New Girl - The Creatures

Chapter 41

"Greetings," I said as I spun in my chair to face James. "You could say that," he grinned before flopping onto my bed. "What brings you to my humble abode?" I asked, turning away from him for a moment to approve a Steam update that had popped up on my screen. "I wanted to talk. If that's okay," he added quickly, fidgeting with his hands as I turned back to him. He had changed out of his pool-soaked clothing, which I was grateful for since he would have been thoroughly drenching my bed in chlorinated water.

"What about?" I asked, slowly spinning the chair halfway over and over. "I mean, I've kissed you twice now and both times we didn't really have a chance to discuss it. Or us, really," he said, smirking slightly as he gazed at me. I felt my heart leap for a moment at the mention of 'us', but maintained my composure. I stood up, stretching, then sat down on the end of my bed. "Us, huh?" I teased, acting as though the notion was something new and profound and not like we'd been sneaking around a department store to kiss.

He sat up too, rolling his eyes whilst smiling at my stupid comment. "Sam, I really like you. Like I get this jittery feeling in my chest anytime I think about you. You're all I can ever think about, and I can't get you out of my head. I haven't been able to since you moved here. But I've been worried about saying anything because of what you may think or what our friends may think or the channel or what anyone may think. So I was quiet about it, even when we were in the hotel room and I bribed Jordan to get you Cherry Garcia and I tried my damnedest to keep your mind off of people that would rather hurt you than be selfless." He paused and cleared his throat before continuing.

"But that whole hospital scare really made me think about how I'm tired of being worried. I'm tired of not doing things for myself and not being happy for myself because I don't want to let other people down. So I'm putting myself out there. I'm crazy about you Sam. I want to take you out on dates and win you giant stuffed teddy bears and make you laugh till you can't breathe. I want to kiss you without having to look over my shoulder. I want you to pick me. But most importantly, I want to make you happy. So if you'd rather be with Seamus instead of me, then I understand. I wouldn't like it, but if it's what makes you happy then I'll do it in a heartbe-"

James' words were cut off by me. Well, by my lips. I had lunged forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissed him, more passionately and intensely than I ever had before. The secret kissing from earlier in the day had been soft, stolen away kisses. This was 'I need you' kisses, kissing that I wanted him to know meant that he didn't need to pour his heart out for me to already know what it contains.

He wrapped one hand around my waist and the other landed in my hair, running through his fingers like silk. I pushed forward, biting his lip slightly as I kissed him. We slowed down as we both laid back onto my pillows, eventually pulling apart. He had his arm beneath my neck and I laid on his chest, our breathing both slowing down from a killer makeout session.

"It's been you, James. It's been you since I found out you were ever even interested in the running. I may not have known it, but I do now and I have since you first kissed me," I exhaled, my head light and swimming from the pulsating thought of how he was holding me, how I had secretly craved this for longer than I could have ever known.

"You have no idea as to how long I've waited to hear you say that," he sighed softly, the slightest tinge of melancholy coating his voice. I leaned back to look into his deep brown eyes. Had they been able to speak, they'd tell me how many times they looked at me the way they are now, how many stolen glances and not so stolen gazes had been exchanged between them and my unknowing self.

"James, what are we going to do?" I whispered, the thought of breaking the news to Seamus cascading over me like a tidal wave, bringing with its tide a sense of dread and anxiety. If he was true to his word, Seamus would back down and act as though everything were fine. But if he wasn't, then there'd be hell to pay, and I wasn't sure if it would be functional within the group should things go south. James seemed to be thinking similarly.