Blanket of Stars [completed]

✩Four Fickle Flames

"There's no guarantee,
that this will be easy.
It's not a miracle you need, believe me.
Yeah, I'm no angel, I'm just me,
but I will love you endlessly." - The Cab

[Day 2 since Devlin's return]

✩....Four Fickle Flames

After spend two hours of cleaning his apartment, I was tired. Our little safe haven looked beautiful. I had rearranged the furniture so it wouldn't block the light from the window. The warm, bright afternoon sun drowned the room in an orange glow. I pressed my hands on the edge of the floral sofa, taking in the beautiful scenery outside. Strands of my hair blew with the quiet breeze.

I could feel the sunlight soaking my skin. I closed my eyes, savoring every second of the heat. My tired bones were content. After the cold winter this year, the arrival of spring felt like a heavenly gift.

There was a hushed rustle behind. I turned around to find Devlin staring at me. Light strewed through his eyes, they almost looked golden. Warm, honey like coppery gold. My heart skipped a beat or maybe two. He held his hands on either sides, clenched tightly. The expression he wore was neutral. I at-least expected him to be surprised. Maybe not.

"You cleaned everything," His eyes roamed around the living room. "You didn't have to,"

The formal tone of his voice caught me off guard. Usually when Devlin spoke to me, his voice was inviting, almost as an allure for me to unfold the secrets from my heart.

I wrapped my hands around my arms. "I wanted to,"

We stared at each for few minutes. A strange, infinite bearing in the space between us. He looked away first.

I advanced towards him. My fingers reaching out to touch his face. They came in contact with the bandage on his left cheek. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head and my heart fell. "I just need some space-"

"Devlin, look at me."

He faced me and forced a smile. "I am perfectly fine,"

I let my hand drop. "I brought food!" I moved towards the kitchen. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Devlin in a step behind me. "Finally learned how to cook. Turns out I can feed two," I winked at him, brushing a strand of hair off my neck.

The kitchen counters shone brightly. I had spent most of the morning scrubbing them. My fingers unwrapped the containers from the plastic bags. I had cooked pasta and had toasted some bread for us. The food was probably cold. I was about to place the food in the microwave when his hands gripped my arms and forced me to face him.

Devlin lowered his neck, bringing his face close to mine. I felt Goosebumps rise on my skin. Damn, the effect he had on me.

"You should freshen up. I'll have lunch ready," Breathlessly, I spoke.

"Aren't you going to ask me anything?" The smell of coffee drowned me. I wonder how many cups he drank.

I titled my head. "Should I?"

"Alice"

"Mhm?"

"Seriously?" He sighed.

"Devlin, tell me honestly if I ask you anything right now, will you answer me truthfully?"

"That doesn't mean you should stop questioning me. Don't you want to know why my father beat me up like that? Don't you want to know why I'm here a week early?" The lack of distance seemed to have slipped out of his mind. My chest was flush against his. The heat from his body seeped into mine. It took all my self-control to not burst into a flaming red blush.