w 1 t n e s s

eight

tyler

Halle was curled up on my chest, her head resting on my shoulder and her body curved into mine. She'd passed out half an hour ago while we listened to music in my room. Her fluttering lips were too perfect to disturb. I decided not to wake her.

Pulling my phone out, I found the post from the previous day on Halle's account. I hadn't been on Instagram since the previous morning, so this was the first time I'd seen it. I liked the post, then scrolled to the comments. To my surprise, Kirby had commented on it already.

kdach77: Oh yeah, booya Halls. Bout time.

I liked the comment, laughing internally. I looked at the other comments, reading the thoughts of her friends and even family. Emily's comment made me laugh as well.

emily.kraska: That's my best friend! Go parents go.

I liked that one too. After a moment, I requested to follow Emily. Why not?

Putting my phone back down onto the bed, I focused on Halle's steady inhaling. Her sleeping rhythm was soothing, lulling me to a half asleep state. Despite the relaxing position, I couldn't fall asleep all the way. My thoughts ran rampant with the notion of her. All I could imagine were baby blue eyes that I could get lost in, reminding me of crisp winter mornings and ice on the lake. Soft blonde hair that reminded me of golden bread pulled fresh from the oven. Pink lips that reminded me of summer sunrises and cases of bubblegum. She was everything I could ever need and want. I was completely certain I'd fallen in love at first sight. How else could I describe my instant fascination with her?

She was my girlfriend now. She'd been my girlfriend for twenty four whole hours. It still felt like a dream. I never wanted her to leave, never wanted her to stop cuddling against me. I never wanted her to stop kissing me like I was last person in the world. She'd been a tornado from North Carolina, creating a crazy storm and throwing my life upside down. Like a whirlwind she'd blown in and changed everything I knew. I loved her, and I'd only known her for a few weeks.

Knowing that my sweet little blonde was leaving me the next day was almost impossible to handle. I knew the trip to the airport would be a hard one. I didn't want to think about it. Right now, I had to take advantage of her presence. One more night with her in my arms. One more night to appreciate her soft skin and feathery hair. One more night to stare at her plump lips, slightly open in her sleep. I swallowed heavily.

How were we going to do this? We lived so far apart, with such busy lives. A chance like this wouldn't happen again. I needed to talk to someone on the team who'd dealt with this before. Of course, I knew I should've done that before all this happened. I knew I should've talked to Jon or someone. I knew we shouldn't have rushed this. I couldn't help myself. I couldn't imagine continuing to live without Halle being mine.

Picking my phone back up, I shot a text to Jon.

Tyler
You free Monday? Need to talk about something

Jon
Sure kid. Gym @ 8?

Tyler
Yeah that works
Thanks Jon

Jon
No problem

Again I let my phone drop. I didn't regret anything, but the reality was settling in.