You're Everything I Need
You're Everything I Need
You lean back in your chair and rub your eyes, trying to get rid of the stinging sensation brought on by staring at the bright screen of your laptop. Looking over your shoulder, you check the time on the clock mounted on the wall.
10:48.
You breathe out slowly and survey your cluttered work area. Papers are strewn everywhere and books lay open to random page numbers. The remnants of your dinner sit on a white plate that you’ve now pushed to the side to make more room. At least three empty water bottles sit next to you, as well, and you’re currently halfway through your fourth. Oddly enough, water has the same effect on you that coffee has on most people.
Letting out an exhausted sigh, you turn back to your work, concluding that you have a long night ahead of you still. You thumb through a large volume open next to you, searching for something. You run your finger slowly down the page, skimming the small print, looking for the answer that is currently eluding you. You find the paragraph you’re looking for and begin tapping away at the keys of the laptop, copying down the answer. Letting out another sigh, you lean back in your chair and cover your face with your hands; it was going to be a long night. In fact, it was going to be the fifth long night you’d had that week. It was the end of the year and you had more work to do than ever. All of the work had taken its toll on you. Lately, you’d rarely had a chance to relax, let alone go out and have a good time. You felt like a prisoner in your own home and the shackle that was fastened to your ankle was weighted, not with iron, but with a stack of textbooks and the lock could not be opened until you earned the key.
However, there was one person that you thought was feeling it more than you.
All your long nights and your study sessions seemed to distance yourself from him more and more. Many times he’d gone to bed alone because of you having to stay up until all hours of the night to finish your current piece of work. In the darkness of your room, he’d lay awake and watch you, watch you scour over book after book and type feverishly until he thought you’d get carpal tunnel. He envied your dedication, but he still couldn’t help but feel that you stressed just a little too much. He felt you needed to step back and just breathe.
The sound of the front door opening and closing brought you back from your thoughts. The sound of keys being tossed onto the table and footsteps coming up the stairs meets your ears next. You hadn’t realized he’d gone out.
The bedroom door opens, a sliver of light shining in through the crack, illuminating half the room. He walks in and squints around, wondering why all the lights are out.
“Hey love, you’re still up?” he asks when he catches sight of you.
“Yeah, I, uh, I still have a lot of work I need to take care of,” you reply tiredly.
“You work too hard, you know that?” He’d crossed the room and his hands are now on your shoulders, slender fingers gently kneading the sore muscles. You lean your head onto his hand and he gently cups your warm cheek. You sigh, wishing you had nothing to do except spend time with him, wrapped up in his arms, keeping each other warm with only your body heat. The very thought of it calms you just a little bit.
You both stay quiet for a moment before he speaks up.
“Come downstairs in about five minutes.”
“Why?”
“I have a little something that you might enjoy.”
“Jade, I really don’t have time for this-”
“But I thought I was your favorite distraction,” he says, trying to sound hurt. You look up at him and are met with his sad, doe eyes. If he was resorting to that already, you knew he wanted something badly. But you knew that you were too bogged down with work to be sucked into his game.
“You are, but-” you begin to say but he cuts you off by capturing your lips with his. The kiss is soft and sweet and you feel yourself melting into his touch as his lips cause your anxiety to ebb away little by little. When he pulls away, you have to stop yourself from whining.
“Then come downstairs and let me distract you for a while,” he says, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
Not wanting to argue, you nod stupidly, the kiss still fresh on your lips. He smiles happily, exposing those crooked teeth that you’d come to love, turns on his heel, and leaves the room.
Once he’s gone, you breathe out slowly, trying to regain some of the sense that his kiss had stolen. You begin to wonder what he could possibly have in store for you; Jade’s “distractions” were always unusual but not totally unpleasant. You decide to humor him and see what trick he has up his sleeve this time.
You pad softly down the stairs, hand on the railing to keep your balance in the dark. You silently wonder why every light in the house seems to be turned off.
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, you stop and let your eyes roam over the darkness in front of you. The little light coming in from the street helps but only a bit. You then realize Jade didn’t tell you where to meet him. You decide to check the living room first.
