Light in Your Eyes

14 | rain

K E L L A N

It's been several weeks since Layla came into this house, and her existence is making me crazy.

I can't stop thinking about how she snuggles on the bed beside me, her annoying singing every time she takes a shower, and her voice every time she opens her mouth.

It's not like I haven't heard a girl's voice before, but there's something about her voice that can't leave my mind. Even the sound of her sigh and yawn are haunting me.

Why the hell does she have to sound so lively -- and sometimes so fierce --  but at the same time, I can also hear her softness and vulnerability? It doesn't make any sense.

If this is what it feels to live with a girl, I'd rather lock myself up in a mountain and live with a fucking bear.

Another thing that I can't fight is her scent. Goddammit, her scent... I wish I never knew it. She smells like delicate flowers and sweets. I fucking hate it.

In my case, there's only a thin line between hating it and being obsessed with it. I hate it because I can't control how much it affects me. I don't want to admit that I'm a fucking creep, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't try to sniff her scent on the bedsheet when she took a shower.

Today, I'm taking my evening jog around the house when I feel someone's footsteps rushing behind me. I don't need to face the person to know who it is. The footsteps belong to Layla.

She's panting and trying to catch up with my pace because her steps are way too short compared to mine.

"Kellan," her voice greets me again, and annoyingly, my heart almost skips a beat.

I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Why is my heart not being cooperative every time she's trying to warm up to me?

The wind blows through my skin, and I close my eyes, inhaling the air. The smell of the grass is overwhelming -- it's going to rain soon. I can smell the rain even though it hasn't started yet. We need to go back inside as soon as possible because I hate being in the rain.

Unfortunately, Layla is about to waste my time again.

I turn around to face her. She abruptly stops her movement, and I can feel her staring up at me.

"You haven't told me about your practice schedule tonight," she asks, still trying to catch her breath. "Will you be in the boxing ring again tonight? What about dinner? When do you prefer to have it?"

"What the fuck are you doing?" I snap, trying to control my emotions. "Why do you have to always follow me? I'm not a fucking child. I can take care of myself, and I was doing just fine before you came here. How many times do I have to tell you that you're fucking annoying?"

Layla is silent, and I realize that my words might be too harsh.

"I'm sorry." To my surprise, she utters those words. She indeed sounds guilty. "I didn't mean to barge into your personal space. I didn't mean to disturb your privacy. I just--" she stumbles upon her words, sounding like she's in trouble. "There's something I..."

I frown, waiting for her explanation. Strangely, my pulse quickens, like I'm afraid that something bad is actually happening to her.

She's still trying to find the right words when the rain starts to pour down on us. I curse. The more seconds pass, the harder the rain falls.

I stomp away from Layla to find a place to shield us from the rain. It will be too far to go back into the house because we're in the farthest spot in the backyard. If I didn't hate rain so much, I would consider that option.