runaway

TWO | FLINGS AND MISTAKES

TWO | FLINGS OR MISTAKES

Whether the bright morning sun perpetrating through the windows and streaking across the apartment or the internal alarm clock embedded in her brain woke her, Jett is not quite sure. She is certain only of their entangled legs, her head resting on his chest, and his arms wrapped lazily around her. It pains her to admit how comfortable she is, splayed on top of him, a comfortable she cannot stand for long. She lifts her head enough to look at him, to take in his soft, sleep-ridden features. His breathing remains even, soft snores leaving his slightly parted lips, with strands of fringe hanging in his eyes that she is half tempted to brush away but knows better than to risk it. With no insinuation of his waking anytime soon, she slowly, silently, stealthily untangles their bodies and slips from his grasp and the bed sheets.

Immediately, the air condition coerces chill bumps along her naked body, but the heat from the blistering Georgia sunrays spilling through the windows requires it. Mindlessly, Jett collects the first article of clothing she sees from the ground and throws it over her body, not realizing its true owner until the shirt falls just short of covering her ass, the young man's stature being not much greater than her own. To herself, she shrugs, not seeing the point in searching for her own amongst the chaos of their clothes splayed across the ground. Rather, she progresses towards the bathroom, brushing her teeth and using the toilet in a pre-coffee daze. He is properly sprawled across the half-vacant bed when she finally emerges, still showing no signs of stirring. On one hand, it irks her, his still being here, but on the other, she wishes to prolong the inevitable interaction following his waking, so she leaves him be and walks towards the kitchen.

The studio apartment is rather petite in nature, everything bleeding into each other with little regard to room boundaries. Aside from last night's clothes on the floor, everything is sustained orderly, all staying in its proper place. Still, there are traces of holes in the walls from the previous occupant's picture frames, dips in the flooring from where they must have dropped something heavy, and stains on the sofa from their early morning coffee and late-night wine spills. There are traces of life, but none of them are from the young woman. The only proof of her residing there for longer than a night are her clothes hanging dutifully from the rack pushed off to the side, her unzipped and waiting suitcase tucked beneath, and the ragged Converse and worn Dr. Martens resting by the unlocked door.

Jett steps around the kitchen island, the sole barrier of the apartment, and immediately reaches into the cabinet, collecting two mugs and the bag of Dunkin' Donuts coffee grinds. The small coffee pot, only preparing five cups, rests on the marble counter beneath, waiting patiently for her as it does every morning. She readies it without thought, filling the filter with three spoonfuls of the dark roast grinds and the pot with water from the faucet. In the background, she hears the reluctant groan and rustle of bedsheets, but she pays it no mind. Even the clear shuffle of his footsteps against the hardwood floors as he maneuvers towards the kitchen do not deter her from her current task.

"Morning," Emmett says, his voice still dripping with sleep as he tries to rub it from his eyes.

"Morning," Jett mumbles, still turned away and focus placed elsewhere.

He walks over to the far cupboard beside the fridge, still relatively close to her considering the minute space, and leans against the counter. "Last night was fun."

"Yep," she says, blunt and unbothered.

"I was wondering whether or not you would still be here when I got up this morning," Emmett confesses, crossing his arms over his chest while he watches her.

"I mean, this is my apartment," Jett says. The drip of coffee filling the pot begins to sound as she finally turns to face him.

"I know," he shrugs. "Guess I still figured you would try to run off anyhow."