Barely There

Chapter 15 - Broken Clock

Concern flashed across his lightened eyes. "About an hour ago. Why? Did you not noti-"

"Actually I'll take you up on the offer. A hot chocolate sounds amazing," she interrupted dismissively. He moved to the side as she stepped into his house and instinctively took off her shoes. She looked up to see him smile down at her before turning his back and walking into the dark hallway.

"I'll be right back. Make yourself at home."

Slowly, Leda moved towards the stylish living room, the light, wooden floorboards creaking faintly as she neared the forest green armchair next to the white couch. The girl sat on the velvet surface of the chair, frowning at its stiffness as pain traveled through her spine. Looking for a distraction, she observed the messy coffee table in front of the couch. Crinkled blue prints, piles of eraser shavings, and broken pencils decorated the surface of the table in a heap of  stress. His footsteps sounded on the wooden floor as he walked out of the darkness and she shifted her gaze to the eggshell colored wall, staring at the blankness awkwardly. 

She heard him sit on the white sofa before hearing his deep chuckle. She looked at him then. Really looked at him. He wore a grin as he stared at her. The swollen semi circles beneath his almond eyes crinkled his blue eyes slightly and his disheveled hair looked unruly compared to its usual neat state. The silver watch on his wrist gleamed under the ceiling lights as he ran his fingers through his hair and a wink of a ring shone on his right hand. The corner of her mouth lifted up in an uninvited smile as she shifted on the uncomfortable seat. 

"What?"

He gestured towards the rough chair with a nod. "Out of all the seats in this room you chose the most uncomfortable one."  

"Well, I didn't know it was going to be rock hard Grayson." Her cruel mind froze at the various connotations beneath her words and she laughed before clasping her hand firmly against her mouth, forcing herself to push away the immaturity. 

His eyes sparkled with understanding and he spoke slowly, dragging on each syllable. "Yeah I'm sure you didn't Leda."

Her face flushed with a thousand different shades of embarrassment and she moved in the seat to angle away from him, a painful expression overtaking her face at the shift.

"You look miserable. Come here." He patted the spot next to him and sighed as she grew nervous. He shifted to the right end of the soft couch and waited for her expectantly. Leda stood up and felt her knees wobble beneath her as she walked towards him, her heart and mind untangling into slippery chords of passion, fear, insecurities, and a rather foreign feeling. She practically melted into the softness of the couch as she sat down and stared at her feet.

"So-."

"Are-."

They attempted to laugh away the awkward air, failing miserably. He broke through the tenseness first. 

"Sorry, go ahead."

"Oh um, so did you make the hot chocolate yet?"

"Tsk, tsk, patience Leda patience."

She glared at him before turning back to the coffee table. "So what are all these?"

He turned to the table, defeat flashing across his darkened eyes for a mere second. "Oh um blueprints for a project for the company I work at. I'm an architect"

"Oh wow that's impressive."

He looked up at her, clutching the rolled up sheets. His voice resumed it's teasing tone. "Is it now?"

She gulped down her nervousness, her breath hitching in her throat as his electric blue eyes stared at her. "Wh-what's the project?"

Sighing disappointedly, he turned his tired gaze to the blueprints. "They asked me to come up with an idea and model for a skyscraper."

"I'm assuming you presented it to them today?"

He turned to her thoughtfully his face reverting to it's previous exhausted state. Breathing out softly through his nose he worked to remain intact in front of the curious girl. "Yeah they rejected it completely."

Her heart fell as his pain picked at the thick, glass barrier around her heart, shattering it completely. She moved closer to his slumped form and placed her hand tentatively on his back as he buried his faced in his hands, his voice muffling as he spoke. "I just- I spent a year on it and-." His head snapped up, a disappointed frown carved on his face. "Fuck I spent most of Clementine's birthday redoing the model because of them. All that, for them to throw it all in the trash." 

"Grayson-"

"It's okay. I'm fine." He moved to stand up and she pushed him back down gently as she argued with herself in her muddled mind. In the midst of the gruesome battle within her head, she found the courage to release her thoughts. 

"From the little bit I saw on the blueprints you have a lot of talent and skill. Also, I'm sure Clementine understands. She's such a smart girl and loves you so so much."

"I'm just tired of...everything." His eyes pleaded for something she could not figure out but she maintained her stance as he let down the guard slowly, the wall inching its way downwards before becoming stuck once again. 

"I know." She pushed aside everything she recognized and felt the fire and electricity course through her as she let herself pull him closer. Burying her face between the crook of his neck and collarbone, she wrapped her arms around his neck gingerly. The scent of him became stronger then, taking over her senses and drowning her mind in nothing but him until her heart and skin tingled with the effects of it. Exhaling softly, she felt him relax on her body and smiled against his soft skin.He muttered something incorrigible with his face stuffed in her wavy, brown hair. She ran her fingers through his soft curls before he let himself fall into her hold.

She didn't remember the specifics of when but sometime in the midst of their reunion, he had laid his head on her lap as she played with his hair, twirling strands around her fingers before letting go again. He breathed out in gentle puffs and for the first time he looked free. Free from whatever kept him chained to despair and torment. Or free from whoever kept him constantly defensive. 

She felt herself melt into a mere puddle at his peaceful sleep and smiled in the previously cruel atmosphere. She held him tight in spite of the healing sleep, untangled his hair softly with her loving fingers, and attempted to breath in his anguish, to sacrifice herself in place of him.

Yet sometime in the middle of her efforts, she fell. She fell down the otherworldly pit as time moved forwards and backwards and in a thousand other directions before shattering into a million pieces in front of her. 

Then. 

And Now. 

Time ceased to exist.