Damian~
I became much too comfortable. My typically iron walls dropped as I watched over Cora's sleeping form. She continues to look gorgeous and peaceful, even with her cheek being slightly smushed into her pillow.
I stare at her features intensely, trying to memorize her face as it is now. Her skin is a warm tan, and it suits her well. She's at the least half Hispanic. She has mentioned before that it's from her mom's side of the family.
Her brown hair is a light chestnut brown. It's not perfectly straight, just a little wavy, and it's mostly behind her with the exception of a couple of strands that frame her face beautifully.
I wish I could see her eyes. They're a warm brown, and when she's concentrating her eyebrows furrow above them. They express just as much emotion as the rest of her face.
I can read her easily, though there are times it seems like a language I can't understand. I like when she smiles at me, and when we were sparring her eyes were alight with a challenge I don't see often. I know one thing for certain. I don't want her to ever look at me again like she did almost an hour earlier.
Any time someone finds out what I've done they usually look at me with fear and suspicion. She had the usual shock in her eyes, but I saw the fear behind it too. I want her to feel comfortable around me. I want her to look at me like she cares.
It's only been a few days here but she's already treated me nicer than most people have. She is kind to everyone, and thus I can't tell if she truly enjoys my company. She seems the type to feed the homeless and give more than she would get back.
I want to give it to her. I want to give her everything she gives me. She opened her home to 4 strangers without a second thought. Not only that but she's taken lengths to provide for us while we stay.
I don't like worrying over the strain our appearance must be putting on her. If she were the one to cross into my dimension, I wouldn't worry nearly as much about taking care of her.
She does well for herself. The house is well kept, the pantry is stocked, and she can cook well enough to feed a family. But I still get the sense that she needs something, and I want to give it to her. If only I could understand what it is.
The sun has set by now. It would be more suspicious to linger in her room, let alone while she sleeps. I stare at her longingly, wishing she could wake up and give me the answers to questions I haven't asked.
I hesitantly begin to leave the soft comfort of her bed. Cora's face contorts into one of distaste. Her features are still relaxed, but much less peaceful. Her hand stretches out to where I just was on the mattress. When she doesn't feel me, her hand begins to limply swat around until her eyes crack open.
"Dami?" She asks softly, almost in a mumble. Her eyes land on me, then open more. A warm feeling spreads through my chest when I hear the name she has given me.
"Yes, I'm here," I speak lowly. I don't want her to wake up when she was so peaceful just moments ago. Granted I was there with her. Perhaps she simply doesn't like being without someone next to her. It may not be strictly me.
"Is everything okay? How long was I out?" She asks groggily. She starts to move into a sitting position. She wipes her eyes lazily. It's quite adorable, and my lips twitch upwards of their own volition.
"Yes, everything is fine, Cora. You weren't asleep for long. But you had a stressful day today, you should rest more." I recommend softly. I don't want her to become fully alert if she does decide to follow my advice.
"Oh, but I wanna spend more time with you before my parents get back." She says with a yawn. Her face seems to gain awareness and even in the mostly dark room, I can see her cheeks get darker. My eyes tend to adjust more quickly due to my prolonged time in the cave.
I can't say I don't feel the same. I was hesitant to simply move farther away from her. Of course, I want to stay and spend time with Cora. But I must not seem overeager. She may change her mind if I am.
"I can stay if you would like," I state simply. Her face brightens to a smile. Her smile is warm and soft from sleep. I find pride in being the cause of such a smile. She scooches over and pats the new spot next to her.
"Then get back over here. I won't be able to see you until tomorrow afternoon. And I don't wanna be alone right now." She admits. It seems my hunch was correct again. She doesn't like being alone, despite being the only inhabitant of this house for a majority of her time before us.
I crawl over to sit cross-legged beside Cora. She turns her body towards me slightly, then slowly rests her head on my shoulder. She lacks the usual hesitation she normally carries.
I tense slightly under her. She's so very close to me and I am not accustomed to physical affection from her just yet.
