forum Under The Painted Sky (O/O CLOSED)

Started March 18, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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Eden tried hard not to let her eyes close again. That action was so soothing…

“Then what does it make us?” she asked him hesitantly. “I don’t want you expecting too much from me, Sterling.”

“Well… What do you want us to be? I expect nothing more from you than what you’re willing to give,” Sterling explained gently. Even if I want more… “We can be friends, if that’s what you want. Or we could be more than that. Or we don’t even have to be friends. Whatever you want, Eden.”

More than that. Lord knows how much she wanted to say she wanted that. But she couldn’t. They hardly knew each other, too. And she wasn’t ready to give him anything. She didn't think she had it in herself to do that yet.

“I think friends is a good step for now,” she murmured in reply, resting her head back on his chest. Right. Friends.

“Mmhm. Friends is definitely okay,” Sterling agreed softly, kissing the top of her head again. “Oh… If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, tell me, okay?”

“All right,” Eden hummed, sinking deeper into his embrace, eyes going back on the screen. Being in his arms made her feel safe, she thought again. “I’m… sort of glad there was a storm, too…”

Sterling smiled and squeezed her gently. “Yeah? I’m glad you are… Do you want your glasses to see the movie?”

“I might fall asleep again,” Eden murmured, though there was a hint of fear in her voice as well. She didn’t want to sleep. If she did, and had that recurring nightmare again… “You’re warm and comfortable…”

“Well… I hope you can fall asleep without nightmares this time,” Sterling murmured, twisting her hair around his hand. “You should try to sleep if you can.”

“It’s a recurring nightmare,” Eden said quietly, closing her eyes, shivering lightly at the feeling of him playing with her hair. “But I hope so, too.”

“I’ll be here if you need me,” Sterling promised, as he would as often as he needed to. “Even if I fall asleep, just wake me up, okay?”

“Okay…” Eden mumbled, closing her eyes and relaxing against him, her hand still gripping his shirt tightly. After a while, her breathing evened and she fell asleep.

This time, she didn't have that dream. Maybe it was because Sterling had his arms around her, or maybe it was because her body was too exhausted to go through that again. Whatever it was, Eden wasn’t complaining.

Sterling made it almost to the end of the movie before he started to yawn. He shifted Eden so that she was laying sideways in his lap, his arms wrapped around her tightly. He blinked a few times as his head drooped. By the time the credits were rolling, he was asleep, too, with his head resting on hers.

The door opened, but Eden didn’t stir. Neither did Sterling. Lucas blinked, his worried expression melting into that of confusion, shock and surprise.

His little sister, who hadn’t let another man touch her like that, was sleeping in a man’s lap. His arms around her protectively, her fingers gripping his shirt, her head on his chest while his resting on her head. One of Sterling’s hands were cupping her cheek, hand half in her hair as he held on to her. Razor, the cat, was squeezed in between them, tail around him, sinking into Sterling’s chest while laying on his owner’s lap.

Was that why she hadn’t been responding to his messages and calls? Because while he was gone, it was him who took care of her? Lucas would have been protective. He should have been. After what she went through, having a flirt show interest in her was something Lucas couldn’t stand. But looking at them sleeping like that, his arms around her as if he was shielding her… Lucas didn’t say anything.

Ashley stepped into the room after Lucas, her gaze drifting around until it landed on the pair sleeping on the couch. She froze, surprised by the sight, and reached for her boyfriend’s hand. Gripping it tightly, she leaned into his with wide eyes.

“Luke… I don’t know if I believe what I’m seeing,” she breathed, her free hand moving to cover her mouth.

It had been so long since she had seen her best friend comfortable with a man who wasn’t related to her. She barely spoke to Lucas, even, and he was her twin…

Lucas was having the same reaction as his girlfriend. His sister, his twin who could barely stand his touches, was curled up with someone she hadn’t met too long ago. The same man she claimed she hated. The same man she ignored continuously.

Lucas swallowed, squeezing Ashley’s hand back. “I—is this a dream?” He whispered quietly. “Ash, am I dreaming? Is Eden actually—is she actually like that with a male?”

Ashley nodded slowly, leaning into Lucas’s side, her eyes never leaving the couch. “If you’re dreaming, then I’m having the same dream. She’s actually letting Sterling Ainsley touch her, hold her… I swear, never thought I would see the day… Oh, I should definitely take a picture of this. They’ll want it later, I’m sure,” she chuckled softly, pulling her phone from her back pocket and taking a quick picture. “Okay, done. Evidence saved.”

