AllFreeNovel
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He gives me his heart back.
It's thumping and wild, and a little erratic at times, but what we have together is undeniable, and I think we're both realizing we're tired of fighting the inevitable.
Not that we've made anything exclusive. Not that we've ever kissed. Our time together is something special in itself, even if I do look at him longingly every single night, waiting for the time when he finally presses his lips against mine.
"You owned that stage, Luna," Roman says as he walks up to me. I nuzzle against his chest as he hugs me, his warm, strong arms wrapping around my tired frame. My body is bruised and weary from practicing these last few months, and I'm glad to finally get a break.
"Thank you."
"Let's get going, or we'll be stuck in the parking lot forever with all these cars."
We walk out, and I see Travis talking to another classmate. He glances at me, his eyes barely passing over mine before he looks back at the girl. Our time was short-lived. Whatever we had lasted until the moment Roman walked into the winter carnival and stole me away. Travis never asked for an explanation. I don't think he even wanted one. Maybe he was glad to be rid of me.
That's okay, because being with Roman is the only place I want to be.
"Merry Christmas," my dad says when I walk into the living room a couple days later. It's Christmas morning, and as expected, there's a pile of presents under the tree. My parents never go easy on Christmas, even if they don't have a lot of extra money to spend. But whatever extra money they do have, they spend on us kids for Christmas and our birthdays.
"Merry Christmas." My mom stands over the stove, cooking French toast and sausages. Steam seeps off the skillet, the smell of cinnamon permeating the room. I walk up to her and give her a kiss on the cheek, then give my dad a hug. His morning beard scratches against my face and he smells like coffee. "Harper still sleeping?" I ask. I'm always impatient when it comes to opening gifts.
"She is sleeping. You'll have to wake her up if you want to open gifts now. College has her sleeping until the afternoon," my dad says as he grabs his cup, taking a sip. His newspaper is laying on his lap, with one leg crossed over the other.
I roll my eyes, knowing he's right. I walk back down the hall, passing my room on the way to Harper's. I stop, heading into my room. Getting down on my knees next to my bed, I reach under blindly, searching for the small package. My fingers grasp the tiny box, and I pull it out. It's only slightly bigger than a ring box, but I spent a lot of time and energy wanting to make this perfect.
My gift for Roman.
We've always gotten each other something for Christmas. Whether it be something silly like a handwritten card, or something from the candy store in town. But this year I saved up money I earned over the summer by babysitting some of the kids nearby, and I knew exactly what I wanted to get him.
I pull on the lid, and it makes a little squeaky noise as it props open. Embedded in a small pillow is a guitar pic. It's black marbled and engraved.
Soulmates.
R & L
It's not much, but I know how much playing the guitar means to him, and if he likes it, maybe he can use it forever. When he's famous, playing in front of thousands and thousands of people, maybe he'll remember the little girl from his old neighborhood. The little girl who he had a crush on and who had a crush on him.
I snap the box closed and tuck it back underneath my bed. Only a few more hours until I get it give it to him. My belly flutters with butterflies.
I hope he likes it.
A small tap on my windows makes me spring up in bed. I wipe my sweaty palms against my tight-covered legs and walk over to my window. I know who it is.
I always know who it is.
I slide my window open a crack, enough for Roman to get enough grip to raise it the rest of the way. He slides it open, the window squeaking on its hinges, and slips inside. His shoe slaps on my carpet, and a puff of snow explodes on the floor, instantly seeping into the carpet and disappearing.
"Sorry," he mumbles.
He looks handsome. He has a sweater on, and his hair is tamed a bit to the side today. He left to go to his grandmother’s house, so I haven't been able to see him all day. I didn't have much to do.
After opening presents this morning, I spent the rest of the day watching Christmas movies with the family and hanging out in my room.
We don’t have family nearby, and my parents didn’t have the money to travel this year. So, we spent our day at home together. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. I actually welcomed the peace and quiet. That, and I’ve been a ball of nerves all day. I’ve barely been able to touch my food, and I could barely focus on the words of our movies—my entire family laughing while I stared blankly at the screen.
I've just been so damn nervous.
About his gift, and about us. There's this… tension building. I don't know what it is, and I don't know how to tame it. Or whether it even wants to be tamed.
We're this low boiling chemistry that only needs one flick of a wick to burst into this incombustible heat.
