jayden
it was the night before we had to go home. this trip had been a dream. i felt something as though something had blossomed, and i wasn't quite ready to let it go. i only wished i knew how annie felt.
"jayden," i heard annie whisper from her bed.
"yeah?"
"thank you for coming." her voice was soft and for a second i thought i heard it tremble.
"thank you for inviting me, i had fun." there was a silence that was too heavy to put into words. it felt like an end. the world we had danced over and breathed in was slowly disappearing, and soon it would all be over.
"so did i."
my mind drifted back to earlier that evening, when we were sat at a round table at some sort of party surrounded by unfamiliar faces and loud voices and i missed everything about everywhere that wasn't there. annie had her hand on her knee under the table, and was nodding at something someone said when i felt her fingers slowly brush over mine.
"do you wanna get some air?" she whispered, leaning close enough that i could feel her breath on my cheek. i nodded, unable to find any sort of words that would do justice just how much i wanted that.
we weaved our way through the maze of people and sat down on the edge of a fountain outside. neither of us said anything and neither of us needed to.
something changed in the five days that we had been in new york. looks were longer and whispers were quieter and the way annie held my hand as we made our way through malls and sat through movies felt anything but platonic. but it was annie.
it had to be.
"what are you thinking about?" annie asked, softly, as if it was meant only for me to hear.
"i just- i guess i just missed this. it's been too long since it's just been us."
"any time without you is far too long, jayden." i felt my heart flutter and heat rise to my cheeks and god, how does she do this to me?
i looked at the ground for what felt like an hour before her hand gently rested on my knee and the other pulled my chin up until my eyes locked with hers.
"the first time i saw you i couldn't breathe for a minute. i just thought 'wow, she is so beautiful.'" i laughed a sort of laugh that she knew meant i didn't believe her.
but then her hand slid up to hold my cheek and her thumb brushed over my lips and i wasn't sure if i had really seen her eyes flicker down but then she pulled my face towards her and met my lips with hers and i froze for a second.
and then she pulled away just enough and said "i-i'm sorry, i didn't know if- i just thought that," and what was she apologizing for?
before she could finish her sentence, i leaned forward and caught her lips in another kiss, breathless and messy and as perfect as she was.
i was snapped out of my reverie by the feeling of the bed dipping beside me.
"c-can i?"
i knew what she was asking and i exhaled a sigh of relief because i wanted to be close to her more than anything.
"of course," i whispered, wrapping my arms around her as she lied down beside me.
"jay, i don't want this to end." she buried her face into my neck and wrapped her arm around my waist and our legs were intertwined and every inch of my heart felt warm.
"it won't. we won't. we'll figure it out."
"promise?"
"yes."
