Day 29: Leaves
A Leaf For Your Thoughts
Smirking, Frazie raised her eyebrows. "Come on. Join me in my little slice of autumn heaven."
Those were the words Frazie spoke to entice Norma to collapse into the colorful pile of leaves. They had been walking together, appreciating the crisp breeze and the chill that fall brought. The sky was pleasantly cloudy with hints of gray that weren't indicative of rain. But when Frazie spotted a large heap of fallen leaves underneath a tree, she took a running start and dove into it. For a moment, Norma had believed she crashed her skull open into the tree bark when she remained still, but Frazie slowly shifted her legs and arms as if making a snow angel, her intentions clear.
Norma pushed up her glasses. "You realize this is childish, right?"
"It's something anyone would do, too. What? Are you too good for this?" Frazie tossed a handful in the air, orange and scarlet leaves drifting in the calm wind. "Don't tell me you've never jumped in a freshly raked pile of leaves before."
Norma probably had. When she was a child, she must have dogpiled into them with her sister. Their yard was spacious and filled with tall oak trees. Whenever autumn rolled through, there were enough leaves to fill their backyard swimming pool. When it came time for the gardeners to tend to the fallen leaves, Norma was almost positive she and Lizzie jumped into the leafy mounds before they were gathered into bags.
Pondering, she supposed it had happened. She recalled being around eight years old. It was around the time she had started uncovering her powers. A fire was always burning inside of her, and it had been unleashed in a fit of sudden joy. The leaves were burnt to a crisp, scorching the grass and the tree bark. Afterward, Norma steered clear of the yard, even if Lizzie had urged her to play.
Frazie sat up, asking, "You alright?"
Norma blinked, fixing her tense expression. She hadn't realized it was creased, lips pinched downward and brows furrowed. She cleared her throat, her gaze relaxing. "I'm fine. I was just remembering that I, indeed, jumped in leaves as a kid," she replied, looking to the hanging, bare branches above their heads.
A stray leaf quivered, then fell. It floated toward Norma, and she snatched its flimsy stem. The color was a rich brown, almost like the shade of her hair, a realization that Frazie commented on and brought out a surprised hum from Norma.
Frazie grinned. "I said it looks like your hair. Why don't you let me see it up close to make sure?"
She patted the leaves. She drummed her fingers against them, their various hues like a rainbow dedicated to the season. Sighing, Norma decided to acquiesce. It wasn't like she was going to set ablaze the forest if she simply sat down in them. After all, she was no longer a child who lacked self-control.
She knelt next to Frazie, the leaves crunching under her. It was a familiar, comfortable noise, a telltale sign of the changing weather. She inched closer to Frazie, the leaves spreading out around her. Holding her leaf to her head, she asked if Frazie was right.
Frazie squinted, glancing between the leaf and her hair before nodding sharply. "Yep! It's definitely the same color. In which case…"
She plucked the leaf from Norma. Smoothing a long finger through Norma's frizzy hair, Frazie set the leaf behind Norma's ear. Her hand lingered for a moment, caressing Norma's warm cheek. Gulping, Norma shoved down the sudden heat that boiled in her gut. Even small gestures of intimacy jarred her fire to life, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Frazie was still smiling at her, welcoming her in, and Norma sat with her, the flames inside her chest burning like a gentle campfire.
"You'd normally do this with a flower," Norma remarked, "but I'll give you points for creativity."
"Ha! I didn't know you were the type of girl who swooned for stuff like this," she sneered, cocking her head.
She smirked, offering a smug hint of laughter. "This wasn't 'swooned' in the slightest.' I trust you've read the dictionary definition of it before."
"Well, you see, what you really wanna do to make someone swoon is…"
Frazie trailed off again. She spread her arms out, quickly cupping Norma's shoulder with her free hand. She flopped backward, the leaves scattering beneath them. Norma's glasses nearly fell off her nose, her body tense and tight as Frazie snickered. They lay together under the tree, the leaves acting as a bed, the falling leaves like a blanket. Norma had never been quite as close with someone before, her glasses beginning to fog despite the cool breeze.
Frazie rolled to her side and propped her head up in her hand, her elbow digging into the leaves. She fiddled with the leaf in her hair, and Norma felt the stem lightly graze her skin as Frazie secured it in place. Sighing, Frazie plopped onto her stomach, resting her arms underneath her head, inclining for Norma to do the same. She even gave an exaggerated stretch, tossing her legs out and quickly tucking her heels to her shins.
Norma snorted. "Are we seriously going to nap here? It's counterintuitive to our walk."
"Would you rather I keep staring into your eyes?"
Norma's breath hitched. Frazie's enchanting gaze drew her in. Steel blue eyes refused to provide any leeway. Norma found her body moving on its own, her arm folding underneath her head, her other hand holding on to her leaf. She positioned herself next to Frazie, perhaps too close for comfort, but Frazie slung her arm around Norma's hip, keeping her near, the fire in Norma's gut threatening to scorch her alive.
Frazie yawned. "Y'know, my siblings and I sometimes napped in piles of leaves when we were younger. It was pretty comfy."
"I've never done that before," Norma mumbled into Frazie's shawl.
"First time for everything, right?"
She looked up over the rim of her askew glasses. Frazie grinned at her, one corner of her mouth higher than the other. But there wasn't any hint of arrogance, no scoff or sneer to be detected.
And the fire in her belly died down, smothered with a gentle rush of the breeze on her skin and Frazie's embrace.
Norma returned her smile.
"Yes. You're right on the mark."