Alone

Perhaps it was his big smile and the runway you call his cheekbones, that allowed me to sleep so comfortably with him sprawled across my feet. I should've of woken him up at the appropriate time, sometime between seven or eight in the morning, but instead I had allowed his brick body rest on my bed.

It wasnt safe, but it wasn't dangerous. We'd done nothing, hell, we barely said anything to each other last night.

And perhaps it was the way his legs were perfectly tangled in my sheets and the way his veins pushed his sin without doing any vigorous activity, that made me stare at him.

Unwillingly, thoughts of him in my bed flashed my mind, putting together random fantasies of which could be done. My face felt hot and red as I realized the things I was imagining. I quickly closed my eyes flushing out those weird thoughts and reminded myself of who exactly Austin Riley is.

The thought was almost over, pushing the sides of my mind, slipping away. I pulled my toes from underneath his side and tip toed from my room.

I was clueless as to why I wasn't freaking out right now, upstairs waking his ass up. After a certain age my patience for him and his womanizing skills had gone thin.

Maybe I just woke up on the right side of the bed.

----

I became a robot eating cereal in front of the TV, on the couch, after searching for Kristen and Pat around the house.

Pat probably took her home last night or maybe back to his place. I don't know Kristen's standards all too well yet, so whether or not she'd hook up with Patrick was a mystery.

The stairs began to creek and down walked Austin, with his broad shoulders and perfect posture. He had his white under shirt on with his jeans and socks. His white shirt was fitting to his body.

The stretch of cotton hugged the lines of his abs and defined pecks. His biceps seemed to distract me and my eyes would flick to the stretched piece of cloth that wrapped around it.

"Morning." He awkwardly half smiled and stopped at the base of the stairs.

"Morning." I half smiled back, releasing myself of the trance I was in.

"Kristen and Patrick aren't here?" He asked still glued to the floor.

"No."

I turned back to the TV trying to look away from his arms.

"Hope you don't mind I used some mouth wash." He sat down on the opposite side of the couch.

The slow steady crunch of my cereal filled the silence, besides the TV.

He continued watching TV with me as if we'd been friends forever and sleepovers like these were normal and I when I least expected it he said, "We're friends right?"

It was weird, what he asked. There was a hunger, a desperation, in his eyes. It made my heart flutter like a butterfly in the wind.

"Uh, yeah." I said a little unsure, but the words flowed.

He smiled, his cheek bones lifting with the corners of his mouth.

Where was the womanizing manwhore that everyone said he was? I've known him for so long, yet I've never experienced such a genuine moment with him. Maybe because Patrick was always around.

He looked funny sitting there, on the black leather couch. He looked so big sitting like a little boy watching his favorite cartoon.

I adjusted myself and shoved my toes underneath his thigh. He didn't look over to me as soon as I did that, but from the corner of my eye, I could see his lips twitch into a small grin.

This was being friends. I couldn't understand what made me wake up on a causal Saturday morning and actually want to warm up to him.
An maybe a little but more.

There was something about the way Austin looked when he was asleep and when he woke up. His face was a little swollen from having his face pressed down on his arm for too long. His voice was dark and husky and sweet with velvet.

And at that moment, I realized this was the perfection girls had woken up to and left in awe.

If they were lucky enough to wake up to him.

My face felt flushed just thinking about being able to wake up to him. To see his thick eyelashes resting on his cheek and his hair messy with random strands.

My sudden fascination with Austin had grown immensely since I woke up and made my stomach twirl like a little girl.

Maybe it was just seeing him or knowing he was there. Or even his cool water cologne that mixed perfectly with his detergent.

----

Until about four o'clock, we had spent our time watching Family Guy and Rob Dyrdeks Fantasy Factory. We made small conversations from clips on TV and of course my sheepish smile turned into my one and only all natural smile where if I smiled any wider, it'd hurt.

There was a point where his big hand had unknowingly landed on my knee and even began to tuck itself underneath. And like a slap to the face, his cheeks turned red and his hand retreated once he realized where he had unintentionally placed his hand.

