Spark

6 - You Should Always Call Me

To Fall In Love With Yourself Is The First Secret To Happiness.

I stared at the boy before me in awe. I was in even more shock when he opened his mouth and his voice took solace and warmth in parts of me I didn't realize possible. His jawline was sharper. His cheekbones higher. His lips, fuller. His blue eyes blazed to life in an even more electrifying way than they did before. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he stared at me stare at him.

I still wouldn't mutter a word to him. I couldn't even if I wanted to in this moment. He was even more stunning than I'd ever imagined he could be. I reached up on my tiptoes and placed a hand to his right cheekbone. He towered over me more now than he did before.

Puberty had been more than kind to him, gifting him with everything every teenage boy could possibly wish for. I could imagine how every boy in school would stare at him with loathing and every girl with interest. It caused a tiny flicker of feeling in my chest at that. The girls, eyeing him with fascination.

I fumbled with myself then and my toes fell forward from being in that strained position. My arms reflexively flailed and fell to his shoulders to steady myself. He laughed a deep throaty laugh at my uncoordinated self and lowered himself to rest on his knees before me.

"Grow up, would you?" He teased, grabbing my wrist to return my hand to the cheekbone I'd been touching.

I still couldn't believe he was so beautiful. So perfect. At that moment, he felt very much like mine and I liked that feeling. Someone so beautiful, so perfect, belonging to me.

He ruffled my hair to exaggerate my childish frame before getting off his knees and trailing into his house.

I felt an intense desire to keep him. I'd never desired someone before.

×××

I stare at Ally across the room. She's poised. Elegant. Graceful. Calm. In some ways, she's like him, she often reminds me of him. In other ways, she isn't and it leaves me questioning how they're remotely related.

I shift to adjust myself on her sofa, my fingers instinctively going to fidget with the arm of her chair. I level my eyes before she catches me staring and focus on the rug in front of me instead. It's furry and pretty and it looks like it'd be nice to lay on.

"How's school?" She asks and I look up to catch a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "How's home too?"

"Good," my answer is barely a whisper but she seems to catch it anyways. "I had this chemistry practical last week and practicals don't tend to be my strongest points but Colton was really nice."

She reaches for her notebook on the small coffee table between us. "Colton? Who's Colton?"

I don't know why heat floods to my cheeks at that moment but it does and it becomes even more difficult than usual to maintain eye contact with her.

"Just some guy in school," I shrug, attempting to pass this off as extremely unimportant. I didn't need to be talking about guy crushes during my sessions. They don't help you heal. "He was...is really sweet."

I see her full on smile now as she scribbles something down on the notepad in her lap. "And are you still confident with speaking?"

My heart stops. I don't have a problem with people mentioning the fact that I was mute up until a couple of months ago but I don't like remembering how I'd let a lot of things off just because I'd chosen to be dumb. How I'd let people hurt me and put me into dark places in my head. How I'd let that part consume me until I almost couldn't take it anymore.

"I wouldn't say confident per se," I squeam. "But I am having a conversation with you right now, aren't I?"

"Is your speech still impaired when you speak to unfamiliar people?"