Blossom 🌸

THIRTY FOUR 🌸

"Do they know about your disorder?"

"No, only Henry."

"Henry!"

"Yeah, I tell him everything."

"You're there for everyone but who's there for you?" He squirmed uncomfortably again in his seat.

"We're not doing this Blossom. You can't know everything about me when I feel like I know nothing 'bout you." I breathed out a little too hard, then I remembered I was masking my intoxication from him and I didn't want him to smell it on my breath.

"My mom died. My father failed to take care of me." I said it casually, not making the moment too heavy between us.

"How did your mom die?" His question triggered the suffocation.

Dust layered the ground like volcanic ash it consumed me, clogging up my insides forcing me to cough dryly. The smell of mothballs stagnated throughout. I was conscious but I couldn't move, stuck laying on powdery floorboards. My eyes roamed drowsily, among cobwebs a lightbulb swayed slightly in the draft and caused a blur of light in my obstructed vision.

"Mommy?" I slurred out, receiving no response.

It took every ounce of strength in my small body to turn my head. There she was, shining through the grime like a beacon of light. Except she looked different, scary different.

Lifeless and drowning in a puddle of blood, stained from head to toe like a psychotic killer from a horror movie. Spiritless and broken.

"Mommy!" I called, not recognising my own voice.

I tried to reach out to her but my limbs didn't feel connected to my body. I wondered if I was dead or hurt, why couldn't I move?

"Hey, you're shaking." His silvery voice pulled me back from my haunting thoughts. "Where did you go?" His soft, yet handsome features illuminated by the golden glow of his driveway lights.

"My mom killed herself." He released a small gasp and looked at me with sympathy.

"I'm sorry." I smiled uncomfortably.

"It's not your fault."

"No, but it's my fault I mentioned it and brought up bad memories."

I unbuckled my belt. "I need to stay with you tonight, if they catch me sneaking in they'll call-"

"They won't but okay." He cut me off.

I followed him through his house and up the stairs. It was baked in silence and darkness, clearly everyone was sleeping.

"You wanna stay in my sisters room?" He offered, pointing towards a white door at the end of the hall.

I shook my head, it may just be because I was drunk right now but I wanted to sleep with him. He sucked in his lower lip, doubts filling his mind. Did he not want me to sleep with him?

He unlocked his door and held it open so I could walk in then closed it and flopped down on his bed. I averted my gaze around the room, nodding to myself in approval. He released an airy chuckle.

"What?" He asked.

"It's tidy. You changed your bedsheets. Well done." Okay, that was patronising. Thankfully he laughed.

"Thanks mom." I moved over to his closet and pulled his doors open. He jumped up from the bed immediately. "Woah! What are you doing?" My brows furrowed at his frantic-ness, what was he hiding in his closet?

I tugged my dress off over my head and he slid backwards on his socks, holding his hands up. Suddenly he didn't seem to care about the invasion of his closet.

"Woah, o-okay." He mouthed slowly, eyes floating down my body greedily. I took out his soccer jersey and put it on, pulling my hair out from underneath the collar then I turned to look at my back in the mirror 'PEERS 8' and smiled.

He looked shell shocked, his mouth was gaped open but he didn't seem to be able to find the words to speak. I trod up to him on my tip toes, trying to match his height but he still towered over me like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

I wanted to make him erupt.

My lips quirked as I grabbed the edge of his T-shirt and pulled it up, skimming over his smooth skin with my knuckles as I did.

My finger traced over the lion tattoo across his chest and the tribal patterns going off from it, he tensed his muscles beneath my fingers. His eyes remaining locked on mine, trying to work me out. His breathing increased, chest tingling in my hand with the vibrations of his breath.

"D-did you ch-change your mind?" He stammered out, his cool and collected self abandoned for a mumbling mess.

Who knew I could affect him like that?

Wow. All this time I watched him with girls, I got jealous because of how at ease he was with them. No awkwardness or lack of conversation. But I preferred this, shy Arlo. He gave me confidence to continue, or maybe it was the third strawberry daiquiri. Either way I leaned forward and kissed his left pectoral, trailing small kisses down the dip running right through the middle of his chest.

"W-why?" He whispered in a barely audible way. I carried on kissing him and now I could physically hear his sharp breaths.

"This..." I dipped lower, moving my kisses to below his belly button and his hand fumbled in my hair.

"Wait-this..." his hip automatically moved into me, soaking up my touch.

"This-isn't-like-you." He pushed his words out mega fast and breathy so he couldn't take them back. "did-something-happen?"

I stopped kissing him and stood up straight. He blew out a gust of air, settling down his raging hormones. I could see Pinocchios nose standing tall through his sweat pants.

I caused that, now it was my job to get rid of it.

I circled around him and lay myself down on his bed, he watched my every move. I leaned over and took a small foil packet between my fingers.

"Are you going to join me in the bed or just keep me wanting?" I asked.

He hesitated.

Hesitated!

What the fuck was he hesitating for?