And if I thought that was totally nerve wrecking and made me want to turn into a red crayon there was the time he got up to use the restroom.
He came back, casually, and sit back down on his spot, but before that he lifted my legs (which I extended to his side of the couch) and laid them on top of his thighs.

My face remained calm but my heart would tell you otherwise. I just continued in looking towards the screen.

When it was time for him to leave, he got up and I walked him to the door and we awkwardly stood there and said goodbye. He walked down my steps and across the street.

I ran up to my and threw myself on my bed. Did that really just happen?

I got up and examined my bed once more, looking at where he was laying and next to the bed was an unfamiliar thing. He left his black zip up on the side of my bed.

I hesitantly grabbed it and zipped it up. It was soft inside and smelled like him. I went back downstairs to find a message from Kristen informing me that she was on her way.

I continued to sit there, getting comfortable in his zip up.

The doorbell rang and I ran over to the door.

The big door swung open and instead of Kristen's tiny frame was Austin's big brick body.

"I forgot my jacket." He chuckled as he saw the jacket blanketing my body.

"I was cold and it so happen to be there..." I said, my face beet red.

He stepped in closer and pulled the hood over my head, tightening the strings.

"Keep it. It looks better on you anyways." He smiled, giving me a slight wink.

It looks better on you, I thought.

My face was still felt hot red after he turned around and walked back to his house with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

I stood in front of the closed door for some time before I sat back down on the couch. I must've left the front door unlocked because Kristen came singing in, leaping over the couch and right next to me.

"You dirty whore." She smirked.

"What?"

"You had sex with Austin last night?"

I burst out into laughter, "No I did not, if anything you're probably the one who did something last night."

"No! I mean Patrick only asked me out on another date." He giggled.

"Oh so that's why you have a hickey?" I playfully pushed her.

"Don't turn this on me! Patrick took me home whereas you and Austin were locked upstairs."

"Because we were beyond annoyed with your stupid giggling and Patrick biting your damn ear." I rolled my eyes.

"Well sorry, but it just looks like it because you're wearing his sweater and you're all 'straight out of bed' looking." She pouted.

"He left it here and it looked comfortable. He slept in the floor or more he fell asleep. We didn't even talk or anything."

"I'm just saying because I was texting Pat and he said that Austin has been ignoring his calls an text since the morning and they were supposed to go to the gym today."

"We didn't do anything!" I exclaimed.

"You're blushing shithead. You either did something with him or you like him now." She folded her arms across her perky chest.

"Drop it!" I got up and started walking to my room.

"You like Austin!" She squealed behind me laughing hysterically.

"Shut up! All these years I found him cute but now its like, I like him." I said, hoping she'd know the difference between the two.

The rest of the day, Kristen talked to me about her night with Patrick and I continued replaying the morning and the way we laughed at certain things, or even how I was resting my legs in his thighs. Nothing of course would compare to the way his hand was placed on my legs. Was he that comfortable already after declaring us friends?

Behind his physique was something golden. And I wanted to unravel it.

---

Sunday was a blur, seeing that I spent my entire day in my room doing nothing but reading and occasionally watching television.

Then Monday came. Which meant school.

It was windy and gloomy outside which rubbed off on my mood.

And I was still inside.

I left my hair down and put on what is usually wear on a cold day. Jeans, converse, and a pullover. Or at least those were my plans before Kristen showed up at Patrick's for a ride to school. She skipped on down to my house and sent me back upstairs.

She told me it was for the better, which I didn't get because comfortable is always better.

I refused to change until she brought up Austin. Of course I wasn't going to change for him but maybe cleaning up a bit wouldn't kill me so much. It's crazy what liking someone could do.

So I ended up downstairs with jeans, boots, a knit cardigan with a v neck, and a scarf. My hair was still let down and was combed. Kristen left with Patrick and I waited for my mom.

I searched my room for my school bag. I must've left it in my moms car. I grabbed the keys and hurried downstairs. I swung the door open, falling on my ass, as I looked up.

Austin was at my door. He looked startled as I dropped to the floor but then crouched down to my level. He was so close I could smell the fresh toothpaste radiating off his breath. He held his hand out, lifting me off the step with ease,"Do you need a ride to school?"