graffiti - z.m.

{ 14 }

[nora’s pov]

“Are you ready?” He whispered to me as I had been watching the city through the open window - for a moment completely lost in thoughts. My eyes found his in the dark and I could see him smile that crooked one of the kind that begged for trouble - demanded life to be right there on the edge.

“When he stops at the next red light. On my count of three,” he continued and I could feel his hot breath as he whispered it into my hair so the driver wouldn’t notice. My heart started pounding like crazy and panic washed through me, but he just grinned at me and his hazel eyes told me it was going to be fine as he stated ‘one’.

I watched with him as we looked out through the driver’s window seeing how the junction came closer and closer; I wasn’t sure exactly where we were I just knew it was somewhere in Lower Manhattan. We were almost there. ‘Two’. My eyes flickered wildly around - if we were in Lower Manhattan we had to walk countless of blocks up through Manhattan to get to my place.

“Why don’t we wait till he gets closer?” I whispered back with hasty words still being able to feel the stinging in my heels from the blisters; it could be nice to be driven to the door, but of course that would be stupid - but maybe something closer by at least?

“Just trust me on this,” he told me as the car started lowering the speed and I was about to argue as Zayn leaned in across me. “Three,” he spoke a little louder and opened my door as the taxi came to a full stop. Zayn was sitting as close as he could get and pushed me by the waist making me stumble out of the car; the driver turned around yelling a ‘hey!’. We were in the middle of the street in an ocean of waiting cars, my hair blowing in the light summer breeze as I looked over my shoulder to see Zayn only just escaping the driver’s hand.

The black haired boy was right behind me and pushed me forth while grabbing my hand tightly. My heart beat couldn’t keep up. The adrenaline making my every sense aware. Honks echoed through Manhattan, yells, people turning their heads to watch the two young fleeing New Yorkers. We flew down the street as Zayn ran as if his life depended on it - maybe it did? He pulled me with him into his world of speed and risks.

My feet were moving faster than they ever had trying to keep up with the insane beat of my heart and Zayn's rapid moves down the busy avenue. I could hear his laughter ride the wind as he maneuvered us in between the New Yorkers and tourists out in this late hour. Breath hitching. His eyes found mine and they were sparkling in contest with the city lights again; this was living.

I could feel every muscle in both my legs pushing, working to follow him. Meanwhile the frustrated yells telling everyone to stop us which came from the taxi driver drowned in the noises of the city until it was nothing more than another buzz from the metal jungle of dark towers filled with sparkling embers. I looked back right before we turned the corner just in time to see the driver slam the door shut which we had left open behind. We ran in between neon light signs and the steam from the restaurants, people, and tiny shops with mandarin signs. Crossing streets and twisting in between the yellow New York City taxis, as were they obstacles in a game we were playing to win.

I even found myself laughing as the wind threw my hair back and Zayn finally made a sharp turn slamming his back up against a brick wall and pulled me into his chest. He looked slowly around the corner as the giggles were still excitedly leaving his lips. He was breathing heavily and his chest lowered and sunk in the steady rhythm proving he had been running for full speed, “I think we lost him.”  

He looked down at me; we stood so close I could perfectly well see every dark eyelash of his and how they circled his stunning eyes like the nightsky did to the stars. The lazy smile of mine disappeared slowly. His wild eyes high on the escape flickered to my lips, which made me come back to reality and I took a step to the side biting my bottom lip. Leaning up against the wall like him; though in a safe distance now; I closed my eyes for a second trying to forget the way his hazel eyes had looked down at me with a dreamy gaze of a fairytale with a happy ending. I could still hear his heavy breathing and the butterflies' tingles mixed with the adrenaline in my veins.