Instead of going to the football game on Friday, I stay home, burying myself in the studying that I'll miss tomorrow when my friends and I hang out.
Every once in a while, the shouts of my brother's friend group downstairs sends frustration coursing through my veins. I don't want to be selfish, but at the same time...I'm trying to excel in my academia here.
I'm taking a quick break when I hear the guys start their way up the stairs
It's not long before I hear my door open and I quickly turn around. My brother's friend group starts spilling in my room and all I can do is watch, wide-eyed as they inspect my belongings.
I recognize everyone from school, though I can only name a few. Ezra, Levi, Malachi, and Corbin. My brother isn't with them, but I doubt he doesn't know.
Congrats, guys. You've succeeded at frustrating me.
My final straw is when a guy I've seen only twice in my life picks up one of my Sanrio plushies from my bed, spinning it around in his hand.
"Guys, now is really not the time," I finally say.
They look over at me like they're only now seeing me.
"You've got a cool room, Indigo." Ezra walks towards me and ruffles my hair. For some reason, it makes my heart skip a beat. I swat his hand away. "We're only interested."
"I thought her name was Indi," a guy says from the chair by my stacks of books. Ugh.
"My name is Indi," I say. My eyes travel up to Ezra's and I shoot him a glare. "Get them out, please."
The corner of his mouth pulls into a smirk. "Would've thought your mood would be brighter given the extra-extra credit."
Mrs. Janko liked our presentation the best. I made our slides so aesthetically pleasing that she asked if I bought them from a website–which is oddly an ego boost. Ezra rephrased all the facts I wrote down using his natural charm and even presented the whole thing, saving me from any public speaking. I'm not sure how he got so good at charming a crowd, but the class was a lot more entertained than most people would be when listening to someone talking about hydrogen bonding.
"Yeah, but I still have grades to work towards." I try to soften the harsh note in my voice, but that's sort of hard when one of the guys is now flipping through the special editions of my favorite books.
"You gotta learn to live in the present instead of the future," he says before turning towards the guys. "Alright! Everyone–" He gestures his hands forward. "–out."
One by one, the group starts leaving. Ezra included.
The only straggler is an unfamiliar guy with blue eyes and black hair that pokes out of his baseball cap. His gaze is fixed on my drawings on the wall to the side of my desk.
"You drew those?" he asks, a reverent look in his striking blue eyes.
"Yeah," my voice is a lot softer now. "Do you like them?"
He nods and meets my eyes. "They're...wow, they're amazing."
I can't help the smile that forms at his compliments. It's always nice to receive approval, especially from a stranger.
"Sinclair!" Ezra's voice shouts from the hall. "Leave before she cuts your head off!"
Sighing, I roll my eyes at the way he makes me sound like a bear. "Thank you... Sinclair."
The guy in my room smiles. "You can just call me Collin." He takes a step back, towards my door. "I hope I get to see more of your art in the future."
And just like that, he's gone.
But he doesn't shut my door. That results in a golden retriever wandering in.
"Honey," I greet him, keeping my voice calm. "Please leave."
The dog pauses and looks me in my eyes. Then, he walks closer to my chair as if I didn't say anything.
"Your paws are going to get my rug dirty." I point to the door. "Now, please."
He continues walking until he's right in front of me. And then he sits down, which must spread all of his dog-butt germs on my floor. Gross.
I surprise myself, though, when I don't command him to leave a third time. Instead, Ezra's words flash through my mind. Words he said to me a while back.
Personally, petting Katniss is all I need after a long, stressful day.
I let out a breath.
Before I can stop, my hand is reaching out to the golden coat of fur. I lightly graze my fingers between Honey's eyes and realize just how cute he is. His eyes softly shut and he looks oddly peaceful.
I cup his face in my hands, scratching just behind his ears.
And just like magic, my frustration about the guys invading my room dissipates.
Maybe Honey isn't so bad after all.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
I knew I should've gone for that run after dinner. I've been running in the mornings ever since I got back from Atlanta because that's the time at which my stress has become more prominent.
That's probably due to the unsettling dreams I've been getting. They're not necessarily nightmares, not from what I remember. I usually forget them in the morning, but the anxiety lingers. And typically, I'll go to sleep fine without running in the afternoon.
Only, now it's three in the morning and I can't sleep. It is Friday, but I'm still uptight about my sleeping schedule. Yes, even on the weekends. I can't risk showing up to school tired and missing important information. What if that leads to my academic demise?
I sit up in my bed.
I am so dramatic.
I'm aware that my fears are irrational. They're irrational and self-destructive–they always have been–yet that doesn't stop them from showing up. The only thing worse than being crazy is having the awareness that I am and feeling unable to do anything about it.
I make sure to keep my steps extra light as I change into proper running attire and make my way downstairs. The guys are on the couch, asleep, which should be surprising since they're teenage boys, but they do also have some sort of discipline.
