Snowed In

The soft snores of the group filled the room as Alicia sat leaning against a wall. She couldn’t sleep, it seemed that her mind just wouldn’t shut off and all that it could do was repeat the kiss. Liam’s face had invaded her brain and every time she closed her eyes, she saw his. Nothing she did changed that, not even pretending that he was a slug. It seemed she was in over her head.

Her head lightly smacked against the wall before she stood, stretching and wrapping her arms around herself. A light chill had taken to the room and for just a moment, she found herself wishing she could snuggle up next to the boy that appeared so vividly every time her eyes closed. It was strange to her that he was so close, but felt so far away. She could take the ten steps and stand beside him and still feel as though he were on the other side of the world. He may as well have been.

Sighing, Alicia glanced around the room and pushed a hand through her hair. She was really getting sick of this place. If they were rescued, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t want to come back. Biting her lip, she moved toward the door and found her way to the hall. A nice walk around the halls seemed like a good way to take her mind off things.

As she reached the midway point of the hall before it turned, she heard the door to the suite she’d just left open.

“Alicia?” a deep voice called as she swung around to find him. “What are you doing out here alone?”

“Did you just call me Alicia?”

“No, I called you Santa Claus,” Liam replied sarcastically. “Yeah, I called you Alicia, it’s your name.”

“You never call me by my name,” she stated, arms crossing over her chest.

Liam sighed, a hand flying to the back of his neck as he looked at her. It seemed as though words were begging to escape his lips, but his better judgment wouldn’t let them slip. Alicia turned away and started walking again, but she could hear his footsteps as he followed.

“Look, Ali,” Liam said as he caught up to the petite girl. “I just… I just don’t know how to talk to you.”

“With words,” Alicia replied her eyes grazing his as they flicked to him and back to the hallway ahead. “And sentences, use that diction darling. It’s not that hard.”

“Except it is,” he stated, his hand taking hold of her elbow as he stopped them. Licking his lips, he glanced towards the patterned carpeting before meeting her eyes. “I don’t even think you realize…” His foot tapped as he lost his words. Sighing, his hand slid down from her elbow to her wrist so that he could bring her hand to his chest. “Just… Can you feel that?” He asked, his brown eyes boring down on her expectantly as his heart raced beneath her fingertips.

A light blush danced across her cheeks as she took notice of the racing rhythm. His palms were sweaty and something in her wanted to pull away and run, but a little deeper down came a feeling that scared her more than the intensity in his eyes, a feeling that wanted her to pull him closer and never let him go. It terrified her.

“Do you really not know what you do to me?”

He moved closer and she took a step back, she could just see what was happening. It was almost like the last time and she knew if she wasn’t careful she’d end up trapped against the wall again and this time she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to resist him. He was swallowing her whole with his words and his voice and his eyes that crashed upon her in an unrelenting gaze. She felt powerless. There was no will to fight, but she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to fight it. Not when all she wanted to do was lose her fingers to his hair and crash her lips against his, sharing breath until neither knew anything more.

“I can’t stop thinking about you, I haven’t since the day we met and trust me I tried,” Liam told her as her back met the wall and he let his free hand fall to her hip. “Oh, god did I try. But I can’t be the only one that feels this! It can’t just be me that feels like the room’s been set on fire when we’re together.”

The air was thick and as Alicia opened her mouth to speak, she found there were no words. She had nothing and as she looked at him with wide eyes, lips parted, she knew he was right. If there was one thing she knew, she knew that whenever he looked at her his eyes light up. She couldn’t believe she’d never noticed. Couldn’t believe how blind she’d been. Then there were the moments when they’d been alone at the shop. She would deny it before it ever escaped her lips, but she knew that she had felt her heart skip when he stood too close, or his hand brushed hers as they stocked shelves. It wasn’t even worth lying about.

“I… I don’t…” she started her lips moving without any reason as words spilled from her lovers tongue. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything,” he replied leaning forward so his forehead was resting against hers. “And just kiss me.”

“But…” Licking her lips, her eyes fell to the floor.

“No, ‘but’s Ali,” he said as his breath danced across her lips, dangerously close. “For once just do what you want and forget about the consequences.”

Her eyes flicked back to his as his nose brushed against hers. “Don’t make me regret this,” she breathed before pressing her lips to his as her arms found a way around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

His lips felt like home, and she’d been homesick for so long. The taste of his lips and his hot breath against her skin, she’d never imagined he was so perfect, but he was. As a hand moved from her hip, traveling down her leg to her knee, he hooked her leg to his waist and lifted her from the ground. Pressing her against the chilly wall, he brought her closer - Almost like it would never be enough unless they occupied the same space, sharing secrets through heated lips and keeping them hidden in tight grip. For that moment, there was nothing to lose. All that mattered was that he was there.

Then her mind wandered and everything crashed down around her. This could all just be a way for him to distract himself from the fact they were trapped and could end up dead. Not to mention Mia. Pulling away, Alicia masked the hurt that had fallen into her eyes.

“Liam, I can’t do this,” she whispered, trying to catch her breath her eyes fell to his shoulder.

“This is too fast?” he asked worry filling his eyes. “I can slow down, we don’t have to move past this moment. I’m happy to just hold your hand.”

“That’s not what I mean, I just,” sighing the girl felt her feet touch the ground. “I don’t think I can handle this right now.”

“Handle what? A kiss?”

“Potentially destroying a relationship.”

“Ali, we were barely friends before this, I don’t think you need to worry about that,” he whispered.

“That’s not what I mean, I just-“

“Then just think about it,” Liam pleaded, his brown eyes begging her for just that scrap of hope. “Please.”

“Okay,” Alicia sighed turning her head to look down the hallway. “I’ll think about it.”