Nothing irritated me more than my alarm clock blaring at six in the morning. I'd rather a tornado come and whisk me away than be woken from my slumber; not that I have anything against waking early on weekends or holidays.
This morning was different. So was yesterday mooning. And the morning before that. And the morning before that. Honestly, I couldn't remember when sleep had become my comfort.
I silenced the alarm and snuggled beneath the sheets, waiting for the tendrils of sleep to pull me back into unconsciousness. They never did.
I glanced at the clock and sighed.
6:15.
Great.
Today was the first day of sophomore year and I barely had enough time for a shower, not counting the minutes it would take to decide on what to wear. Perhaps if I skipped the shower and dressed as a hobo I could lay in bed and little while longer and still catch the bus.
No!
No matter how long I laid in bed and tried to summon the remnants of what had been the most amazing dream ever, it wouldn't return. There was a possibility of it coming back tonight and entertaining me again while I slept—like it had done countless nights before—but I doubted I would be that lucky. And if I was, there's no guarantee that it would be that perfect.
And nothing would ever be as perfect as him. The boy. He was the cutest guy I'd ever seen. His dark hair was a mess of curls, his nose was perfectly straight, and he had green eyes. But the best thing about him was his voice. He had the voice of an angel. I smiled, remembering the four words he'd said that had caused my heart to hammer in my chest.
"You are so beautiful."
He'd stroked my neck and kissed my cheek, and small tingles of bliss erupted throughout my body. His lips lingered there for a few seconds. They ticked by slowly—each seemed like a small eternity—and I imagined the silent ticking of the absent clock that hung on its nail in the wall. Tick. Tick. Tick. It was unmistakable when their warm presence no longer lingered. The clock vanished, and the room was absolutely silent.
The cool breeze of the night air wafted in through the agape window, whispering as it circled the room. It brushed against my skin and I shivered, feeling goosebumps form on my arms. The wind was much too cold for an August night, especially in North Alabama.
He leaned close to me and kissed my lips, replacing the chill with the warmth of his body.
I returned the kiss and smiled. I couldn't muster the words to describe what I was feeling in that moment. It was like tasting cotton candy for the first time. Even though there were rumors of its delicacy, the first taste brought forth a new mouthwatering flavor. Except I wasn't eating cotton candy and this didn't have a taste.
I was the first to break the kiss. He panted heavily, and I released the small breath I had been holding for what seemed like forever. My lungs ached, and I wondered how long I had been holding my breath. I gasped for air. He didn't act surprised and watched as I regained my composure.
I met his gaze and instantly felt refreshed. HIs eyes. They were the color of freshly-grown spring leaves on trees. I imagined myself running through an evergreen forest, getting lost on the sea of green.
I blinked and snapped out of the trance and jerked out of our embrace. I backed away from him and dangled my legs over the side of the bed. A fear had crept into my mind: If I kept swimming in the green sea, I could have slowly drowned in its depths, never wanting to resurface.
