"like what you see?" he asked her, noticing her blush. she looked beautiful, standing behind the counter and holding two mugs of coffee. he knew she was blushing because of his nakedness, but he made no attempt to rectify it. instead, he stretched, and silently laughed to himself when she turned away.

she was adorable. with her reaction, you would think he was a male model or something, but he was just another average skinny guy, in that neutral zone between muscly and far.

he found himself thinking why in the world he did not reach out to her before. their parents were friends, which meant that the three of them- him, her, and her sister were always together. but he and her sister, natalie, always flocked together, and never involved her.

his earliest memories of his childhood included natalie and her. she was always there. sitting in a corner, reading a book while he and natalie fought for the television remote, or watching then from the window with big eyes because they wouldn't let her join their games in the garden.

she was there, practicing alphabets when he tried eating crayons. she was there, taking him to the nurse when natalie pushed him off the swing. she was there, giving him notes without him asking when he missed classes. she was there in family dinners, watching him and natalie, covering for them when they broke cutlery.

she was there, letting him use her as a scapegoat when he fell for natalie. she was there, when he broke her heart. she was there when he got her heart broken. she was there to pick up his broken pieces and piece him together.

and she was here now, looking after him. he decided that by the end of the day, he will confess his feelings for her. he knew he didn't deserve her, but he would leave that choice to her. she was a big girl, and could make her own decisions.

.

"whatever, zion. here." coming around the counter, she tried to control her nerves. damn you, zion. giving him his coffee, she walked to the couch with her head down. she knew he was laughing at her. a few moments later, she felt a dip in the couch, and his arm came around her. glad at the warmth, she snuggled closer, and sipped at her coffee contentedly.

"how?" zion's voice was full of disbelief. "what?" she asked, confused at his confusion.

"the coffee."

"don't you like it?"

"i do. it's just that. . ."

she pushed herself away and placed her mug on the coffee table. zion looked at her in awe, and continued. "you made me a black coffee with a little skimmed milk and no sugar."

"yeah, black. like your soul." she joked, trying to lighten up the mood and divert the topic.

he ignored her jab. "how did you know?"

for some reason, this made her laugh. how did she know? getting up, she began pacing around, still laughing. zion put his mug on the table and stood up, blocking her path. caching hold of her wrists, he forced her to look at him. "rae?"

but she would not meet his eyes. they were so close. the last they were this close, she was too busy crying to notice. but now, the heat from his body radiated from him, and in some twisted way, his scent of citrus and old spice made her speak.

"i know how you like your coffee, black coffee with a little skimmed milk and no sugar." he was about to ask her something, but she continued before he could. "i can recall every family member of yours, even your great aunt bertha. i can tell you every grade you got on your examinations, starting with your b plus in kinder garden. your freckles. i can tell the number of freckles you have on your nose without looking, and the constellations in them."

she did not look up at him. she was scared he would have a disgusted expression on his face because of how much like a stalker she sounded. so she continued pouring her heart out.

"i know your top ten favorite books, all the bands you have watched live. if you asked me, i could tell you the story behind your every scar. i can even tell you the fact that you have you secretly like pink."

this time, she looked up, and shuddered slightly at how close his face was. looking into his eyes, she continued, "it's like i know you better than i know me. what i am trying to say is. . ."

the intensity in his eyes made her voice quiver. he leaned closer until his lips were hovering just above hers. "what are you trying to say?" he asked her in a whisper.

even though they were sharing oxygen, she felt breathless. even though he was holding her, she felt like she would fall. "what i am trying to say is-"

this time, he didn't let her complete. "what is it, rae?" he whisper hoarsely again, his lips brushing against hers slightly when he said her name. he tightened his grip around her when her knees buckled slightly, and smiled in triumph when she whispered, "i like you. a lot."

immediately, without wasting a moment, he pulled her closer. just before their lips made contact though, a loud voice reverberated throughout the room.

"what the in the devil's hell is going on here?"

.