Voodoo [H.S.]

Twenty Two

August 22nd, 2022

"Shut up and close your eyes."

Cassie rolls her eyes but they close slowly, like she'd been fighting sleep for too long and was forced to give up. Her arm is tucked underneath the pillow while the other is held close to her chest. I doubt she's asleep yet, but even so she looks so peaceful. I feel an urge to protect her, to make sure not even a single pin drop can wake her up.

I reach out to stroke her hair softly and I can almost see the moment she goes completely out. It feels a bit weird to watch her sleep if I'm being honest, especially given that this is the second time now, but when she's awake it's like I can't fully see her face. Like if I look for too long she'll see me too and decide to run the other way.

When she's asleep, I can study her delicate features without worry. I can connect the two freckles on her forehead and follow it down to the arch of her eyebrows, over the slight curve in her nose to the peaks and valleys of her lips. I can memorize the way her pink lips purse and her plump cheeks flush.

The urge I have to kiss her becomes too much. I need to touch her, to kiss her, to love on her. I need to be wrapped up in the scent and feel of her and only her.

I'm trying.

So I take it a small step further. I lean down carefully to not wake her and gently place my hand in her hair. I take her in one more time before I lean down and kiss her forehead for one, two, three, four, five, seconds too short, but pull away in fear of disturbing her.

The world didn't cave in on itself.

My heart is still beating, Fast, but there.

I'm still breathing.

Everything is exactly the same.

The only difference being now I'm left with an aching feeling in my chest.

"So what do you think of Cassie?"

Zayn looks up at me from his spot on my work bench at Voodoo. It's a slow day in the basement warehouse, and a slow day for the shop upstairs. Summer is quickly coming to an end, and as school starts back up again the tourists are slowly dying down. In about a month it will mostly be locals and regulars stopping in for Halloween decorations and Christmas presents. As for the basement, there are always times where everyone gets their work done early and we don't have any shipments going out or coming, so mostly all they do is clean and organize.

I still have a few clients to catch up on with projects. A snake snowglobe, a framed moth, and some ungodly rat sculpture for an odd client of mine. I've been so busy helping outside of my projects that I've fallen behind and with today being as slow as it is, Jim has taken over the register for the day so I can spend my time in the back.

Zayn has been propped up on an extra bench since we arrived this morning. Mostly on his phone, but also messing with my shit and suggesting different ways to "reorganize". He's just bored, and it's annoying. My question has made him shut up for the first time since he aggressively shoved open the swinging door to my work station this morning and never left.