LOCKDOWN

Chapter 27

The past two days had been a blur, to say the least. Not even a week ago, Peyton had sat on my bed and admitted her feelings for me. The Peyton Mitchell, had admitted she had feelings for me! I still couldn't wrap my head around it. Not only that, but the entire situation we were stuck in. The initial Shakespeare assignments, this pandemic, Peyton being forced to stay with me. The snowball effect that had occurred in the last few months was nothing short of crazy, but here we were two months later, in a somewhat tumultuous whirlwind of a relationship.

Not even two nights ago, Peyton and I were on this couch doing an activity far different from what I was doing right now. As I sat reading my book, I couldn't help but let my mind drift back to that moment a mere forty odd hours earlier, where Peyton had pinned me to this exact couch and taken me to a place of blissful oblivion, a place where I could hardly form words or thoughts that weren't of her.

Since that moment, Peyton's behaviour had shifted. Instead of acting like it had never happened, she instead began to treat me in a way that reflected the feelings she claimed to have. When eating dinner, she would leave one hand resting on my thigh. When watching movies, she would drape an arm over my shoulder and pull my body into hers. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the sudden onslaught of physical affection, but I wanted to know what it meant. I wanted to know if this was real, if this would continue once the pandemic was over, but I was terrified to ask.

My internal thoughts and concerns were cut short as Peyton appeared from the staircase, her hair still damp from the shower she'd just taken.

"Morning," she said, traipsing over to the couch.

I expected her to flop down unceremoniously next to me on the couch and throw her arm around my shoulders, shaking her damp hair and flicking me with water like she did most mornings. But that didn't happen. She did throw herself onto the couch next to me, and she did throw her arm around my shoulders, but instead of spraying me with water, she pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek — an act of affection that she hadn't displayed before.

"M — morning," I stammered, my shock and nerves going unnoticed by her as I pressed my hand to my cheek where her lips had just been. She reached for the remote and turned in the TV, flicking through the channels until she found a reputable news station.

"I guess we should probably find out what's going on in the world, huh?" she looked at me with a cheeky smile.

"I — yeah, we should," I agreed, nodding my head pathetically. At this point I'd agree with just about anything she said, I was that enamoured by her.

"Today marks a very special and momentous day for those living in Europe. Lockdown in over seventeen European countries has been officially lifted." Footage of young children playing in the grass, adults walking through the streets, and teenagers skateboarding at skate parks lit up the TV screen. "Strict social distancing measures have been put in place in these countries, but after sixteen days with zero new cases, the European Commission President has declared that the two month lockdown is officially over!"

"God, I wish!" Peyton sighed.

"Australian Health Minister, Jacqui Haines, has reported that Australia is not far behind. After fifty seven days in complete lockdown, Australia's infection rates have dropped dramatically, recording only seventeen new cases in the last twenty four hours. Citizens who have been in lockdown in shelters and other homes that are not their place of residence are now being encouraged to register their details with the government so they can be transported home. If you are concerned for the well-being of a friend or family member that you can't get in touch with, please lodge a report on the Australian government website and an enquiry will be made into their whereabouts."