Leaning against his door with his hands and feet crossed, I admire how his pale blue knitted sweater fits him while he tries to look past my skin and into my soul.
“You look dead.” That’s the first thing that comes out of his mouth.And here I thought he was the polite one.
“I feel it, too.” Rolling my eyes, I take instinctive steps closer to him, wanting a whiff of his addictive scent.
“Didn’t get any sleep, sweetheart?” Anxo closes the gap between us, resting his warm palm on my cheek, which I immediately lean into it. My tired eyes fall shut on their own accord and all I can muster is a smallno. “Too busy daydreaming about me, right?”
Even with my eyes closed, I can imagine the smirk on his unfairly gorgeous face.
“Oh, bite me.”
My head falls on his shoulder, not being able to support its weight anymore. When his fingers tangle in my hair and massage my neck, I step closer until I’m right up against his chest and leaning on him. His other arm wraps around my waist to rub my back, and I feel liquid in his arms.
“What are your safe places? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Like always, he has a quick, witty response that makes me laugh before I bury my face in his neck. I’m already half asleep at this point. How is he so soft and cuddly with all those strong muscles? With my cheek against his chest, I get lost in the rhythmic beat of his heart that soothes the dull ache in mine.
“You’re so touchy. I’m not sure I like this,” I mumble, burying myself further into his arms.
His chest vibrates, lulling me to sleep as he sways us slightly. “Mhm, the way your arms are squeezing the life out of me definitely proves that.”
The back rub and scalp massage are overwhelming in the best way possible, and I have to fight back the sudden rush of tears with the way he’s holding me.
I don’t think I would ever get used to how he holds me like I’m the most precious thing in his world.
“You’re so hot.” I don’t realize my mishap until Anxo snickers and jolts me since my head is against his chest. “I meantwarm! That is definitely what I meant. Not that you’re not hot,because you are, but that’s not what I meant. Because you are…just shut up, Nevaeh!”
In this moment, I wish the ground would swallow me up.I’m ready for my demise, Mother Nature.
The soft kiss on my forehead breaks my embarrassed rambling.
Anxo pulls my face from the crook of his neck, forcing me to open my eyes and blink to clear my foggy vision. With my face in his palms, he kisses my nose quickly before dragging my sleepy self towards the kitchen.
“Come on baby, let’s get you fed, then you can nap after.”
Entering the dining area, I walk straight to the glass wall and stick my face to it.
“This view is fucking awesome.”
“You swear like a sailor,” Hazel mutters from where she is sitting on the counter, sharing a pack of chips with Grace. Her comment reminds me of how she’s been itching to piss me off these last few days, but because I have no energy to clap back, she held back.
I secretly love our banter, but I would rather stab myself than admit it to her. I like how they don’t act like I’m something fragile that would break with the wind or try to smother me. They just let me be and give me space to feel what I feel and go withmyflow.
“You whine like a child,” I retort back. Walking over to the chairs sluggishly, I sit with my chin resting on my folded arms. Angel’s scent from his hoodie gives me some energy to deal with Hazel’s attitude.
I hear Seiji snicker and turn to see him stir something on the stove while Anxo cuts fruits into small pieces beside him. Hazel is sporting her usual ‘don’t mess with me, I’m scary’ look while Grace tries to bite her smile.
“Did you get any sleep at all? You look exhausted,” Grace asks over the obnoxious sound of Hazel stuffing her face with crunchy shit.
“I have a nightmare issue—Can you stop shaking the fucking chip bag so damn loud Hazel!”
“Not feeling sogoldenthis morning, love?” Hazel asks mockingly.
My palm slams the table, and my eyes bear down on her with my deathliest glare. “Listen here, you fish on legs seascum. Stop before I wrap that unnecessary attitude and shove it so far up your ass you’re choking on it.”
I don’t realize when I slip into my untapped rage, and my essence seeps out of me before I take a deep breath and shove it back. The room falls silent, with everyone staring at me with mouths agape, tasks abandoned.
Except for Hazel, that little devil has the smuggest smirk plastered on her face, showing me her sparkling white teeth.She’ll be toothless if she doesn’t stop.
