Learn to Live, Learn to Love

Chapter 5

"I've spent my whole life following a diety I don't fully believe in. Devoted my life to being the perfect picture of what I thought I had to be." She slurred. "And then out of nowhere you show up and ruin everything." She didn't sound angry though the words may have betrayed it. "Leaving me wanting something I know I just shouldn't," She laid her head back and looked up at Saphira, giggling slightly at the sight of her upside down, "And I think the biggest problem," She hiccoughed, "Is that I don't even mind."

Saphira shifted on the couch when Eve made her way up to sit in the older girl's lap. The smaller girl found herself tucking her forehead between Saphira's neck and shoulder, nuzzling and losing her train of thought for a moment before snapping away and looking at the other girl with drooping eyes.

"You waltzed in with your tan skin and pretty hair and suddenly I'm all over you like I'm some sort of whore — Like mother like daughter I suppose." She whispers the last bit, but Saphira's eyes widened and Eve knew she caught it, even if the taller girl doesn't say anything in that particular moment. She looks at Saphira for a long time, eyes travelling between the two brown irises in front of her. "I'm gonna—" She whispered and trailed off, watching Saphira nod and smile encouragingly. Eve wrapped her arms around Saphira's neck and licked her own lips slightly. When she leaned in, it's slow and hesitant, Eve's eyes darting from Saphira's lips to eyes and back again. When their lips touched Eve just sits there for a moment, and Saphira gave her a chance to pull away before placing her hands on the smaller girls waist and pushing closer.

The kiss was sloppy, wet and drunk but Saphira found a way to guide Eve's lips into moving against her own. As they continued in their endeavors, Saphira maneuvered Eve onto her back on the couch, propping herself between the blonde's legs and lacing her fingers in the long locks splayed there. An accidental tug forced a gasp off Eve's lips and she let out a surprised moan when Saphira repeated the motion deliberately. The taller girl trailed her kisses down to the base of Eve's neck, nibbling and sucking but knowing better than to leave any mark that might last longer than the next hour or so.

Eve's gasp when Saphira's hands slipped under the smaller girls shirt to rest on Eve's soft stomach is not one of pleasure. The contact shocked the small girl out of the haze she'd found herself engulfed within, and she pushed lightly on Saphira's shoulders to signify that she wanted whatever this was to stop. Saphira hoisted herself up and away from the couch to set about tidying the small cabin. Eve sat up and curled into herself and tried to disappear into the couch, watching Saphira clean, and trying to even her breathing. Saphira sits down next to her and throws an arm around Eve's small shoulders.

"This okay?" She inquired delicately, having noticed what would later be diagnosed as a panic attack. "I can stop touching you if that's better?"

Eve found herself unable to speak and just reached to hold Saphira's hand where it laid. Saphira nodded and pulled Eve into her embrace, leaving the smaller girl to listen to Saphira's heartbeat and the soft tones of her voice vibrating in her ribcage as she hushed and spoke to Eve through the panic.

The younger girl soon calmed and whispered a barely there 'thank you' while Saphira picked the featherweight female up off the couch and set her in the small bedroom on the queen sized bed with dusty sheets.

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"Ow."

The door that was slammed in the other corner of the corridor, was loud, but not in a way that would have hurt had she been in any other circumstance. Everything hurt.

"You shouldn't have been drinking on a school night." Saphira chastised playfully, throwing an arm around Eve's shoulders before being pushed away gently.

"Oh fuck you."

Saphira didn't see any reason to react until Eve's eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks with a hand over her mouth, spouting endless muffled apologies and berating herself at the same time.

"Well shit, the bitch has bite." Saphira laughed, pulling Eve forward and forcing her to resume her former pace.

Eve seemed to pull herself out of her trance and came back to her senses.

"I apologize for the vulgar language I promise it won't happen again."

The girls continued their route through the school, stopping at Saphira's locker to retrieve her history book, and avoiding passerby as though they might have the bubonic plague.

"Hey!" Someone yelled from behind, and Eve flinched. "Yeah, you! Pompous bitch."

Eve turned to face the attacker, and something about her body language shifted. Though previously stood straight, she seemed taller and the set of her eyes had gone from pained but playful, to cold in a matter of seconds. The boy stood before them was relaxed as ever, hands in his pockets and body slouched forward leeringly.

"What could I possibly help you with Matthew?" The small girl asked, a smile on her face, but otherwise emotionless.

"Meh, few math assignments, couple English projects, maybe a quick screw?"

"I pray that you want me to use a drill for this screw," She bit back pleasantly, "Besides Mathew, you know I never agree to do anybody's work for them, I'm more than happy to tutor you if that's what you've come to me for."

"Nah, not my style E, you know that." The boy, Mathew, remarked.

"'E'?" Saphira whispered. Eves hands balled into fists, indicating she was hearing but not acknowledging the question.

"I've asked you plenty of times not to call me that." She says, almost in explanation

Matthew decided to get closer, and once too close, Eve begins to back away. The small sign of fear was enough to feed the man's arrogance, and as soon as he had her clutching her books against a few lockers, he trapped her body against it with his own.

"Yeah well, E," He emphasized the name, "I've asked you not to call me Matthew plenty too. Hasn't stopped you yet honey."

"Right, Matt. I apologize for the misstep." Eve's face had gone from false cheeriness to downright weariness, and she was looking at the floor more than at the boy in front of her.

"Damn right Matt, E, gotta know what name you'll be screaming when I—"

"Alrighty Matty!" Saphira interrupted from behind the two. "Time for you and me to have a chat about girls and how they ought to be treated." The taller girl placed her hand on the man's chest, pushing him roughly away from the girl cowering against the lockers. "First of all, We like to be called what we like to be called, same as you." Saphira pushed him further and further away as Eve sank to the floor. "Second, We like our space from people who smell like they took one too many tokes this morning before school. By the way, you need a shower." She had him trapped against the wall, and his eyes were wide. "Third, girls like Eve, all short and innocent, they like to be romanced, not ground into a locker in the middle of a high school hallway." With that she slugged him across the face and his nose started bleeding rather heavily. As she let him go, he began to run toward the exit.

"I swear to God you treat a woman like that again you'll get much worse than a bloody nose!" She yelled after him, walking back to the shivering girl on the floor.

Eve has her arms around her knees, with her face tucked into the small fortress.

"He's never done that before." She mumbled from her little cavern.

Saphira gave a little smile, then wrapped an arm around the little ball of girl. When she stiffened, the taller girl immediately removed the appendage.

"How often an occurrence is that?" Saphira prodded.

Eve doesn't answer, and they sat like that for half an hour while Eve composed herself, then they stood and began the trek back to Saphira's home for the time being.