The Saint Jones [Completed]

chapter 21: Mad Curiosity

Sether

My eyes flush open slowly and I stretch my arms as a little yawn abandons my mouth. I try to change position but I can't, I feel so stiff everywhere. Sleeping on the floor, on a handmade bed made with sheets is absolutely a no in the future.

Lifting myself up in a sitting position, I crack my neck bone and feel the intense pain of my back rising in me. Today is going to be a hell of a day, I literally slept on floor, which was really cold, and now I'm suffering of a back pain, higher degree. But I'm not lamenting, I loved the moment I shared with Cher.

My shielded eyes land on her figure and she is sleeping on her side, facing the other way. I take this as an opportunity to take off my sunglasses, because my nose is crying pain! Normally, I don't sleep with it, but yesterday was primordial.

Removing them away from my skin is the best feeling ever, it's like taking off my shoes after of a long day of walking around, as relaxing as that. A sigh of satisfaction leaves my mouth as I rub my eyes and release the fatigue.

The room smells of fresh air mingled with vanilla and strawberry, no, cherry! Yes, cherry. I look around me and my eyes fall on Cher's suitcase where I can see a few books. As a person who enjoys reading and  has taken reading lessons, precisely literature, I have learned that you can get to know someone by the books they read.

I lift myself from the floor and peek at Cher who is sleeping peacefully in her bed, her hands clinging to her sheets. By staring at her, I realize that she has one of the most calm and angelic face when she sleeps and she is truly beautiful too.

Get back to what you were doing, Sether, my subconscious tells me and I walk toward the suitcase, on the tips of my feet.

The red suitcase is almost a mini library. A small smile leaves my mouth as I look at it, did she think she was coming on a bothering trip or what? I know she is alone and all but hey, it's an exaggeration, she has more than twenty books in this luggage.

My eyes wander around the books, some are new some old, some small, some huge with tones of pages, some I know, others not, but there is one book that catches my attention, I grab it and I realize that she has pasted a lot of squared papers on each page, and each paper has a colour.

I open the first page, rereading the words I read a few years ago. It reminds me of so many things, so many beautiful memories and bad memories.

I sigh and turn the page but my action get halt by Cher's morning voice.

"Eleonor and Park," she whispers and I stay immobile, paralyzed. I'm fucked up. What should I do? I'm not wearing my sunglasses, they are on the pile of sheets, away from me. How stupid I was to take them off! Stupid. Idiot.

"Julian?" her sweet voice echoes in my ears and I find nothing more than to nod my heavy head and open my mouth.

"Yeah," I reply. I hear her move on her bed and I'm pleading God that she stays where she is, please, please, please.

"Do you also like this book?" A sigh of desperation leave my mouth as I comprehend that she is close to me, she got out of bed. By pure instincts of survivor that I practically grew up with, I decide to do the only thing that run through my mind.

"Stay where you are," I groan and pray that she stays there. I didn't want to talk to her like that early in the morning but the moment is crucial and there's no way I'm letting her look at me.

I stay quiet and try to understand if she stays in place or not. But then, after a few seconds, I hear nothing, no little sound, nothing.

"Cher?" My voice rings out like a whisper because deep down I'm not feeling well, I should have known better than staying here last night and because of my stupidity I'm almost on the edge of being unmasked by a woman I just met.