12.
February 15th, 2020
“Psst, Zaira. Zaira, hey; wake up, babe.”
I groaned and rubbed my shut eyes before blinking them open. “Hmm?”
“Behind you,” Gall said, and when I shuffled on the couch, I found him sitting on the floor with a huge grin on his face.
“Here.” He handed me my glasses, which I hastily put on before sitting upright.
“What time is it?” I asked, and then hid a yawn behind a hand.
“6:20,” he said. “Hey, come here.” He patted the clean space next to him. “I wanna show you something.”
I got to my feet and ran a hand over my sleepy face. “Did you clear things out?” I sat beside him and stretched my legs out next to his.
“A little, just to make place for us to sit.”
I smiled at him. “You’re sweet, Gallan Underwood.”
He smirked. “Nah, but thanks.” He then looked down at me with an expression so profound, that my entire body heated against it.
“What?” I whispered, and then quickly realized that…
“Oh God, my hair!” I began running my fingers through my course locks, and hissed when they (my fingers) came in contact with a stubborn knot.
“I swear I don’t have dead Trolls hiding under these,” I said to Gallan, and then used all my might in untangling my thick hair.
Curse you, Indian genes.
He laughed. “I’ll take you on your word.” He then pulled my hands away from my hair before easily unknotting and smoothing my hair out. “There you go.”
I stared at him – wide-eyed. “…How? What…?”
“I could see what I was working with, and you couldn’t, which is why you were struggling,” he stated matter-of-factly.
I rolled my eyes. “Cocky baboon.”
He chuckled, and then laughed rhythmically when I playfully pushed him off. “Come here.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me flush against his side before pointing ahead of us. “Look.”
I did, and felt an involuntary sigh leave me at the beautiful scene unfolding before me. “Wow…” It was the only word I could think of as I gazed at the sky.
“I absolutely love watching the sun rise. I wake up early every morning just so I can experience this,” Gallan said.
The array of colors, the burst of light, the mere serenity of it all – it was beyond beautiful.
“Thank you for showing this to me,” I told Gallan, and then placed my head on his shoulder. “It’s so calming and energizing at the same time.”
He pressed a long kiss on my hairline. “No problem. It’s something everyone has the right to witness. And yes, watching the sun rise is a positively surreal experience.” He settled a cheek on my head.
We stayed in the moment for a while – basking in the early balmy rays of the climbing sun. Gallan must’ve shut the ACs and slid the window’s glass door open for a clearer view, because warm breezes filtered into the trailer and soothed my slightly sweaty skin.
“I called Shane and told him everything,” he said after a while.
My heart raced madly in my chest. Reality – we would soon be heading back to our real lives. This little fantasy bubble we were in – it would burst. Him and I, we–
“You’re thinking again,” Gallan voiced.
