As they sat on the couch, he swore he could touch the electricity between the two of them and die from shock. Her hair was cascading down her side into a perfectly messy braid. She was laughing at an offhanded joke he made seconds earlier, and their eyes met for a second too long. His eyes darted to her lips and back. There was a tightness in his chest and blood in his ears, as if his body knew what was coming next. He was afraid that if he touched her, he might not live to see the sun rise the next day.
That doesn't stop him, though.
Before he realized what he was doing, he reached out to touch her long blonde braid and their lips met. If his heart were to beat any faster, it would, without a doubt, burst open. The kiss was over before it even began.
"What the fuck, Killian?" her eyes were fierce and full of fire. His were wide and full of terror.
She rose from the couch and walked across the small apartment living room to the small kitchen and leaned against the edge of the sink, arms crossed, and cocked an eyebrow.
"Emma, I—" he made an attempt to get off the couch and walk towards her.
"Save it," she cut him off. "You know this can never work."
Really, he should have seen this coming. They had lived together for two years, in a run-down apartment, and their friendship had been teetering on a thin line between "more than friends" and "best friends."
Most of the time, it leaned to the side of "best friends." Which he didn't mind, most of the time. It was only when she brought home boyfriends who would scream and shout, followed by one night stands with guys he still sees in passing on the streets. There was a break in the cycle of awful partners, right after a nasty breakup, when he noticed Emma looking at him with such love and longing in her eyes that he thought there might be a chance. And there was.
Almost.
She must have noticed the apology in his eyes because she sighed heavily and ran a hand over her eyes. "Look— I… I don't know. I don't know what's been going on with you these past few months… But… T-this isn't working anymore. Maybe it's time I start looking for a different place to live."
This lit a fire in his soul. A dark, stinging, burning feeling, that made it feel like bile was rising up his throat. He swallowed it down and cleared his throat. She's running. He knew it. He was angry, hurt, and surprised. They had been watching a movie on television. Everything had been fine. She had leaned in, too. His surprise faded and was replaced by hurt which, as many may know, comes out in the form of anger.
"No need, Swan. I would hate to inconvenience you any more than I already have. I'll be out of your hair by the end of the week."
He heard the words as they left his mouth, laced with venom, and they barely sounded like his own. The look on her face said that she was just as surprised as he was at his declaration.
"Don't be stupid, Killian. Where would you even go?" she hid behind a cold tone of voice, but her eyes were full of worry. Neither of them meant the words that they were saying. But she is too stubborn and so is he. They were at an impasse, and he was the first to make a move.
"Well, like you've said, love, I need to get off my arse and actually do something with my life. It's not your worry where I end up, is it? Like you said," he sneered, "this isn't working anymore."
He left her there in the kitchen as he strode to his room and lightly slammed the door. He almost felt like he was overreacting, but there was no time to back down. Before he could change his mind, he got online and booked the first flight he could find to Los Angeles.