Status: Lets see where this goes...
Cowards Are Golden
I explode.
Kate stared up at the ceiling above her. She felt like the bunk above her was going to come down and crush her. Her breaths became uneven and she tried her hardest to think about wide open spaces. It was no use. On her own bus, she slept on the couch in the sitting area. Yeah, a moving vehicle made it hard not to fall on the floor, but somehow Kate managed and it worked out just fine.
Dan felt the mattress of the bunk shift beneath him. His blue eyes cracked open slightly to see Kate struggling to get comfortable. She let out a soft moan and buried her face into the pillow. It was obvious she didn’t like to sleep in such close quarters. “Babe, are you okay?”
Kate’s stomach did a flip as Dan spoke in a sleepy British accent, “I probably should have mentioned I was claustrophobic.”
“Silly, you should have told me.” Dan sat up slowly and placed his weight on his elbow, “We can go sleep in the lounge if you want. We’ll make a little bed on the floor or something.”
Kate just nodded her head wearily and quietly crawled out of the bed. Her feet hit the floor with a thud. She bit her lip instantly and prayed that it wasn’t loud enough to wake anybody up. “They aren’t going to wake up, trust me.” Dan shooed Kate down the aisle, “Go on, let’s go.”
Kate sat on the black leather couch and watched as Dan delicately laid the blankets on the floor and strategically placed the pillows at the head of the makeshift bed. It would be a lie to say that her eyes didn’t land on his abs once or twice. Earlier in the night, he had asked nicely if she would mind him sleeping without a shirt. Of course she said it was fine. To deny the man’s comfort was just mean. However, she didn’t expect him to have the body he did. The man was perfectly sculpted and it took a lot to control the fireworks going off inside of her. She found herself wishing she could trace the lines on his stomach with her fingertips, but it was too soon for that. They were just spending time together as friends, even though Dan already took to calling her ‘babe’ and ‘love’ quite often.
“Like what you see, love?” Dan’s swift voice flooded the room. Kate’s eyes grew wide when she realized that she had in fact been staring very hard. Blush crept up on her already rosy cheeks as Dan winked seductively.
“Tell me you’re kidding…” Kate couldn’t help but laugh at the point.
“Kidding about the fact that you like my body or that devilish wink?”
“Mister Flint, is the bed finished? I’m really sleepy.” Kate rubbed her eyes tiredly and forced a small smile.
Dan stalked the room until he was only mere inches away from the girl he had grown so fond of in a matter of hours, “Why are you changing the subject, you sneaky little thing…”
“Dan, please, you can’t be serious right now.” Kate just shook her head, stood up carefully, and attempted to find her way to the perfectly laid out blankets.
He placed the palm of his hand on Kate’s bicep gently, “I’m only taking the piss.” A look of curiosity replaced the tired one on her face. “It means…”
Dan was cut off shortly after he began, “I know what it means.”
“Then why the strange face?”
Kate turned to him and smiled, “You’ll never know.”
“Kate…that isn’t fair.” His face softened as he placed both hands on the girl’s hips. “You’ve told me nearly every detail of your life. What is one more little thing?”
In all honesty, Dan had a valid point. After Kate’s little outburst, the two of them talked about everything from their childhoods to the passing of their father. The latter topic was a tough one for each of them. Dan’s dad had passed away from cancer while Kate’s suffered from obesity which was never properly taken care of. Kate of course broke down and cried more as did Dan. It was definitely something that would bring them together and make their bond stronger. Neither of them found it necessary to share such personal things, but it was different this time around. Dan felt like he could confide in Kate. He knew she would keep his secrets safe as he would for her.
“I just don’t think I’ve ever felt so close to somebody in such a short amount of time.” Kate breathed in deeply, “I just find myself lost in thought when you’re so close to me.”
“It’s scary, isn’t it?” Kate just nodded her head as Dan continued, “I’m not trying to rush anything with you, but I can’t explain how bloody hard it is not to kiss you.” The girl turned a thousand shades of red for the millionth time that night and swallowed the lump in her throat; Dan noticed and leaned in closer. “Can I kiss you?”
“What’s the magic word, Flint?”
Dan smiled slyly, “Can I kiss you, please?”