One light in the kitchen helps me to fill a water bottle using the refrigerator, but when I turn around, there's someone standing at the entryway.
"Where are you going?" Ezra asks with an almost amused gleam in his eyes–which scan me up and down.
I suddenly feel shy about my white tanktop and black athletic shorts, though I pretend not to be as I screw on the lid to my water bottle. "For a run."
He lifts an eyebrow. "At three in the morning?"
"I don't believe in the whole witching hour thing."
"Do you also not believe in kidnappers?"
He has a good point, but I simply shrug. "Seattle is in the top two-hundred safest cities."
Ezra lets out a sigh, running a hand down his face. "Don't leave yet," he says as he turns back to the living room.
"Why?"
"Because I'm not letting you go alone."
Once he's gone, I nervously drum my fingers along the counter in front of me. I guess it wouldn't be so bad to have someone who can protect me join my run. Maybe he can do the whatever it was that he did back in Atlanta, where his mere presence was enough to soothe me.
A few minutes later, he re-enters the kitchen with shoes on. "Are we sneaking out through the backdoor?" he asks.
My eyes drop to his flannel pajama pants before returning to his face. "You can't go in pj's," I say, forgetting to answer his question.
"I'll stop at my house after the run."
"Why don't you just change before?"
"Then I'll have to change outfits twice." He walks closer to the backdoor. "And I'll be able to shower afterwards as well."
Water bottle in hand, I follow him outside and he's gotten the memo to stick close to the wall so that the cameras won't pick up on the motion. "You can just use Lucas's shower," I tell him for some reason.
"He doesn't have the soap I like."
One of my eyebrows raise even though he can't see my face since he's in front of me. "Not into the whole three-in-one thing?"
He turns his head just so I can see his dimly lit scowl. "Of course not. What do you take me for?"
"I take you for the same guy that sits with his dirty baseball pants on my dad's furniture!"
We make it onto the sidewalk and walk in the opposite direction of my house.
"Doesn't your dad hire people to clean your furniture?"
I let out a choked laugh, but when I look up at him, I see that he's being serious. "Who told you that?" I ask, amusement shining through my voice.
"Lucas did."
I shake my head, amused laughter continuing to spill out of me. Once it dims down, my legs pick up speed and I begin jogging.
"Was he lying?" Ezra asks as he keeps a steady pace beside me. When I just glance at him, realization sets over his face. "Are you serious? I don't... How did I not know that?"
Another laugh breaks free from my throat. "I have no idea. You thought– oh this is good. You thought we had furniture cleaners?"
We turn a corner. "You guys are insanely rich, so I wouldn't put it past you."
"My dad of all people, though?" I look back over at him, my eyes remaining on his face even as I run. "He won't even let other people change the oil in his car. Let alone–"
It's like time slows down.
My foot gets caught in something–a crack in the sidewalk maybe?–and I'm falling forward.
I shoot my hands out and don't even think as I twist to my side, saving my face from any impact.
No. No. No. Nonono.
Just when I fear that my head is going to split open, I pause in the air.
I'm somehow facing up, which gives me the perfect view of the stunned–almost scared–look in Ezra's eyes. I also realize that his arm has caught me by my waist and I'm hovering maybe two feet above ground.
We stay like that for a second, the only sound being traffic on the highway nearby.
Once I'm tethered back to reality and time speeds back up, I abruptly stand, taking a moment to regain my balance.
"Whoops!" Whoops? Who even says that anymore? I let out a half-laugh before continuing the run like nothing happened. "Anyway," I say when Ezra rejoins me. "What were we talking about before?"
I feel his gaze on me before he looks back in front of us. "I don't even remember."
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
I've been pretty much leading the way for the majority of our run, which is why once I've decided I'm done, I lead Ezra to his house.
It takes him a second to register where we are once we get there. "I should probably walk you home first," he says.
"It's across the street, Clancy."
"Ezra," he corrects. "And it only takes a few seconds to be taken away."
"Just watch as I walk–literally–across the street. It's not even–"
"It only takes a few seconds."
I allow myself a couple short breaths before complying. "Fine," I say, "I'll just wait here so you don't have to do extra walking."
He doesn't argue. Simply just leads the way up the front porch of his house. Instead of a key, he gets in by punching a code into a numeric pad that's connected to the handle.
There's a soft beep before he pushes the door open.
"Here." He holds his hand behind him. "It's going to be dark and I don't need you tripping again." There's a hint of humor in his tone.
I grab his hand, surprise instantly hitting me. His palm is rough and calloused, but the skin on the outside is so smooth. I can't stop myself from running my thumb back and forth just once as we step inside. I also can't stop the fluttery feeling in my stomach.
He was right about the house being dark. It's pitch black. I can't see further than the plants right beside the door.
