Rowan

Raw Emotion and Burnt Popcorn

Alex was uncharacteristically silent the rest of the way. Consumed in his own mind, wrapped up in thoughts that furrowed his eyebrows. Thoughts my curiosity itched to unwrap.

He looked constipated.

"Rowan," He spoke, a blink away from the cabin.

"What is it?" I c****d my head, out of habit.

"I'm glad that we're friends." He murmured. "Although you may resent having Mia for a sister, we owe our friendship to her."

That's Alex for you, always looking at the positive in almost everything.

But then again I'm sure it's only because he has no family to call his own. I bet he'd give a limb to have a sister, even if it was someone like Mia b****y Frazia.

My life was cupcakes and lollypops, compared to his.

Time to deviate him from thinking about it too much.

"Alex Devoz, are you secretly in love with me?" I asked, playfully narrowing my eyes is suspicion.

"What?" His jaw dropped almost comically.

"There's no other logical reason why you're so nice to me, showering me with words of comfort and always looking out for me, so just admit it." I smiled like a d**g addict at a meth lab.

"Rowan, maybe, just maybe, it's because you're my best friend." He looked at me pointedly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason." I waved him off sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes, the corners of his lips tugged up in amusement. "The point is, "You shouldn't be so hard on her, she has a few redeeming qualities if you choose to look at it." He scratched the back of his neck, "I've been friends with Mia since middle school, so please try to be a little nicer to each other."

"Okay enough with this, let's go in, it's freezing out here." I laughed attempting to brush him off. I can't handle when he gets all emotional. In fact I can't handle when anyone get emotional. It makes me uncomfortable.

I pushed the door open and was almost instantly engulfed in warmth. The fireplace roared alive, orange flames dancing in the air to a hypnotic rhythm. The scent of pine and sandalwood spread through the woodsy cabin.

My senses seemed to heighten as soon as I closed the door after Alex.

"You're back?" Mia glanced at me in question, draped along with the couch, parallel to the fireplace.

"Why wouldn't she be?" Alex asked as he walked to the lounge, with me trailing behind.

"Oh no reason, just thought she'd spend more time, bawling like an infant" She smiled.

I glared at the back of Alex's head, how am I supposed to be nicer when she acts like a toddler?

"Sorry to disappoint." I bowed mockingly.

"It's okay, I'm sure everyone's accustomed to you disappointing them." She shrugged.

"Both of you, stop, can't you be nice for five minutes, that's all I ask," grumbling under his breath like a distressed father, he slumped his way to the kitchen.

Don't leave me with this beast, I scowled at his retreating back.

We sat in tense silence. To be frank, I rather stab myself with thirty-two needles than be here.

With an exaggerated sigh, I spoke "He's right, we should put past our differences, at least for this weekend only," I tried to be the mature one. It killed me, to say the least. "For Alex," I added.

"I agree," She clicked her tongue after a pause. "I mean, you and your mom are only temporary, why waste my energy with you."

"Temporary?" I questioned, despite my better judgment.

"Yeah, once my dad realises that your mom is no less than a gold-digging scum, you'll be out of my house and your mom into someone else's bed."

"Mia grow up. You're nineteen, not nine, stop acting like a spoilt brat, our parents genuinely love each other." I frowned, irritation evident through my features.

A memory of me swinging a toaster plug at her a few months ago brought a smile to my lips.

"Oh please, my dad's the one who fell for her," She spoke with irritation. "I overheard your mom on the phone, she spoke about a man named Ben. But the thing is, when she said his name, her whole face lit up, his name, not my dad's. Her audacity has no bounds. "

My heart pierced, pure despair too strong to ignore crept into my chest. Throbbing for attention. Hearing my dad's name brought a sadness I had long ago buried, I could clearly hear all the stories my mom fondly spoke off him. Where's Alex when you need him, unreliable buffoon. This is why you should have more than one friend.

"Mia, that's enough." Alex spoke, coldly, standing a few steps away from the kitchen doorway. I didn't hear him come in.

Alex was almost always sugary sweet when it came to Mia, so seeing him anything but, made me just a little bit smug.

"Ben was my father," I spoke with as little emotion as I could muster, not wanting her to see my anguish, "He's dead now, so I don't think you have to worry about my mother's infidelity."

Her eyes widened in realisation, apology heavy on her lips, unfortunately, stubbornness and pride got the better of her. "I'm going to bed." She spoke, stiffly.

She was an oddity to me, she was far from a deplorable person. In fact, everyone loved her, kids loved her, animals loved her, hell, even Alex, but somehow that didn't apply to me. She resented my very existence and gave no hint as to why. A distaste that ran deeper than our family ties.

Mia left, leaving Alex and I standing awkwardly, in the middle of the lounge. "Want to grab a snack?" I gave him a tight-lipped smile as I gestured to the kitchen.

"I literally, came out of there five seconds ago." He folded his arms.

"It wouldn't kill you to join me, would it."

"Fine, but you have to make me a cup of tea." He whined, dragging himself behind me.

I could almost feel the fridge seducing me with its siren calls.

