Single post in Sleight of Heart -- [COMPLETED]

I couldn’t hear the slightest bit of amusement in her voice now. Almost immediately, I stand from the mattress, but it takes several seconds and numerous conflicting feelings before I can take a step closer to her bed. She doesn’t say a word, but it feels like her clear eyes watch every nervous step I make in her direction. When I reach her bed, my mind races for some kind of excuse not to do this. The bed won’t support both of us? It’s too hot for us to be so close? At that moment, the air conditioning system kicks on and starts spewing out cool air through the vents in the ceiling, as if denying me a possible escape. I exhale and extend my hand toward the bed. Instead of feeling fabric at the tips of my fingers, they rest upon warm flesh. Ignoring my first instinct to pull my hand back, I extend the palm of my right hand to caress what I start to believe is her thigh. She exhales lightly and doesn’t move. She allows my hand to slide toward her waist until it hits the hem of her oversized shirt. I decide to stop while I’m ahead. I can already feel my accelerating heartbeat pumping blood in the wrong direction. Marilyn doesn’t help things. She extends her legs to wrap around my waist, drawing me closer to her. I brace myself, a hand on either thigh to steady her. A second passes. Her fingers find their way to my head, combing through my hair moments before pulling me forward. I barely have time to think before her lips press against mine. The scent of strawberries in my nostrils and the taste of cherries on my lips scatter my thoughts… my logic. My arm slips around her waist and pulls her even closer. She doesn’t fight me. She barely comes up for air between biting my tongue and slipping hers into my mouth. No one had ever been so aggressive before, but I don’t push her away this time. I won’t. She yanks up my shirt. While I pull it completely off, her nails dig into my side and back. However, the stinging they cause isn’t nearly as bad as her teeth when they sink into my chest. Then in the next instant, she kisses the spot as if that quickly heals the pain. I manage to keep my groans lower than the aircon, but they still utter louder than I’d like with each nip and scratch. However, when my hand slips under Marilyn’s shirt, she suddenly gasps and grabs my forearm. “Wait…” she whispers. I can barely make out her silhouette although her face is apparently lowered. The deep, calming breaths she takes exhale on my still arm. Her legs release me several seconds later, but her hand still grips my arm. She turns around but keeps her fingers in place, pulling me as she lies down with her back to me. Unsure of what just happened, I climb into bed behind her, and she holds my arm around her waist. Even though nervousness starts to sink back into my mind, Marilyn nestles back against my chest before whispering, “Sorry.” “For what?” The question comes out by reflex. I don’t actually need to know what shut her down. As long as I don’t cross any personal line of hers… “Nothing,” she whispers. “Just hold me… please.” Her fingers interlock with mine while my hand rests on her stomach. Seconds pass, turning into minutes and me losing track of time. Before long, I hear Marilyn’s breaths grow deeper. Her grip on my hand loosens slightly. Somehow, she manages to drift off to dream land while my mind is still a jumble of thoughts. My first night on campus, and somehow I’m not even in my assigned room. A small nervous twitch pesters my head every time I hear a door open on the hall. It happens a couple times before I gather up enough focus to sense lone individuals walking to and from the same door. When I really concentrate, I can also faintly hear the sound of water running during one person’s trip. This isn’t going to work. I’ll never get to sleep if I can’t relax. I close my eyes and try to focus only on my breathing. If I can just shut out the rest of the world and listen to nothing but my breaths and Marilyn’s, then maybe—just maybe—I can find relaxation just long enough to let sleep creep in and envelope my thoughts. Maybe I should try that sheep counting thing.