Before you enter, you stop just outside the doorway, listening. Soft footsteps, the clicking of plastic, the sound of a…stereo turning on? Slightly confused and curious, you poke your head around and look for the source of the noise.
He’s standing in front of the sound system, staring at the back of a cd case. You watch him place a disc into the waiting tray and gently push it closed. Looking up, he notices you in the doorway and smiles. Holding out his hand, he beckons you to him. You slowly walk over, taking his outstretched hand. He pulls you closer and places a small kiss to your cheek.
“Go stand over there for a second,” he says, gesturing towards the back of the couch. You do as he says and lean up against the couch, crossing your arms and watching him intently.
He turns back to the stereo and pushes a button. There’s silence for a second or two before you hear the opening chords of a song you’d heard hundreds of times before. A smile tugs at the corners of your mouth as the words begin:
“Before this dance is through
I think I’ll love you too
I’m so happy when you dance with me.”
You find yourself laughing as you watch him shimmy and dance along to the music. He smiles brightly and holds out his hand to you.
“Care to dance?” he asks cordially. Giggling, you take his hand and he pulls you to your feet and away from the couch.
With each note, with each beat, with each sound, you feel yourself let go more and more. You breathe easier, you smile more, and a feeling of elation takes over as you dance with him.
You move your hips along with the beat, letting the music wash over you. He takes both your hands in his and pulls you a step closer, rocking his hips in time with yours and spinning you under his arm. You laugh and lace your fingers with his, not ready to let him go.
When the song ends, he leans down and kisses your hand like a gentleman.
“I never knew you were such a good dancer,” you say, still grasping his hand.
“Oh, I’m good at many things, dancing included,” he grins.
“Not that you’re conceited or anything,” you tease.
“No, of course not,” he laughs. “But don’t think that I’m done distracting you yet.”
“There’s more?” you ask curiously.
“Oh yes. And I think you’ll enjoy part two even more.” He lets go of your hand and walks back over to the stereo. He skips through a few tracks before finding the one he wants and presses the play button.
Silence once more as you stare at the back of his grey t-shirt, waiting, wondering. You can’t even guess what he has next on the playlist.
When the song finally starts, your eyes grow wide and you feel the stinging sensation of tears in your eyes. He turns around to face you, a soft smile playing at his perfectly shaped lips.
“Jade…”
“It’s your favorite. I know,” he says, stepping closer and taking your hands again. Despite how rough and calloused his hands and fingers are, they always felt perfect in yours, like pieces of a puzzle that fit together flawlessly. It was something you wouldn’t change for the world.
Stepping closer, you wrap your arms around his neck and he does the same to your waist, holding you close, his intoxicating hazel eyes locked on yours.
As you both sway in time with the song, you feel yourself growing weaker and weaker. The weight of everything around you comes down: the words echoing through the speakers, the work that keeps you in isolation and the stress that it brings, the eyes staring into yours and their ability to see past your exterior to what you really feel and need, and the feeling of being held in his arms, the arms of the one you’d given your whole heart to and the safety you felt when they were around you.
You can no longer keep it inside; it’s just too much all at once. Giving in to everything, you let yourself go and allow the tears to roll down your cheeks. But even as you cry, you smile up at him, the fact that he’s there making everything better.
A slight look of concern crosses his face and he asks you what’s wrong.
“Nothing now,” you reply, still smiling through your tears. “Everything’s…it’s all gonna be okay now.”
He still looks skeptical but you lean up and press a kiss to his lips, your eyes fluttering shut and your arms around his neck tightening the slightest bit. He pulls you even closer so that you’re pressed flush against him, the heat from his lean body warming you. You don’t know how long you kissed, but when you broke apart, the tears had stopped flowing and you felt better than you had in weeks. You rest your head against his chest and you feel him lay his head on top of yours. You breathe in his musky scent and it’s almost euphoric. There really is no other place you’d rather be than here, safe and warm in his arms.
You both just stand there, swaying slightly, listening to the song. When the last line comes up, you feel the sensation of your tears stinging your eyes once more. But the feeling goes away when it’s interrupted by his voice.
