Nobody's Listening

T W E N T Y - T W O

I pushed him off of my lap and he toppled over onto the floor. “What was that for?” he cried, pushing himself up with his elbows.

I ignored his question. “So, why are you here again, exactly?”

He sighed and picked himself off the floor to plop himself down next to me again. “I saw your mom and she told me to come here.” He smirked. “Did I interrupt something, Dezza?” he teased, waggling an eyebrow.

I pursed my lips and looked away. "I dunno."

James laughed. "So, you and Luke, huh? 'I don't know about Luke and I. I don't think we'll work out. I think this is stupid what Cyd is doing. I don't even want to try one date with him,'" he mimicked in a high-pitched falsetto before snorting. "Well, you kids are cute, I suppose," he muttered, standing up and heading into the kitchen. I got up and followed him. "You got any food around here?"

I sighed. "What do you want?"

"LOL IDK," he replied loudly, jumping up onto a stool at the counter's island. He gazed around and pointed to the cabinet that held our cereal. "What's in there?"

I shrugged and walked over to the cabinet, reaching up to open the wooden door. "Cereal."

"Gimme the Cheerios!" I reached up for the Cheerios, but he snorted. "Not the regular ones. Those Honey Nut ones way up on the top."

I exhaled sharply. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I murmured. I got on my tiptoes and reached as high as I could, my fingertips frustratingly brushing the box further back. Suddenly, James was there, pressing himself into my back. I could feel his breath on the back of my hair, and I tensed up. I dropped my hand and turned around to face him.

"Need a hand?" he breathed, reaching up to easily grab the Cheerios. He set them on the counter but didn't move. He placed his hands on the counter on either side of me. I made a move to get out of the way, but he pressed himself closer to me, and I'm reminded of the time I had to lick brownie off his finger; of the time he moaned so softly, I almost didn't hear him.

My mouth opened and then closed again. I didn't know what to say to him, with his face so close, and Luke so far away. I looked up into his eyes to find some form of heated, blistering lust sparking his gray eyes. "Pl-please," I stammered, leaning my head back further away but only succeeding in pressing my hips harder into his.

Something flickered in his eyes and he pushed away before grabbing the box of Cheerios. I sucked in a deep breath; I hadn't known I had held my breath that entire time. "Sorry 'bout that," he muttered. He placed the box of Cheerios down on the counter and found a clean bowl in the dish strainer by the sink.

I slowly walked over to the stool across from him and eased myself into it. He tucked into the bowl of Cheerios and shoveled spoonful after spoonful into his mouth before looking up, his eyes smiling. The passion was gone, and the innocence of a little kid eating his favorite cereal shined through clearly.

My heart jumped at the thought of how those eyes rested on me, and I wondered just what those hands gripping his spoon and bowl could've done to me if I had let them.

My stomach jolted when I wondered if I would've let him at all.