Steel My Soul ✓

23 | Cliff

I N D I G O

Before I opened my eyes the following morning I felt the incoming headache pounding through my skull. It made me groggily awaken and groan in misery. I intended to shove my blanket away but stopped entirely when I remembered who the heavy weight trapping me was.

Shutting my eyes, I remained still and let Chancey's arms tighten around my waist, pulling me closer to his chest. I'd already been snug in his embrace. Any closer, and our skin would be melding into one another... That sounded way too gross for my liking, so I resisted a little.

"Stop moving away," He groaned, his gruff voice causing a swirl of butterflies to erupt in my stomach.

With a tug of finality, Chancey secured my back to his front, and I held my breath. We were close. Very close, and my face was heating with embarrassment. He must've felt the bones of my spine digging into his chest, or the ribs at my front beginning to protrude. My illness was taking a bad toll on my body, and I knew he'd feel it.

"Not comfortable?" He whispered in my ear, sensing how tense I was.

"I am," I nodded, not sure how to explain my insecurities to him.

"Want me to move?" He asked again, catching onto my lie.

"No," I said unsurely.

Chancey sighed deeply before turning me around until our faces met. I lowered my head into his chest, not wanting him to see my oily face or smell my morning breath. How he'd manage to stay with me the entire night was beyond me.

"I am very comfortable," He told me before running his hands through my nest of hair. "And I don't want to move at all."

A soft smile sprung to my lips, and it stayed for a while as I silently battled my migraine.

"I think I might hang out with Dawn today," I spoke up after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?" He seemed amused.

"Mhm," I nodded, resting my hand on the side of his body. He was so warm, I never wanted to be away from him. "We're going to Monty's Cliff to scream our lungs out."

Chancey's body shook out of silent laughter but tensed a moment later when my hand slipped beneath his shirt and onto the side of his bare waist. His skin was warm, and I was cold. I was always so cold, and he wasn't.

"Not comfortable?" I questioned, not wanting him to dislike my touch.

"I am," He responded with a gentle tone.

I waited a few more seconds, letting my thumb move in small circles on his skin. Chancey didn't say anything. He only breathed calmly and tightened his hold on my hair. When his head dropped to rest on mine, I knew he was very much comfortable.

"It's on your bucket list, is it not?"

Bingo. Now he was exposed, and I was going to interrogate the shit out of him.

"My old one or my new one?" It was a struggle to hide the wide grin on my face.

"The old one," He replied without hesitation, and my heart expanded.

"Oh," I tried to sound confused. "I thought I'd written it in my new one."

"No, your new one has six more-"

After he cut himself off and scoffed, I released a snicker and dug my face further into his neck.

"And how did you know that, Chance?" I accused him, tracing the contours of his waist and back.