“It was white with a red line going through the eyes.” He stops stroking my hair. His face is red with molten rage until he sighs, as if letting go of all the anger.
“I’ll never let them hurt you,” he says. That makes tears spill out of my eyes. They can do whatever they want to me, I just don’t want them to hurt my friends like they hurt Mum. I can’t lose them now, I only just found them. If today has taught me anything, it’s that I value this group of friends more than anything. I value Teddy more than anything.
I won’t let any of them get hurt.
Even if I have to die.
Teddy and I are hand-in-hand as we walk towards his flat. The rest of the gang are a little behind us, caught up in their conversation. Teddy’s hand in mine feels like home.
“What’s your favourite song?” I ask Teddy.
“Blood Lines by Sleeping with Sirens,” he answers.
“I know who they are, but I don’t know that one,” I tell him, thinking back to my phase of listening to their old albums when I was in high school. It’s probably one of their newer ones.
“What’s yours?” He asks, squeezing my hand a little. He smiles softly at me as I think it over.
“Hurt by Vukovi,” I tell him, looking up at him. He looks back, and I smile. “Do you know them?” I ask.
“Nope, never heard of them.”
“We’re having a listening party later,” I say, squeezing his hand a little tighter.
“I wouldn’t mind that actually,” he replies, squeezing my hand back, while making my heart bounce. Listening party it is then.
We arrive at the flat and Teddy lets us in, shutting the door behind us as I take my shoes off.
“Oi!” I hear Cat shout behind the door. The rest of the gang come walking up the stairs. Teddy opens the door again. “Do we just not exist anymore, Ted?” Cat jokes.
“Sorry, Queen Cat, do you want a red carpet too?” Teddy jests, motioning her into the flat with his hand.
“Yeah, and some corgis too while you’re at it.”
Instead of going into the living room, Teddy takes me into his room. His room is a box room with a king-size bed at one end of the room. There’s a wardrobe at the other end of the room and a nude carpet underneath us that tickles my feet. There’s a swivel TV on the wall with shelves full of DVDs and CDs for his CD player that’s currently on the floor. There’s a big bookshelf too, all neatly organised. There are a few fake plants scattered around, too.
“I love your room,” I say, putting my arm around his shoulder. He turns to face me with a grin.
“Thanks, Noah,” he says while turning on a few different lamps. He turns the big light off and the room is filled with gorgeous warm light. It looks so cosy.
I plop down on his bed, and the first thing I think of is what it would be like to be under the covers with him. Not to have sex, but just to cuddle. To feel his warmth and be close to him. I wish I hadn’t backed out of that kiss.
“What are you thinking about?” Teddy asks. I don’t know, maybe the fact his lips are looking very kissable right now, andI want nothing more than to lean over and do what we’re both (hopefully) thinking.
“Just you,” I say with a grin. This makes him smile. Then, before I know it, we’re lying down and facing each other. We’re quite close to each other. I can feel his breath on my face. He does a big yawn, which results in my brain copying him. He lights up like Christmas lights.
“Your yawn is really cute.”
“My yawn?”
“Is that weird?”
“No, not at all,” I tell him, a small giggle escaping me.
He then yawns again, but this time it’s definitely deliberate. My brain doesn’t know the difference, so it decides to make me yawn again. When I finish, I stare at him.
“What?”
“You did that deliberately to make me yawn.”
