Splintered Illusion

» fifteen «

"Who was that guy you were with?"

I frowned. "You mean Owen?"

Puck shrugged, an odd look in his eyes as they darkened even more. "Is that his name?" he asked, an edge to his voice, his eyes looking anywhere but at me. "I remember him from that day..." That day in the cafe. Where he found me with Owen. "You had a bruise on your face that day," Puck commented, almost without realizing, but when he saw my eyes fly open in surprise, he raised a questioning brow.

"O-oh," I stutter, forcing myself to laugh a little. "I fell. Down the stairs. Pathetic, I know. I can be so clumsy sometimes." Puck stared at me and I knew he could tell I was lying - he could always tell, so I quickly changed the subject. "The noodles were good."

He looked away from me and to the empty to-go box in his hand, a small smile playing at the ends of his lips. "Yeah?" Relief flooded my body and I nodded. "Thank you."

"We should go," I said after a moment, eyeing the afternoon sky. "I need to get to class."

Puck nodded, his smile vanishing and a troubled look replacing it. "Yeah, we should..."

"I don't want to, though," I whispered quietly, still staring at the sky longingly.

From beside me, I heard Puck chuckle. "I don't want to leave either." His hand slowly inched its way to mines, freezing for a moment as if I'd pull away. When I didn't, he engulfed my small hand in his big one, warmth radiating from it and throughout my whole body.

"It's really pretty up here," I murmured, giving Puck's fingers a squeeze.

His body scooted closer towards me. "I can name another pretty thing up here," he said, voice teasing.

"What?" I asked, turning towards him. He stared at me intently, and it was only then that I realized. My cheeks flushed a deep scarlet and he let out a small chuckle.

I sighed, picking myself off the ground and holding out a hand to Puck. "We really should go."

He smirked and grabbed my hand, and instead of me pulling him up, his weight caused me to stumble and I wobbled, losing my balance and falling on top of him. He groaned as his back hit the hard cement and I gasped.

"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry," I said, pulling my face off his chest as I stared down at him. "Are you okay?"

Puck winced but managed a small smile through the pain. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." It was only then that I realized the close proximity of our faces, and it seemed he did too. His warm breath fanned over my face, eyes darting over my features as an odd kind of longing pooled in his eyes. Up close, I could see that the irises were actually a striking, dark brown in contrast to the black I saw when there was distance between us.

"Polly...," he murmured, eyes flickering downwards to my lips, which parted as soon as he laid eyes on them.

He was going to kiss me... Did I want him to?

But I didn't get the chance to answer my own thoughts before he started leaning up...and up and up. Until his lips were only a breath away. My eyes fluttered shut on their own accord, expecting to feel his lips on mine.

Suddenly, the rooftop door was thrown open, the metal clanging roughly with brick.

I flinched, startling as my head whipped towards the direction of the rooftop door, eyes wide at being caught in such an intimate position. Scrambling away from Puck - who was the image of ease, leaning up slowly with his elbows propped against the ground - I eyed the janitor in the staircase sheepishly, feeling the heat rush to my face.