The Lovers Card

1.

I kissed the paper leaving a scarlet red lip-shaped mark on it before folding it neatly and putting it in an envelope. Using a spoon I scooped up the melted wax, letting it drip down onto the seal. Choosing one of two steal wax stamps, I pressed down on the glob of red. It left behind a floral design, sealing the envelope together. To finish it I put an official mail stamp in the left corner, even though I would never actually send it.

I stood up from my desk and laid down on my nicely made bed, leaving crinkles in the sheets I would have to fix later. I stared at my ceiling. The only source of light was the dim fairy lights that hung above my bed. My room was painted a rich lilac color that used to bring me joy. I could hear the drip drops of the rain outside, and every so often there would be thunder and a quick flash of lighting, it had slowly started to settle down.

A tapping sound came from my window as I took the hair tie out of my hair and put it onto my wrist saving myself from the bun that was pulling out my scalp. Red ringlets flowed down my back and I ran my hand through my hair before opening my window. Hands appeared on the window sill as someone climbed into my room.

"Hey lover boy, I see we meet again." I purred, rolling my eyes. 

"I always do love to see your face." He winked, stepping closer to tuck some of my hair behind my ear, but his hand stays there longer than needed. Our eyes lock and I smile, he could make anyone feel safe, just by being in his presence. 

"Are things at home any better?" I questioned, tilting my head as I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer to me.

"Not really, I don't expect it to get better for a while with the way things have been going." He took his other arm and wrapped it around my waist. "How are things going here?"

"My dad is being my dad per usual and is mad because I have a B minus which I can easily get back up to an A, but still." I shook my head as I spoke, my dad could easily be one of the strictest parents on earth.

"I have an idea," he muttered, "It's a really stupid idea and I don't think you'll agree." He muttered some more, confusing me. "What if we ran away together? With nowhere to go, we'd just run and see where we end up."

"I'm sorry Noah, but you're right. That is a really stupid idea." I stumbled back in shock, pushing him away. "Do you even know how much trouble we'd be in if we got caught?!" I couldn't comprehend where he had got such a bad idea. He always had dumb ideas, but never this dumb. Although it wasn't unreasonable, and to be honest I had thought about it a lot myself.

"I knew it was a stupid idea, I had to ask though. I should probably go home soon though." He mumbled, scratching his neck. He walked back to the window, hesitating for a second. "Before I go though, I need to tell you something." 

"What is it?" I asked, sitting down on my bed, I was wondering what it could be in my head as I looked at him.

"I'm scared to tell you though." He sat on the window sill, staring at the floor of my bedroom, "You know what? You don't even need to know, I don't know why I brought it up in the first place."

"Of what?" I shook my head, was he scared of me? "You shouldn't be scared to tell me anything."

"Ophelia, I love you." He looked up from the floor and glanced at me, probably to see what my reaction was.

"Wh-what?" I barely managed to choke out, as air slipped out of my lungs faster than I could inhale. My whole body was shaking and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping this was a joke. Maybe he would say he was trying to make me laugh, or that it was a dare or something, anything other than it being the truth. If it was the truth I would have to say it back, I still hadn't gotten around to admitting to myself I liked him, how would I be able to say it back? I loved him, I really did, but I didn't want to.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you. I don't regret it though. By that I mean I don't regret telling you." He stood up and walked over to me. "I just- I'm sorry." He sat on the edge of my bed with me and reached for one of my hands. Slowly holding both of my hands in his he got me to look up at him.

"Noah, I-" right then I leaned over and placed my lips on his. My lips felt warm against his as he moved one hand behind my head and the other on my waist pulling me onto his lap. That's all it was though, a kiss. It's all that either of us wanted. I wrapped my hands around his neck but pulled away from him a little so I could study his face. He was beautiful but every time I looked at him I wanted to cry because before this moment I had thought I could never have him. Now after this, maybe I could look at him and feel truly happy. 

We sat there for a while, sitting together and talking, I listened to every word he said but I paid more attention to the sound of his voice rather than what he was actually saying. I also thought about why I had such a strong reaction to his dumb idea, it was a perfect idea, maybe I was just scared.

"Noah," I said suddenly, interrupting his talking, "Pack your bags. We're going to run away."