Persephone
Bright light shines in through a large, double window, tugging my eyes open to survey the day. I begin to pull the duvet up over my head, but stop with my eye half open, at the sight of a small piece of paper sitting on the opposite sides pillow, folded in half
My note.
I'd almost forgotten about it. I mean, after last night, and... everything that went on in the elevator, I sort of forgot about well... everything. The only thing I could focus on was the memory of Max's lips on mine, and the tingles the crossed from his skin over to mine. I was up half the night, desperately trying to remember everything that happened. It wasn't good though, not for my heart, as I was literally sleeping a few inches from that person who'd touched me, and pulled me into his body.
Oh yeah, did I mention that?
This wasn't our first work trip together, meaning yes, we have shared a bed before. Long ago, Max offered to take the couch or the floor, but every time I've brushed him off, saying simply that we were both adults, and therefore, it would be okay. We've never had to stay anywhere for more than a night, and it's not like we could just ask for separate rooms straight up. That's how people get suspicious.
But last night, last night was totally different.
Neither of us said a great deal when we finally got back to our room, after the elevator was fixed, after Max held me tight when it shuddered back into motion. We just got changed with our backs turned to each other (okay, I may have accidently turned around when Max wasn't wearing a shirt and caught sight of his back muscles and therefore nearly fainted, but I couldn't help it. He should have gotten changed quicker ugh,) and simply climbed into bed, turning off the light a while later. Due to our whole expedition, Valerie told me that I didn't have to prepare anything, and that all my jobs had already been sorted. She's a pretty good boss, to be honest. But while a part of me was glad I could just crawl into bed, another part was screaming "NO NO NO NO!" at the thought of being that close to Max after, well... everything. I need to think of a new word to describe it, but I just can't.
Anyway, Max got up to turn off the light, and I lay on my back, just staring at the roof. The whole thing was awkward for a few moments, as we both shifted uncomfortably in the covers. Our breathing was restless and out of sync, but eventually, Max's slowed, and I could tell he had dozed off. At this point, I let out a cool breath, rolling onto my side. My dull migraine had swelled to a point of no return around this time, so I knew I wasn't going to be sleeping for a while. I tried not to take my sleep medication all that often, even though I know there's nothing bad about it. I just like to feel like I have control over my body, and when I take it, I wake up feeling groggy and weightless, both feelings that can send me into a slight panic if I forget I took a tablet.
But I knew that for tonight, if I ever wanted to sleep, I needed to have one. So, I got up, and headed for my suitcase, trying to silently zip open its small, inner compartment, where I held my medications. I pulled the bottle out, before silently plodding along to the kitchen to grab myself a glass of water. Once the glass was full, I shuffled back to bed, tucking my legs under me as I took a sip of water and swallowed the pill. I was placing the water glass on the bedside table when Max's slurred, raspy voice whispered from beside me.
He said, "Pers? Are you alright?" his head barely leaving the pillow as he forced one eye open. I simply smiled, instinctively going to place my hand on his head, smoothing down the soft hair my fingertips meet. In the moment, I was brought back to my hands in his hair in the elevator, but brushed it from my mind a few seconds later. I do not need to be thinking about that right now. At my touch, Max nuzzled his head back into the pillow, and I quietly replied.
"I'm okay, just taking my sleep medications." He nodded in his daze.
"Come back to bed." His hand absentmindedly capturing mine and pulling me to lay down in bed. I didn't hear a sound from him after that, and soon, I too fell asleep, his hand wrapped in mine under the bedsheet.
The meds probably explained how I slept through Max leaving this morning, and everything else in-between. God, I hope I wasn't still holding his hand hostage when he woke up, because that would have been embarrassing. I roll over, grabbing my phone from the bedside table and flicking it on. It was only 8:30, meaning I still had an hour until I had to meet my team to go over to the arena. I see one unopened text on my home screen, and I lay back down, opening it. When I see it's Melanie, I glance at the text through my eyes, glad that no one is currently standing behind me.
mel: how's the trip going ;)
I made the mistake of telling Melanie that Max and I shared a room. Never again.
me: just fine thankyou
mel: is that code that you had hot sex or what?
I groan. Why world, why?
me: shut the fuck up
mel: party pooper
mel: do you want to come back to mine after you get back? was thinking of having dinner with the gals
me: sure, i'll be there once i get back tonight
mel: bring the lucky guy with you
I leave her on read, laughing to myself as I place the phone back on the table. I sit up from bed, lifting my hands above my head to stretch both sides of my body. When twisting towards the window, my eyes fall on the note, the one I literally forgot about in less than 5 minutes. Do I have amnesia? Probably, knowing me.
I pick up the note, my lips crumpling into a smile as my eyes float over the mixture of letters. It read;
morning sleepyhead. hope you slept well, and that i didn't wake you :) i just had the best sleep of my life, and i'm off to the arena if you need anything
still don't regret anything
i'll see you there, darling
x
I read the note twice, my heart stuttering over the third line repeatedly. I fold it over though, taking a deep breath as my eyes travel to the large window, still slightly haunted by their unexpected brightness.
