Paper Cranes

I woke up to find that the sun hadn't rise yet and a person next to me. I smiled at the sight; he was laying on his back, one hand rested on his stomach and the other on the pillow. The black hair was covering a side of his face which bears a peaceful expression. He was wearing a faded grey t-shirt and a pair of striped boxers. I traced my finger along the side of his jaw line, down his chin and towards his neck.

He stirred and grumbled. I pulled away my finger quickly but continued to watch him. He didn't wake up which may be a good thing for now. Jared was leaving in about four hours; he was flying back to LA. Back to where his home was and where his life belonged. I sighed. I had only met Jared a month ago, we had only gone out on one proper date and I was only officially dating him two days ago. Even though I did learned quite a bit about him already but it still felt like a rush that I could have fallen for him in that short amount of time.

After he was discharged from the hospital, both of us had come to the hotel and spent some time together. We talked, we laughed, we learned more about each other's lives and dreams, and we kissed. I guessed it wasn't that bad that I could spent an entire day with him before he leaves and I had to return to my normal daily routine life.

I moved towards him, my head lay on top of his chest as I listened to the sound of his heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing. I snuggled on his warm shirt, one hand wrapped around his chest. I heard him inhaled deeply. "Rowena?" he said in a hoarse voice.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" I asked, glancing up towards him. He was studying me through his half-opened eyes. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He reached out for his blackberry and checked the time before placing it back on the table. "It's only five something in the morning. Why are you up so early?" he asked, stroking my hair.

"I guess I just can't sleep," I replied.

"Don't worry, Ro. I'll see you as soon as I get everything settled about the band," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"I'm not," I lied. "I'm just thinking."

"About?" he asked curiously.

I looked at him hesitantly but surrendered when his blue eyes burned into mine questioningly. "About us," I said.

"What about us?" he asked.

I pushed myself up and climbed to the pillow next to his, so I could look at him directly. "I… I don't know how to put this… I mean… we only went out for one date and we are only officially going out for two days. But it's just… I'm never this attached to anyone this fast before…"

"Oh… Ro," he brushed aside the lock of black hair from my face. "Maybe… maybe we are just meant to meet each other and fall in love… maybe I am suppose to bump into you in the club… maybe the accident was meant to happen… maybe we are just meant to fall for each other this fast…"

"But Jared…" I started. "I don't know… I just don't feel good about being so attached so fast… I mean you're going to LA in a couple of hours and I'm already starting to miss you."

He took my hand with his. "I know it's crazy, Ro. But I really like you, Ro. I really do. And I have thoughts about this whole distance relationship thing as well but… can't we just enjoy this and see what happens?" he asked.

I stared straight into his blue eyes. Even in the darkness of the room the flame in his eyes still seemed to dance brightly. It was full of worry but at the same time it was so full of hope and love. "Okay…" I sighed.

He smiled and kissed my hand. "Just don't worry so much, Ro. Whatever will happen will happen."

I nodded and smiled at him. He returned the smile. "You wanna get ready and go get breakfast or something?"

"I need to get back to my apartment to shower and change for work," I said.

"We have time," he said. "You can take a shower here and wear one of my shirts," he continued. "Then we'll have breakfast and go back to your place."

I thought about his suggestion and agreed. I climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. When I came out, Jared already had a black t-shirt hung on the outside doorknob. I took it and wore it with the pair of jeans I wore yesterday. I got out to find Jared by the table which faced the windows with the curtains still drawn. He seemed to be deep in his own thoughts. I tiptoed across the room and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek. "Your turn."

He chuckled and was about to give me a kiss on the lips before I stopped him. "Brush your teeth first," I said and he laughed, standing up and went to the bathroom. Within ten minutes, he was out of the shower, again with only the towel wrapped around his waist. He was cleanly shaved, hair combed neatly away from his face. He winked at me as I stared at him and took out a white shirt, black sweater and a pair of skinny black jeans. He went back into the bathroom and came back out, fully dressed.

He walked over with a smug grin and kissed me on the lips. "Better?" he asked with the same grin. I could only nod from the breath-taking kiss. "You wanna have breakfast here? Or go out?" he asked. I checked the time on my watch and it was already six thirty. "I'm fine with anything. What do you prefer?" I asked.

He thought for a while, his arms still wrapped around my waist. "Let's go out to a café or something," he suggested. I shrugged. He took his blackberry and checked for any messages or emails which he always seemed to have an unlimited supply of. Surprisingly, there were none and he slipped it into his pocket along with his wallet. I wore my jacket on. He grabbed his bags and I tried my best to help him with some before we realized we had to call for a bellboy.

Once the bellboy arrived, Jared helped him with loading the bags on the cart and we left the room for the lobby. There, Jared cleared the hotel bills and since there were so many bags to drag around, we decided to just have breakfast at the hotel's café. There was a buffet which had just started. We were seated somewhere in a corner away from the windows. I went to get a bowl of cereals and some toasts with a cup of coffee. Jared on the other hand got some toasts with yoghurt and a cup of coffee as well.

