Wayfaring Companions

vi. London

vi. London

Once upon a time, a eager and bright-eyed seven year old by the name of Kira Walker roamed the damp and vacant streets of London, England.

Her trip to London had been the first trip where she had ever ridden on an actual airplane; she remembered the bubbling sense of excitement that she simply could not hold back as she insisted feverently for the window seat for the bird's eye view. She recalled her mother's warm and tight grip across her little waist as she ignored the flight attendant's ever-so polite instruction to fasten her seatbelt as she pressed her small hands up against the foggy plastic glass of the window. Her nose had been wrinkled up from the foreign smell that the airplane seemed to be dipped in, and the corners of her honey brown eyes were crinkled up cutely the entire time as she took in the abstract shapes and mix of colors that mushed together in one big blob below her. 

"What's that?!" she'd constantly ask, her finger pointing to and fro as her mother and father watched on with amused and proud expressions while her peachy pink skin blurred to and fro. They'd occasionally pipe in with answers, satisfying her curious mind, but something else would quickly catch her eye soon afterwards, and her interrogation of who's, what's, where's and why's seemed like an endless montage while on the thirteen hour flight.

Kira smiled down at the pictures disorderly lined in the old leather family album; her nimble fingers leafed through the plastic pages, revealing a new frozen adventure and a spark of nostalgia that flamed the strings of her heart. She hummed to herself, letting out soft and quiet exhales as she carefully folded the old photo album shut before she leaned back, resting her head against the tattered fabric of the sofa. 

She bit back a shuddering chuckle as Xander's head of messy brown hair lolled against her left shoulder, and she carefully brushed bits and pieces of his growing hair out of her eyes, revealing his soft pink eyelids. They fluttered gently and Kira wondered if he was dreaming, and if he was, then what of. His gentle breaths swooped across her cheek as she turned her head, and a crawling heat slithered up her neck and blossomed against the apples of her cheeks.

She drew in a deep breath, filling up her lungs and slowly let it out, shaking off the foreign yet intoxicating desire to brush her fingers through his hair and swipe the pads of her thumbs across his skin. Kira pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows, attempting to sort out her disorganized and flowing thoughts.

Xander let out a shuddering breath and a shiver racketed through the side of his body; Kira swirled to face him and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, cocooning him in her body. She clung to him as he nestled into her, and she found herself placing light kisses against his forehead until his restless and incoherent mumbles faded into a sleepy hum as he nodded off a second time.

Kira didn't draw back once, and two hours later, Xander awoke warm and content in the same position he remembered being in. Only this time, a warm weight sat atop his head like a pillow. He stifled a yawn and squinted through sleep-ridden eyes as he carefully slid out from underneath Kira's affectionate and gentle hold. He drew away from her and stretched upwards, twisting his back before rolling his neck.  His eyes immediately roamed over to a sleeping Kira, whose limp body was nearly folded over as her side leaned into the very spot that Xander had been in mere moments ago, as if she was unintentionally searching for his touch.

Unknowingly, he found himself smiling let out a swoosh of air through his nostrils as his chest bubbled with a quick spurt of laughter. Xander took note of the silvery purple rays of light that filtered into the room through the loose blinds which hung over big windows, and the slivers of light seemed to dance around and about the darkened room. He found himself admiring the calm and tranquil atmosphere, heaving a content sigh before the old leather photo album that Kira had been looking at caught his eye.