Outer Limits | ✓

◦ limitless

⠀⠀⠀ "I love him." It was a whisper in the night, barely a breath, more of a gasp. But she said it again under her covers. "I love Jude Asher."

⠀⠀⠀ It was in her nature to protest with herself at first. It wasn't possible, they were too young, it happened too quickly. But it all felt like a lie. Just like keeping this to herself would.

⠀⠀⠀ I love him, I love him, I love him so much. It played in her head, over and over, like a saccharine song that'd been overplayed on the radio.

⠀⠀⠀ Pulling in a sharp breath, Darcy pulled back her covers and pushed herself on her elbows. What followed felt like something she'd live through, like she'd done this before. A cursory glance at the bed adjacent to hers—Emma snoring, knocked out cold—a small tide creeping up but instead of a shipwreck it was a calming wave that flooded through her. For once, it was not the familiar feeling of unchecked rage but the buzzing sense of nervousness.

⠀⠀⠀ She was really going to do this.

⠀⠀⠀ Huffing, she unplugged her mobile off nightstand and dug earbuds in her ears and pressed play. If she couldn't calm her own nerves, Led Zeppelin could at least try.

⠀⠀⠀ Crisp and clear in her ears, a guitar riffs and Led Zeppelin's velvet voice on 'Going to California' blared through the night. Darcy blinked at the intro, her fingers curling into fists before she beelined to her bathroom.

⠀⠀⠀ Once she glimpsed her reflection in the mirror, she hummed to herself — someone told me that there's a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair — before she let her wildfire hair drop free, flowing down her back and some framing her face.

⠀⠀⠀ She rinsed her face with chilling water, before taking a deep breath — just like she'd practiced many times before though she could still feel the itch of a wild fire searing through her veins, but it was tamed beneath the skin now.

⠀⠀⠀ She emerged from their bathroom, trudging back into their adjoined bedroom, where she was welcomed with Emma 's snoring. This time, she smirked to herself, before shaking her head. On most nights, she welcomed the sound like white noise. It was something of a comfort knowing her sister was just a few snores away. It made her feel safe.

⠀⠀⠀ Still, Darcy's breathing was ragged and her line of vision was dizzyingly dreamy as her footfalls marched to her own heartbeat. By the time she made it to the window, whisking it wide open, the sudden whoosh sound startled the boy that lived next door.

⠀⠀⠀ The first thing Darcy saw was mussed up, raven-dark hair and a moon white hand raking through it. The rest was a domino effect — an action that gave way to another: a head tilting up, a gaze blinking blearily, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and she couldn't help but marvel at his ink-stained hair and buttermilk skin.

⠀⠀⠀ Darcy took another calming breath before gesturing for him to open his newly revitalised window by mimicking it sliding open. He peered at her with an amused expression before she mimicked her previous action once more which prompted him to stride toward his own window.

         "Hey, you," he greeted, his expression softening into something kind and almost gentle. "I didn't think you'd be up."

⠀⠀⠀ "Oh, good," Darcy echoed the same words from a very special night, where it all began, "so you are aware that people usually sleep at this hour. I wasn't sure if you were willfully ignorant or exponentially stupid."