forum Under The Painted Sky (O/O CLOSED)

Started March 18, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

Edit topic

At the mention of thunder and lightning, Eden stiffened. She bit down on her lip, taking another deep breath. “I’m soaked,” she pointed to herself. “Your car will get dirty.”

“I’ll get it cleaned later. It’s in need of vacuuming, anyway,” Sterling said with a shrug. “It’ll be fine, Eden. I just don’t want you getting sick because of this.”

Eden looked at him for a second, but didn’t refuse. She opened the door and hesitantly sat down, cringing when her wet clothes clung to her. She closed the door, sighing when the warmth of his car brought intense relief to her freezing self. She buckled the seatbelt and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Thank you…” she shuddered, cursing herself for showing such weakness.

“No problem,” Sterling murmured, waiting for her to buckle up before almost starting the car again. He stopped himself first and pulled off the gray hoodie he was wearing, handing to her. “Here. You can use this to warm up a little.”

Eden looked at him, eyes wide again. She felt her body heat up, but told herself it wasn’t because of his gesture. It was the warmth of the heater and nothing more.

“I’m oka—“ she cut herself off with a sneeze, covering her nose and mouth as she did so. She sniffled before she sighed, accepting the hoodie he offered her. His own. The one he had been wearing just seconds ago. He offered it to her. She swallowed. “Thank you, Sterling.”

She slipped it on, though it was way too big on her. It felt like she was drowning in it. She breathed it in, eyes closed, relieved that it was covering most of her face due to the fact that her cheeks were definitely warm. It smelled like him.

Cinnamon.

Sterling watched her out of the corner of his eye as he turned the heat up higher. He was a little cold without the hoodie, now, but that was okay. It wouldn’t take long for him to warm up.

“Am I taking you to the same place I did last time?” he asked softly as he started down the road again, driving a little slower due to the limited visibility.

Eden nodded, shivering lightly. Sterling’s hoodie started to soak in the water as well and she felt guilty for accepting it. He’d be cold without it. Plus, it would get wet because of her.

“Yeah,” she breathed, sinking further into the fabric, closing her burning eyes. Why did most males have to smell so good? Her father smelled of mint. Her brother was more sweet-smelling, leaning towards apple. And then there was Sterling with his cinnamon scent. “The same place.”

Sterling nodded and, after a quick glance in her direction, started toward the apartment her walked her to a while ago. She looked cute bundled in his hoodie like that, buried up to her eyes. It was really adorable. If he thought she would take it well, he would tell her what he thought. And he normally would have. Today, though… he just felt like he should drop the flirting and just be quiet.

By the time they reached her apartment, the weather had worsened. Hardly anything could be seen outside. It was a miracle Sterling was able to park his car properly outside her apartment.

Once he did, she realized she needed to say goodbye. She hesitated, peering outside and releasing a breath.

“Come inside,” she murmured, unbuckling her seatbelt. “It’s dangerous outside.”

Sterling raised an eyebrow at her. Another glance outside, and he nodded slowly. “If you’re okay with that, it would be great. I’m not sure if I could drive home in this,” he mused, looking back over at her.

Eden nodded, collecting her composure. She wasn’t okay with it—wasn’t okay letting a male inside her house, but she wasn’t going to let him leave and get hurt.

“Come on, then,” she dug around her bag to find her keys, having to fold the sleeves of the hoodie. She opened the car door and stepped out, clutching her bag tightly in her hands and ran to her apartment. She didn’t wait for Sterling as she fumbled with her keys.

Sterling got out of his car, locked it, and dashed up to the door. He was nearly soaked by the time he reached Eden, and he hadn’t even been in the rain for that long. He glanced up at the sky as he waited for her to unlock the door. Hopefully, it would clear up soon…

Eden unlocked the door and breathed a sigh of relief when the warmth of her apartment hit her. She immediately walked inside, stepping away to give Sterling some space. Her eyes flickered around the living room, her arms crossed tightly. There wasn't anything for him to see except for a few pictures Lucas had kept around the house. One frame on the wall was a picture of her along with her family. They were kids and Eden was in her mother's arms, too big glasses perched on her nose, lips twisted into a frown. Lucas loved that picture. The one on a cabinet was of her and her brother when they were fourteen. She had her arms wrapped around him, a smile on her features. She hated that picture with a passion. Hated seeing that happy look in her past self's eyes.

