forum Under The Painted Sky (O/O CLOSED)

Started March 18, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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“Then we can take mine, if that’s okay,” Sterling suggested, raising an eyebrow at her in question.

"Yes, that's okay," Eden breathed, keeping her eyes to the front. If that's okay. If that's okay. He was actually asking for her opinion. He wasn't giving her just one choice. He wasn't expecting her to go along with his choice. He was giving her free will to refuse. "I prefer a car right now, actually."

Sterling nodded and pulled his keys from his back pocket. “Great. It’ll be much faster that way, anyway. More time to cuddle,” he teased, winking as he stepped past her toward his car.

Eden looked at his back, trying to fight off a chuckle. She succeeded, though the corners of her mouth twitched upwards occasionally. That man… he was really something, wasn't he? Her mind drifted off to the desire she'd caught in his eyes twice, both times during a rather heated moment. She didn't know what to think of it.

"You and your love for cuddling," Eden muttered under her breath, though she couldn't deny she wanted his arms around her again.

“What can I say? I like having you in my arms. You seem to fit rather nicely,” Sterling mused as he unlocked the car. He moved around to the passenger side and opened the door for her, gesturing dramatically for her to sit.

I like having you in my arms. You seem to fit rather nicely.

Eden's heart jumped at his words, eyes widened. This was bad. This was terrible. His words were already starting to get to her. She snapped out of her stupor when he opened the door for her, catching her composure by lifting her nose in the air, eyes cold like a bratty royal.

"Try to hurry next time, Ainsley," she pretended to scowl. "My feet were tired from standing."

“My apologies, your majesty,” Sterling chuckled. “I’ll be swifter on my feet next time.”

Eden rolled her eyes and took her seat, crossing her leg over the other as she waited for Sterling to sit on his own seat.

She wondered briefly what his reaction would be if she were to lean on him during the entire ride to her place. Would he like it, or would he hate it? Would he scowl at her and tell her to back off? Would he push her away?

Then she shook her head. Sterling was different. She wanted to believe he was different. He wouldn’t hurt her.

Sterling closed the door, smiling at her as he did so. He walked around to the other side of the car and wondered how they had gotten to this place. If he was being honest, he really like the way things were heading. He liked how she practically melted in his presence, even when she was trying to be cold toward him.

“All right. To cuddletown we go,” he exclaimed with a playful grin at Eden as he sat down in his seat and started the car.

“You are such a kid,” Eden snorted, shaking her head, running her fingers through her unbound hair. “Cuddletown…”

Eden waited for a few minutes, just until Sterling drove out of the school’s parking lot on to the main road before she closed her eyes, leaned to the side until her head was on his shoulder. What she was doing, Eden had no idea. She had no idea why she was acting like this.

Or maybe she did. Everyone else looked at her as if she was a prize to be unwrapped. Sterling didn’t. He didn’t force her into anything, even though she knew he wanted to know. She knew he wanted to know why she was so closed off, why she picked fights and let herself get hurt. Why she craved it, and why she was so afraid of thunder. And she’d been so cut off from this feeling, this feeling of being wanted not for amusement, that she was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

They had barely made it away from the school before Sterling felt Eden lean against his shoulder. He blinked, raising his eyebrows in surprise as he shot a quick glance at her. Her eyes were closed, and she looked at least a little at peace as she rested against him. It was a wonderful sight to see. He wished she would let him see it more often.

With a soft sigh through his nose, he moved his right hand to rest on her knee. His touch was light, gentle. If she wanted him to move it at anytime, he would.

At first, Eden was at peace, even if it was a little. Then she felt a hand on her knee and she fell under, revulsion coursing through her. Her skin burned with the touch, bile rising to her throat. She immediately moved away, recoiling in fear. Her eyes snapped open in panic, hands reaching out to touch her eyes. No, no blindfold. No binding. Her breathing was heavy, her heart beating with intense, indescribable fear, but she managed to calm herself down when she realized one thing.