“I’m looking at that picture first thing in the morning,” Lucas found himself saying. “Because I still cannot believe what I’m seeing. She’s letting him—there’s no space between them. She used to scream whenever anyone took even a step close to her. And she’s letting Sterling close like that!” Then Eden stirred, a frown breaking out on her face and for a second, Lucas’s heart squeezed. A nightmare? That was bad. But then her face relaxed once more and she exhaled deeply, shifting slightly in Sterling’s lap to wrap her arms around his neck, her face burying deep within his neck. Lucas really couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Ashley watched woh raised eyebrows at the girl shifted in the infamous boy’s lap. And then he moved, too, his one arm moving from her cheek to wrap around her tightly. He looked protective of her, even in his sleep. Had they already fallen for each other? That quickly? It seemed to Ashley that it had barely been hours ago that her best friend couldn’t stand the sight of the man whose lap she was sleeping in, and now…

“We should— We should go. Before we wake them up and disturb them,” she whispered, tugging on her boyfriend’s hand as she took a step toward his room. “C’mon, Luca.”

Lucas stared at his sister and the man whose lap she was laying on. If that guy turned out to be like him, Lucas wouldn’t sit back and do nothing. He watched as his sister broke apart, unable to do anything. This time, he wouldn’t be useless.

“Yeah,” he nodded at Ashley, letting her pull him into his room. “She deserves that rest.”

As soon as they were behind the closed door, Ashley wrapped her arms around Lucas and sighed. “I hope he’s changed. He better have changed. If I find out that he’s using her, then I will not hesitate to slap him across the face. At the least.”

Lucas hugged her back as well. “I agree with you,” he murmured. “There’s no way I’m letting her shatter again. He’ll regret it if he’s only messing around. Once was enough for her. If she breaks again…” Lucas couldn’t finish the thought. His voice broke off, but he knew Ashley got his message.

Ashley nodded with a long sigh, glancing at the door. A contemplative look crossed her face as she looked at it before she spoke softly, “The way he held her, though… He didn’t seem like he was just messing around. That’s not the hold of someone who just wants someone for…”

Lucas ran a hand through his hair. “I get it,” he admitted honestly. “It doesn’t look like that. His grip was tight on her. He held her like she’s something precious—which she is, of course. This is too shocking…”

“I honestly am having a hard time believing that I actually just saw that,” Ashley murmured, leaning into Lucas’s embrace. “Who would have thought that he, out of all people, would be able to hold her like his…”

“My sister’s taste is too weird…” Lucas mumbled, agreeing with his girlfriend. “I admit, though, it was nice looking at her like that. When she isn’t looking like she’s given up. When she isn’t looking so broken. It feels like a blessing to see her sleep, sleep so peacefully.”

“Definitely. I’m so glad that whatever that was is happening, as long as it keeps her happy. She deserves it,” Ashley murmured. “Especially after… him.”

Lucas’s face darkened when Ashley mentioned that man. Neither of them had been told what had taken place—Eden never talked about it, never once mentioned—but things were easy to put together when your best friend slash sister comes home, bruised and tattered, broken and shattered and so lost.

“She deserves it,” he nodded. “And I hope she remains happy.”

Ashley slowly nodded with him, tightening her arms around him. “We should get to bed, now… It’s running late. Can I borrow some of your clothes again?”

Lucas kissed the top of her head. “Of course.”

Eden woke up in the middle of the night due to a parched throat, the scent of cinnamon hitting her straight on. Her face was buried in Sterling’s neck, her arms around him while his own were holding her tightly. Even as he was sleeping, his grip hadn’t loosened. It brought a smile to Eden’s face, along with a pounding in her heart. She didn’t remember moving on to his lap, but she wasn’t complaining.

Then Eden made the mistake of shifting her bead up slightly in the hope of seeing what he looked like, and Sterling’s head dropped from hers slightly. Enough for their mouths to graze. Barely, but she felt the touch.

Eden stiffened, eyes wide. He hadn’t stirred just yet, which was a blessing, but his mouth had touched hers, even if it was for a brief second. His mouth had touched hers.

Sterling’s lips moved slightly, as if he had felt the touch in his sleep but didn’t quite know what to do about it, and his eyelids twitched like he was blinking closed eyes. He sighed through his nose, long and slow, but didn’t wake. His grip around Eden tightened, and his other arm shifted from her hair to wrap around her better.