Real-ish

Comfort Zones

I can't say I don't feel the same. I was hesitant to simply move farther away from her. Of course, I want to stay and spend time with Cora. But I must not seem overeager. She may change her mind if I am.

"I can stay if you would like," I state simply. Her face brightens to a smile. Her smile is warm and soft from sleep. I find pride in being the cause of such a smile. She scooches over and pats the new spot next to her.

"Then get back over here. I won't be able to see you until tomorrow afternoon. And I don't wanna be alone right now." She admits. It seems my hunch was correct again. She doesn't like being alone, despite being the only inhabitant of this house for a majority of her time before us.

I crawl over to sit cross-legged beside Cora. She turns her body towards me slightly, then slowly rests her head on my shoulder. She lacks the usual hesitation she normally carries.

I tense slightly under her. She's so very close to me and I am not accustomed to physical affection from her just yet.

"Is this okay? You seem tense." She asks quietly. I relax my shoulders and I keep my voice steady through sheer will. There's nothing I can do about my racing pulse, though. It's such an odd feeling.

"Yes, this is okay. I'm simply growing accustomed to your proximity." I state, willing her to remain where she is.

"Oh, okay. I can just move if it's making you uncomfortable." She says, her voice a little quieter than normal. She starts to lift her head from its place on my shoulder.

"No!" I accidentally say louder than intended. My skin flushes as I clear my throat. "No. That's okay, it's just something that requires a little, adjustment." I say, slower and quieter this time. I feel the heat creeping up my neck and towards my ears.

Cora looks up at me and smiles a joking kind of smile that makes me wonder what I did to make her so comfortable.

"Okay, does that include any other kinds of affection? I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable by accident." Cora asks, and I would think she's teasing me if I weren't noticing the genuine look in her eye.

"I'm not quite sure if I'm honest," I admit, contemplating my possible comfort levels. I typically hate any and all physical interactions that last longer than 1 minute. However, with Cora, I enjoy any touch she gives me. Whether that be a brushing of hands while we walk or her hand in my hair.

When did that even happen? I knew I wasn't aggravated by her as soon as we met. But that doesn't explain my sudden shift in emotions towards her.

Perhaps it was after our sparing session. Typically, I don't handle loss well. But her complete lack of contempt baffled me. It seemed easier to accept the loss when it wasn't held over my head.

While I was contemplating all of these thoughts, it seems Cora was contemplating her own. Her eyebrows are furrowed and her dark honey eyes roam my face. Searching for something, almost.

"Can I try something then? You are totally welcome to say no or push me away if you don't like it." She says the first part hesitantly before rushing out the second. I doubt she could do anything I wouldn't like, which should scare me more than it does.

"I don't see why not. Test your theory." I allow, trying my hardest to keep my composure. My head is spinning with possibilities.

We've sparred before, so perhaps she wants to train. Or maybe she would like to touch my hair again. I wouldn't be opposed to either option, which is definitely unusual.

Almost as soon as I agreed, she turned herself so she was facing me, so I followed suit. She hesitates for only a moment before launching herself at me, wrapping her arms around my torso.

I have to admit I'm shocked, but I pull her closer to me as soon as I can, almost on reflex. She ended up sitting comfortably on my lap, just embracing me. I hold onto her firmly in place.

She's warm, and a bit squishy. She has only a small amount of muscle that can be seen, but she's actually quite solid. Still, she isn't flexing, and she has a bit of body fat, so she squishes comfortably in my arms.

She lightly strokes my shoulder blade with her thumb. I just relax into her touch more and more. I've never felt like this about affection. I could stay here for hours, and it's possible I have considering it feels like time has stopped.

She nuzzles her head into the crook of my neck and I can feel the blush work its way up my face. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest, and I hope that she can't feel it.

Eventually, she sighs and slowly loosens her grip on me. I feel my heart drop slightly when she does. Did I do something wrong? Was I supposed to do something else?

"Your brothers are probably getting worried about us. I don't want to get you in trouble with Richy." She says, sounding almost sad. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I can handle Grayson. If you want me to stay, I will stay." I offer without entirely thinking over my words. She smiles at that, and I become glad I spoke.

"That means a lot, Dami. Thank you." She says sincerely. That should not give me as much pride as it currently does.

She pulls me back into her embrace, seeming to melt against me. I hold her still, though a bit precariously in the sense that I don't know if I'm hugging her well.

Grayson hugs me all the time, and it grates on my nerves. I do not hug Todd and I certainly don't hug Drake. I rarely hug my father. I do not have the needed experience for this.

As I'm growing to understand this, I also recognize that Cora most likely doesn't have much recent experience either. Her parents are gone extremely often, and her friend can't be around too often if we haven't run into her. She has no siblings either.

I hold her just a little tighter.