“In my life-“
“I love you more.” You finish his sentence and realize you’d never spoken truer words in your life, and that makes you happier than anything else ever could.
10:48.
You breathe out slowly and survey your cluttered work area. Papers are strewn everywhere and books lay open to random page numbers. The remnants of your dinner sit on a white plate that you’ve now pushed to the side to make more room. At least three empty water bottles sit next to you, as well, and you’re currently halfway through your fourth. Oddly enough, water has the same effect on you that coffee has on most people.
Letting out an exhausted sigh, you turn back to your work, concluding that you have a long night ahead of you still. You thumb through a large volume open next to you, searching for something. You run your finger slowly down the page, skimming the small print, looking for the answer that is currently eluding you. You find the paragraph you’re looking for and begin tapping away at the keys of the laptop, copying down the answer. Letting out another sigh, you lean back in your chair and cover your face with your hands; it was going to be a long night. In fact, it was going to be the fifth long night you’d had that week. It was the end of the year and you had more work to do than ever. All of the work had taken its toll on you. Lately, you’d rarely had a chance to relax, let alone go out and have a good time. You felt like a prisoner in your own home and the shackle that was fastened to your ankle was weighted, not with iron, but with a stack of textbooks and the lock could not be opened until you earned the key.
However, there was one person that you thought was feeling it more than you.
All your long nights and your study sessions seemed to distance yourself from him more and more. Many times he’d gone to bed alone because of you having to stay up until all hours of the night to finish your current piece of work. In the darkness of your room, he’d lay awake and watch you, watch you scour over book after book and type feverishly until he thought you’d get carpal tunnel. He envied your dedication, but he still couldn’t help but feel that you stressed just a little too much. He felt you needed to step back and just breathe.
The sound of the front door opening and closing brought you back from your thoughts. The sound of keys being tossed onto the table and footsteps coming up the stairs meets your ears next. You hadn’t realized he’d gone out.
The bedroom door opens, a sliver of light shining in through the crack, illuminating half the room. He walks in and squints around, wondering why all the lights are out.
“Hey love, you’re still up?” he asks when he catches sight of you.
“Yeah, I, uh, I still have a lot of work I need to take care of,” you reply tiredly.
“You work too hard, you know that?” He’d crossed the room and his hands are now on your shoulders, slender fingers gently kneading the sore muscles. You lean your head onto his hand and he gently cups your warm cheek. You sigh, wishing you had nothing to do except spend time with him, wrapped up in his arms, keeping each other warm with only your body heat. The very thought of it calms you just a little bit.
You both stay quiet for a moment before he speaks up.
“Come downstairs in about five minutes.”
“Why?”
“I have a little something that you might enjoy.”
“Jade, I really don’t have time for this-”
“But I thought I was your favorite distraction,” he says, trying to sound hurt. You look up at him and are met with his sad, doe eyes. If he was resorting to that already, you knew he wanted something badly. But you knew that you were too bogged down with work to be sucked into his game.
“You are, but-” you begin to say but he cuts you off by capturing your lips with his. The kiss is soft and sweet and you feel yourself melting into his touch as his lips cause your anxiety to ebb away little by little. When he pulls away, you have to stop yourself from whining.
“Then come downstairs and let me distract you for a while,” he says, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
Not wanting to argue, you nod stupidly, the kiss still fresh on your lips. He smiles happily, exposing those crooked teeth that you’d come to love, turns on his heel, and leaves the room.
Once he’s gone, you breathe out slowly, trying to regain some of the sense that his kiss had stolen. You begin to wonder what he could possibly have in store for you; Jade’s “distractions” were always unusual but not totally unpleasant. You decide to humor him and see what trick he has up his sleeve this time.
You pad softly down the stairs, hand on the railing to keep your balance in the dark. You silently wonder why every light in the house seems to be turned off.
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, you stop and let your eyes roam over the darkness in front of you. The little light coming in from the street helps but only a bit. You then realize Jade didn’t tell you where to meet him. You decide to check the living room first.
Before you enter, you stop just outside the doorway, listening. Soft footsteps, the clicking of plastic, the sound of a…stereo turning on? Slightly confused and curious, you poke your head around and look for the source of the noise.