"I'm starving," I confessed as my eyes searched frantically through the fridge and cupboards, trying to find something edible.

Finally, I found happiness, right in the back of the mahogany cardboard, stood a bag of microwave joy... popcorn, also known as the reason my heartbeats.

"Rowan, are you even listening to me?" Alex questioned. Pulling up a stool on the opposite side of the counter.

"Shhh," I held a finger to my lips, eyes glinting in excitement. "I found popcorn," I spoke, tossing the bag in the microwave.

"Your mood changes like the tide," He raised an eyebrow. Looking at me for a second too long "You want to hear the popping don't you." mock annoyance, heavy in his tone.

I narrowed my eyes, Silently confirming his suspicion.

"Oh here," he sat up and dug a hand into his back pocket, pulling out two white tablets, "You said that the spider might of bit you, take these if it's still sore."

"Do you carry painkillers wherever you go?" I laughed taking them from his hand.

"You're the personification of Murphys law, it helps to be prepared." He winked, sitting back down.

"Well, thank you." could I have asked for a better friend.

His damp hair hung heavy on his head. Brown, unruly curls caressed his forehead, leaving wisps of water to cascade down his face. Familiar Cobalt eyes stared back at me, radiantly.

I often grew jealous of his eye colour, but then again I grew jealous of everyone's eye color. Clear to say I was not a fan of my dull brown hue.

His lips perched up slightly "Rose?"

Maybe I should get a contact lens in that shade.

Do they even make that colour?

"Rowan." He laughed.

"Yeah," I answered in a slight daze.

"The popcorn is done."

"What?" I asked in confusion, my cheeks turned scarlet as the realisation that I'd been staring at him, hit me.

Zeus, strike me now. I chanted feeling irrevocably ashamed of my blatant staring.

"Rowan. The . Microwave!" He spoke slowly as if I were five.

Only then did I become aware of the incessant beeping. In a panic, I yanked it open and was soon engulfed by a cloud of smoke.

I reached inside and grabbed the decimated bag. "b****y hell!" I yelped as the heat singed my fingers.

"Idiot." He snickered, from across the table.

"That was not my fault" I lied, fighting my reddening cheeks.

"Hey, it's alright," he ran his hand through his curly hair. "I can't expect you to concentrate, with my beauty only a few inches away."

Cocky bastard

"Go to hell!"

I attempted to speed walk to my room, not wanting to dwell in humiliation any longer, but since nothing ever goes my way, a rough hand captured my arm. Freezing me in my tracks.

A familiar pain crept up my veins and nested on my wrist. My teeth bit down on my tongue, trying to conceal my slight agony. Okay seriously, am I turning into spiderman?

I aggressively tried to shake his grip off, staring at him with various unanswered questions. It's weird how it only hurts when he touches me.

reluctantly, he withdrew his treacherous hand, causing me to take a few steps back. "I just wanted to check how bad the burn was." He frowned, staring at my blistering fingertips.

"I'm sorry," I confessed, releasing a guilty sigh. "Why does it burn only when you touch me?"

I regretted asking that, the moment the words flew off my lips. And hung teasingly in the air.

His frown morphed into a devilish smirk

"Grow up, I didn't mean it like that." I coughed.

He stepped off the barstool, making my heart jump a mile up. With Tentative steps, he advanced, stopping dangerously close to me.

"I feel it too,"

My breath hitched at the confession, he was so close, I could see flecks of baby blue burn an inferno within his eyes.

No, Alex is my friend, nothing more nothing less.

"But don't worry, the heat is just the unresolved s****l tension sizzling between us." He chuckled, unintentionally cracking his facade.

I scowled. Immature, that's what he was.

With fury igniting through my body, I pushed him away and stormed towards my room.

Sometimes he acted like an asshole of the purest kind.

I closed the door shut and marched my way into the on-suite bathroom. Slamming the door on his amused chuckling.

Feeling the sting of my fingertips, I threw the twin tablets that were still clutched in my right hand into my mouth. Dry swallowing it.

A few seconds passed, before I let the silence embrace me. Feeling calmer I glided into the bathroom and discarded my damp undergarments into the Hamper, tiptoeing into the embracing heat of the shower.

If you had told me a few months ago that I'd be best friends with Mia's neighbor, well I suppose he was my neighbor as well. But that's beside the point. If you had told me that, I'd probably drop head from hysteria.

Alex was everything my mom warned me to stay away from, he partied, he drank, he slept around and was an all-around bad boy.

The joke was on me for judging him so badly. Turns out he's just like me. We shared a bond. Almost like we were destined to be friends, as crazy as that sounds.

The stream of water relaxed my tense muscles, magically putting me at ease.

One of the reasons why I dived into any body of water I stumbled across, it always felt like electrifying.

I stuck my hand out, pulling in a towel and wiped the residue lurking on my skin, dabbing my hair dry.

Using a white sleep shirt, I dove into the fluffy comforter and cocooned myself till my eyelids grew heavy on the verge of sleep. lazily I brought my wrist up to my gaze starting at the prominent T- shaped birthmark, my eyes dropped as the night kidnaped me into a world of darkness and illusion.

-------------------------------------------