Writing Prompts for the Mentally Deranged and Linguistically Addicted

EIGHT

His fingers trailed slowly down her arm, awakening every nerve within her body-yet just when her lungs expanded with excitement, her throat caught, her stomach turned, and the sides of her vision turned dark. She scrunched her eyes, trying to force it away, yet the bile was already rising to her throat, and her limbs shook.

"Bella..."

She wanted to protest at his withdrawal, yet she couldn't even open her mouth, so instead her fingers reached forward, curling tentatively around his calloused hands. The warmth and strength of his skin made the floor tilt underneath her, yet she held strong.

"I..." she shuddered in a breath, tears forming in her eyes. "I want... but I can't..."

Her voice broke, and she bit her lip, ducking her head.

It was silent for some time. Then she watched the blue converse shoes shift slightly.

"Can I... touch your cheek?"

A bolt of fear, irrational yet still terrifying, ripped through her. She took a breath, nodding.

Slowly, his hand lifted, and she trembled as the warmth of his fingers caressed her cheek, coaxing her face up to meet his. A wet tear trailed down her skin, and his thumb brushed it away. Dark brown eyes, full of warmth and sympathy, set her heart to beating, and though her muscles still felt frozen and cold, a heat flushed her cheeks, and she almost smiled.

He held her gaze, and slowly his lips lifted into a smile of his own that made the tension in her body melt away.

"Thank you," she whispered.

His smile grew, and his gaze shifted as his thumb brushed her cheek once more. She closed her eyes until the moment passed, and his hand fell back to his side.

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, John."

Challenge: There is a theme of "unspoken" in this excerpt. Something that the author and characters know, but the audience doesn't (but can probably figure out). Taking this tactic helps draw the audience in because of its mystery--so try it!