𝕸𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖞 𝕭𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖘

chapter xiv

it'll still always amaze me how a group of completely unrelated individuals will manage to cross the paths the way they do.

the rarity of discovering the place you feel the most right in—it might not be a where, but a who.

grayson scott awoke gradually with a semi-conscious mind and a dismemberment of memory created into slivers of moments from the night before.

his impaired vision was fuzzy, but began gradually piecing together the painted image of a womanly figure laid asleep alongside him. his five senses, one by one, absorbed in each distinct detail as it came.

the soft snores, the pattern of light, feathery inhales and exhales as her body rose and sunk into the mattress. a light fragrance, vibrant and charming.

her subtle warmth, along with his, felt so welcoming. her brunette locks rested on the linen pillows as she was turned onto her side, his chest pressed against her small framed back.
the image of the bedroom was rather not sexualized, as both were fully dressed. natalia stayed, still deep in her slumber, in a graphic shirt his mother had gifted him in high school, whilst he found himself comfortably changed in the gym shorts and shirt he wore to bed the night before.

a quaint mumble sounded from her parted lips. feeling guilty that his movements might have awakened her, he ceased his fidgeting and shifted deeper into their embrace, maintaining the sweet hold he had of the woman. his face had plastered on a loving smile, experiencing a moment he'd thought of before. without sexualization, without pressure, without any feeling of shame, grayson laid with her, until natalia was finally ready to become fully awake.

"good morning."

-

"shit. shit!"
shrugging off the late morning laziness of her doze on the couch warmed by her own body heat, blue knew she should've been awake hours ago for her shift at the library.

the sun beamed its blinding rays down below, shining through the living room blinds.

although her insufferable insufficiency of iron caused static in her brain, there was no time to buffer. leaving the sunken imprint of her body on the couch, blue hurried herself to look halfway decent, shoving her newly bought purchase into the front pocket of her worn-out blue jeans.

the bathroom had been occupied by products left in a messy disarray and the floor was hard to find amongst the shaggy, used towels lounging around. the apartment was beginning to look uncared for.

but, more than that:

mascara bled from her dirt brown eyes, whilst the ends of her drawn on brows were faded off, perhaps erased on the linen pillows on the sofa. her reflection mirrored so many imperfections, emphasized and exaggerated in her perspective. pimples, irritated by overlooked skincare, arose on the surface of her forehead, her cheeks, her chin. although upset with her own appearance, there simply wasn't any time.

cheap makeup wipes made a half-assed effort to erase her rough look and blue followed with a few slaps of foggy sink water she'd collected in the palms of her hands. then, a simple attempt to brush her teeth with minimal time and she'd leave the restroom to change into an appropriate attire for her tardy shift at the library.

aggressively kicking off her jeans and whipping off her top, the young woman pulled on a simple knitted cardigan and another pair of tired jeans, as well as a pair of nude, plastic flats.