Make Believe

Nine.

The pen swirled over the once pristine white paper, creating intricate designs on the pale sheet.

I sat back and looked at my work, watching it deeply as if it was going to move or say something interesting.

The inky girl in front of me stared blankly into the space between the paper and the wall. Her eyelashes were long and feathery, looking almost like they would tickle her cheek every time she blinked.

Her face and body looked so innocent and delicate, but as my eyes wandered to the lower half of the paper I saw the girl's arms. There were navy blue inky cuts leaking from the pencilled slits in her skin.

I gulped, feeling almost guilty for creating this picture. Glancing at my watch, I saw that it was nearly three in the morning.

I was up late again, not able to sleep.

Running my hand through my newly dyed blonde hair, I sighed. This morning I had dyed my hair blonde, and I loved it. Going natural for once was nice. I felt a little less crazy than I did with the purple.

Ross was having a sleepover with a friend and Finn was asleep in his room so I had surrounded myself with candles and gotten myself into my pajamas. I wore white shorts and a white Bring Me The Horizon shirt.

'Therapy' by All Time Low was playing quietly from my speakers, and the room was relaxing and quiet. I turned to look at the candles throughout the room.

There must have been about twenty, all with different scents, that all merged to make one smell of pure bliss. In some ways I thought it reminded me of people. Yeah, they're nice on their own, but when they all worked together they made something amazing.

My door opened. Finn stood there shirtless in his grey tracksuit bottoms and white socks. I gasped a little, the opening of the door having broken the quiet. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Lola." Finn smirked.

"Are you a ghost?" I smiled at him.

"I don't know. Let's see." He pretended to walk into the wall and hurt his head. "Nah. I'm real."

"You're an idiot." I giggled.

"An idiot?" he raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that."

He walked over and picked me up in a fireman's hold. I screamed a little, kicking my legs. "Put me down! I'm surprised you can even lift me up."

Finn dropped me on the bed and looked at me. "I," he told me. "Am not an idiot."

I rolled my eyes and he lay next to me. "I beg to differ on that one, mate."

He didn't reply, instead just staring at something to the left of the bed. Just as I was about to ask, he spoke up. "You're so good at drawing. That picture..."

"It's nothing." I went a little red and rolled my eyes. "I don't think it's the best."

Without a word, Finn stood up and got a pen from my desk. He sat cross legged in the middle of the bed, handing me the pen. "Draw on my arms."

"What?" I chuckled. "Why?"

"Because. Just draw something that expresses you. Like, on my arm." He looked like he really wanted me to, so I rolled my eyes and started drawing.

We sat for what felt like ages, just listening to each other's breathing. I swirled the pen around and around on his pale skin, even branching out onto his back.

When I reached a moment that had to be drawn in detail on his right shoulder blade, I leaned my head on his back to get a closer view.

He was warm, and his heart was beating so loud that I could hear it through his shoulder. I nestled my face into him a little more, pretending to focus on the art. But really, my mind was numb.

After a moment, I lifted my head and sighed. "You're finished."

"Thanks, Scribble. Or should I say Blondie?" He smiled and ran his hand through my hair. "Can you take a picture of it with your phone? I can't see my back from here."

I did as he asked, and we sat there for a few minutes talking about the drawing.

It was a tree that ran all the way up his arm, the branches reaching out across his back. Every branch had a different bird or animal, but the branch at the top had a little boy sitting there, smiling like there was no care in the world.

The finishing touch was a star on his right shoulder blade, shining a light on the tree and its' inhabitants.

"What does it mean?" Finn asked.

"I don't know. I guess it has a different meaning to anyone who might see it." I shrugged.

"What does it mean to you?" he said softly. When I didn't reply, he spoke up. "I wish I could draw like you."

"Try it." I placed the pen in his lap and started taking off my shirt.

"What are you doing?" Finn asked me.

"You're going to need a full canvas to draw on." I said nonchalantly. "Have you never seen a girl's bra before, idiot?"

Finn just smirked at me. "Evil bitch." he said gently.

I pulled off my shirt to reveal the white lace bra covering the tiny part of my chest not on display. After a moment, I turned around to give Finn my back to draw on. He sat there in silence.

"Come on, get drawing." I hurried him.

"But it seems such a waste to draw on something that's already beautiful enough." he ran his thumbs over my shoulders and down my back. Slowly, he massaged me and I let out a deep breath.

After a few minutes of massaging, I felt his breath on the back of my neck.

"Turn around." he whispered.

I did as he said, turning round to meet my eyes with his. Finn raised a hand and stroked my cheek. He pulled the white blanket over the two of us, pulling me into his bare chest. Our skin touched, giving me a feeling of relaxation.

"How about I just stay in here for the night?" he asked. "Can I do that?"

I didn't say anything.

"You don't allow intruders, huh?" he chuckled into my hair.

"You're not an intruder. You're a guest." I told him, the two of us leaving those words to hang on the air while we fell into a deep, warm sleep.