Is Your Bedroom Ceiling Bored?

19

Karl was to stay a week in Denver and three days had passed since your break up with Grace. Sure, you were sad, but you felt weirdly free. You didn't feel tied to someone you didn't truly love in the way they wanted or thought you did.

Right now you were sitting on the foot of your bed, Juliette resting on your lap as she scrolled through her phone, and Karl on your swivel chair at your work desk.

You watched as his fingers brushed against the spines of your sketchbooks, full of clothing designs that you would do nothing with since you couldn't afford any fabrics. He pulled out one sketchbook from the little basket that held them vertically.

"That's an old book. If you wanna look at my new and better work, look at the yellow one." You told him as you brushed the curly hair on Juliette's head and out of her face. Karl jumped slightly in his seat, a laugh bubbling up from you.

"I didn't know you were watching me." Karl said as he placed the older sketchbook back in the basket and trading it in for the yellow one like you instructed him to do.

"I didn't know you were snooping." You mimicked him in a light hearted sassy tone. He snickered as he flipped the pages open, looking at your work.

"Shut up." Karl replied with a joking smile.

You couldn't read his face. Probably because his face was turned away from yours, examining your designs. Karl kept flipping through the mixed media paper, his eyes admiring what you saw as a chicken scratch, but he saw as beautiful and eccentric designs.

Oh, how he wished he could see the world from your point of view. Everything about you to him made life seem more romanticized. He wished he could experience the good and the bad from your artistic eyes.

He loved you to say the least. Just as badly as you did.

"I know they're trash, but - yeah..." You trailed off into a mumble.

"No, no, these are great." Karl replied.

"Hmm." You hummed, unsure. "Thanks."

It was quiet for a moment. Karl kept flipping through the pages, admiring your designs until the thick eggshell pieces of paper were blank. He closed the cover and leaned back, looking up at the wall above, gazing at the corkboard with pictures of outfits by designers that you adored and took inspiration from.

"Who's that?" Asked Karl, pointing up to a vintage magazine that you had managed to snag in your first year of college from craigslist.

"Vivienne Westwood." You said, pushing Juliette off you're lap.

"Hey!" Juliette yelped but quickly got distracted by her timeline, going back to scrolling and liking posts in passing again pretty quickly.

"Cool isn't she?" You asked as you rested your hands on the backrest of the black and beat up swivel chair. "Punk fashion icon."

"I've never heard of her." Karl admitted, biting his lip in anticipation of your reaction.

"Get the fuck out of my apartment." You joked.

"What?!" Karl joked along with you. You snickered, bringing your arms around his neck and hugging him from behind loosely.

"I'm just jokin', bud." You said.

"Bud." Karl smiled. "You haven't called me that in forever."

"Well, get used to it then." You told the brunette.

Juliette watched your banter on your bed, holding back a squeal. She figured she should leave as to not interrupt the two of you. Juliette got up and began heading towards your door.

"Where you off to, Jules?" You asked her as you noticed her leaving.

"Bathroom."

"Hmm." You hummed. A cheap excuse but believable. Little did you know, she wouldn't be coming back, trying to give the two of you privacy.

As she closed the door, you sighed from your nose. You were finally content for the first time in a while. Feeling relaxed, you rested your head on Karl's shoulder from behind.

"You're my best friend, you a real bad bitch, got you're own money -" You jokingly sang in a whisper, but Karl didn't seem to have it, cutting you off.

"Stop." He said, shrugging your loose embrace from behind off of him. He turned to look at you, twisting the chair so he could look at you more easily. "(Y/n), just stop."

"What?" You asked, confused.

"Don't play dumb." He whispered. "I can't fake it anymore and I know you can't either."

Karl paused before he continued, looking up into your eyes. His hands found their way to your hips, his fingers tugging at your belt loops, bringing you closer to him. He sat you down on his lap.

"I know you love me as much as I love you." Karl said in a soft spoken voice. "I know you love me."

"I -" You sputtered. "Maybe." You said in a sing-song voice with a flustered chuckle.

Karl chuckled along with you, pulling you closer to him, bringing your body flushed against his, the clothing of his crewneck sweatshirt and your tank top being all that stopped you from touching completely together. Your face felt hot. This was him making a move.

"Maybe what?" Karl asked, his jaw ticking slightly and his fingertips meeting your chin, bringing your lips closer to his.

"Maybe I do love you." You admitted.

"Why don't you prove it?" Karl asked as his free hand held your hip, squeezing slightly. His hands were different from Grace's. More rough and needy, larger too. It was addicting.

"Can I kiss you?" You asked as your arms found their way around his neck.

"Yeah." Karl smiled, giving you permission. This is happening, you're going to be kissing your highschool bestfriend and crush. "Kiss me, I know you want to so badly." He teased.

"Shut up." You chuckled.

"Make me." Karl smirked.

"Fuck you." You half-joked before leaning in.

The kiss was gentle. It felt different from kissing a girl. It wasn't better, but it wasn't exactly the same. It still felt good, euphoric even. You were finally getting who you wanted after years of waiting, giving up, and attempting (and failing) to move on.

Karl was finally yours and only yours to love.