He’s standing in front of the sound system, staring at the back of a cd case. You watch him place a disc into the waiting tray and gently push it closed. Looking up, he notices you in the doorway and smiles. Holding out his hand, he beckons you to him. You slowly walk over, taking his outstretched hand. He pulls you closer and places a small kiss to your cheek.
“Go stand over there for a second,” he says, gesturing towards the back of the couch. You do as he says and lean up against the couch, crossing your arms and watching him intently.
He turns back to the stereo and pushes a button. There’s silence for a second or two before you hear the opening chords of a song you’d heard hundreds of times before. A smile tugs at the corners of your mouth as the words begin:
“Before this dance is through
I think I’ll love you too
I’m so happy when you dance with me.”
You find yourself laughing as you watch him shimmy and dance along to the music. He smiles brightly and holds out his hand to you.
“Care to dance?” he asks cordially. Giggling, you take his hand and he pulls you to your feet and away from the couch.
With each note, with each beat, with each sound, you feel yourself let go more and more. You breathe easier, you smile more, and a feeling of elation takes over as you dance with him.
You move your hips along with the beat, letting the music wash over you. He takes both your hands in his and pulls you a step closer, rocking his hips in time with yours and spinning you under his arm. You laugh and lace your fingers with his, not ready to let him go.
When the song ends, he leans down and kisses your hand like a gentleman.
“I never knew you were such a good dancer,” you say, still grasping his hand.
“Oh, I’m good at many things, dancing included,” he grins.
“Not that you’re conceited or anything,” you tease.
“No, of course not,” he laughs. “But don’t think that I’m done distracting you yet.”
“There’s more?” you ask curiously.
“Oh yes. And I think you’ll enjoy part two even more.” He lets go of your hand and walks back over to the stereo. He skips through a few tracks before finding the one he wants and presses the play button.
Silence once more as you stare at the back of his grey t-shirt, waiting, wondering. You can’t even guess what he has next on the playlist.
When the song finally starts, your eyes grow wide and you feel the stinging sensation of tears in your eyes. He turns around to face you, a soft smile playing at his perfectly shaped lips.
“Jade…”
“It’s your favorite. I know,” he says, stepping closer and taking your hands again. Despite how rough and calloused his hands and fingers are, they always felt perfect in yours, like pieces of a puzzle that fit together flawlessly. It was something you wouldn’t change for the world.
Stepping closer, you wrap your arms around his neck and he does the same to your waist, holding you close, his intoxicating hazel eyes locked on yours.
As you both sway in time with the song, you feel yourself growing weaker and weaker. The weight of everything around you comes down: the words echoing through the speakers, the work that keeps you in isolation and the stress that it brings, the eyes staring into yours and their ability to see past your exterior to what you really feel and need, and the feeling of being held in his arms, the arms of the one you’d given your whole heart to and the safety you felt when they were around you.
You can no longer keep it inside; it’s just too much all at once. Giving in to everything, you let yourself go and allow the tears to roll down your cheeks. But even as you cry, you smile up at him, the fact that he’s there making everything better.
A slight look of concern crosses his face and he asks you what’s wrong.
“Nothing now,” you reply, still smiling through your tears. “Everything’s…it’s all gonna be okay now.”
He still looks skeptical but you lean up and press a kiss to his lips, your eyes fluttering shut and your arms around his neck tightening the slightest bit. He pulls you even closer so that you’re pressed flush against him, the heat from his lean body warming you. You don’t know how long you kissed, but when you broke apart, the tears had stopped flowing and you felt better than you had in weeks. You rest your head against his chest and you feel him lay his head on top of yours. You breathe in his musky scent and it’s almost euphoric. There really is no other place you’d rather be than here, safe and warm in his arms.
You both just stand there, swaying slightly, listening to the song. When the last line comes up, you feel the sensation of your tears stinging your eyes once more. But the feeling goes away when it’s interrupted by his voice.
“In my life-“
“I love you more.” You finish his sentence and realize you’d never spoken truer words in your life, and that makes you happier than anything else ever could.