comfort | sean and kaycee.

second time II.

that same night at her house, the two were readying to go to bed. kaycee shook out her hair as she turned off her blow-dryer while sean brushed his teeth at the sink next to hers. as she set the blow-dryer down onto the counter, she stared at him through the mirror. it wasn't in a lovey-dovey admiring way (that only happened when she wasn't aware of it happening; she only knows because of her friends' teasing), but more so, an observant, pensive way. there were brushing-produced bubbles dribbling from the corner of his mouth, his hair tied up in a tiny ponytail that sprouted from the center of his head. his eyes were focused on the mirror but on some vague spot that had nothing interesting to see, like his mind was far away and pondering. his lithe hand moved his brush mechanically with little thought to where it was cleaning. the yellow hoodie was quite big on him and his grey sweatpants were shaking from the relentless bouncing of his right leg.

it was an everyday look for sean, to be honest. it was practical, comfortable , but only enough to accommodate his wildly energetic flings of creativity, which could make him far-off and lost in his own head. kaycee smiled. that consistency was nice to have. he was predictable, in the best way predictability can be, and it was a comfort to know that he would always be like this. a reliable comfort.

at this thought, her head flashed the stark image of sean's half-lidded eyes close to hers, close enough that she could see his pores, and his lips nearly brushing against hers.

kaycee squeezed her eyes tightly shut, groaning inwardly. so embarrassing.

somehow, that subtle movement snapped sean back into reality.

"you good?," he asked, speech muffled from the brush.

she sighed and pulled her hair behind her neck, resting her arms on her shoulders.

"yeah, i'm okay. i just feel bad about messing up your plans."

he rolled his eyes with amusement before he quickly spit out the bubbles and wiped his mouth with a nearby towel.

"i told you kayc, it's fine," he replied. "it really doesn't matter. i promise i'm not hurt by it." she gave him a look, eyebrows drawn upward.

"you sure? you're not upset that the special occasion didn't happen?" sean shook his head, short and fast, as he lowered the towel.

"no, of course not! it's not like that's the only chance i'll ever have to kiss you."

kaycee's arms swung to her sides before landing on the tiled counter. she compressed her lips and leaned onto the hands, her shoulders pressing up to her cheeks.

"so . . .," she said slowly, "are you already looking for your next chance . . .?" he licked his lips and rested his weight onto the top as well, tapping his fingers against the surface.

"a little. but not as much 'cause i want you to be comfortable with it."

"i meaaaan," she replied suggestively, her voice pitched high, "i've had time to think through it. so i won't be too surprised anymore." sean shrugged, pressing his lips together.

"well, the mood's totally gone now," he sighed, "we'd have to wait until the next sunset."

"oh," kaycee scoffed, "pfft. sean, you don't need to be so extra." she waved her hand, dismissing the notion. "it can be whenever."

there was a pause before sean turned his head towards her, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"kaycee rice," he asked, "are you indirectly asking me to kiss you right now?"

she froze for a second before glancing to the left with wide, playfully guilty eyes.

"i mean," she replied lightly, "we've brushed our teeth. maybe i didn't want to kiss you earlier because your breath smelled bad." sean threw his towel at her, smirking.