Old Me

21 - Closer

I tried hard to focus on the movie, but I kept getting distracted by Michael. I wasn't trying to be creepy, but I couldn't keep my eyes off him. Watching him laugh, adjust his position on the sofa, play with his ring...

He'd occasionally leave his hand free on the sofa and I wanted to reach out and hold it, but the butterflies in my stomach weren't letting me.

So I spent almost the entire movie distracted with a mental war on whether or not I should hold his hand or scoot closer to him.

The end credits started to roll and Michael turned the tv off leaving just the kitchen light behind us illuminating the room. He turned his body towards me and sat there smiling.

"Enjoy the view?"

"What?"

"Sorry, I mean the film you barely watched," he smirked.

"What are you talking about? I watched the movie..." I stared at him confused.

He just kept smirking.

Shit. He must have caught me staring.

"Relax, Bea. I'm just messing with you. But I did catch you staring at me a couple times," he said with confidence.

I shook my head wanting to die of embarrassment.

"Sorry," I said fidgeting with my necklace.

"Don't apologize. I was just teasing," he said sitting up to face me with one of his legs tucked beneath him.

"Come here," he said patting the sofa in front of him.

I scooted a little closer to him and he patted it again.

"Closer. I won't bite, I promise."

I moved and sat facing him on the sofa with my legs in criss-cross-applesauce and our knees almost touching.

I stared at him and watched as his eyes darted between my eyes and my lips.

He wet his lips and tilted his head observing me. I took the time to do the same. I could see the edges of his neck tattoos and wondered what lay beneath, thinking back to when he was shirtless at my house.

I reached out and traced my finger along the outline of the black ink on his neck.

"What's this one?" I asked softly, looking up at him.

"I'll show you," he said grabbing the back of his hoodie and pulling it over his head.

I never understood why guys took their shirts off backward.

My heart pounded as his bare chest came into view and I realized I never got a good look at his tattoos up close before.

"These," he said pointing to the tops of his shoulders, "are Roman numerals of some special dates in my life."

I traced them along his shoulder where they stopped on either side just up his neck. I moved to trace the roaring lion on his right peck that led onto his upper arm as a part of his now completed full sleeve.

I let my hand drop and looked back up at him.

"Which one did you get first?" I asked as I scanned the other tattoos, landing on the ones on his neck.

"Oh, uh," he paused, twisting his body, "this one," he pointed to his shoulder blade.

It was a skull with a dagger through it and a snake wrapped around it. He turned back to face me directly and I wondered if his heart was beating as fast as mine. His green eyes were bright as he leaned closer to me. I closed the space between us until our lips met and shut my eyes.