Freckles & Curls | MILEVEN AU

twelve - protection

song - Never Tear Us Apart by Sleeping At Last

~"I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart"~

Sometimes it was hard to work out when things started to go wrong. They could be off from the beginning, such a slight change that you wouldn't even notice that everything would come crumbling down. Other times they would be doomed from the beginning, almost like fate pulling them apart on purpose. Binary stars were fated to meet, meant to be together and burn together in supernova, but at what point did things go wrong? It is not always clear if there is another route out of the inevitable, what path would have led to something different. Sometimes fate played with people like puppets, moving them around like a master puppeteer, reminding everyone that they would never truly be in control of their destiny. But if they had taken a different road, would things have worked out in the end?

Mike had been lying awake that night, wondering when things had started to go wrong. He couldn't stop his mind from racing, wondering if he had said something to give her the wrong impression, or if he had missed a sign that she didn't feel the same. He had never planned to scare her off so soon, he simply couldn't stop his skin from sinking into hers as if they were destined to mold into one. He couldn't physically stop his fingers from reaching out into her sunshine-ridden curls, curls that he was desperate to get lost in. He couldn't stop her caramel filled eyes from drawing him in further, leaning closer until he could allow himself to get lost in the beautiful orbs. All of his life Mike had enjoyed having control, being ahead of any situation and knowing exactly what he was doing in his life. But ever since she had come along, he had learnt to enjoy the element of surprise that she brought with her. He didn't mind getting lost, as long as they could somehow find each other along the way. 

"Hi" she mumbled, barely looking up from the floor. 

He was taken by surprise once more when she knocked on his door, standing there in the chilling breeze after he had stayed awake all night. Her hair was messy from the slight rain that had recently stopped, damp curls sticking to her smooth cheeks lightly. His face flushed as he remembered tucking a curl behind her ear, and he lost his confidence. 

"Uh, h-hi" he stumbled over his words, "look, I-"

Her voice was soft. "Do you want to go on a walk with me?"

Mike nodded wordlessly, shakily grabbing his jacket and shutting the door behind him. They walked for a moment down his drive, her feet unknowingly drifting towards the woods on the other side of the power lines by his house. She was drawn to nature ever since she had escaped, taking full advantage of every type of weather that was thrown her way. He shivered lightly in the breeze, and nudged her shoulder worryingly. 

"It's cold, do you not want to go somewhere warm?" he asked gently. 

She shook her head shyly. "I like being outside."

"Okay" he breathed, looking back down at the floor awkwardly. Those were the only words exchanged for a while, their feet bumbling along to the same beat as they walked down the uneven path in the woods. After a while there was no path, just branches and leaves to step over and it almost felt as if they were on an adventure together, trying to discover something new. 

Jane finally spoke up. "It wasn't your fault...last night."

"A-Are you sure?" his eyes searched hers. 

Her voice turned soft. "I had the best time...I liked every part."

His cheeks flushed. "Yeah?"

She smiled at him gently but then her face fell gently, scuffing her shoes against the edge of a tree in thought. "I-I just want you to know that it wasn't anything that you did. I just had to get home, I forgot about something...I didn't want to get into trouble. I just need you to know that if I ever need to run off, or i-if I ever can't tell you something...it has nothing to do with you. There is nothing wrong with you."