#flaskeyes

        THERE’S NOT WORDS SHE CAN RESPOND TO THIS WITH. pure shock overtakes her face   ;   eyes like a deer in headlights, jaw hanging agape. hands shake at her sides, and when she tries to talk, all that comes out is a squeak. without much warning, her arms are around his waist, face in his chest. shoulders rise and fall rapidly. she’s overwhelmed   ;   she’s sobbing. it last for a few moments before she forces composure and trembling, steps away from him. mascara runs down her cheeks as the back of her hand brushes away wetness on her face.

        EYES WIDE, UNCERTAIN. has her heart stopped beating in unison ?? she thinks so   ;   she can’t seem to feel it in her chest anymore, the way it practically leapt from her rib cage whenever he was near. she swallows hard   ;   forces that smile   (   sugary and false !!  )    onto her face. she can’t look him in the eye. there’s something like heartbreak in her voice, even though she tries to laugh.

        SHE’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN CLASS THIS EARLY. it was a mistake is all, the wrong   -   reading of a clock, the mishearing of bells. oh what luck has she for him to be there, how embarrassing. still, still, still, maybe it truly is lucky. she’s watching him, after all, the elegance of his every movement, how his muscles stretch. his technique his flawless, but why does he look so sad ?? 

        without thinking, she drifts nearer, enamored by him, by his dancing, by everything about this boy, this prince of dance. closer still until the floorboard creeks, and he knows she’s there. she all but trips over herself now.

               ❝   oh i   ---   i’m so sorry !!   ❞   apology squawked out like a frightened bird, eyes wide and anxiety tying up her stomach in knots.   ❝   i didn’t mean   ---   i wasn’t watchi   ---   okay, i was, but not on purpose !! i wasn’t being creepy or anything i just wandered in and   ---  ❞

        SHE OPENS HER MOUTH TO SPEAK TO HIM, maybe ask why his cheeks are so red, or what’s in his hands before he shoves it into hers. glancing from him and back to the newspaper, she’s slow to open it. unsure of herself, she glances the paper over and nearly cries as each word sinks in. when she looks back to him, her smile is impossibly bright. arms are thrown around his neck, a kiss that leaves behind a pink stain pressed to his cheek.

PUNCHES A FIST THROUGH THE GROUND