Dedicated to:NavyaJain16
Thank you so much for reading my story and for the votes! Your sweet comments motivate me to continue :)
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"We could build a universe right here
The world could disappear,
I just need you near..."
~'Uncover' by Zara Larson
Claire's POV
A cool Californian Sunday, where the whirling winds carried with it the glee from the oceans and people rose up from their slumbers, ready to face the challenges that awaited them.
I rested on my window sill, back leaning against the wall, my gaze feverishly scanning the activities around me.
A young kindergarten kid hopped enthusiastically out of my neighbor's house, a school bag draped across his shoulder, his mother clasping his tiny hand amid hers with caution. The rhythmic sounds of footsteps of a middle-aged man, jogging past my house, reached my ears.
The trees swayed melodiously with the breeze, its whoosh and rustle like music to my ears. Aromatic and freshening, reminding me that monsoon was just round the corner.
A dinging sound echoed throughout my dark room. My eyes were directed towards my cell phone that lay unattended on my bed. My room lurked with shadows, utterly dull, lifeless. It once used to be so lively, so full of colors when he was here with me.
There were so many memories in this room. Everything there reminded me of a moment in the past, memories that were fossilized and impossible to forget.
It's no use to brood about that anymore. It's over Claire.
Endeavouring to pound the tattoo of this truth in mind, I slid down the window sill, clutching the edges for support in case I faint.
The cell phone case felt freezing under my touch. As I lifted it, the material seemed iron-clad, threatening to slip out of my trembling hands.
The contents were hidden "Logan Walker now" was all the notification said.
My heart came up to my throat as I sucked a breath in, my mind swiveling with fear. My heart began to hammer frenziedly against my ribcage.
I had given up, I had no idea he would text me. Wait...what if he wants get back with me? No, what if he wants to tell me he was done with me?
I was petrified with what the near future held for me, petrified to know what his text would say. Even if I chose to ignore this, I would still have to face him again.
It was useless to make possible scenarios. The text is what it is, it wouldn't change. Funny how a single text was capable of tearing me apart, fixing me back again, driving me crazy with terror.
I smashed my lips together and opened the text. Breathe.
"Please talk to me" 1min ago
My hands fell weak, my bones crushing and breaking in my body. He texted 'please'. It was hard to process the kind of emotions it contained.
There was no way I was ignoring that text.
"Okay" I replied.
His reply was instant "I'm at your door, come down"
I almost jumped out of my skin. He was at my doorstep. I was just there at the window; I didn't even see him come. How long was he here?
I quickly changed into presentable clothes and stared at myself in the mirror "Calm down, Claire. Don't ruin it, please" my face suddenly portrayed rage and anger. Gnashing my teeth together, I snarled at myself "Fuck you, Claire Annesley"
Excellent motivation. Time to go.
The thought of seeing him again, after ten days, made me weak in my knees. I wondered deeply what the accident would've done to him. What if he's hurt badly? Would I be able to handle it?
I took steady steps towards my main door, my feet clobbering on the wooden floorboards. The distance betwixt me and the door felt like miles, like I would forever be walking but will never really reach where my heart craved to be.
Will I cry?
My eyelids shoved the tears back. Tentatively, I reached, grabbing the doorknob. One deep breath and I pulled the door open.
An excruciating and painful shudder ran down my back when I saw him, standing at the gate, his hands in his pockets. His head turned in my direction.
That night replayed in my head, crippling my courage.
"You could've simply told me you loved someone else! But you lied to me! You freaking lied to me! And I...I was waiting for you Logan...like an idiot that I am"
"You...you don't trust me?"
"No, I don't trust you, not anymore, not after everything you've done to me"
His gaze was so intense as he locked it with me, his bright eyes as if screaming 'What have you done?'
The monster in me felt the urge to scamper to him and take him in my arms and dissolve in his scent, dissolve in him.
He broke his stare and turned his head away. His feet picked up the pace and started to trudge out of the gate.
I decided to follow him, what else would I have done? He was where I wanted to be, I would gladly spend the rest of my life following him.
When I walked out, my vision was greeted with a glimmering, glossy black car with a 'Toyota' symbol on its frontier. Logan towed the passenger door of the car open and looked over at me then walked over to the driver's seat.
I didn't remember him having a Toyota, his parents must've bought him a new car after the accident destroyed his old one.
The most relieving fact was that Logan didn't look that injured, at least not as hurt as I had imagined.