Today's going to be a good day, I can feel it.
...
Max grabs the handle of my case, easily lobbing it into the trunk of his car. Rain beats down around us, soaking my body from head to toe. When Max closes the trunk, he runs around to my door, pulling it open and shepherding me in. He closes the door whilst sending me a cocky wink, before running around to his door. He jumps in, closes the door, and lets out a deep breath. I laugh, and I can't help but reach out and shake some of the droplets out of his hair. We make eye contact, the kind where you physically can't look away, and I drop my hand, dropping a small weight of tension with it.
"Are we going home?" Max finally says, pushing the keys into the ignition. Suddenly, I remember Melanie's earlier invitation, stuttering out the change of direction.
"No, well, not me. I got a text from Mel this morning, asking me to go around to hers when we got back. Said she's hosting a little something."
"Alright, let's go." A beat of silence as we click in our seatbelts, one of which I'm slightly puzzled. He's willingly going to hang out with Christian and the rest of my borderline psychotic friends?
"Wait, you don't have to go if you don't want to. Don't... don't feel like you have to." Max arches a brow.
"Persephone Miller, are you trying to alienate me from my mates?" We stare at each other with open smiles, up until I shake my head, letting out a small laugh.
"Pff, if you can tolerate Christian, go right ahead. It's your funeral." Max laughs, pulling out onto the main road outside of the airport. I tell him Melanie's address, and without even having to hook up a navigation system, he knows exactly where he's going. When I ask him how, he says his dad made him study maps in high school as it was a 'pivotal life skill'. Jeez, I wish. I don't even know my left from my write 6 days out of the week.
We drive for a few minutes in comfortable silence, listening to the pitter-patter of rain on the outside window. Max's voice fills the car though with a few minutes left of our journey, provoking another light conversation, filled with so many tones of something more.
"You never answered my question."
"What question?" I ask innocently, watching as Max's eyes go wide in horror.
"Fuck. Did you find the note? Fuck, don't tell me you couldn't find it. Now some oldie is probably reading it." We're at a red light, so Max lowers his head to the steering wheel dramatically. I thwack him on the side of the head, fish the note out of my pocket, waving it in front of his eyes. He looks like a kid at Christmas, his eyes bright with ecstasy.
"I slept okay, thankyou very much." I say, my lips twisting into a sarcastic smile.
"I wasn't joking, when I said it was the best sleep of my life. You must have spiked my drink on the plane."
"Oh obviously. I have bags full of illegal drugs on me at all times. You want one now?" I pretend to look for my bag, earning a soft laugh in response. I straighten up, one final question burning on my tongue. "So... you didn't wake up at all. Like, not even once?"
Max shakes his head wordlessly. The rate in my chest picks up a beat, waiting, waiting, waiting for a response.
"No, I slept right through the night, and that barely ever happens. Usually I wake up once or twice to get some water or something, but no, not last night."
A small sigh escapes my lips, letting my chest to cave slightly. There's something about that, knowing that he wasn't awake when he made sure I was okay and pulled me to lie down next to him, so close I could feel his harsh breath against my neck, that feels so much more intimate that truly being awake, and holding a conversation. Like everything he was saying and doing was coming straight from his heart, rather than being processed through his brain. It's an indication, if anything, that he feels what I feel. That whatever it is between us isn't so fake as we first thought it was.
With that, Max turns into Melanie's street, pulling the car to a stop just outside of her place. From the looks of things, everyone else is already here, which is probably better than being just trapped with Melanie forever, by myself.
Max and I unbuckle our belts, opening our car doors, and stepping out in an impeccable rhythm, meeting on the pavement. The light is on at Mel's front door, illuminating the otherwise dark street. I take the few stairs up to it with Max at my side, and before I can even lift my knuckle, Max tucks an arm around my waist, snaking his hand to the door, knocking loudly twice. My heart speeds up as his arm stays in its position, and I make the mistake of turning my head towards Max. He's already looking down at me, his gaze making me squirm with slight, warm discomfort.
The door flies open, and I'm greeted by both Melanie and Bailey, the two of them smiling in very different degrees of genuine. The next minute or two descends into chaos, with everyone hugging everyone, with voices cascading over a normal threshold. The group eventually makes it back into the kitchen, and Christian calls Max to follow them to the basement, where all of Bailey's beer is stored. The girls and I are left in the kitchen with Olly, and Melanie immediately turns on me.
"You two look very lovey-dovey today." I shoot Melanie a death glare, one she steps back from with her hands in the air, innocently grinning. I look over at Lera and Natalie for support, but they're both smiling with similar expressions. Hell, even Olly looks suspicious of me.
"And why would you say that, Melanie?"
"Because he was almost just touching you ass when you walked in, and it looked like he was going to eat your face off if we hadn't gotten to that door in time. And you weren't looking altogether innocent either." She stands there for a minute, pouring me a glass of wine before crossing her arms. "Explain."
