Ethereal - a kiani au

thirty one

• Will's POV •

The next morning when I woke up, Jordan's legs were intertwined with mine. Our arms were wrapped around each other's torso. We were a mess of limbs, clumsily fitting together so perfectly. I watched Jordan's chest rise and fall as he slept. For a moment, it felt like it was only us in the entire world. We were in a little bubble in my room that no one could ever break. Jordan's parents couldn't pop it, they couldn't get in. Jordan wasn't wearing a shirt and everywhere that his bare skin touched mine felt electrified. He looked- shit, school. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table next to me and say that it was almost 11. I sat up quickly, causing Jordan to let go of me.

"What are you doing?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. I sprung out of bed, grabbing some clothes from my closet.

"We've missed half the school day already. I forgot to set my alarm," I said, not looking at him. I pulled off my shirt quickly but before I could replace it with another, I saw Jordan approaching me in the mirror. He slid his arms around my waist from behind, setting his cheek on my back.

"Why don't we just stay home?" He asked. I could feel his breath on my back and I shivered. It went against everything I knew I should have done but I turned around, our bare torsos now pressing together.

"Fuck it," I said, kissing him. I could feel Jordan smiling into the kiss which made me laugh into his mouth. When I pulled away, there was a sparkle in Jordan's eye and a smile on his face. I had goosebumps from the feel of his skin on mine. He ran his fingers through my hair as he looked into my eyes.

"I love you," he said. I kissed his forehead and gave him a squeeze. He put his head on my chest and I knew that he was listening to my heartbeat. I set my chin on top of his head and we both stood that way for a few seconds. It felt perfect.

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"I want it to be a surprise," Jordan said again. I sighed and slumped down into my seat. He glanced over at me and smiled before returning his eyes to the road.

"I hate surprises," I said.

"No you don't," Jordan answered, smiling. He was right, I loved surprises. I tried to hide my smile but he laughed. His laugh could brighten my darkest days. He pulled into a small parking lot. It only had a few cars parked in it. "Here it is," he said, motioning to the place. We got out of the car and walked in together. Jordan laced his fingers with mine and smiled at me. It was one of the first times we had shown affection for one another outside of my house. It still gave me a feeling of excitement. Jordan pulled me through the restaurant and sat down at a small table in the corner. The place was nice, it felt cozy.

"Thanks for bringing me here," I said. Jordan's smile hasn't left his face since we left.

"You're welcome," he answered. "This was my favorite restaurant when I was a kid. It's still nice but it just holds a lot of really fond memories," he added. I smiled and kissed the hand I was holding.

"I'm glad you brought me," I said. The sparkle in his eyes inspired me.

"Me too,"