The Reckless and The Brave

Daliah's eyes opened half-heartedly in response to a small stream of light coming in from a small window in the surprisingly warm basement. She shifted her arms slightly, pleasantly surprised to see that they weren't sore from sleeping on the couch, when she noticed why she was warm. There was a blue hoodie draped across her, with something written in a sloppy hand with green fabric marker. Liah looked to the boy at the other end of the couch and smiled at him, a warm feeling growing from the pit of her stomach knowing he went out of his way to take care of her.

Bzzz. Bzzz. Her phone began buzzing in her pocket and she jumped up from her spot on the couch delicately, trying not to wake Jack up. She glanced at the phone's screen and visibly cringed at the Caller ID. Liah then hopped over Zack soundlessly, without disturbing anyone, and ran up the stairs as quickly as possible. She held her phone tight to muffle the sound and opened the door to the house slowly, and stepped into the dingy kitchen. With a bite of her lip, she pressed "answer", and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Get the fuck here. Now." He growled into her ear. Daliah sighed hopelessly and said she'd be there soon, then hung up and decended into the basement.

She took her time putting her cell in the pocket of the hoodie, turning the handle of the door to the left and stepping carefully down the rickety stairs. Finally, she felt the plush carpet create friction with her socks. At this point, she didn't care if she woke anyone up, she actually didn't want to leave. She silently prayed for someone to wake up and tell her not to go.

Jasey stirred slightly in Alex's protective arms, and her eyes lifted into slits. She could make out a tall figure bending down to the floor slowly, and picking something up. The figure sat on the couch and tucked a curly hair behind her ear. Daliah? Jasey looked to the window and saw that it was hardly light out, so why the hell was Liah leaving?

Daliah tied her left shoe then the right and rose from the couch, removing any stray hairs off of Jack's hoodie, and began to shrug it off, then thought better. An excuse to see him again Daliah thought of the jacket, bending to Jack, hovering slightly above his nose. She took her thumb and ran it across his forehead, brushing his hair out of his eyes, then kissed his pale skin lightly, and left.

Jasey bit the insides of her cheeks in apprehension, knowing that Jack would be crushed when they woke up. She thought for a minute if she should say something to Alex. The girl turned in Alex's arms so they were laying face to face. She just watched him for a minute, taking in his dark eyelashes brushing his cheekbones, his relaxed forehead and mussed hair, all making a perfect combination of serenity and a good night's sleep. His lips were still but slightly parted, and Jasey thought about kissing him.

What if he woke up? What if he freaked out? Jasey bit her own lip and tapped her finger against the small space on the chair between them, nervous. Maybe...maybe she could just move closer, give him a better opportunity, if he wanted to...

Who am I kidding? Out of everyone...it won't be me Jasey thought to herself, defeated by her own mind, and stayed where she was while she could, and enjoyed it. Her eyes closed and she tried to fall back asleep.