It's the sound of a steady beat against my ear that arouses my consciousness. I awake from my slumber, yet out of laziness, I remain still with my eyes closed. The only thing I can manage to do is take in a deep breath and exhale through my nose. My overly relaxed body, I am now aware of, is laying flat and my arms are more or less on either side. I cannot ignore the comforting heat transmitting on to me. When I wiggle my fingers a bit, the thing that I think I am touching is grass. The glass blades tickle the pads of my fingertips, and at first I think it's quite a nice sensation to wake up to.
Until I try processing how I could possibly be sleeping and touching grass at the same time. My shoulders rise up as if to extend my spine, and I take a deep breath once again to expand my ribcage, but to my surprise, I feel a whole arm tighten its sudden hold on me, from one side of my back to the other. Even more, I feel a hand rub against my side, skin on skin, and the unfamiliar sparkles and tingles race in whichever direction from the rub of comfort.
The comfortable, steady beating I was hearing? The natural alarm I was waking up to? Well, that starts beating faster and that confuses me all the more.
That's when I open my eyes, and I am looking at trees in the distance though it's not too clear since I've just woken up. I lift my head a bit to see what I am lying on, and immediately freeze up when I come face to... neck? I lift my head higher and raise my eyes, then come face to face with him, looking as peaceful as ever. His other hand rests under his head, I'm presuming it acts as a pillow between the grass and the back of his head.
His features are overly relaxed; this excludes the slight frown between his eyebrows. Nonetheless, his face is too peaceful, and if I take my own time to hear clearly, I can hear him exhale softly through his nose before inhaling just as soft. His lashes are so long, I feel jealous and convince myself not to pluck them out and keep them a extensions. Even his lips are shaped a little too good for somebody his age. What is he doing going around with lips as nice as this? I have to frown.
I'm not sure if I should be stunned that I was sleeping literally on top of this child, or find comfort that he allowed me to in the first place. Except I don't recall sleeping on top of him like this. Now here I am, waking up on top of him.
"Silly boy." I mutter under my breath as I look down. Now, the gutting feeling really sinks in when I realise that not only am I sleeping against the boy, but my legs are on either side of him. What makes it worse is the fact that I am wearing a skirt. "You perv."
"Yet you slept comfortably." I hear Micah cheekily throw in a comment, and when I look up to glare at him, I find him still with eyes closed and a smirk on his face.
"I certainly did not put us in this position, now, did I?" I can't even help but hiss.
"The position bothers you?" His one eye pops open, blue eye looking at me and his smirk grows bigger if it's even possible. "I kind of like this position, mate."
"I... you-!" I groan, pressing both palms against the grass before lifting my upper body off of his. "I hope you enjoyed this, little boy, because this will be the last. This will never happen again. This is actually taking advantage of me as I am sleeping. I didn't consent this."
"There's nothing wrong with enjoying a nap on top of a guy who is not only younger than you, but is attracted to you." He grins.
Those are words deliberately spoken to get me frustrated and angry, and I refuse to give him that satisfaction; so, I pretend I didn't hear him say anything. I simply prepare myself to get up as I mutter; "If this earth doesn't swallow me whole."
Micah has other obvious ideas in mind, since he decides to hold me tightly against him. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Let's just... stay here for a little while longer?"
"Hey, now—"
"I'm sure you're still a bit tired so," He lifts his hand and pushes the side of my head as though to get my head back down against his chest; "How about going back to sleep—"
"Are you— stop!" I shove his hand away and sit up to glare down at him. "You're getting overly comfortable with me, seriously." The both of us momentarily pause, and I look down to realise I am quite literally sitting on top of him.
"You might as well get used to this position. It may come in handy."
My cheeks literally heat up and like any other time, I thank the heavens for my melanin skin. I quickly get to my feet and move away from him, turning my back to him as I tap my cheeks. "You are so unbelievable."
I hear him move behind me, laughing under his breath, all while I dust myself and fix my skirt and thereafter, making sure my top is fine. He got way too comfortable having his hand under my top.
