Close As Enemies

Twenty-Four.

Now Playing... Starting Over 

    "My prince! You saved me!" I dragged the barbie doll in my hand to the doll in Nova's hand. She glanced at me, her green eyes shimmering from the light pouring in the spare room window, before grabbing the dolls and playing with them. I leaned against the wall, smiling softly as I watched her create her own little world. After a couple minutes, she crawled to where I was sitting, a brown haired doll in her hand. I smiled. "What's her name?"

She giggled, brushing the doll's hair. "Molly."

"Why Molly?"

"She's pretty like you."

My heart melted as my smile grew wilder. Glancing at the door, I saw Wes leaning against the frame, the faintest smile on his lips. He walked to where and sat beside me, wrapping his arms around his knees. "You nervous?"

I raised my eyebrows. "About what?"

"Your surgery."

I sighed, both of our eyes watching Nova. "I don't know. I know it will help me, but it doesn't make me any less scared about the what ifs."

"Molly! Wessy!" Nova squealed, smiling brightly at us, "Play princess with me!"

Wes and I glanced at each other before Nova grabbed my hand, pulling me towards a stool. She grabbed a little silver crown with pink fabric hooked to it,and placed it on my head before grabbing Wes and placing a crown on his head as well. She then led me to the closet in the spare room and shut the door.

"Save her, Wessy!" I heard Nova command, and for a couple seconds, it was silent, but then closet door flew open, and Wes lightly grabbed my waist, pulling me tight against him as he led me out of the closet. We laughed together, and Nova giggled. "Now kiss her!"

Wes' face paled as he looked at her. "Nova, I already saved her. Don't you think--"

"I said kiss her!" She stomped on his foot, and he cringed, causing Nova and I to laugh. He glared at me before letting out a dramatic sigh, the corner of his mouth quirking up as he dipped me, his arms holding me securely. Time seemed to slow, but all I could focus on was his big green eyes burning into mine and his plump, pink lips that seemed to closer with each passing second. The swirl of emotions I saw in his eyes made me question what exactly he was thinking, but before I could fully ponder it, his mouth covered mine. As our lips crushed together, I became light, as if I was walking on air, and it was truly magic, the way his lips connected with mine. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips was softer than I could have imagined. When we pulled away, our foreheads rested against each other until we caught our breath, and when he finally set me up straight, Nova clapped, gigglies escaping her mouth. Wes and I smiled at her before he pulled away from me.

"Again, Again!" She giggled more, and Wes chuckled, picking her up.

"I think it's time for bed, Nova." Wes started walking towards the door, but stopped to glance over his shoulder at me. "You wait there."

I leaned against the wall, running my finger over my lips. The kiss should've meant nothing, considering we weren't exactly friends and I had never had feelings for him before, but something about the way he held me, and how gentle he was, made my heart skip a beat. I didn't know whether to enjoy it or fear it.

When Wes returned, he grabbed my hand and led me to my room. I packed my bag for my overnight stay at the hospital, and well Wes placed everything in the bag, I braided my hair and changed my clothes to something more comfortable. Wes helped me put on my jacket, and then we walked to the front door.

"My mom and dad are going to meet me there, right?"

"Yeah." Wes handed me my paperwork for the doctors. "You're supposed to take this with you."

"And you'll be okay here with Nova?"

Wes pulled me towards him, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. His chest vibrated as he chuckled, and I buried my head in his shoulder. "Molls, quit worrying. Just go get better."

I sighed. "You know there's a chance I might not make it, right?"

"You'll be fine." He caressed my cheek, making me look at him. "You're the strongest person I know. Everything will be okay."

***

"She's not awake yet. The doctor said it could be any minute now."

For a couple minutes, my eyelids felt too heavy to open, and my whole body remained immobile as if it were paralyzed, but then my eyes fluttered open. Looking around the room, I saw Wes sitting in the chair holding Nova as they watched TV, a soft smile on his face as Nova rested against his chest, and mom and dad were sitting in the chairs beside my bed.

"Mom?" I rasped, and her eyes met mine. She smiled, rushing to my side.

"You're awake!" She hugged me tightly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm starving."

Everyone laughed, and when I glanced at Wes, he caught my gaze, his smile growing.

Mom chuckled, brushing my hair out of my face. "I'll talk to the doctor. You were in surgery for six hours, but you're healed. He said you should be able to keep doing all the things you love-- dance included."

I smiled faintly, and then I glanced at mom before directing my eyes at Wes. She smirked, grabbing dad's arm and held Nova before walking out of the room. Wes pulled his chair to my bedside, and I smiled at him.

"How do you feel?"

I groaned. "I want food so badly, I might go out and fight the nurses just to get some."

"Damn, Molls, surgery made you violent." He chuckled, shaking his head. I laughed with him, and once we both sobered up, his eyes met mine, suddenly serious. "I need to tell you something."

I nodded, and he let out a deep breath, holding my hand. Warmth spread through me, and I fought back the urge to smile. Wes' thumb caressed my skin. "I... I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. After everything that's happened lately, I realized just how badly I had treated you for the past three years, and it killed me knowing I had done that to you." He looked away from me. "But I need you to know that I'm really sorry. If I could take it all back... I would."

"It's okay, Wes. I'm not upset about it anymore."

"You should be." His eyes met mine, his eyebrows crinkled together, and I knew he was beating himself up over everything that had happened. "I shouldn't have done any of what I did. It's not okay and I'll never forgive myself for it."

I sighed, gripping his hand tighter. "We both had some part in this, and we both did wrong. But it really is okay, Wes. All of it is the past, and as much as we want to change it sometimes, we can't. Which is why I already forgave you for everything."

"I don't know how you can forgive me so easily."

I shrugged, smiling widely at him. "I had a best friend who understood me so well that I didn't have to worry about making forgiveness hard."

He smiled softly at me, his eyes finally brightening. "Well, for the record, you will always be my best friend, no matter where we stand. You always have been, and you always will be."