Focus

Chapter 7: Something's Not Right

I blushed, not knowing if I should feel embarrassed at his smooth words that came off like silk, or if I should be honored to be revered in such a high and mighty way. His words would have been considered 'dirty' or 'rude' to some girls... but to me they were almost... flattering... Flattering in such a way that they shouldn't have been allowed to have been said out loud. His pink lips seemed to form the words all too sweetly, making me want to kiss them on the spot... but this was all just a cover up... He just wanted to break out of the friend zone... He was doing so a little too strongly, though. So strongly, in fact, that it was working. That's what scared me.

Somehow, through the week of sweet words dripping in honey, I fought it. I had to keep pushing him into the barrier again and again and again... It was tiring... I was almost ready to give in to it all and just let him slip into step two... But I couldn't. That would take out on the chase. That would take out on the challenge. He was making me fight it when it was supposed to be him fighting the barrier.

Great minds think alike, but there just wasn't enough time between the two of us yet...

As I slipped my right foot into my tan boot, my mind couldn't help but ponder on those words he had texted to me that morning.

"You have a lovely smile. There's no other word to describe it. Lovely. It's quite fitting to you as well... No, maybe the word that describes you is pure sexiness... seduction maybe? I don't really know, but you make me think some lovely and some dirty thoughts.... not to sound creepy or anything... ;)" -L

In any normal situation, I would have brushed him off and told him he was a creep or something... but Louis seemed... different... I wasn't sure how... but he was... I had never been so attracted to someone before in my life on looks alone. His sassy-like personality seemed to fit our combination quite nicely. Louis was different. That's all I could say.

I slipped on my other boot and stood up, admiring my new outfit in the mirror in front of me. A black graphic tee of an eagle that was soaring across my chest, wings expanded to wrap around my torso, was covered by a black and white peppered sweater that was left open to reveal the graphic. Red skinny jeans stretched down and into my tan boots and my hair was down and naturally curly.

It was cool today. Not quite cold, not quite hot. It was pleasant, but still too cold to not wear a sweater and some jeans.

"I'm ready Uncle!" I called down the hall to the foyer where he was sitting, drinking his afternoon tea.

"Alrighty!" he shouted back. Soon after his bellow, a coughing fit erupted, lasting about ten seconds, slowly dying down to a hollow wheeze.

Instead if calling down the hall again, I jogged into the foyer. "Are you okay?" I asked, concern filling me.

"Yes, yes," he waved me off. "It's just all of this cold weather getting to me."

If he had told me this a year or two ago, I would have believed him. I would have brushed it off and gone on with my day, carrying no worries on my shoulders. But, today, I had a lingering uneasy feeling... It floated around me, never letting me walk out of this thick fog of uneasiness. I didn't like it.

"Are you sure?" I pressed, hoping to get a symptom out of him, trying to get answers. Uncle was normally so healthy and go, go, go... But today he seemed... off somehow.

"Nothing a cough drop won't fix," he coughed again, making my heart skip a beat in fear. "I'm fine."

He started getting up, grabbing his cane. Looping my arm under his, I helped him up. His footing was loose and awkward, like he was learning how to walk again.