PRETTY BONES

its not your

body that i

love but its

the shell that

youre inside of

Prologue: Pretty Bones

It was near scorching their fingers, the blackness of the coffee wasn't necessarily appealing to them. They sat in wait for the simple minded boy they called their love. Meaning it? Not in a way that would make his heart beat like the drums of a hot storm or make it do twirls like the grace of a ballerina. No, not at all.

The cafe bustled around them, but it wasn't the white noise they minded but the beating raindrops outside. Then they wondered, if her boy was caught in it and he couldn't make it. Could that have been the case, they wondered as their drink began to chill with the weather outside. They knew maybe this was too much for them to handle. For not a single reason could explain as to why their hands were becoming clammy, or the sweat molecules forming beneath their scalp or the lap of saliva that threatened to choke them had they said the wrong words. 

However, the jingle of the bell hung upon the door made their eyes lurk upon it's direction. 

And, for a moment,

Everything went silent.

He stood in the doorway, damp from the humidity and precipitation that was ruthless on his gelled hair. It was obvious his attire wasn't appropriate for the meeting they'd chose. Their breath hitched, their eyes on him and only him. Soon, his eyes were on them, and only them.

"Leon." They mumbled, looking him up and down, taking in his vivid appearance. A blush took their cheeks as they began to feel self-conscious. Had they dressed down? Were they okay to be seen like this with him? Their emerald eyes sparkled like an evergreen forest when they latched onto dark hazel, nearly chocolate. They ignored the linings of dark circles beneath his orbs, they'd ask him soon enough.

The first words he uttered, were not the sweet essence of their name but the quivering pathetic-ness of an apology. "I'm sorry. I'm late, aren't I?" He sat across from them, fixing the collar of his shirt. For a moment, they said nothing. They felt as if the sound of his voice simply whisked away his own and enveloped it into an embrace of which they could not escape. They shook their head,

"It's fine. Don't apologize, I wasn't waiting long anyway..." They trailed off. They weren't near him but the thoughts of the hands used to address his collar being grappled lazily around their own made them feel warm inside despite the pouring and chilly rain.

He's blushing now, the scar of red hot blood rushing to his cheeks and up his ears. Somehow he'd latched their image into his brain slowly made it overthrow his thoughts.

They stared for a moment.

"I feel underdressed," They confessed, trying to replace their embarrassment with humor, yet the smile that toyed with the corners of their mouth did not reach his own. He stopped blushing, the scars of red slowly fading but somehow his heart was swelling even more as he continued to stare at them. They felt as if they might die as certain words left his lips.

"Haleigh," there it is, they thought as the feeling of pure euphoria coursed through their veins as their own name slithered from his lips. Like the sound of a velvet sheet being pulled, he continued, "you look beautiful." he finished. Slowly their heart began to pick up to the rhythm of the ruthless rain outside. They blushed something lovely.

There was a pause, and their voice was cut in two when the waitress waltzed towards the table and asked for his order. "Frappe, chocolate drizzle please." He spoke, smiling like no other.

They watched his interaction with the working woman, the way the swell in his throat bobbed upwards and back down again with certain words, the way his collarbone tensed with different movements he made and how he'd raise his unruly eyebrows unintentionally. They smiled, enjoying themselves though they hadn't said much to each other much less done anything at all.

He took note of their wandering eyes, "Is something wrong?" he furrowed his brows in worry.

"Nothing's wrong," they smiled again, wider this time. His chest was warm. Their smile brought him joy and it was all he ever wanted to see. Forever.

"What are your plans for today?" They asked him and though he didn't relay it through expression, he was not expecting said question. Much less a question at all. It'd always been like this, they didn't need to speak, like their hearts beating out of sync was enough.

"Nothing really," The speedy woman came back with his requested drink quicker than expected, and he mumbled a thank you. "just class, and work. The usual." Their eyes simmered low for a moment, his schedule paled in comparison to her own. "What about you?" He asked, knocking them from their effortless distraction of his features.

"I've a lot to do," they shook their head, their smile still vivid.

"I'm listening." They smiled wide, again. They knew he was always listening. He'd always be there to listen even if that was all he could do.

"First, I have classes of course, after that I need to run to my apartment to pick up some things for my friend's birthday party then head back to classes because, I can't drop them off in time before calculus and," somewhere along the loving sound of their voice, he'd lowered his head onto the table, his hand outstretched onto the other side, as if reaching for their, more delicate ones.

"But somewhere along the lines of that trip, I'll have to pick her up but-" they stopped mid sentence, the sound of a gentle hum coming from the boy whose eyes now closed and drafts of wind waved quietly through his mouth. They turned their attention to the boy, a sweet smile enveloping their features.

They watched his face contort into an expressionless canvas as his light snores blended with the drifting rain. They held his hand, and caressing it as if it were their own. Grazing over his knuckles and his wrist, tracing his palm. They learned about him even now, as their hands intertwined lovingly,

how pretty their bones were.

Prologue: Pretty Bones

its not your

body that i

need but its

what sleeps next

to me

edited.