The Search for Fireworks (ONGOING)

7 ~ The Spell

By the time lunchtime came, Blake was watching a movie and Reilly was back in her corner writing. Blake's movie's end credits filled the room, so much so that when he stopped the movie, it made Reilly looked up. It was hot in the room and he had taken his shirt off, Reilly couldn't help but stare.

"Lunch?" Blake asked when he saw her looking at him. She smiled softly and nodded, bending her head, typing some more. Reilly had never wished more than now that she had long hair to hide her burning cheeks.

Blake took his phone off charge and sat on the windowsill, texting. Reilly's eyes kept drifting up towards him, she's had crushes before, what girl hasn't? But, now being so close to a man, permanently stuck in a limbo between fantasy and reality, maybe it wasn't healthy. She was romanticizing him in her novel, she realised that. But the way her eyes keep finding him, her drumming heart, even her baited breath as she waits for him to touch her- She's not imagining that.

"You really have to stop doing that," he drawled softly.

"What?"

"Biting your bottom lip when you're looking at me," he said moving towards Reilly.

"Why?" She countered bravely, her heart beating in her throat.

"Because it makes me want to kiss you."

"So," Reilly said, as she put her laptop down and stood up - facing him, "why don't you?"

Without breaking eye contact, he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. His hand cupped her cheek gently,

"The problem is," he said as his lips grazed over hers, "if I kissed you, I don't think I'll be able to stop."

Reilly didn't hesitate, she grabbed his head, fingers laced through his hair, and pulled him down, closing the distance in one movement. And then she did the simplest thing. She kissed him. And their world's cracked open.

Blake's cell phone chimed, breaking them apart.

"The food is here," Blake stated, his voice raspy with unspoken emotion. He walked past Reilly without sparing her a second glance and walked out of the door.

Reilly didn't move. She stood frozen in the middle of the room. Her heart beating faster than ever before. She brought her shaking fingers to her tingling lips. She has come to an important realization: Kisses like those were not only found in her storybooks. They were also found in hotel rooms, with sexy strangers.

Blake walked down the stairs purposefully slow. His mind processing. He was just ordering food when he looked up, and there she was, looking at him, biting her damn lip. If it was anyone else, he'd have been on her like white on rice. But Reilly wasn't like the other women he's been with. She's not here to play with. She's too innocent for his sort of games. She actually still believes in love. He's not going to be the one to burst her bubble. And then she went ahead and kissed him. That innocent little minx kissed him. And if his phone didn't chime just then...

"Blake Whittaker? Like from the Whittaker tower, Whittaker?" A voice broke through his thoughts. The delivery guy put the packets on the counter and was holding his phone out.

"Can we take a photo?"

"No," Blake grumbled, giving him a wad of notes, "Forget you saw me?"

"Yeah, sure," the guy said and turned around, dollar signs practically visible in his dazed eyes.

Blake grabbed the paper bags and ran up the stairs. He braced himself when he opened the door, not sure how Reilly has responded to the kiss.

"Reilly?" He called, his shoulders relaxing when he found her sitting behind her laptop. She looked up at the sound of his voice, her face guarded.

"Lunch has arrived," Blake stated, lifting the packets as if to prove it. He put it down on the bed and watched her continue typing.

"Aren't you wondering what I got?" He taunted, opening the boxes and arranging them picnic style on the bed.

"It's hamburgers," he sang lifting the open boxes for her to see, "and french fries... and milkshakes... I didn't know which flavour you'd like, so I got them all."

Reilly intrigued now, got up, walked closer and sat on the furthest corner of the bed. Blake silently passed her, her burger and fries. She picked up a fry and looked at it, taking a savouring bite. She pulled up her nose, putting the rest of the fry back in the container.

"Not your thing?" Blake asked laughing.

"It's dry and tasteless," she shrugged, attempting to pick up the burger, but the lettuce and tomato popped out. She put it down, reassembled it and tried again, Blake watching with amusement. After the fourth time, Reilly just left everything to pop out and brought it to her mouth.

"Wait," Blake stopped her, "put it down, lemme show you." He scootched over, placing his legs on either side of Reilly. She froze as his chest hit her back. Without a pause, Blake took her hands and guided them to the burger, helping her successfully pick it up. He paused the burger in front of her mouth, and when she tried to take a bite he pulled it away, laughing. He brought the burger back and allowed her a bite, before letting go of the burger and moving back to his side of the bed. Reilly ignored the cold spreading over her back and finished her burger.

"How was it?" Blake asked watching her face for every reaction.

"It was good, but I enjoyed the pizza more," she answered, wiping her mouth and hands on the napkins, "Which milkshake flavours did they have?"

"I asked for the classic menu, so your choices are vanilla, chocolate, bubblegum, strawberry and lime."

Blake made Reilly try each one three times before she announced that she preferred Bubblegum.

"There's one last thing you need to try," Blake said after the winner was announced, "you need to try dipping your fries into the milkshake and eating it like that."

Reilly pulled up her nose again but tried it anyway.

"Oh my goodness," she exclaimed her mouth still full of fries, "This is even better than pizza!"

When they were all done, they got up and cleared the room of empty containers. Reilly, like clockwork, sat down on her couch again.

"Reilly," Blake murmured, Reilly almost thought that she saw some vulnerability in his face, but dismissed it as the sugar speaking, "I'm going to watch a new series, want to join me?"