Kate stood on her tip toes and wrapped her slender arms around the brave man’s neck. Within seconds their lips were touching in the most innocent way. There was passion behind the way their lips began to move against one another’s, but it wasn’t a hungry passion; it wasn’t full of lust. It was just another way to let them know that everything was right in the world and that in that moment, they were meant for each other.
Dan felt the mattress of the bunk shift beneath him. His blue eyes cracked open slightly to see Kate struggling to get comfortable. She let out a soft moan and buried her face into the pillow. It was obvious she didn’t like to sleep in such close quarters. “Babe, are you okay?”
Kate’s stomach did a flip as Dan spoke in a sleepy British accent, “I probably should have mentioned I was claustrophobic.”
“Silly, you should have told me.” Dan sat up slowly and placed his weight on his elbow, “We can go sleep in the lounge if you want. We’ll make a little bed on the floor or something.”
Kate just nodded her head wearily and quietly crawled out of the bed. Her feet hit the floor with a thud. She bit her lip instantly and prayed that it wasn’t loud enough to wake anybody up. “They aren’t going to wake up, trust me.” Dan shooed Kate down the aisle, “Go on, let’s go.”
Kate sat on the black leather couch and watched as Dan delicately laid the blankets on the floor and strategically placed the pillows at the head of the makeshift bed. It would be a lie to say that her eyes didn’t land on his abs once or twice. Earlier in the night, he had asked nicely if she would mind him sleeping without a shirt. Of course she said it was fine. To deny the man’s comfort was just mean. However, she didn’t expect him to have the body he did. The man was perfectly sculpted and it took a lot to control the fireworks going off inside of her. She found herself wishing she could trace the lines on his stomach with her fingertips, but it was too soon for that. They were just spending time together as friends, even though Dan already took to calling her ‘babe’ and ‘love’ quite often.
“Like what you see, love?” Dan’s swift voice flooded the room. Kate’s eyes grew wide when she realized that she had in fact been staring very hard. Blush crept up on her already rosy cheeks as Dan winked seductively.
“Tell me you’re kidding…” Kate couldn’t help but laugh at the point.
“Kidding about the fact that you like my body or that devilish wink?”
“Mister Flint, is the bed finished? I’m really sleepy.” Kate rubbed her eyes tiredly and forced a small smile.
Dan stalked the room until he was only mere inches away from the girl he had grown so fond of in a matter of hours, “Why are you changing the subject, you sneaky little thing…”
“Dan, please, you can’t be serious right now.” Kate just shook her head, stood up carefully, and attempted to find her way to the perfectly laid out blankets.
He placed the palm of his hand on Kate’s bicep gently, “I’m only taking the piss.” A look of curiosity replaced the tired one on her face. “It means…”
Dan was cut off shortly after he began, “I know what it means.”
“Then why the strange face?”
Kate turned to him and smiled, “You’ll never know.”
“Kate…that isn’t fair.” His face softened as he placed both hands on the girl’s hips. “You’ve told me nearly every detail of your life. What is one more little thing?”
In all honesty, Dan had a valid point. After Kate’s little outburst, the two of them talked about everything from their childhoods to the passing of their father. The latter topic was a tough one for each of them. Dan’s dad had passed away from cancer while Kate’s suffered from obesity which was never properly taken care of. Kate of course broke down and cried more as did Dan. It was definitely something that would bring them together and make their bond stronger. Neither of them found it necessary to share such personal things, but it was different this time around. Dan felt like he could confide in Kate. He knew she would keep his secrets safe as he would for her.
“I just don’t think I’ve ever felt so close to somebody in such a short amount of time.” Kate breathed in deeply, “I just find myself lost in thought when you’re so close to me.”
“It’s scary, isn’t it?” Kate just nodded her head as Dan continued, “I’m not trying to rush anything with you, but I can’t explain how bloody hard it is not to kiss you.” The girl turned a thousand shades of red for the millionth time that night and swallowed the lump in her throat; Dan noticed and leaned in closer. “Can I kiss you?”
“What’s the magic word, Flint?”
Dan smiled slyly, “Can I kiss you, please?”
Kate stood on her tip toes and wrapped her slender arms around the brave man’s neck. Within seconds their lips were touching in the most innocent way. There was passion behind the way their lips began to move against one another’s, but it wasn’t a hungry passion; it wasn’t full of lust. It was just another way to let them know that everything was right in the world and that in that moment, they were meant for each other.
♠ ♠ ♠
Awe!