Close Your Eyes

nine; ❝too busy thinking❞

Aurora's POV

We arrive at the place, and I park in an empty space away from everyone else. I leave my bag in the car, and we both walk into the welcoming farm. I immediately go to the rusty grey buckets, and I grab two for us.

I don't recognize anyone from school here, and that makes me feel relieved to a great extent. I don't feel like running into some of the students at school. My reputation at school is definitely damaged, and I don't think it's something that can be fixed after what Ben did to me. Luckily, he's out of the picture now. Both in my and Rosa's life. He hadn't bothered me since because he no longer feels a boyfriend-related duty to "protect" his girlfriend.

"Should I go pay?" She asks me.

"No, actually, Tony works here at the stands and he owes me a favor," I explain.

In a short span of time, Tony has become a good friend of mine. He's hilarious, and he's taught me more about makeup in a month than I've learned in my entire life. He aspires to become a makeup artist after high school and he certainly has the skills to become one. After he snuck out of his house one night to spend time with his boyfriend, he asked me to cover him. Hence, that's the favor he owes me.

"Let's go picking then," she says.

We head out to the back after I greet Tony with a gentle wave, and I look at all of the large trees full of fresh red apples. The weather is nice today, with the sun shining brightly and the vibrant blue sky above us. 

"I've never been picking at this farm before. I've only ever gone with my older sister to one 2 towns over," she says.

"Is this one good too?" I ask her.

"It's even better with you," she says, nodding her head.

I raise my eyebrows.

What does she mean by that?

"I-I-I mean that, when I went with my sister she was so controlling about it, and saying that every apple picked had to be perfect. It's better with you because you aren't going to be so controlling about it, er, I at least hope you won't be," she rants.

I nod my head, and I see her face turn into a shade of pink.

Is she okay?

We quickly move on from the short and awkward moment, and starts picking. I try to make fun of her by claiming that I can pick more apples than her, but she shuts me up by saying that she'll be able to get pick more since she's about an inch taller than me, which "gives her the advantage." Like an immature child, I respond to the declaration by sticking my tongue out at her. 

After some time, we decide to take a break.

"Let's count," I suggest.

She brings her bucket next to mine, and my fears are confirmed when I realize that she's winning. 

"I picked more!" She yells in amusement once I finish counting.

"Whatever," I say in defeat.

She grins, and all I can think about is how cute she is. I turn away, not wanting her to see my red face and somehow read my mind. Suddenly, I feel Rosa's smooth hand touch my face and I turn back around to face her. Her face is inches away from mine, and she looks directly into my eyes as if she knows everything that I'm thinking about. 

Rosa presses her soft lips against mine in a swift movement that makes my vision go blurry, my knees go weak, and leaves me breathless. 

All in one kiss.

I stand awkwardly still as she pulls away. The moment was completely unexpected, but felt completely right.

"So, what was that?" I ask her after a few beats of silence.

"I'm really sorry. That was absolutely unacceptable," she apologizes as her face starts to turn into a common shade of pink.

"Rosa, you shouldn't be sorry at all. I've actually been wanting to do that myself," I say.

"Aurora, will y-you be my gir-"

I know what she's asking.

"Yes," I interrupt.

She smiles, and we both hug each other as if no one is around. We look at each other for a moment, because it feels like it's just us in the world with nothing to worry about. A kiss is so meaningful, it's special. 

Back at home, my best friend often kissed me on the lips in the name of a strong friendship. When she found out about my sexuality, she kissed me again as a threat, and claimed that I was a devil. Here, Rosa's kisses are sweet and delicate without any signs of anger and despair. I'm just another human being who deeply adores her and has nothing to hide. 

"I guess I should take you home now," I finally say.

She tilts her head in an indecisive manner. 

"Yes," she decides.

I grab a cloth bag from the exit of the apple orchard, and I place the apples into the bags. I give Rosa her half,  and we place both in the trunk of the car. 

 We get into my car, I decide to turn on the radio to drown out any outside noise and unnecessary thoughts. It's a random pop song, and it's all we need to fill the space between us. There's no need for words, and it's just us. I think that I could get used to this, and that might be selfish, but I'm tired of hiding who I am just for the sake of others and their comfort. I deserve this, and when I look at Rosa, I can tell that that's what we're both thinking. 

Eventful chapter!