Troubled

FIFTY NONE

CORA PHILIPS

Was he about to kiss me? Was I about to let him? Was I going to kiss him back? He did seem like that, I mean he was leaning in, why though? Why did him of all people want to kiss me? I am ashamed to admit that I've not kissed anybody in my entire life time and I was seventeen, you can't really judge me if you put my situation into consideration. That's the number one reason I think Kyle had gone crazy, who in their right minds kiss girls that used a scissors on another human? Especially when he saw it in person, not hearsay.

I was especially glad for the distraction. Cory was on top of the stairs when he called me. I immediately sat up and run to meet him. Hoping that my heart would take it as a cue to slow down. Unfortunately it doesn't.

"Hey Cory." I say as I sit beside him on the stairs, he rubbed his eyes as if trying to remove the sleep from them.

"Cora, I missed you."

My insides melt as I watch him. People missed me, they missed me because they loved me. Genuinely. I give Cory a bear hug, attempting to crush him so the two of us would blend.

"I miss you terribly too Cory."

"I want to come home, I didn't want to leave you but mommy said I didn't have a choice."

My heart clenched painfully at the thought of this small child begging to come home and his mom doesn't want him to because of me.

"You can come home now Cory, I promise." I tell him, I intend to keep my promise, I was going to take Cory back home with me whether mom liked it or not, it was her problem.

He struggled out of my hug.

"Huh? Cora, is that your friend?" He was peering down at Kyle.

My heart started to pound at the mention of his name. I almost forgot he was even here.

"Hey buddy." Kyle greeted with a huge smile on his face.

I had to look away from him to stop myself from openly gawking. Did he always look like that? Was he always this handsome? How did I not notice? The boy was freakishly beautiful. And why am I just noticing?

"I saw you earlier. But I was doing homework so I didn't want you to bother me."

Kyle laughed quietly.

"Yeah, if you had called out to me, I was sure to bother you, so glad you didn't call me."

Cory flashed him a big smile like he was very proud of himself.

"You're Cora's friend?"

"Yeah, hasn't she told you anything about me?"

His eyes flicker up from Cory's face to mine. My breath catch in my throat as our eyes meet. His eyes were almost irresistible. How have I been looking at his face without feeling this out of breath feeling?

The answer is obvious. I wasn't really looking at him. I was detaching myself from him, anticipating that he'd leave me very soon so there was little need to rely on him. So what changed now? What made me think I could start relying on him now? Was it the fact that he was still here after he saw what I did? Or the fact that he drove for hours to come find me?

"Cora never told me she had any friends. Do you guys hang out much?"

His eyes went back to Cory.

"Yeah, most of the time we are always together."

"So she's like your best friend?" Cory beamed. He wanted to know if I had friends, especially one that he thinks was good enough. I snicker, who was the older sibling among us?

"Maybe."

Cory yawned.

"You want to go back to sleep?"

Cory nodded.

"Your name is Kyle right?"

Kyle nodded.

"My name is Cory." He looked like he was fighting off the sleep.

Kyle chuckled before climbing up the stairs.

"Let me take him upstairs." He offered, before I had the chance to protest, he lifts Cory up and ascends the stairs.

"Good night Cory. Sweet dreams." I say.

"Good night Cora, don't leave me here okay?"

By the time I responded that I won't leave him, they had already reached the landing. But I knew I was not going to leave him here. He was going to come back home with me.

When Kyle came back down few minutes later, I was still sitting on the stairs. He sat beside me, luckily the stairs were wide enough, else he'd take up all the space.

"I thought you were going to bed as well."

I comment as a shiver run through my spine, and it was not because of the cold. Quite possibly from the hunk of muscle sitting beside me. And I don't know why.

"I didn't tell you good night did I? Quite frankly, I'm not sleepy at all."

His voice was even deeper when you sat down beside him, this closely and it vibrated through my body. For the sake of those sleeping, he talked quietly.

"Is Cory asleep?" I ask as a means to distract myself.

"Soundly. I can see why you are taken by him. Who wouldn't be? He's so charming."

The compliment warms me. It was true that the boy could charm his way out of anything. But I never had any friends to tell me that.

"To bad I don't have any siblings."

"You want one?"

"Before seeing Cory? No, but now? I want mine."

I laugh before I know it. That's what he does to me, making me laugh even when I didn't want to.

"If you come over to my house you can stay with him as long as you want, till you're ready to go."

"I don't get to keep him?"

I playfully slap his shoulder, big mistake. We weren't physical with each other. I'm making it sound gross, we weren't the type of friends that touched each other like that. That wasn't the problem though, the problem was the mass of muscles I felt when I touched him and the overwhelming urge I felt to do it again.