autumn |KARL JACOBS X FEMALE OC|

11

the room looked like it had been set up by a child, not a group of three technically-adults and one teenager.

blankets and pillows covered every inch of the floor. some princess pillows, spiderman comforters, bright yellow bedsheets. it may have looked like, to an outsider, a complete and utter mess, but to them, it was perfect. they liked it this way.

just beyond the explosion of blankets on the floor were two leather couches. it was tradition for the girls to take the couches to sleep on, and the boys to take the floor. for now, though, they all spread out on the ground so they could be eye-level as they talked.

there was also an older tv that played shows quietly as background noise. it was funny to think about: when they were younger, shows like gravity falls and adventure time would always be playing. currently, it was an episode of the simpsons. still a cartoon, though a little more mature.

by this time, it was already 11:00pm. the four of them sat facing each other, an uno game being played in the space between them.

"i change it to red." karl said. "also, have you been to sea world, claire? i don't know what made me think of that, but jess and i went a few years ago."

"no, i've never been. sounds creepy, though."

"creepy? i loved it! why would it be creepy?"

"yeah claire, why are you dissing my dolphin buddies?" jess interjected.

"because of the dolphins! uno. they are not the creatures you think they are, jess." claire replied.

"you're telling me they're not adorable, friendly, cute, energetic, little sea animals?"

"that's exactly what i'm saying." claire deadpanned.

"sorry jess, but i'm with claire on this one. have you heard of . . . what they do to people?" luke asked sceptically.

"no! what do they do?"

"yeah, are we missing something here?" karl raised an eyebrow.

claire and luke gave each other a loaded look.

"google it." luke said, drawing another card.

"let's just say they can be . . . inappropriate." claire said.

jess took out her phone and the group watched as her face went from curious to confused to shocked to horrified to disgusted . . . all in a matter of seconds.

"EW! why would you tell me that??"

"let me see." karl demanded, grabbing the phone and regretting it instantly.

jess stared into the distance, clearly traumatized by this new information. "i'll never think of dolphins the same again."

claire and luke burst out laughing while jess and karl frowned at them.

"my bad . . . hey, i win!" claire said, placing her last card onto the pile.

they re-dealt and played a few more rounds of the game, still talking and laughing the whole time.

this last night of fun was the perfect thing to distract claire from the inevitable truth that loomed in her brain: she would be leaving tomorrow. and she didn't know when she would be back.

but those were things to worry about tomorrow morning; not now, when they were having such a good time together.

after they got tired of playing uno, and, well, tired in general, they put the cards away, shut off the lights, and turned up the volume on the tv, watching shows as they continued to get more and more tired.

karl and claire sat close to each other, their backs against the couch, a blanket being shared between them. claire couldn't help but notice that if she were to only mildly readjust her body, their thighs and shoulders would be touching.

she tried her best to distract herself from this fact.

"are you getting tired?" karl whispered, lips close to her ear.

"yeah." claire whispered back, turning her body to better face him. "you?"

he nodded in response, then, without warning, karl laid his head down on claire's shoulder, closing a gap that claire had been so careful not to accidentally overstep. her breath caught in her lungs and her heartrate started to quicken.

she knew he was only doing this as a funny, friendly gesture. they were close . . . they used to do stuff like this as kids all the time; little moments of physical touch that came with all friendships. but this time, to claire at least, the moment felt more loaded, more intimate. maybe she was just imagining things.

even if she was imagining it, her heart didn't seem to get the message, because it simply refused to slow down.

why was this simple touch making her so nervous?

all too soon, karl drew back and smiled at her; the grin sending her stomach twisting into knots.

karl looked as though he was about to say something, before jess spoke up. "guys, i don't know if it's just me but i am tired. should we go to bed now, or what?" she sat up and turned on her phone, the screen illuminating her face in the dark. "it's well past midnight already."

luke stretched his long arms above his head. "yeah." he said, then yawned. "i'm really tired too."

jess got up and threw a pillow down on one of the couches. "let's go to bed then."

claire quickly followed suit, disappointed to be leaving karl's side so soon.

they each got settled into their own spots. they turned the tv volume back down so it was hardly audible at all.

"goodnight guys." claire whispered into the mostly-dark room.

"goodnight claire." karl responded from just below her.

even though it was late, and claire was really tired, she couldn't seem to fall asleep right away. too many things were playing through her mind: leaving the cabin tomorrow, karl's close proximity to her, karl in general. it was a lot for her mind to think about.

among all of her emotions was a burning sense of hope: one she didn't dare extinguish, nor tap in to. instead, she simply acknowledged it. acknowledged that deep inside, she hoped for something more with karl.

perhaps that was a thought for another day.

claire rolled over on the couch and glanced down to where karl was already asleep.

something about seeing him sleeping in such a peaceful, innocent state pulled at claire's heartstrings; the admiration she felt for him once more surfacing to the forefront of her thoughts.

she smiled before she could stop herself. the grin didn't seem to want to leave her face. there something about everything--the entire week, this night--that made claire so genuinely happy.

claire rolled back over on the couch, pulled her hefty blanket closer to her face, and fell asleep thinking about the boy just feet away from her.