X e n a
It was already Thursday. I haven’t seen Archer for two days, and if I did, I would turn and walk the other way.
I don’t know why but I don’t feel like telling him. It’s something in me telling me that I shouldn’t tell him.
I feel like he’s going to reject me.
Brie and Cam have given up on asking if I told him yet. It’s because they already know I haven’t told him.
And I won’t be telling him anytime soon.
It was currently lunch time and I was sitting on the table while Cam and Brie argued over something stupid.
I got bored so I decided to pull out something to do, and after finding nothing I found my cherry chapstick at the bottom on my bag.
So decided to read the ingredients that were written on the tube.
I first applied some on my lips and then I started reading through the hazards. Then the ingredients.
What the fuck is a octyldodecanol?
How did people come up with chapstick in the first place? Did they just decided to put in different chemicals that they can’t pronounce?
But I mean I’m not complaining. It smells really good.
“Guys what the fuck is a octopus doodie canal?” I try pronouncing the word.
But then I realised their voices because hushed and then they stopped talking.
I peek my head up and look at them but they were looking at something behind me with their mouth gapped open.
I turn around confused but my breath hitches.
“Can I please talk to Xena for a second?” Archer asks slightly smiling, his eyes focusing on my face then on the chapstick.
Brie and Cam looking at him dazed. But I was just staring at him in awe. How can he be so beautiful?
“Go!” Brie whispers before pushing me causing me to fall of my chair… in front of Archer.
You can count on your friends to embarrass you in front of your crush.
He grabs onto my hand and pulls me to the cafeteria doors. The similar tingles running through my hand.
I quickly yank my hand away before I would do something stupid.
He stops outside the hallways and looks at me as if he was trying to hold in a laugh. But honestly he looks constipated.
“What’s an Octopus doodie canal?” He grins.
“What?—” I stare at him in confusion.
What’s an Octopus doodie Canal?
“You we’re talking about it a few minutes ago to your friends?” He reminds me.
Oh. So he heard me say that.
“Oh. I don’t know. I was trying to read out a really complicated word” I shrug my shoulder.
“Where were you reading that from anyways?” He laughs.
His laugh. It was a deep rumbling laughter. The kind of laugh that would make you want to laugh at the laugh because of how contagious it was.
“It’s from my chapstick. I was reading it cause I was bored and Brie and Cam were arguing over something” I shrug my shoulder and show him the chapstick resting on my palm.
He takes the chapstick but holds onto my wrist while staring at it.
“Where’s your mark?” He questions.
“Oh… um. I was born without one?” I say but I sounded way more like a question.
He looks at me weirdly as if he was trying to solve something.
“Where’s yours?” I say pretending to not know that he doesn’t have a mark.
“Oh… I found my soulmate” he smiles
“Wow. Where is she?” I play along.
“That’s the thing. Some girl kissed me at a party in the dark but she ran away. I’m pretty sure she’s my soulmate. But I haven’t seen her since that party” he shrugs looking at me.
Pretend you don’t know, Xena.
“Oh. Sorry, I’m sure you’ll find her one day” I nod my head.
He nods his head staring at me. I instantly got lost in his light green eyes. Since I was standing closer this time, I could see specks of brown and gold.
I didn’t even realise that we had moved closer. If I moved in by an inch or two we would kiss.
He looks done at my lips and back at my eyes. He leans closer and continues to stare at me almost like he’s asking for permission.
I couldn’t help it.
I closed my eyes, leaned in and kissed him, it felt like I was floating. The kiss was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below my ear, his thumb caressing my cheek as our breaths mingled.
I ran my fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between us and I could feel the uneven beating of his heart against my hands that were resting on his chest.
And that’s when I realised what I was doing.
I’m kissing Archer Howell.
I quickly pull away and there was a look in his eyes I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“I’ve got to go” I quickly say before I scurry down the hallways as soon as the bell rings indicating that lunch was over.
I have English so I decided to make my way to class.
I looked through the class door and took a seat at the complete back.
A few minutes later the teacher walks in telling everyone to settle down and open our text books.
The whole lesson went by very slowly and I also realised that Archer didn’t come to class.
A very long hour later the bell rang and I walked out of the classroom and headed straight to my car.
I opened the door to my car but a hand closed it shut right after.
“Hey!” I say turning around to glare at the person who could have almost smashed my fingers between my car door.
“Sorry. I didn’t know your hand was there” Owen states.
“What do you want?” I ask him.
“I know you’re his soulmate” Owen says smirking at me.
How does he know? I don’t even talk to him.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about—” I lie and turn to open the car door again but his hand was resting on the door restricting me from opening it.
“Stop lying.” Owen laughs.
“I’m not lying” I cross my arms over my chest and I turn back to him and stare at him.
“Listen. Archer’s my best friend, he may look like he’s totally okay with not being able to find his soulmate but I can tell he’s really stressing over it. I don’t like seeing him like that” Owen shakes his head and looks at me.
“What am I supposed to even do about it? He probably would reject me anyways—” I start.
“Don’t start with that bullshit. You and I both know that he wouldn’t do that. Just tell him, it’s not that hard” Owen cuts me off.
“But—” I try to reason with him but he already turned around and started to walk away.
“If you don’t tell him soon, I might tell him” Owen shrugs and continues to walk to what I am guessing is his car.
What the heck am I supposed to do now? Do I just tell him?
“Xena” I hear someone call out to me again.
I groan and turn around.
I just want to go home and sleep.
“Yeah” I look up and I almost choke on my own spit. Archer was standing in front on me in his 6’4 frame.
“You forgot to take this from me” he says before giving me back my chapstick.
I look down at it and take it from his hands. I look up to say thank you but he already was walking away.
I’ll tell him tomorrow.
I finally get into my car and drive back home.
Once I reach home, I walk up the familiar pebbled pathway to my black wooden front door.
I push open the door as soon as it is unlocked and I walk in. Whenever it’s dads day for cooking he usually orders take out since he doesn’t usually have time to come home early to make us dinner.
I walk up the carpeted stairs and into my room.
I shower and change into some sweats and a black top and climb into bed.
I’m really tired since I haven’t been getting enough sleep for the past 2 days. Sleep just doesn’t come to me.
I look at the clock hanging on my wall and it read out 5pm
And that was the last thing I saw before I drifted off to sleep.
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