He slumped behind the wheel, gesturing at me towards the passenger seat with his eyes.
So we weren't talking? Okay, I'll play along.
Obediently, I climbed inside; admiring the rich interior of the new car, inhaling the invigorating scent to enlighten my senses but it wasn't helping.
He revved up the car engine and began to drive to somewhere but it didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that we were together in this enclosed space and our conversation would either break us or fix us.
Minutes passed by and I began to get impatient. Concealing my fear inside, chaining my impulsive attitude into the deepest depths of my mind, I planned my words and spoke "How are you feeling?"
As if he had been waiting for me to speak, he abruptly parked the car on the side of the street. I looked about, taking in a very unfamiliar neighbourhood.
"How am I?" he chuckled nervously under his breath. I was suddenly afraid of him "Look at this" he looked at me, smiling, lifting his T-shirt to reveal his bandaged chest.
A gasp left my mouth when I saw thick layers of bandages criss-crossing his chest and my eyes involuntarily fell on his prominent abs, it was my first time seeing them.
I whipped my head away from him. This wasn't the time to be fantasising about his body. He was hurt, badly and I knew I wouldn't be able to handle how much that hurt me. I tried to remain strong but at the back of my mind, I knew, I knew I would cry.
And the tears came.
I was known to be capable of handling situations horribly. Please don't ruin this Claire, please don't.
"You...you shouldn't be driving when you're h...hurt, you know?" I managed a sniff.
"Yeah I know" he replied, casually, emotionlessly, looking out of the window "I snuck out of my house, didn't know how long I would remain like this. I can't write anything, can't type anything. The cuts on my hand...they hurt so much. I cut my head, smashed it on the broken glass. I lay in a coma for two whole days. Father lectured me for hours. My parents they...they're so disappointed in me. And you?" he looked over at me, calmly "How are you?"
My lips parted with astonishment, an unyielding notion of rage surging up my veins. He was mocking me. I had tried so fucking hard to be polite, to gather the guts to talk to him and he was...he was mocking me.
"What are you trying to say, Logan?" I exclaimed, a little more harshly than I had planned "Are you...are you blaming me for what happened?"
His calm expression now twisted into fury, his treacherous glare I was afraid of "What? No! I'm not blaming anybody! Whatever happened was no one's fault, it was mine! I wonder what the hell I was thinking when I sipped down three fucking bottles of beer and then drive all the way to your house above the speed limit and..." his voice trailed off, miserably, looking away "I'm not blaming anyone...Claire...I'm here to ask you, even after I suffered so much...you refused to visit me until I had to get up and come myself even in this state"
His voice broke, like it was choking him "I waited every hour of every day for you to come and see how much I was hurt. For ten days. Didn't you miss me, Claire?"
There was so much pain in his deep voice that it left my heart crumbling down to pieces. I caught a tear drop in my hand, tearing my consciousness from every side. I wanted to say something but it was as if my voice had left me.
"Claire? Say something..."
"Logan I...I..." I whimpered "I'm sorry I was very troubled. I was miserable about what happened and I didn't know how to face you"
"You didn't know how to face me? That's your excuse?"
"That's not a fucking excuse! God!" something took over me, coaxing me to yell "You don't understand Logan! You think you're the only one hurting but you're fucking not! Try to understand that it hurts me too!"
Redness crept up his neck. He turned his head away from me, fisting a bunch of his hair in his hands. He panted harshly, punched the steering wheel so hard it caused my heart to jump.
I shook my head in disgust at his violent reaction "You're unbelievable" I moved away from him and tried to unlock the door of the car "Unlock the door" I uttered sternly, gritting my teeth.
"Claire–"
"Unlock the fucking door!"
He unlocked the door. I pushed it open and got off, banging the door hard.
I didn't look back...I just walked, away from him.
I was panting; I loved him so much I could barely breathe. I was drowning, drowning in the consequences of my mistakes.
From behind me, I heard the faint bang of the car door again and I heard footsteps approaching me.
I sauntered away hurriedly, increasing my pace to get away from him. He doesn't understand me. I thought he did but he doesn't. No one will ever understand me.
I was wailing now, my chin trembled and I slowed down near an old bus stop. The entire street was vacant, not a single soul in sight so I went upto a nearby pole and rested my back on it, crying my heart out.
I squeezed my eyes tightly, losing command over my tears, clutching and pulling at my hair, it helped killing the pain for a few seconds.