I groan. How did I ever think I'd be able to keep this a secret from my friends? That's the one (well, more than one) bad thing about having lived with Melanie for 4 years. I can't hide anything. And what she knows, so do Lera and Natalie. I guess you could say it's our group dynamic, knowing everything and never being able to keep secrets.
"Fine, I'll text it to you, because I am not saying this out loud with him in this proximity." I say through clenched teeth, raising my eyebrows and blinking unnaturally. Melanie claps gleefully as Lera squeals, with Natalie shooting me a wide smile, one with her jaw dropping every second. The girls all go to pick up their phones, with Melanie winking caustically while I pull up my text window.
"We didn't have sex or anything, if that's what you're wondering." I mutter, texting madly. I have no idea when the boys will be back, but I'd rather not give Max the glory of knowing I'm telling this to my friends. At my statement, I swear I hear Melanie groan a little, before getting elbowed in the ribs by Natalie. She then mutters something about it being unfair that she can't stab a pregnant person, but I ignore her as I finally finish my message. With a sigh, I press send. Bye bye life.
me: we were alone going up in an elevator to our room last night when it fucking broke down, max did all the correct stuff like call for help while i stood in the corner like a little bitch. after he told the rescuers what had happened, he pulled me down to sit between his legs, comforted me, and then idk... i turned around, he grabbed my face, i grabbed his hair and we... made out? ig?
I boys walk back in just as the girls gasp in sync, with Christian obviously being the one to break the silence.
"Do we even want to know what this is?" Christian says in response to Melanie, who is now leaning against the kitchen sink, her mouth set in a silent scream. With a grumble and a roll of his eyes, Bailey goes over to stand behind her, but she still can't form a sentence, her eyes set wide on me.
"That's hot." She mouths, using a hand to cover her mouth once she finishes speaking.
Beside me, Natalie's covering her mouth with a water glass and Lera's hiding behind Olly's head, both of them staring at me with wide eyes and bright smiles.
I make the mistake of turning around, Max's eyes connecting with mine automatically.
He takes one glance at my hot, pink cheeks, and I know he knows.
I'm dead.
Max
I look across at her, taking a sharp breath. I can't stop thinking about her. I can't stop thinking about her lips, the way they glided across mine effortlessly. I never want to forget the feeling of her hand in my hair, or my hands on her body. It's all I've thought about for the past now-24 hours, and I can't stop. For fucks sake, I'm at a dinner table, and yet I'm thinking about kissing the one girl I know I probably shouldn't'. I am so fucked. So, so fucked.
Christian's babbling in my ear about hockey something-or-other, with Casey adding in a word or two in every other sentence. We finished eat around a half-hour ago, and now everyone's just chatting, filling the warm house with an even warmer conversation.
"Bro's fucking whipped." I turn my head at this, just as Christian lets out a loud bellow of a laugh. My gaze hardens, and without a second thought, I reach out, clipping him across the ear. My lips broaden into a smile as he shoots me a playful finger gun, remembering his place in this hierarchy. He himself was the one who said he'd never take me on, and I don't think he'll step back on that anytime soon.
"Like you're any different."
"Like you're any different." Christian mocks Casey, before pointing his gaze at Bailey. "Don't even start, pretty boy."
The boys chuckle into their own bouts of laughter, and I let myself fall back into my daydream. I shouldn't, I know, but I do anyway, unable to stop myself.
After the boys and I went to get drinks earlier, we had no idea what we were walking into. Melanie was practically in cardiac arrest, and as soon as I saw Persephone's face, I knew she'd told them. The thought lit something up inside of me, a heat fuelling my heart. Because she wouldn't be telling them if it meant nothing, right?
"Let's get you to your favourite aunt, hey buddy?" I snap out of my memory slideshow, just in time to watch Christian stand from his seat, pull Olly out of his make-shift crib, and hand him down to Persephone.
"Hey, do you not want to sleep today, little guy?" Persephone coos, holding Olly close to her chest in a hug. I find myself enchanted by her movements, how fluid and natural they are. Like holding a baby is the most normal thing she could ever be doing. For some reason, the more I watch, the more butterflies cloud my stomach, trapping me in their hold. Persephone lifts her head in one fluid motion, and before I can pretend to look away, she's caught me, her eyes softening. She smiles, and suddenly, like magic, everything seems alright once more. We don't have to fight to be anything right this instant, we can just... be, as simply as that.
A/n:
hey queens
how'd you like this chapter? idk, i'm playing around with it a little, having a little more fun than i did at the start.
when you're reading this, i think i will have written this 2ish weeks ago? idk, i was off from school one day sick and thought i may as well bank up some writing to publish in my whole exam-studying era, to keep you guys fed whilst also not putting stress on myself.
anyways, hope you enjoyed, and i'll see you whenever i next manage to post another episode of this shit storm <3
love ems xx