My vision doesn't get any better. Not until a bedroom door opens, revealing a barely lit room. The strip of lights around the roof are a dim red.
Ezra drops my hand and I mourn the loss for a quick second before a cat comes running into the room. The lighting makes it hard to see any colors, but she's noticeably light with leopard-like spots adorning her coat. "Is that Katniss?" I whisper since his parents are likely asleep right now.
He nods, picking up the feline. "She already seems to like you."
I don't get to say anything before he's shoving Katniss into my free hand. Her coat is soft beneath my fingers and she doesn't squirm. In fact, she nuzzles her soft head along my chin.
"What breed is she?" I ask.
"Snow Bengal." He moves to a nearby dresser, opening the top drawer.
I narrow my eyes at him even though his back is turned towards me. "She's a Snow Bengal and you named her Katniss?"
"What would you have named her?" he asks, amusement shining through his words.
It doesn't take long for me to find an answer. "Corio would've made a lot more sense than Katniss." I bring my free hand to the cat's head, lightly scratching. She lets out a soft mew and I understand why Ezra finds peace in petting her. I think this is the most wholesome thing I've ever experienced.
Ezra pulls open the second drawer. "Where does Corio come from?"
My jaw drops. "Coriolanus? Like Coriolanus Snow."
He turns around and throws a shirt over his shoulder. "Who?"
"Haven't you read the Hunger Games books?"
Complete shock runs through me when he raises his eyebrow. "There are books?"
Here I was, thinking that Ezra might be the greenest flag I've ever met. He's kind, he wants to be a therapist, he pays attention when I speak, he's a cat person, but how much of that matters when he doesn't even know that The Hunger Games was originally a book series? Okay, I'm being dramatic, of course, but not knowing about the books is wild. How can–
My thoughts are interrupted when he lets out loud laughter. "The look on your face," he says between breaths. "You are too gullible, Indigo."
I roll my eyes when he turns back around. "So you understand then, why Corio is better."
"I don't, actually."
"You have to see the movie when it comes out then."
"What movie?"
I let out a soft laugh. "The new Hunger Games movie."
He turns to me again, genuine surprise laced in his eyes now. "There's a new one? What, did Suzanne think Katniss and Peeta needed more?"
"No," I say. "It's about President Snow's life."
A scowl forms on his face before he turns back to his dresser, throwing something else over his shoulder then pulling the third drawer open.
"Don't give me that look," I say. "Technically, they're the same person, but I see Coriolanus and the president as two different people. Coriolanus is before Lucy, the president forms after her."
"I have no idea what that means or why you could ever come around to the idea of liking President Snow. He has no redeeming qualities."
"Coriolanus does."
After throwing what seems to be a pair of boxers over his shoulder, he turns around completely. "Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Well, he actually has a heart, unlike his old self. And..." I fall short when I try thinking of another eason. "If you were a girl you'd understand the rest. Or if you were into guys."
He lets out an almost mocking laugh. "Right. So it's because you think he's hot?"
I narrow my eyes at him. "You make me sound so dense."
"I get it." He holds his hands up. "Some of the people I hang out with think Megan Fox did nothing wrong in Jennifer's Body."
"Wasn't she possessed, though?"
He shrugs. "All I know is that she killed a bunch of people." There's a momentary pause. "Sound familiar?"
"In my defense," I start, "he looks good with a buzz cut and he has this whole dog tag thing that... Whew, like I said, if you were a girl, you'd understand."
He gives me an amused smile then angles his head toward the bed which is pushed against the wall. "Sit down while you wait for me to get out."
"I shouldn't," I reply. "I'm all gross and sweaty."
"Just sit on a blanket. I'll clean it in the morning."
"Are you–"
"Just sit down, Indigo."
My mouth slams shut before I do as he says, taking a seat on the edge of his bed–atop a spiderman blanket that stands out among his otherwise monochromatic sheets and pillows.
He leaves me alone in the silence and I simply pet Katniss as I wait for him to get back.
I doubt it's more than ten minutes before he re-enters the room with different clothing. A white t-shirt and sweatpants. Grey sweatpants.
He stays frozen in the doorway, the expression on his face is unreadable.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing, it's just..." He shakes his head. "I don't know. Forget it." Then he walks towards his closet, leaving me confused in the silence between us.
"Just tell me," I say.
He throws the dirty clothes in a hamper in his closet before turning around. "I don't know, it's just...you."
My eyes narrow. "What?"
"Nevermind. That came out wrong." He waves a hand then puts on slides over his socks. "It's late, I'm not thinking clearly."
"Don't be like that," I say. "Just tell me."
"It's just..." He lets out a heavy sigh. "I never thought you'd actually be here, in my room, on my bed." I don't get enough time to ask what he means by that before he holds his hand out again. "Let's go."
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
A/N: Nobody asked, but here's what Katniss (Ezra's cat) looks like