Piercing Hatred | ✔️

19

~Flora's POV~

I fiddled with the ends of my skirt as I laid in Knox's bed later that night, thinking about what he'd said to me this morning. Did he mean it? Did he actually want to fix what he had screwed up?

Sure, the idea of it seemed nice enough, but I wasn't sure whether or not I should trust him. I wasn't sure if I could trust him. After all, he had tossed me aside so easily, as if our friendship had meant nothing to him, and with no explanation. Not only that, but with these damn feelings I was growing towards him, could I even be just friends with him without hurting myself in the end?

The bathroom door swung open as I peered up at the ceiling, absentmindedly rubbing the fabric of my skirt between two fingers. I looked up when Knox stepped out, his dark hair wet from his shower, and bit the inside of my cheek.

My eyes trailed after him as he sauntered across the room, a flustered heat creeping up my neck at the sight of him in just a pair of black sweatpants. He glanced at me as he stood by his side of the bed and I cleared my throat, quickly casting my gaze elsewhere. "I thought you said you wouldn't walk around half naked anymore, Knox." I mentioned, absentmindedly bouncing my foot from side to side.

Knox snorted and joined me in bed, stretching his legs out over the blankets. "And I'm not." He said simply, causing me to narrow my eyes and turn to look at him. I pursed my lips as I stared at the side of his face. "You're not even wearing a shirt." I scowled, but he just smiled at me in amusement, his gaze boring into mine. "It's cute when you get flustered by something as small as this, you know." He teased, not even bothering to argue with me about it. Caught off guard a bit, I blinked at him and frowned, slightly confused. "I-I am not flustered!" I stuttered, curling my fingers into my palms.

He smirked. "No?" He chuckled. "Just like you didn't cuddle me in your sleep last night, huh?" He teased, a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. I frowned and stared at him for a second before letting out a huff and rolling onto my side, facing away from him now.

We lapsed into a silence and I stared at the wall ahead of me, pulling at his sheets with two fingers. Eventually, I heard Knox get out of bed and almost turned to look at him, but I refrained. Instead I stayed exactly as I was, and only when he walked into my line of sight did I allow myself to look at him. He flicked off the lights and my brief sight of his oddly perfect butt was cut short, plunging the room into darkness.

The bed dipped as he climbed in again, and my skin tingled with the awareness of his presence beside me. I hesitated, trying to let my eyes adjust to the darkness.

"Knox?" I said softly after a moment, breaking the silence that had settled over the dark room. I absentmindedly fiddled with the sheets, my fingers picking at the fabric while I peered above me. "Did you mean what you said earlier today? I mean, do you actually want to fix everything?" I asked, unable to bring myself to look his way. My eyes had adjusted well to the darkness by now, and I wasn't sure what I'd see if I did dare to glance at him.

Yet even so, I knew that he didn't share those same feelings, because I was far too aware of his gaze on the side of my face.

"Yes." He answered, his voice a low murmur. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." He told me, and I bit down on the inside of my cheek in attempt to stop the small smile that wanted to grow. To be honest, I hadn't ever even considered that he might want to fix things.

"Do you actually think that we can get along again?" I wondered, my fingers fiddling with the bottom of my skirt. When he took a while to respond, I pursed my lips, assuming that meant that he was unsure. "Right." I mumbled. "Maybe that was dumb of me to ask." I sighed, turning onto my side so I was facing away from him again, no longer laying on my back.

"Hey.." Knox voiced, the bed shifting behind me as he scooted closer. The weight dipped more the closer he got, and I just about jumped when a large hand clasped onto my shoulder. "It's not like that." He assured me, his chest brushing against my back. "But you can't even look at me in the dark, Flora. Shouldn't you be worrying about that first?" He chuckled, the truth of his words making my cheeks warm. It wasn't that I simply couldn't look at him, though!

"Shut up." I scowled, burying my cheek into the pillow. He smoothed his hand from my shoulder and down my arm, the distance between our bodies decreasing when he suddenly flipped me over to face him. My eyes widened and a gasp slipped through my lips as he hooked an arm around my waist, pulling me right up against his body. "H-Hey!" I exclaimed, shocked. I pressed my hand against his chest and flushed when I felt bare skin beneath my fingertips, to which I immediately jerked away from him. "Y-You're not wearing a shirt!" I practically squealed, only earning an amused snort from him. "You know, I do believe you pointed that out earlier, too." He teased.

I failed to find an answer and instead just placed my hand on his forearm, my breath hitching as the tightening of his arm around my waist pulled me closer. We lapsed into a silence, one that was comfortable yet heavy with something that, for once, I knew wasn't just from me.

"You know something?" Knox murmured, the warmth of his breath fanning my cheeks. I peered up at him, my heart racing so fast that I could hear it in my ears, and eyed the shape of his lips. "W-What?" I stammered. A hum left him that I could feel rumbling in his chest. "Even if you hate me, I still missed you. Having you in my life." He whispered, his words causing my fingers to grip tighter at his arm.

"Really? After all the shit I've said, the trouble I've given you?" I asked, my thumb absentmindedly brushing back and forth over his skin. "Don't say that. We both know I've given you enough trouble for the both of us, Flora." He muttered. I smiled slightly and bit my bottom lip, unable to help myself from giggling. "Fair point, I suppose." I agreed quietly. "Don't let it get to your head, but I...I missed you too." I confessed, peering up at him.

Knox paused and I waited anxiously for him to say something, anything at all. Would he think I was foolish for missing him? For a long time, I know I had thought that way about myself. Why shouldn't he?

Suddenly, Knox flipped us over, a gasp escaping me as he pressed me into his bed. "You shouldn't have." He sighed softly, goosebumps rising on my skin at the warmth of his body hovering above me. "What?" I whispered, stunned and flustered by his closeness.

"You shouldn't have missed me." Knox muttered. "I don't deserve it."