Word Count: 1031
The chime of a text alerts the weary teen to the fact that she has a message. Up until then, she hadn’t realized that she had, in fact, sent the text message to her boyfriend. Sweet, wonderful, and arguably perfect Akio. Akio who deserved better than a fickle girlfriend who was in love with someone else and yet--
Aurora Jane Willows was allowing herself to be selfish in her desire to cling to him knowing that he would come running the moment she begged him to.
Acutely aware of how unfair she’s being to him, Rory thinks of texting him and telling him not to come. It’s a bad idea, she knows it is because she can’t tell him why she’s so miserable and even borderline depressed but she wants to be comforted. Comforting is a job for her cats, who are nowhere to be found, or her boyfriend.
Akio’s already on his way and she’s hurting too much to think about turning him away.
With puffy red eyes, the teenager peels herself out of bed so that she can unlace her boots and stick them back in the closet and work on changing into her bedtime clothes. That consists of a very large t-shirt she probably swiped from one of the brother figures or maybe even her boyfriend and a pair of shorts that barely show beneath the hem of the shirt that nearly drowns her small and willowy frame.
She manages a trip to the bathroom where she washes her splotchy face-- Rory’s lost count of how many times she’s cried in the last few weeks --when there’s a tentative knock on the door.
Bare feet pad down the stairs with fingers hurriedly plaiting her hair into a simple braid so that it doesn’t get in the way when she demands that he cuddle with her, until she’s at the door. Rory has to take a deep breath, ensuring that she won’t burst into tears again for no reason even if it’s obvious that she has been crying and opens the door.
“Hey beautiful,” Akio mumbles, shuffling awkwardly because things are still so painfully tense but he’s here and he loves her and the girl thinks that maybe things will be okay if she stops trying to sort too much out when she just needs to go with the flow.
Things never used to be this complicated, but then again she’s never been in love before nor has she ever had anyone be in love with her. This new territory isn’t really something she’s very good at adapting to but she’s trying.
That’s what matters, right?
Instead of saying anything to him, Rory throws her arms around his neck and presses her nose against his shoulder, inhaling the soft smell of his laundry detergent. Predictably, Akio wraps his arms around her and keeps her close, his own nose pressing into her hair. When he squeezes her, her heart clenches painfully because she can recognize that the way he’s clinging to her is the same way she wanted to cling to Seal.
Slowly, she pulls away with her fingers lacing between his when she tugs him inside.
“Is everything --”
“No.” Rory cuts him off, smiling up sadly at that handsomely tanned face who’s looking at her with concern and love and all she can think is I should love you instead. Loving him would be so easy after all. Akio was just a normal boy who wanted to make her happy and he did.
Maybe she didn’t love him now, but couldn’t she? Later? Eventually? One day?
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she says firmly, so proud that her voice doesn’t quiver or break. “What I want is for you to distract me.”
Akio looks bewildered but he smiles at her softly, leaning in to press his lips against her forehead. The gesture hurts because it’s painfully familiar but she reminds herself that this is Akio and that makes all the difference. “Whatever you want, beautiful,” he whispers against her skin, choosing to be selfish when he ducks his head to steal her lips.
Rory pushes back into the kiss readily, determined to forget about the last pair of lips that pressed against her own.
When he pulls away her eyes are still closed and she’s almost frozen in place. “Should we watch a movie…?” He looks hesitantly over to the couch that’s covered in specks of cat hair.
“No,” she says firmly, offering him a more genuine smile when she tugs him towards the stairs. “I don’t want any distractions.”
“Aurora...are you sure?” Akio asks, clearly worried about what she’s implying.
Her cheeks go red and she looks away embarrassed. “N-no! Not that!” Akio laughs and Rory thinks it’s a beautiful sound. “I want to cuddle and...maybe kiss until I fall asleep.” The want seems childish now but Akio appears delighted.
Of course he does, because spending time with her makes him happy.
“If that’s what my dragon princess wants, that’s what she’ll get,” he assures her, following her up the stairs and into her bedroom.
It’s definitely awkward, having him slide into bed with her after he takes his shoes off but she’s determined to ignore any discomfort because his arms are wrapping around her and her head fits perfectly on his chest as he sings something soft and foreign in her ear to soothe whatever might be ailing her.
Rory has no idea how she got so lucky to get a guy like Akio who doesn’t seem to care that she doesn’t return his feelings if it means that he can stay close to her.
In the end, they don’t do much of anything, with Rory simply clinging to the front of her boyfriend’s shirt and letting him pepper her face with sweet kisses meant to soothe that ache she feels bone deep.
And when she goes, “Stay the night,” she already knows his answer.
Still, the “Always” he whispers in response with a languid kiss that follows loosens the tight grip sadness has on her heart and she thinks maybe, maybe she can’t have Seal’s Eye but she’s got Akio and that’s enough.
ghouliboo
Music to accompany your read.
