It was edging towards nine-thirty, and Aya found herself completely engrossed with the drama unfolding before her. It was about a girl who had been forced to transfer to a 'rich' school by her family. The girl made many friends there. And enemies. And people that were in between.
Like the lead male, who was constantly teasing her about her 'poor' upbringing. They had many misadventures, and misunderstandings, but in the end it turned out the boy really liked the girl.
Aya was a sucker for such stories, so she found herself watching avidly, completely oblivious to the real world.
The girl was so dense sometimes, it took her forever to even realize that the boy liked her. And when she did, she went through this long angsty spell where she swore up and down that she didn't-couldn't feel the same. At one point, Aya wanted to reach into the TV and shake the girl silly.
They were just at the moment when the boy was cornering the girl, he was going to make her face the fact that she was in love with him, too! And then...
Nothing. Aya fell asleep.
Which didn't really matter, Aki thought in amusement, as just at the pivotal moment, when the girl opened her mouth to...react, the end theme came up and the story was left unfinished for another night.
The story was amusing to him, of course, but he still preferred to read a good book. You could get into the character's heads better that way, while images on a screen lacked a certain level of...something. Something that clearly defined the character. Or, more clearly, in some cases. He was far more interested in what lay beneathe the surface. The deeper the better.
He rolled over onto his back, feeling calm and content as he watched dim light and shadow chase each other across the ceiling.
Everybody has a secret side. A side of themselves that they don't show anybody. Even Aya, he thought, turning his head to look at the girl sleeping deeply at his side. She was laying on her stomach, sideways across the futon, her legs sprawled like a child's across the floor. Her arms were above her head, wrapped loosely around a pillow. Her lips gently parted, her hair in soft tangles, trailing across her temple and arm, the ends curling on the floor.
He remembered the night before, and his own absurdity for having not thought about such a possibility before. But the thought didn't really excite him this time. Yes, there was that desire that always simmered under the surface of his thoughts for her. But he was just so warm...and soft. All he wanted was to cuddle close to Aya, and breathe her in.
With slow, almost dream-like movements, he reached out one hand and lifted a lock of her hair. Pushing up on his elbow, he leaned across her and lowered his face, bringing that lock of hair up to his nose and lips.
Closing his eyes, he breathed, slow and deep, feeling his body relax further at the familiar scent of Aya, and sweet shampoo.
He sighed, drawing gently back with lowered eyelashes. He tenderly looped the tress over her shoulder, resettling it away from her face and leaving the soft curve of her cheek exposed.
He stayed on his elbow though looking down at her.
I am so in love with you.
He wanted to say it out-loud. He needed to say it to her, even if she wasn't conscious enough to actually hear it.
Leaning forward once more, he tilted his head slowly. "I am in love with you..." A whisper, barely enough to actually be called sound. It was more a movement of lips and breath, but it was enough to stir the spider-silk of hair fallen across her throat, and she moved slightly, shifting her shoulders.
Another soft touch on her hair, then he slowly retreated. Laid back in his previous spot and forcefully turned his eyes back to the ceiling.
The light from the TV was muted, but it was still enough to hide the 'stars' directly above them. Though the patterns further away were much clearer, and constantly being re-charged at the faint glow that just barely reached the shadows in the corner.
With an absent flick he reached back and above his head, groping for the switch until he found it. The room was plunged into true darkness, and for one moment he was blind. Then slowly the familiar shapes and shadows began to emerge.
Without the distracting light, the stars directly above them were glowing strong and bright now, while the more-distant ones were flickering and slowly going out.
He found himself hazily following new lines in those stars, making shapes where he hadn't seen any before.
Not bothering with a cover, or the fact that both of them were laying half on the floor, and half on the futon, he felt himself drifting closer to sleep, and had no will to fight it. In moments his eyes closed, and he was gone.
( ) *
Something woke her. What was it? It seemed too much effort to lift her head, so she moved her half-open eyes, seeing her gold hair in the darkness.
Okay, she thought, then started to drift back to sleep.
Her eyes flicked open again, as whatever woke her...persisted. Trying to gather her wits through her sleepiness, she waited for it to happen again. She didn't wait long. The bed beneathe her was...moving. A gentle rise and fall.
Even in her half-asleep state, that didn't seem normal to her. She drew her head up slightly, and stared blinkingly down at gold hair.
It took her a long second to realize that it couldn't possibly be her own. She didn't startle awake. She slowly pushed up, realizing that those soft movements were his deep, even breaths.
Her hair hung, tangled and loose over her eyes as she stared down at him. She yawned, her eyes closing momentarily, then slowly re-opening. She tilted her chin marginally, taking distant catalog of their position, but not really assimilating the information. Her mind was so very slow-moved when she wasn't fully awake.
He was laying on his stomach, his head cradled on his arms as his hair fell in dishevelment.
She was pretty much sprawled across his side and back, her leg thrown over one of his and her hand resting on the curve of his shoulder. Her face was nearly pressed into the base of his neck, her nose buried in his hair.
Something about this...stuck with her. But she couldn't think of why. She was so sleepy, and warm. Laying back down in her previous position, she brought her hand slowly up from his shoulder and rested it under her chin, fingertips just barely resting on the warm skin above his skewed collar.
Having been barely awake, it didn't take very long for her to slip under.
TBC...