"Is this okay? You seem tense." She asks quietly. I relax my shoulders and I keep my voice steady through sheer will. There's nothing I can do about my racing pulse, though. It's such an odd feeling.
"Yes, this is okay. I'm simply growing accustomed to your proximity." I state, willing her to remain where she is.
"Oh, okay. I can just move if it's making you uncomfortable." She says, her voice a little quieter than normal. She starts to lift her head from its place on my shoulder.
"No!" I accidentally say louder than intended. My skin flushes as I clear my throat. "No. That's okay, it's just something that requires a little, adjustment." I say, slower and quieter this time. I feel the heat creeping up my neck and towards my ears.
Cora looks up at me and smiles a joking kind of smile that makes me wonder what I did to make her so comfortable.
"Okay, does that include any other kinds of affection? I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable by accident." Cora asks, and I would think she's teasing me if I weren't noticing the genuine look in her eye.
"I'm not quite sure if I'm honest," I admit, contemplating my possible comfort levels. I typically hate any and all physical interactions that last longer than 1 minute. However, with Cora, I enjoy any touch she gives me. Whether that be a brushing of hands while we walk or her hand in my hair.
When did that even happen? I knew I wasn't aggravated by her as soon as we met. But that doesn't explain my sudden shift in emotions towards her.
Perhaps it was after our sparing session. Typically, I don't handle loss well. But her complete lack of contempt baffled me. It seemed easier to accept the loss when it wasn't held over my head.
While I was contemplating all of these thoughts, it seems Cora was contemplating her own. Her eyebrows are furrowed and her dark honey eyes roam my face. Searching for something, almost.
"Can I try something then? You are totally welcome to say no or push me away if you don't like it." She says the first part hesitantly before rushing out the second. I doubt she could do anything I wouldn't like, which should scare me more than it does.
"I don't see why not. Test your theory." I allow, trying my hardest to keep my composure. My head is spinning with possibilities.
We've sparred before, so perhaps she wants to train. Or maybe she would like to touch my hair again. I wouldn't be opposed to either option, which is definitely unusual.
Almost as soon as I agreed, she turned herself so she was facing me, so I followed suit. She hesitates for only a moment before launching herself at me, wrapping her arms around my torso.
I have to admit I'm shocked, but I pull her closer to me as soon as I can, almost on reflex. She ended up sitting comfortably on my lap, just embracing me. I hold onto her firmly in place.
She's warm, and a bit squishy. She has only a small amount of muscle that can be seen, but she's actually quite solid. Still, she isn't flexing, and she has a bit of body fat, so she squishes comfortably in my arms.
She lightly strokes my shoulder blade with her thumb. I just relax into her touch more and more. I've never felt like this about affection. I could stay here for hours, and it's possible I have considering it feels like time has stopped.
She nuzzles her head into the crook of my neck and I can feel the blush work its way up my face. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest, and I hope that she can't feel it.
Eventually, she sighs and slowly loosens her grip on me. I feel my heart drop slightly when she does. Did I do something wrong? Was I supposed to do something else?
"Your brothers are probably getting worried about us. I don't want to get you in trouble with Richy." She says, sounding almost sad. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"I can handle Grayson. If you want me to stay, I will stay." I offer without entirely thinking over my words. She smiles at that, and I become glad I spoke.
"That means a lot, Dami. Thank you." She says sincerely. That should not give me as much pride as it currently does.
She pulls me back into her embrace, seeming to melt against me. I hold her still, though a bit precariously in the sense that I don't know if I'm hugging her well.
Grayson hugs me all the time, and it grates on my nerves. I do not hug Todd and I certainly don't hug Drake. I rarely hug my father. I do not have the needed experience for this.
As I'm growing to understand this, I also recognize that Cora most likely doesn't have much recent experience either. Her parents are gone extremely often, and her friend can't be around too often if we haven't run into her. She has no siblings either.
I hold her just a little tighter.