1.1 | Cherry Knots ✓

05 | closer

0 5

c l o s e r

The silence was unsettling, Declan's presence unnerving. His grin was positively wicked, eyes slanted mischievously as he watched me fumble for a decent reply.

As for me, I was at a complete lost for words. "Um, what?" I blurted, at last.

He rolled his eyes. "Do I need to spell it out for you, El? A kiss. Come on, lay one on me."

"No!" The thought of kissing Declan sent a wave of indescribable emotions rushing through me. "I'm not going to kiss you just because you want me to."

"Why?"

I got up quickly and headed back into his room, my hair falling into my face to shield it like a protective curtain. To my greatest dismay, Declan followed closely behind.

"Because it's weird," I said, at last, sitting down on his bed.

He sat down next to me. Our knees brushed, his skin flush against mine. The contact was fleeting, barely there, but I flinched and drew away quickly.

"Why's it weird?" Declan looked genuinely curious, his eyebrows knitted together in a confused frown.

I was completely flummoxed. Did he not see how ridiculous this all was? Did he not realise how a kiss could lead to feelings? And how any sort of feelings always led to hurt? "Because no one does that," I explained, desperation seeping into my voice. "You don't just go up to a girl and get her to kiss you! I mean, what about her feelings and - "

"Eloise," He shook his head, his eyes filled with mirth and an amused smile playing on his lips. "I'm just kidding. You don't have to get all worked up."

Embarrassment washed over me when I realised how worked up I was getting when Declan was just taking the piss. Huffing in annoyance, I grabbed the pillow closest to me and swung it at him. Although his hands came up at the last minute to shield himself, the force from the pillow collided heavily onto him and he fell back slightly onto the bed, the wind rather knocked out of him.

And he lay there, groaning, his hands clutching in stomach as if in dreadful pain.

A surge of panic gripped me, and I leaned over him. "Did it hurt? Shit, I'm so sorry," I apologised, the worry I felt unconsciously seeping into my voice. "Declan?" Not a single sound escaped him, and the panic I felt rose into desperation as I gripped his shoulders and shook him briefly. "Declan? You're scaring me."

Suddenly, a familiar pair of hands gripped my waist, and I yelped in surprise. He was far too quick for me, however, and in the next instant, I found myself flipped over, trapped beneath him, mere inches separating us. His curls framed his face perfectly, his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smirked, and I knew, with a sinking feeling of dread, that I had been well and truly played.

Again.

"Was that worry I sensed there, El?" he teased. "You were worried for a second there, weren't you?"

"You are so immature," I informed him, brusquely, rolling my eyes at him. "Now let me go."

He grinned wickedly. "Not until you say 'I'm sexy' first."

I let a brief smile touch my lips. "I'm sexy."

He blinked in confusion for a brief second, before realising that I had fooled him, and when he did, his eyes narrowed. "Very funny, you have such a brilliant sense of humour."

"Thanks, I'm glad you appreciate it. Now will you let me go?"

"Why?" As if he had just realised our compromising position himself, his eyes travelled down for a fleeting moment to my lips. His voice was unexpectedly husky, far rougher than his usual, as he continued, "I quite like it up here."