She tore her eyes away.

"I'll get you a towel," she murmured, slipping out of her shoes and opening a drawer, taking out extra towels and tossing one to Sterling. She wrapped the other around herself and made her way to her brother's room. "And Lucas's clothes. Stay here."

Sterling glanced around the room when they finally stepped inside. It was a nice place, with pictures of their family on the walls. He brought his gaze back to Eden when she spoke, nodding in acknowledgment.

“Thank you, by the way. You didn’t have to do this,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around himself to keep from shivering.

(Psst, Sterling, she tossed one towel to you…)

Eden turned to look at him, hair still stuck to her face. She shrugged nonchalantly, though just the thought of him in her space, especially if there was a threat of her revealing one of her biggest fears, made her feel anxious. A weakness.

“You didn’t have to give me a ride,” she murmured. “Yet here we are. My debt to you, I guess.”

Then she heard a small mewl and looked over to see Razor padding over, as if he was frowning. He didn’t approach her. He hated water. Eden blinked at him. He stared back. Then she shook her head and stepped into Lucas’s room to get a shirt and sweatpants for Sterling.

(Crap, I was distracted, sorry.)

Sterling picked the towel up from the floor and rubbed it over his head to dry his hair out a little. When he was finished with that, he wrapped it around his shoulders and looked around again. Even if she said it was repaying her “debt” to him (which he didn’t think was necessary), it was still a little surprising that she let him into her home.

(It's okay!)

Eden breathed a sigh of relief when she was alone in Lucas's room. Why was Sterling's presence getting heavier? Why was she letting herself make another stupid, easily avoidable mistake? It was only going to end poorly. Why was she letting this continue? And wearing his hoodie, his scent overwhelming her… Eden didn't know what she was doing anymore.

She shook her head, walking over to her brother's closet and taking out a shirt and one of his sweatpants. Hopefully, they would fit Sterling. He was far more built than her brother. Catching her composure again, Eden walked out of the door and back into the living room, ignoring the way water dripped from her clothes.

Sterling’s gaze turned back to Eden when she walked out. He blinked at her and gave her a small smile when he noticed what she held in her hands. “Thanks. Is there a bathroom I can use to change in? You should get out of those wet clothes, too. You’ll get sick.”

"There's a bathroom down the hall," Eden answered softly, walking over to him to hand him the clothes. "But if you want to shower, you can use my bathroom. Or Lucas's. The bathroom in the hall doesn't have a shower."

“Thank you. I think I’ll just dry off and change, so the one down the hall should be fine,” Sterling said, taking the clothes with a grateful nod. “And I expect you to have changed as well by the time I get out.”

“Yeah. Of course,” Eden nodded, looking away. She’d always gone for a tough appearance and she felt ridiculous standing there in an extremely oversized hoodie despite how comfortable it felt. Even when it was wet. “Once you’re done, give me your wet clothes. I’ll put them in the dryer.”

Sterling nodded once. “Sure. Thanks again for this,” he murmured as he made his way toward the bathroom door. Before he slipped inside, he turned back to her with a small smirk/smile. “You look cute in my hoodie, by the way.” And with that last sentence, he was gone.

You look cute in my hoodie, by the way.

Eden stared after him, standing there for a good few minutes. Her cheeks began to flare, eyes widening. What… did he just say? Did he just—with that smirk? Was he making fun of her, or was it just his flirting?

Or was he truly being genuine?

And what was she doing, letting his words get to her so deeply? Why was she behaving like this?

“Mreow,” Razor mewled from his position on the couch, licking his paw. Eden glared at him.

“Right. Whatever,” she shook her head before walking to her own room, snatching a shirt and trousers to wear before walking into the bathroom.

The red on her cheeks didn’t decrease. She hated it.

Sterling leaned back against the door as soon as he was inside the confines of the bathroom. He shook his head, letting his smile melt into a softer, more genuine one than what he had given her.