Just as I was about to ask Jared a question, his blackberry rung. He rolled his eyes and took it out of his pocket, clicking on the button and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he spoke in a cheerful voice. "Hi, Shannon! Yes. I'm flying back to LA today. I'll most probably arrive around," he glanced at his watch. "Noon. Is everything scheduled already? Okay. Good. Yes, Shannon, I'm with Ro right now." My eyes darted to him at the mention of my name. He looked at me. "Shannon said hi and ask how you are doing," he said.

"Say hi to him for me and I'm good," I replied. He repeated what I said and continued his conversation with Shannon for a while before hanging up.

"It's not even seven yet, and people are calling you already. You are one busy man," I said. He chuckled and took a bite from his marmalade covered toast. "What to do?" he muttered with his mouthful. I shook my head and took a sip of the coffee. "So… meetings again huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Got to talk to the Virgin managers to rescheduled the tour dates and venues. Then, there's the recording for the thank you for the Echelon," he replied.

"Busy, busy day."

"What about you?" he asked.

"Me?" I pointed towards myself with the spoon I was eating my cereal with. "Just the usual. Filing and typing out letters. But there's this upcoming case which involves this extremely rich businessman and the staff of his company, so there's going to be endless sitting in the meeting room," I said in a sarcastically happy tone. Jared laughed.

Once we were done with our breakfast, we got a cab and it was time for me to go back to my apartment which was also the time for me to bid farewell to Jared. As the cab stopped in front of my apartment building, Jared told the driver to wait for a while when he accompanied me up to my apartment. "This is it!" I said, unlocking the apartment door and switching on the lights. I put the crutches aside and went to my bedroom to change. "Just make yourself at home," I yelled from my bedroom as I browsed through my closet. I picked out a white blouse with a black jacket and black pants. Then, I applied some simple make-up for work, tied my head in a high ponytail and grabbed my bag, checking its contents.

As I entered the living room again, I found Jared looking through my DVD and CD collection. "I see you're a fan of John Travolta and John Cusack," he commented. I chuckled and went to fill a bottle of water before putting it into my bag. "Yeah. They are great actors," I said.

"You look very professional," he said, studying at me from head to toe. I smiled. "Thanks!"

He crossed the room to the kitchen and took me in his arms, giving me another spine-chilling kiss. My eyes fluttered open when he pulled away. There was lipstick smeared across his lips. I laughed and rubbed it off. He grinned, blue eyes staring. "I have to go to work," I whispered as his lips collided with mine again. I held onto his firm shoulders for support. He pulled away again. "You are ruining my lipstick, Jared!" I whined. He laughed and attacked my lips again. He pulled apart when I accidentally let out a soft moan. An evil grin plastered on his face. "Admit the fact that you like it," he teased. I rolled my eyes and wiped his lips where the traces of lipstick were evident. His arms tightened around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Let me go, Jared. You have a cab waiting for you downstairs and I got to catch the train," I whispered. He shook his head. "Not until you admit the fact that you like it when I kiss you."

I stared at him pleadingly. He shook his head. "It's not going to work, Ro. All you got to do is say yes."

I stared at him for another moment and realized he was really determined about it. I groaned and inhaled a deep breath. "Yes," I sighed.

"Yes what?" he fished, the grin still on his face.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. I like it when you kiss me."

He chuckled and took my lips with his. The softness added with his gentleness showed a complete different side of how egotistical he had just sounded like. His hand traveled to the small of my back, drawing me closer to him. One of my hands had found its way to the back of his head, tugging softly onto his hair. Our lips parted after a while and we were both smiling at one another, eyes locked.

"I'll miss you, Ro."

"I'll miss you too, Jared."

He hugged me closer to him as I buried my face against his chest. The heat from his body vibrated off him like a hot cup of coffee. "I'll call you everyday," he muttered. "And I'll fly to New York as soon as I find some free time," he added and pulled away.

"You promise?" I asked timidly.

"I promise." He gave me another peck on the lips. I smiled and wiped off the lipstick smudges again. "We got to go," I said, looking at my watch which pointed to seven forty-five. He nodded.

I took my bag and slipped on my pair of heels. I checked my make-up again. Then, fed Sparkie and took my crutches and left the apartment with Jared. Once we reached his cab, both of us were reluctant to let go. He embraced me in his strong arms again and gave me a swift kiss on the lips. This time he succeeded it without any smudges. "Safe journey," I said. He nodded. "I'll call you tonight?"

"Okay."

"I got to go," he said, glancing back at the cab. I sighed and nodded. "Bye Jared."

"Bye, Ro." He kissed me on the forehead and entered the cab. I waved to him until the cab disappeared into the sea of cars. "I'll miss you."