Nyctophilia | e.d. ☾

10

Alex and Nate were talking to each other as they looked at Skylar up and down across the school yard. Then she saw Ethan walking to his car. Catching up to him she yelled his name. He turned around searching for her face.

"Why do Nate and Alex keep staring at me?"

His eyes searched for them on the grounds. When he found them, they were already looking at him and making their way to them.

Ethan grabbed her arm. "Come with me."

"What?" She asked and he opened the passenger door for her to get in. He just started driving his car to school recently. Before it'd just be skateboard and car outside of school hours.

As Ethan drove out of the student parking lot, the two boys stopped walking to the car.

"They were probably gonna talk some shit to you."

"How do you know?"

"I know how they are."

"Have you talked to them?"

"Not ever since that night of the party - like I give a shit."

After the few minute drive from school, they eventually arrived at her house. "I may need to start driving you home cause they're gonna follow and go after you. It's not safe with your parents not being here till 6 every day."

"Alright." She took time in silence to build the courage to ask him, "Well, you wanna study together?"

"No... but I have to, so... yes."

She plopped on her bed immediately letting the lights remain off as she usually does when she comes from school. He just stood there looking at it. "You can join." She said.

He first sat down then laid on his back. As she was laying on her belly with her head on her arm facing Ethan, she observed his face looking up at the ceiling. She then watched his chest slowly rise up and down. She has never been this close to him. She could see all the little details of his neck that a person would have to be very close up to see. She felt safe laying next to him, but also a sense of nervousness as his intimidation emitting from his body made her pulse go a little faster.

"Ethan?" She softly spoke, breaking the peaceful silence.

He slowly turned his heard to look into her eyes.

"May you draw more things on me?"

He scanned her body from chest to thighs, no emotion on his face. "Sure." He responded, and grabbed a pen. "You ever wanted a tattoo?"

"Yes." She replied.

"I can tell..." He says, monotone. Something you hear with a smirk, but not with this kid. "Where?"

"Places where it won't be exposed to everyone. Where only me and a special person could see it in private." She says, looking up at the ceiling, like she's adoring the thought of having secret tattoos only known between herself and her future lover.

He looks at her body again, asking, "What do you want on?" He remained sitting up.

"A few things. One of them is a crescent moon with sleeping eyes - above my left hipbone."

He pinched the hem of her shirt, slowly lifting it up to reveal her bare skin. He began to hunch over.

"Are you drawing?" She wasn't expecting him to draw her desired tattoo.

Looking up at her from her torso, with a few of his hair curls dangling over his forehead, "Yes."

Then he rested his right hand, fingers spread out, near the area that's being drawn on. Her body was slightly tense from a boy's cold foreign hand laying on an area that's used to only her contact. The tickling of the pen on her skin controlled by him did not help either. She kept staring at those bruised knuckles, those furrowed eyebrows, and that silky, disheveled, almost black hair full of temptation to run fingers through.

"You staring at me is not helping." He said, keeping eyes on his doodles.

"Sorry." She said through her giggle, remaining still.

She moved her head to the direction of her window to see the leaves of the tree dance as the wind weaved through the branches.

Unknowingly, Ethan looked up at her subtly smiling due to thinking that is was cute how she giggled and actually looked away.

"Skylar." He said to get her attention. The pleasant sound of him speaking her name made her smile at him after she snapped out of her daze. "It's finished."

She sat up to look at his work - a not so huge moon. "No way. That's just how I wanted it. With the resting eyes, little smile, and the details of the crevices." She looked up at him smiling wide with glistening eyes. "Thank you." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

He just smiled with no teeth back.

"We never studied." She stated.

"It's straight. I should be heading home now, since my family is probably wondering where I am." He lied since no one really wonders where he is.

"Ok." She got up as well to walk him out the door.

When he left and she shut the door, she saw the other drawing of Ethan's on the back of her hand. She smiled at it as she walked, but she wondered why the eyes are sad and stressed out?