I felt a presence and fluttered my eyes open.
Logan stood in front of me looking almost as wretched as me. His hair were dishevelled, falling over his bluish-green, teary eyes. Jaw stretched taut, he stared into my eyes with remorse.
"Why can't you just...leave me alone?" I whimpered resting my head on the pole, exhausted from getting my heart stabbed with a million different daggers every single day.
"Believe me" he breathed "I have been trying to do that for the past ten days but I can't. I think about you all the time. I'm afraid to say this but...I...I love you Claire"
Finally.
My heart screamed.
Finally.
I exhaled audibly and forced out a smile that I've been suppressing, showing him how much he turned me inside out.
"What took you so long to realize, you idiot?" I asked, wiping away some painful, unchecked tears.
On his face flashed a hint of shame "I was lost, wondering about what you would think of the real me. I'm a horrible person Claire; I've always tried to hide my temper from you so I don't hurt you. I'm insecure and always worried about hiding my personality"
"So what happened now?"
"I realized that it hurt you as much as it hurt me"
I sighed, running my hands through my hair till the back of my neck and let them hang to my sides again "Good. Logan, you don't need to hide from me"
"You don't know me"
"I know I don't" I protested against him as his head hung low, his gaze locked on the ground "But you can show me the real you. Show me, Logan. Everything is going to be okay"
"I'm not good for you Claire"
"Why? Fucking why?" I cried in annoyance "You think Dylan is? The guy who tried to fuck me at a party? Huh? Logan, you care for me, love me, sacrifice yourself for me. I know your flaws and I love them. I love you. You belong with me and I know you'll return eventually. Until then, I'll wait for you. I'll wait until you...come back to me..."
He glared at me, breathing hard, tears welling up in his eyes. Squeezing his eyes tight, he shook his head. His hands went up to rub his face with his hands then he bunched up his hair in his hands and groaned frustratingly.
That's right Logan, feel it, feel what you do to me.
"You know what?" he stated angrily "Fuck it. Fuck my personality and fuck my insecurities!"
Suddenly, he started walking towards me, hasty strides that made my heart thud loudly.
He held my face tightly with his hands, touching his forehead to mine, breathing audibly "I can't handle it" he whispered, his warm breath mingling with mine "I can't handle the pain anymore"
I placed my hands tenderly on his chest, feeling the bandages underneath "Then let it go"
The corners of his lips twitched into a heartwarming smile and he leaned down, I leaned up, bunching up the material of his T-shirt in my hands, pulling him closer.
And our lips met.
We kissed slowly, taking our time, tuning out the world because this, this was all that mattered. We were all that mattered.
Our kiss deepened. His thumbs lovingly caressed my cheeks, he kept pushing me backside until my back hit the bricked wall of the street.
I gasped at his muscularity as his hands banded my waist and my arms found their way around his neck. Pressing me further on the wall, he broke away for a while and lifted me up so I was standing on his feet to reach his face level.
Millions of butterflies were exploding in the pit of my stomach as he kissed me again and I held his face like my life depended on it.
The feel of his soft lips mashing with mine finally filled up the void in my heart. My trembling fingers sifted through his hair, clutching them, pulling them in need. I could feel his quickened heartbeat against my chest and my legs felt like they would give up.
I moaned as he bit my lip and giggled, pulling away, resting his head on mine. His warm, hasty breaths fanned my neck, the vehemence of his whirling gaze igniting a fire in my body, leaving me craving for more of him.
He wrapped his arms tighter around me, tucking my hair away from my left ear and placing his lips there. It sent a pleasing tingle down my nape.
"I love you Princess" he whispered shakily, brushing his lips on my ear "You have no idea how much I wanted to do that"
I let my palms roam his chest, down to his abs and hugged him back "What are we, Logan?"
"Best friends..." he pulled away slightly to look at me "...In love. I don't want you to make another best friend"
"You'll always be my bestfriend Logan but now you're my boyfriend too" I smile formed on my lips as I kissed him again.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
OMG guys, I hit about 3000 words what the hell? XD
Thank you for being patient and here's your reward for handling this story till this far without attacking me (>.<)
If you found any mistakes, do point them out.
Big thanks to everyone who nominated me for TheLiteraryAwards! And those who haven't yet, please do! Cause I really need as many nominations as I can!
And as always, thank you so much for the amazing support!
Love, K
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o