She really had looked adorable in his hoodie, and she hadn’t reacted too badly. Not yet, at least. For now, though, he was still here, she hadn’t kicked him out or yelled or threatened him at all. That alone was a surprise in itself.

He pushed himself off the door to finally get dressed. After stripping down to his underwear, he used the towel to dry himself off, then pulled on the clothes Eden had given him. They weren’t quite the right size, but they would work, anyway.

When he had finished, he stepped out and looked around for Eden. So far, nothing…

Eden pulled her sopping wet shirt off of herself, squeezing it in the shower to get the remaining water out. She did the same for the pants she’d been wearing, as well as her socks and undergarments. She sniffled, sneezing twice.

She pulled on her underwear and bra and slipped on a comfortable shirt. Eden had settled for a black t-shirt with a jacket on top and gray pants. She brushed her hair, grimacing when water dripped out when she did, so she dried it off a little more with the towel before brushing it again, throwing it over her back neatly.

Finally, Eden stepped out of her room, another sneeze escaping her. Her eyes caught Sterling, who was dressed in her brother’s clothing. Though they didn’t fit properly, he looked okay. How did he manage to look attractive even in clothing that was short for him? Eden briskly walked up to him and took his wet clothes from him, not sparing him any eye contact. She moved quickly to the laundry room, tossed their clothes inside and turned turned the dryer on. She walked out when she was done. It was then that Razor jumped in her arms. She finally looked at Sterling.

“Anything to drink?”

Sterling watched Eden as she moved about, leaning against the wall with his hands in his front pockets. She didn’t even look at him when she took his clothes… Maybe she wasn’t warming up to him like he had thought. For all he knew, this could be part of some plan to ruin him. But he really didn’t think that it was.

“No, I’m fine, thank you,” he murmured back, pushing himself off the wall. He nodded toward the couch before trying to catch her eye. “Mind if I sit?”

Eden was running her fingers through her cat’s fur, rubbing him under his chin, keeping her eyes on the furry animal.

“Yeah, go ahead,” she murmured before walking into the kitchen. She sniffled, covering her mouth and nose with her arm before she sneezed. Razor jumped down from her arms and disappeared outside, as if to tell her he didn’t want to get sick. She shook her head, taking out a pot from a cabinet and set it on the counter. Just as she moved to get milk from the refrigerator, a bright light flashed from the window, followed by a loud crack in the sky.

Intense fear gripped Eden and she slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a scream that threatened to erupt from her throat. She leaned against the counter, shaking, eyes squeezed shut.

This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.

Sterling had moved to sit down on the couch, and he was getting settled when the lightning struck and thunder boomed. A muffled sound came from the kitchen, where Eden was, and he quickly looked over there. He immediately stood when he saw her shaking, her eyes squeezed shut and her hand pressed over her mouth tightly.

“Eden… Hey, hey… Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, making his way over. He stopped a few feet away from her, not wanting to get too close in case she lashed out like a caged animal.

Eden’s breathing became heavy, coming out in pants. She trembled, crouching on the floor, strength leaving her legs. Her hand, the one that wasn’t covering her mouth, reached over to her touch her shut eyes. Blindfold—no. There wasn’t a blindfold. She was okay. She was okay. She had just closed her eyes. Her arms were unbound. She wasn’t tied up. She was okay. She faintly heard Sterling calling out for her gently, but she couldn’t hear him.

Another light flashed and Eden plugged her fingers in her ears, a whimper escaping her lips. Her heartbeat quickened, nausea gnawing in her throat. She didn’t like this. She didn’t like this at all.

And when thunder boomed again, Eden found herself going two years back to her most vulnerable moments.

Crap… What was he supposed to do now? How could he help her? Would she let him wrap her arms around her? Maybe he would just have to talk, soft and gentle words.

“Eden, hey, it’s okay,” he murmured, making his way over and kneeling beside her. “It’s okay, you’re safe. There’s nothing here that can hurt you. You’re in your kitchen, okay? The only people here are you and me. It’s just thunder and lightning. They can’t hurt you.”