"Look, mate, I don't—"
"My name isn't 'mate', Micah." I turn to glare at him, ignoring the fact that he really is all up in my personal space and I have to crane my head a bit to accommodate his height. "It's not 'mate', so I'm going to have to ask— tell you, to stop calling me that. Don't call me that. It's Gertrude. To you, it's Gertrude. Stop calling me something I am not."
"Okay, mate, I'll call you Gertrude, mate." He smiles. "I just want to say that, I appreciate you opening up to me as much as you did. I know..." There, his face relaxes and there's that nonchalant look. "I know it was kind of hard. You needed space yet you allowed yourself to find some kind of comfort with me being there for you. I should say thank you. I may not have been much of help, I know that. I just hope you feel a bit better. Just a bit. I hope I helped. That's what I wanted to say."
So, there I am, stunned and staring at him with wide eyes and lips parted, quarter to grazing the ground. I nod slowly, raising my hand to scratch my forehead a bit. What the hell do I say to something like this?
"We... you don't listen to me so, technically you forced to provide comfort."
"I am your mate, I'm supposed to provide comfort. Gertrude, I know it may be a lot to ask and think about, and I can imagine I look somewhat desperate. I can understand that. But, that's because I partially am desperate. I need my mate. I can understand that it may be a lot and you need to process it but, all I ask is that you give me... us a chance. We don't even have to rush into anything. We can take it as slow as you want. Baby steps, if we must. But from my side, please understand that I need this. I was not lying when I said I need you. I wasn't just spewing words. I was being serious. I need you, and I am willing to accept even fractions of you... for now, of course. I just really want you to consider this. For once, maybe in your life, just believe me and give me a chance. If you don't like it at all, absolutely at all, then... I'll reject you."
I squint. "Reject me?"
"It's something wolves would understand, really. It's quite long to explain. But I will do that if you truly don't want anything to do with me. That will make me leave you alone. But for now, I just need you to trust me. Give it a chance." He closes his eyes briefly and sighs. "Please."
I take a gulp of saliva. My hands move to rub my arms a bit as I process what he said. It's a lot of nonsence but at the same time, he seems pretty confeint about what he is speaking about, so shouldn't I give him the benenfit of the doubt? Give him a chance, as he puts it.
It means I have to think and be part of his fictional world, doesn't it?
"I have to... talk to my friend about it. Andrea gives me great advice."
"Who's Andrea?"
"Your family friend." I blink up at him. "The girl with red hair?"
"Oh." He smiles. I can't decipher what kind of smile it is. "Sure. But, shouldn't it be your decision?"
"If I leave it up to me, I'm going to have to break your little heart and say I am not interested in you and your gender anymore simply because men are unreliable and trustworthy... except my father." He rolls his eyes. "So, I'll leave it up to her. She's my friend. She'll give me good advice."
Micah nods slowly. "I'd hope so for her sake."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, I hope she's a good friend, mate." He shrugs. "Your friends are my friends. too. If this works out. What matters to you should matter to me as well. I just want what's best for you, and that includes those who are in your life."
He's just so... persistent. Involved.
"You don't have to say anything, mate."
"Gertrude."
"That as well." He gives a small smile.
I fold my arms over my chest, stubbornness holding me by the throat and now allowing me to humble myself and thank him for what he did. What he did. Finding a way to deal with my stubbornness and willingly providing comfort when I was hurting. He decided to go through that, just to make me feel better. He didn't have to, yet he came all the way and possibly skipped another session just to make sure I was and am okay. He let me sleep on him — I didn't ask for it though — and stayed with me right until this moment. This moment of me stubbornly shrugging my shoulders as he stuffs his two pockets with his hands.
"I mean... yeah, you helped. I guess."
Micah audibly scoffs and grins. "You're so stubborn." I shrug, pouting to prove both of our points. "What do I do to make you... less stubborn?"
