Not Long At All

Chapter Twenty Five

Sarah's POV: 

      David leaned down towards me, his fingers lost in my hair. Despite never having kissed anyone before, I could feel myself leaning into him. It was as if this was the first time I'd kissed him for the thousandth time. 

      His heart beat against my chest, our bodies not completely touching, but tied by an energy that held us together. Two magnets, constantly attracting and repelling the other. 

      His breath hit my lips and suddenly I realized how close we really were. Sliding my hand further up his neck, I cupped the back of his head and pulled him towards me. 

      "I do say, sir!"

      David's lips brushed mine as the little fox's voice rose from around the corner. Suddenly the energy broke and we sprung apart, separating just in time for Ziggy to stomp into the living room, Didymus at his heels, "Thou art a ruffian! An undignified brute!"

      Ziggy looked down to him, his voice raised, "Well maybe you shouldn't sit right in front of the door next time!"

      For a moment David and I were ignored in the commotion, our eyes averting each other as we stood an awkward distance apart. It was the feeling of having your hand in the cookie jar as your mom rounds the corner. As soon as you see her your hand zips from the jar and you're left standing in the middle of the kitchen, trying to decide if you need an excuse for where you are, not quite sure if you look innocent enough.

      Didymus continued his berating, despite Ziggy's obvious disinterest. Turning, Ziggy's eyes landed on us, pausing before looking from me to David and back again. For a second I could feel my face grow warm, David not moving beside me. It couldn't be that obvious, could it?

      Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Ziggy twisted his tongue between his teeth, the piercing a quick dart of silver. He paused, my eyes shooting a quick glance at David before meeting Ziggy's gaze. He watched me for a moment before looking to the oven, "I thought you were going to make pancakes for breakfast."

     "They're waffles and they ain't done yet." Hoggle hobbled from around the corner, making his way around the bar to stand next to me, "Fig wipe."

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      The rest of the day passed in a nonchalant blur. Ziggy bickered with Didymus, Hoggle sat in annoyed disinterest for most of the day, and David and I began playing a new unspoken game- Look Away, We Don't Know Each Other. 

      At one point we all agreed to try to pass the time by watching a movie, but after Ziggy spent half an hour scrolling though Netflix, an argument erupted between him and Hoggle over what was a waste of time and who was uglier. We ended up watching The Princess Bride, a disheveled unhappiness tugging at everyone in the room as we tried to focus on the movie. Our stiff silence swelled, leaving the air thick and quiet. 

      Occasionally my eyes would fall to David and I would watch him, wondering about the moment in the kitchen. I still couldn't decide what happened between us. I remembered wiping the batter from his face, thinking again about how much he looked like Jareth. How had we gone from that to his lips lightly flitting against mine? The memory sent a shiver down my spine, rolling over my arms and then back up my neck.

      He had felt so sturdy with his arms around me, and when he pulled me against him, I had the strangest thought. Being so close to him, it had no longer felt like him and me- it'd felt like us. I'd felt strong in his arms, like I could fight for or against anything, but I'd also felt their safety. Now, looking at him, I remembered the frightening thought that had occurred to me in the kitchen. This is someone I could fight for.