Look Me in the Eyes

Chapter 14: Just The Two Of Us

Chris and I didn't say anything for quite a while; it had to have been at least fifteen to twenty minutes before we spoke. We just sat still, letting silence surround us.

Chris and I did that a lot during the summer; when we woke up a little earlier than the others and met at the tree house, we didn't talk that much. At least, not until the others came around. I think that was the best thing about Chris; he didn't feel like he had to make conversation to fill a silence. Teddy, Vern, and even Gordie weren't like Chris; they were twelve year old boys who needed background noise, even if what they were speaking about made no sense at all.

With Chris, him and I both understood what it was like to be surrounded by people and still feel lonely just because no one else knew how you felt. I knew that Gordie understood as well due to his situation at home, but he and I didn't share the same connection as Chris and I did.

At home, Chris was either ignored or abused; Eyeball didn't want anything to do with him, and his dad despised him. In Caldwell, Mom was never home, and if she was, she was sleeping. In Castle Rock, Johnny was almost always out with The Cobras; it wasn't like when we were younger, spending most of our time together.

I think all those times in the tree house were just to reassure each other that there was someone out there that felt the same way; that even though it felt like it sometimes, we were never completely alone.

"I'm gonna miss this when you leave," Chris told me, wrapping his arms around his knees, which he had pilled up to his chest. I turned my head to look at the boy beside me.

"What?" I asked, not fully understanding what he was referring to.

"Sitting with you, having you around. You in general, I guess," Chris replied, shrugging his shoulders, "I just got used to having you here. It's gonna be weird when you go back to Caldwell."

I nodded my head slowly, agreeing with him, "Yeah it will be. You'll write, though, won't you? And I'll try to convince my mom to let me come back next summer. Then we can pick up where we left off, like this summer never ended at all."

"That'd be nice. I don't know how often I'll be able to write, but I'll try to every week," he responded, "I promise."

I smiled over at him, causing him to return the gesture. I stared at him, trying to carve his image into my memory. That was how I wanted to remember him; with a smile on his face. I didn't know how much he'd change during the school year, but I hoped that it wouldn't be too much, especially his heart.

Although it would be hard for others to believe due to his family's reputation, Chris had a heart of gold. It was dented and tarnished in spots from being thrown around and mistreated so much, but it was still gold.

I knew that the saying was 'diamonds are forever', but I thought that 'gold is forever' was more accurate for the situation. I just had this feeling that Chris would never really change. Not for the worst, at least. No matter how old he'd get, he'd always stay gold.

When I came back to reality, I saw that Chris was staring at me, too. He still had that mesmerising smile on his lips.

"What are you thinking about?" I inquired, another smile beginning to tug on the corners of my mouth.

"You," he answered simply, not moving his gaze, "You've got really pretty eyes, you know that?"

My smile widened and I felt my cheeks grow warm. Hoping that he didn't see my flushed face, I looked down at my lap, letting my hair serve as a curtain to separate us. After the heat seemed to disappear, I lifted my head and saw that he was already watching me. I took a deep breath and grinned at the boy. It was now or never.

"Would it be too forward to say that I like you?" I blurted out. Chris was quick to respond.

"Not if you don't mind me saying that I like you too."

If anyone had looked at the two of us at that very moment, they would have thought we were crazy; we were both grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Wordlessly, he reached over and grasped my hand in his. It was a simple action, but it was special, if only for the two of us. To be truthful, I had almost forgotten about the boys being a few feet away.

Feeling the chilling breeze on my arms, I scooted closer to Chris. He pushed his knees away from his chest, but kept them bent and released my hand. He slung his left arm around my shoulders, allowing me to rest my head on his shoulder. Reaching up with my right hand, I intertwined our fingers again, using my other arm to hug myself.

"Annie?" Chris asked quietly, resting his head on top of mine.

"Yeah Chris?" I responded.

"Will you be my girl?"

I lifted my head, causing him to move his. Without another though, I leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Of course I will."

He smiled down at me and did the same, his warm lips leaving a tingly sensation on my cold cheek. I put my head back on his shoulder, yawning. Chris's shoulder moved slightly as he chuckled.

"Try to get some sleep," Chris told me, "I'll wake you up later for your shift."

"Okay," I yawned again, feeling my eyes flutter closed.

It was then that, more than anything, I wished I could have frozen the moment and lived in it forever. No more worrying about going back to Caldwell, no Junior High, and no one to stop us from being happy. Just the two of us.