Nightfall ✓

Chapter 13

•  chapter thirteen •

Winter finally melted into summer, and summer brought two changes with it: (a) two of my paintings were bought by a puzzle making company, which meant that they were now being sold as 500-piece jigsaw puzzles, and (b) Liam and I went out every evening for a walk after my art class. I don't really know how or when it started. I guess it began from the day we went to the bookstore together.

On a warm April afternoon when the sun was about to set, we were lying on the grass under a tree after our walk. The weather was nice, and the grass was soft, and I was tired. Putting my head on my art-bag, I somewhat closed my eyes and looked at the bleeding sky through my lashes.

When I woke up an hour later, it was becoming dark. Two stars twinkled in the sky like the eyes of a wolf. Liam was lying with his arms crossed and looking at me with a smile. A dreamy kind of smile. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." I sat up slowly and tied my messy hair into a loose ponytail. "What time is it?" I looked at my watch. "Wha—? Oh my God, I slept for one hour?"

"Yep."

"And you just lay here and watched me?"

"Yep."

That surprised me. "You should've woken me up."

"I like watching you sleep. You look pretty."

I smiled. "Do I? Didn't you get bored or anything?"

"Not at all. I enjoy your company."

"Really? What do you like about me?"

He propped himself up on his elbow. "What do I like about you? I'll tell you what." He took my hand and looked at me with utmost seriousness. "When I look at you, I see a girl whose favorite word is 'meraki', a girl whose favorite color is that mauve you see just after sunset, a girl who loves blue orchids, a girl who loves to look for shapes in clouds, a girl who loves the smell of books and old pages, a girl who dreams her paintings and paints her dreams, a girl who's shy on the surface but has this... fire inside of her and when she really puts her mind to it, she can get anything she wants, is beautiful and incredibly interesting when you get to know her, a girl who shares her sandwiches with strangers, a girl who always wants to help others out, and you know what else I see?" He came closer till he was leaning over me. "I see the girl I've fallen in love with."

I froze, wondering if I'd heard him right. "What?" I whispered.

"I..." He suddenly lost his confidence. "I've wanted to say this for so long. I'm in love with you, Hazel."

Lots of emotions started brewing inside me. My breathing quickened. I stared into his eyes. They were a soft grey, like the sky after a rainy day. And the way he was looking at me...

A huge grin crept to my lips. He closed the distance between us and kissed me. It was electrifying. It set me on fire. Sparks shot through my skin wherever he touched me. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, and we kissed for a long time, till my lips became numb.

He stopped reluctantly. The cool wind blew a strand of my hair into his face. He caught it and tucked it behind my ear.

I didn't dare to open my eyes. It felt like everything would fade away if I did. I wanted to be locked up in this moment. So I held on to him, our noses touching, our breaths mingling, our arms around each other.

Then he pulled away and lied down on the grass again, and I did the same. Night had fallen. The stars had come out now. They glittered in the sky, and they were beautiful. My heart swelled in my chest. Everything seemed better: the grass was softer, the sky was darker, the night was warmer. A new chapter of my life was starting. I was falling in love, and I was happy. At peace. I breathed in and my lungs filled with the scent of summer grass and ecstasy.