Sterling. It was just Sterling. It was a gentle touch, not one to hurt, not one to claim. It was harmless. Eden exhaled deeply, hiding her face in her hands. She hated this. She hated this so goddamn much. How on earth would she explain this?

Sterling mentally cursed himself when Eden pulled away. She acted like she was repulsed by his touch, and she very well might have been. But he didn’t think it was just his touch that made her shake like she was, more like the place he touched her. So he made a mental note to not touch her without her permission, not in any way, shape, or form. He would even ask if he could hug her so that she wouldn’t have to recoil from him.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do that again,” he promised in a whisper, glancing g over at her curled up form. “We’re almost to your apartment.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she shook her head, shaking her head. “I just—I’m not used to it. The touches, I mean.”

It was both a lie and the truth. She wasn’t used to being touched like that. With gentle hands, wanting nothing more than what she could offer. But she also wasn’t used to being touched, either. In any way, she wasn’t used to it. It repulsed her. It sickened her because it reminded her of his vile touches on her body, controlling and demanding. Those very hands of a person who claimed he loved her.

Eden hesitantly reached out to touch his sleeve, still looking away from him. “Don’t let this change your opinion of me,” she almost pleaded quietly. “Please.”

Sterling gave her a small smile, though his eyes stayed on the road as he drove. “I would never. Haven’t you learned anything about me at all, Eden McArthur? I’m not leaving you just because of some trivial thing like this.”

Eden’s grip on his sleeve tightened. If only he knew… if only he knew just how deep it ran. He wouldn’t look at her the same.

“Well then, I’m glad about that,” she murmured. “I’m glad about that…”

And then his words registered in her brain. I’m not leaving you. Was that something mere friends said to each other, with that emotion in their tone? What were they doing, really?

Sterling hummed his response, and the rest of the ride went on in silence. He was okay with that, though. It was good to be able to think a little, even if it wasn’t a very long time before he was pulling up outside the apartment building.

Eden finally let go of his sleeve when he parked the car, stepping out on shaky legs with an aching body. She walked to the door and unlocked it, stepping inside and waited for Sterling to do the same. Her brother wasn’t home, which made it all the better.

The second Sterling stepped inside and the door closed behind him, Eden wrapped her small arms around his waist, holding him tightly, breathing him in.

And the second she did that, the second she felt him pressed against her, the monsters rampaging in her mind settled back down in their cages. His arms felt like home.

Sterling blinked in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting Eden of all people to do that. It was nice, though. He was glad she felt comfortable enough with him that she would do this.

So he wrapped his own arms around him, holding her close. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in the smell of her jasmine shampoo. That smell was quickly becoming one of his favorite scents…

Though Eden knew it wasn’t easy for him to hug her back with his food in his hands, he did it anyway. It made her heart flutter, especially with the way he held her close and tight. Especially when he buried his face in her hair and breathed her in.

Eden exhaled, her eyes closed, relaxing in his hold. It was so easy for him to make her comfortable, wasn’t it? Though sometimes what he did made her feel like she was drowning, he more often pulled her out of it.

“Thank you,” she murmured, her face in his chest, fingers gripping the back of his shirt tightly.

“Any time, E,” Sterling murmured, pressing his mouth to the top of her head. “How about we eat quickly and then sit or lay down on the couch? We’ve only got a short amount of time before we have to head back to school.”

Eden leaned into his touch, humming in agreement. She'd grown so used to the feeling of his mouth pressing on her head. Sometimes it felt like he knew she wanted him to do that.

"Eat quickly, then," she murmured. "So we can spend the rest of our time doing other things."

Sterling smirked a little and pulled away just enough to look at her. “There could be so many other meanings behind that which aren’t the one you meant. I’ll spare you the teasing, though, and go eat instead.”

At his words, explosions exploded in Eden's chest. She scowled at him, though she knew she had set herself up. "I hate you so much, Sterling," she muttered under her breath. "You and your dirty brain."

Sterling chuckled, sending her a haughty wink before setting his food on the table. “Are you going to eat something? You should at least try to eat something small.”