My eyes lift to his, and what do I know? I identify what definely seems like mischief in the depths of his dilated pupils. Even his smirk proves it all. There my cheeks go flushing again, and I have to gulp at his audacity.
"Do you understand that I am older than you? You can't make comments like that. It's inappropriate."
"I didn't make an inappropriate comment, Gertrude, I simply asked what I would need to do to make you less stubborn." He is literally grinning.
"I can read between the lines. I know what you mean, Micah, and that's inappropriate. You can't do that at all. I am literally your senior. I am older than you. I can literally go to jail because of you, do you know that?"
"I am of age so it's not illegal—"
"Yeah, well, to me?" I face my palm to the ground and lower my hand. "You're this small to me. You're young. You're a child— a little boy, actually. To me, it's illegal regardless of you being of age."
He takes a deep breath as he licks his bottom lips, eyes glancing away for as good as a moment as he takes a courageous step closer to me, regardless of the fact that he is close enough. "Gertrude, I can assure you," He now looks down at me. Even if he isn't grinning anymore, I can see the mischievousness as clear as day, swirling in his eyes; "I am meant to be your mate, regardless of age. You will come to learn that I am far from a little boy..." His eyes lower from my face to my lips, skating down my neck and then up to my eyes; "in all departments. Don't speak too confidently, undermining what I am capable of. I fear you might be psyching yourself up with false information, only to back down when the time comes." The earth can swallow me, because no way am I hypnotized by his alluring expression and captivating eyes. "Unless, maybe you're psyching yourself up in preparation for what's to come?"
"W-what's to come?" Is that me muttering and stuttering?
He grins. "You'll have to bear my pups, mate. How else would that happen?" My jaw literally unhinges and drops to the ground. "Besides, to make our bond official as an acceptance before Moon Goodess, we'd have to do it the way wolves would. Now, what do you think they do to seal the bond?"
I want to say something, I do. yet, imagine me there with my hand raised to accuse him of something, but my lips can only part as not one verbal word escapes me. I am beyond flabbergasted. The temerity of this boy is out of this world.
Micah takes it even a step further and nudges his head at the grass. "Like I said, might as well get comfortable being in that position. It will certainly come in handy one of these good days."
I'm reminded why I absolutely despise the opposite gender.
My eyes pressed closed for a good moment and in the moment, I take a deep breath and hold it for as long as I need. Matter of fact, I contemplate holding it in longer just to pass out because I refuse to be present for another second.
"I don't sleep with boys who are younger than me."
"Bold statement considering you've only ever slept with one guy." How does he... I never told him that, did I? "Your ex bragged about it before I roughened him up."
I gulp, eyes lowering down at the thought. At the memories. He can really brag about that? Brag about the fact that he deflowered me.
"I don't want to talk about it." Before he can throw in a comment, I move away from him. "I'll speak to my friend, and if she gives me a logical reason as to why I should entertain your fictional story—" I bend down to pick up my bags, "I'll let you know. Until then, maybe... don't annoy me? Just for your sake. You need to have a good case and right now, it's looking... scary."
"If you're intimidated, just say that, mate."
"If you keep calling me mate, I'll use that as a con to being with you. I'm being so serious." I narrow my eyes at him as I adjust the straps of my bag on my shoulders.
Micah grins, raising his hands up as though surrendering. "Fine."
I eye him carefully, for a good moment. Matter of fact, we're both just looking at each other for a moment, and sudden butterflies take flight in my stomach, before I hum, turning around to walk away.
"Hey, don't just dismiss me like that."
"And one more thing." I pout as I turn to glance at him. "If this happens. You know, if I decide to care about your story and whatnot, and I give you a chance because I'm a nice person and you've literally kissed my butt for me to be with you, then things will go my way. We do things my way. What I say, goes."
The more control I have, the less likely I'll dislike him as much as I already do. That's a good thing for him.
He bites his bottom lip, hand raising up to move stands from his forehead. "We'll discuss that when we get there."
"If. If we get there."