Shout out to books_over_boys for reigning me in long enough to write this, I love you boo, thanks.
And to all of you lovely, patient, extraordinary readers that have stayed with me long enough to see this long-awaited update, thank you. I appreciate every single one of you so much.
I'll stop babbling now and get on with it... Chapter Ten of Stay Mine, Ponyboy.
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Kathlee's POV
Love.
Love is a dank pit full of memories that make your breath hitch in your throat till you feel like crying.
And that endless fear of tripping over your own two feet and falling into Wonderland.
Love can harness desperate people into doing desperate things; and love teaches us that we can't water all those cheaply delivered gas station roses with vodka, because we'll need it when the senders and delivery men decide we're not worth it.
But it is; worth it. Falling in love, I mean. Because soon enough, you'll only be living to hear 'I love you' and 'I need you'. You care less about yourself and more about your lover.
Love is a toxic flame of sincerity and dreams that just so happens to make your heart feel like flying.
And I was dancing with the devil. I loved Ponyboy Curtis; in this world of frightened kids and teens that were forced into growing up a little to fast. God help me.
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I woke up surrounded by an intoxicating aroma of cigarettes and muggy midnight air, with arms around my waist twice as strong as the smell.
"Pony...?" I sighed inquiringly, "is that y-"
"Morning Kathlee darlin'," a familiar voice interrupted, squeaking the bed as he rustled around to face me, "I missed seeing your beautiful eyes open..."
"How long have I been out?" I asked, ignoring his comment that inwardly made me spaz.
"You fell asleep last night when I was carrien' you home, then Soda and I tucked you in and slept for the rest of the night... It's 11:30 now."
"11:30? Oh man, I wanted to visit Marie today..."
"We still can," he smiled, tucking my presumably insane sleep hair behind my ears, "Johnny's in the kitchen with Soda and Steve...do you think he'd want to come?"
"You can ask him," I offered, releasing myself from his grasp (which took a hell of a lot of willpower by the way), and made my way to the doorway.
I leaned into the door frame and for the first time, noticed that Pony was shirtless.
"Like what you see?" He smirked, noticing my stare.
"You know it hun," I smiled, bending my knee, popping my butt and leaning the space between my shoulder blades against the frame, "too bad I have to go talk to Johnny..."
I had no idea where that burst of adrenaline and confidence came from, but I liked the look on Pony's face so I rode it out.
"No Kathlee wait! I'll talk to him later, come back-" he moaned, "pleeeaaase."
"I don't know Pony, I'm pretty comfortable here..."
"Oh god then stop standing like that!" He dropped his head into the pillow and groaned, "hell, girl, you don't know what you do to me..."
I felt my face get hot and my lips creep into a tiny smirk. "Well then..." I sighed, walking over to his side of the bed and crawling on, straddling the backside of his torso, "what are you ever going to do when you don't have me baby?"
He moaned and squirmed from under me, murmuring, "cry myself to sleep. So don't you dare leave now."
"I won't," I smiled, leaning down and giving him a small peck on the nape of his neck, "except for now...go get Johnny, lazy ass."
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Good? Bad? Okay-ish? (Please let me know...) I tried getting a little feistier with Pony/Kathlee's relationship, but anyways, I'm hoping there will be more of that in the near future (along with another update)!
So...
How have you all been? Good? I hope so, and if not, remember I'm always here to talk.
Okie dokie, now enough out of me! Enjoy your summers however you may be spending them, and remember to love yourselves and eachother.
Stay gold,
Mads