walls ✰ m.c.

Chapter 3

My eyes opened carefully, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The crisp white walls didn't match my light green ones at home. I sat up and looked around, rubbing my eyes in the process. It was then I realized that I had stayed over night due to the horrible weather.

I wrapped the same brown blanket around my shoulders that was placed on me last night as I trudged my way into the dining room. I dug through my bag searching for my phone and checked the time. It was 7am, which meant I had only got 4 hours of sleep. Luckily my shift at the bookstore started at 5 later that evening, giving me more time to rest.

A shadow crept around the corner followed by light footsteps.

"There you are, thought I lost you." Michael sighs, sounding relieved. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms across his chest.

I looked up at him, giving him a sincere smile as my eyes drooped slightly from the lack of sleep. 

He was dressing in dark gray baggy sweatpants that tightened the father down his legs they got. The sleeves of his black hoodie was tugged over his hands, showing he was cold. The hood was draped over his bed head perfectly and his eyes were locked on me.

"Cold?" He pulls out the chair next to me, nodding at the blanket hanging over me.

"Yeah, thanks for this by the way." I set my eyes on him as he sat down.

Michael grabbed his sweatshirt from behind, swiftly pulling it off his torso. I watched his arms slip through the arm holes, revealing his goosebumps. He pulled his white t-shirt back down over his stomach and ran his hand through his hair.

"Put this on. And I'll take this." He slipped the blanket off my back, wrapping it around his own. "I have a hundred more upstairs. I got you."

My eyes were untainted as I looked at him which gave him an unsaid thank you.

He stepped backwards and exit the room and make his way to the stairs. I heard him halt halfway up the winding staircase.

"Oh, and slip on some shoes, I'm taking you to breakfast." He called out.

I smiled at his kindness. My attention turned to the jacket, which still sat on the table. I slipped my arms in and pulled it over my head, breathing in the scent. It was a mixture of firewood and a mint that was extremely appealing. 

I stood up, letting the over sized hoodie fall over my hands and cover my shorts. My dark blue vans faded to the original blue, signaling they dried over night. I wiggled my feet in, tugging them over my heel. 

I pulled a cigarette package and lighter out of my leather bag and made my way to the front porch. Smoking was a habit I've had since I was 15, I just couldn't kill it. It was a part of me being stressed, nobody knew except my mom knew, but what people don't know won't kill them.

I was sat on the bottom step, taking in one last drag before we left. As I brought my fingers closer to my lips, it was pulled out of my hand. Michael stepped off the bottom stair, planting his feet on the cement entrance and stood in front of me. He peered over my head, taking it between two fingers and breathing it in between his lips. The smoke escaped his mouth with ease, slow and steady, the light breeze carrying it to the right.

"Enough of this." He dropped the orange butt to the ground, digging it in the ground with his foot. 

"Why-"

"Breakfast ends at 9, don't want to miss out." He stuck out his hand, waiting for me to grab it. 

I ran my tongue over my teeth, glaring at him with questionable eyes. I took his hand with ease, pulling myself up from the stair.

We made our way to his car making small talk, not releasing our hands. I saw it more as a friendly gesture more than a romantic one. The cement path twisted and turned until we reached the bottom of the driveway and hopped in the car, making our way through the town.

He gripped the steering wheel with one hand, the other arm rested on the middle compartment. Something about how casual he drove interested me. My elbow rested on the same middle compartment and my hand propped up my chin. 

I watched the way his lips curved at every word and syllable that he spoke. I took notice in the way his eyes scrunched up when he smiled and how his eyes constantly flicked from the road to me.

He was rambling on about his work that he had to do for Mrs. Louise, when his words fell out of his mouth slower and quieter. He looked over at me, then put his attention back onto the road. The dark pink lips that spoke before now curled into a smile.

"You know it's not polite to stare." He stated, taking notice in our position.

I titled my head to the side a bit and inhaled sharply.

"I know, I'm just...observing." I laughed at my own comment, knowing I sounded strange.

He pulled into a gravel lot, shifting his car into park. He kept his hand on the steering wheel and turned to face me.

"Were you even listening to me?" He asked with a dippy smile.

I sat back in my seat properly as my eyes winded, as I realized I hadn't been tuning in. 

"Of course!" I smiled back, terribly hiding my guilty face.

We got out of the car, making our way into the small diner.

"Then what was I talking about?" He asks over his shoulder, leading us to a booth in the back corner.

"Uh...." I trailed off as my smile got bigger.

"Maddie!"

"Michael!"

We contained our laughter as a waitress approached our table.

"What can I get for the lovely couple?" Her bright smile enhanced her cheekbones that were layered with soft pink blush.

"Oh, we aren't-" I glanced over at Michael who already had his attention on me.

"2 coffees with cream please." He spoke with ease, brushing off my comment.

The woman turned her back to us, jotting on a piece of paper as she walked away.

My eyes moved back to Michael who rested his chin in his hand, like I previously did in the car. I wanted to question his reasoning for not saying we weren't a couple, but I just let it slide. We sat in comfortable silence, letting the 90s music from the jukebox fill the space. I felt his eyes lingering me. Just as I opened my mouth to ask him why, our drinks were placed in front of us. We ordered our meals quickly and our waitress whisked off.

"Look at us being the lovely young couple bonding over cups of coffee." He wiggled his eyebrows, taking a sip of the hot drink.

I rolled my eyes, wrapping my hands around the warm mug. I opened packs of sugar, pouring them in.

"There's a party this weekend at my friend's house, right on the lake by the train tracks that cross over into our town." Michael stated.

"Yeah, one of my friends actually texted me about it last night. Ashton's house, right?" I stirred my coffee with ease, mixing in the sweetness.

"Come with me. I'll pick you Saturday at 8. Deal?" He didn't ask, he was simply telling me. The mug was brought back to his lips then placed on the table. His tongue peeked through his parted lips, licking them. 

I felt my cheeks warm up and my smile grew bigger. It wasn't intended as 'you're my date' but something about showing up with him and being able to introduce each other to our friends make me happy.

I pulled at my bottom lip with my fingers then released when I began to speak.

"Deal."

From that point, I knew this was going to blossom into one of the best friendships I've had. I didn't have him figured out yet, but he sure had me figured out. He knew the right strings to pull and when he could pull them. Maybe I was just easy to figure out, or maybe we were a lot more similar than I knew.