.

Ivan stood there with a soft smile.

I felt my heart racing uncontrollably. I slapped my notebook shut, picked up my pencil, and stood up- ready to run.

Ivan quickly stepped in front of me, giving me no escape. "I know you don't want to talk but I really think we need to. After the park, I was going to leave you alone. But I can't get my mind off you. I think about you every second of my life, Colton. From the moment I wake up to the second, I fall asleep. Besides, I think we might have something special. Why is it that we always seem to find each other?"

I started cleaning up the coffee spill with napkins to avoid looking at him.

The next thing I knew, his hand rested on top of mine. He picked up my hand gently and kissed every bruised knuckle.

He looked down at my lips and I looked at his.

He took a step closer to me and I took one back. He took another step and I took another back. He stopped moving.

Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. No. No. No. Yes.

I took a step forward and pressed my lips against his.

RAINE'S POV

Moonlight shone into the room from the window.

I looked at Maple as she slept soundly beside me.

Her head suddenly jerked to the right and she opened her eyes. Is wasn't her eyes though, these eyes were green. Ivan stares back at me coldly. "You cheater."

I woke up screaming.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. It's okay. I'm right here." Maple's voice brought me back to reality.

I looked at her and she looked at me. The dream of Ivan quickly faded.

We both laid back down on our sides so we were facing each other.

"You alright?" She whispered.

I nodded, "I am now."