Twilight Rays

7. Sleeping Beauty went through her thousand years of rest

When we finally got to my church, Destinée pretty much let me know she was mad.
"What do you use your cellphone for, if it's not to answer your best friend?"
"Sorry, but I forgot to check it. What did you text me?"
"You're the one leading the worship tonight!"
"They never told me that!"
"I know, they asked me, but I said you wouldn't mind."
Really?
" But I've brought a friend today, I don't have time to come up with four songs in 2 minutes and I don't want to!"
Only at that moment did my BFF noticed Raja's arm around my shoulder.
"You guys are just friends, right?"
I facepalmed my forehead while Raja grinned.
"Right. Just friends." Raja confirmed, removing his arm.
I showed him around, stopping every two seconds to meet the teenagers and the staff.
"So, what do you believe in?" DeeDee asked him when we sat down.
"God." he said without hesitation.
"Really?" I looked at him in disbelief.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm not Christian nor Muslim, I guess I'm just seeking him."
"And what do you believe God thinks of drugs?"
Destinée opened wide eyes at me, silently telling me to shut up before he decides to kill me in my sleep. But Raja smirked and said:
"What do I smell like?"
I was a little confused by his question, but then it hit me.

He wasn't smelling like weed. Or tobacco. How could I not notice that?

"When did you stopped?" I asked, my eyes wide from shock.
"The day I poked you."
November.
"Wow." DeeDee and I muttered at the same time.
"So like, no weird plants in your garden?" DeeDee insisted.
"Well, I have thym, lettuce and carrots, but I took down the rest."
"I know someone who's happy about that! Jauschua must have been thrilled about it!" I said, refering to his best friend.
"Yeah, he was always checking my car seats and stuff." Raja confessed with an amused smile. "He'd be glad to see me here too, I suppose, he tried to bring me at church for so long but I would always get a shift that day."
The youth pastor stood up for the group's attention, making us go quiet. The meeting began, but I was too focused on Raja's words to notice.

Destinée's dad dropped us at the bus station, so we were just in time to take it. I was about to fall asleep when Raja realized:
"I have to find you a nickname."
"Really?"
" How about..."
Okay, I guess he was being serious.
"Why don't you just call me TNT? All my friends call me like that."
"No, cuz everyone's already calling you that. We should have, like, code names."
" You mean, like special nicknames as our neighbour thing?" I couldn't help myself to grin.
" Yeah, totally! So, Twilla.. Tweetie Bird, Twinkle -"
" Twinkle, really?"
" Twinkle, Twinkle, Little star.." he started singing REALLY loud.
"Shut up, you idiot, you're not the only one over here, it's passed nine o'clock!"
"So?"
I shoved him with my shoulder as an answer.
"Okay, Twinkle it is... No wait, little star's even better!"
" Ugh, whatever, I'll just find you something... Ray J?"
"Tweetie, Jo's already calling me that."
" How about Ray? As in the sun... No! From now on, I will call you Sunshine!"
"You've got to be kidding me. For a slight second, I really thought you were going to sing Lazarus, though." Raja admitted with a crooked smile.
"You know that song?"
"You were the one to send me the YouTube link." he reminded me, rolling his eyes.
"You did say it was dope."
"It's your goldfish memory that exasperates me right now."
"I don't think we've ever met, hello there I'm Dory's twin sister."
He let a out a chuckle.
"Guess I'll never know how you managed to get those As in history."
"I think that's called studying."
He looked at me, in disbelief.
"Or selective memory..."

"Twilla...Twilla! Tweetie, you don't want me to sing Twinkle little star again..."
But I'm so tired I immediately fall asleep again, and when I distinguished Raja's voice again, he was talking to my sister.
"Wait..." I mumbled, confused.
I almost had a heart attack when I realized my feet weren't touching the ground. I mindlessly wrapped my arms around Raja's neck. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty went through her thousand years of rest." playfully said Clara when my eyes landed on her.
Blood rushed to my cheeks as I took my hands off Raja's shoulders but he whispered in my ears:
"I don't mind carrying you in your bed, little star."
I reallly wanted to tell him I didn't have to, but my body was like glued to his chest and his whisper had given me chills. I was in great denial of my crush on him, and it was not going great.

The last thing I remember is his kiss on my forehead, then him walking out of my room.

---
I have died everyday waiting for you
... I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more