Chapter 15: XIV. Stolen Kisses
Matt had gone out.
He'd gone to the pharmacy to get some drugs after speaking to Connor's mother.
She'd asked him a few questions and told him to get some drugs. Apparently, Connor had been with Hayden there with his mum earlier.
Now, Raven was alone, watching Hayden on the bed.
He'd stopped tossing, now lying still. And sometimes, he would mumble things, drifting in and out of sleep.
He'd go from a coherent, "Hey, Raven" to an awfully nerdy "heterozygousity is cool".
And between listening to him talk to her in broken sentences and spit random facts, Raven had cried and she had laughed.
And now, she was inching closer to the bed, her hands reaching for Hayden.
Even now, he was attractive to her. Even now he was beautiful.
She sat on the bed, raising his head onto her lap.
Her hands kneaded his scalp gently, almost like she was afraid she'd hurt him.
A tear fell from her eyes.
Hayden mumbled groggily, "Raven?".
There was a crease in his eyebrows but he was still asleep.
"Hmm?", She asked, her throat too clogged to speak.
He didn't respond again.
Raven took the time to study him.
His skin, a shade of brown that made Raven delirious sometimes, the curve of his nose, his lips.
If he'd had his eyes open, she'd be lost in those too; A warm shade of brown that glinted.
Her hands traced his features, her breath picking up speed, hands trembling.
She slid his head from her laps, squeezing in with him on the tiny bed.
Her eyes could've bore holes into his face from how much he stared, her hands might've fallen from how long she spent, stroking his face, his cheeks, his eyelids.
Her heart definitely ached from how much she liked him.
It might've been a minute, maybe more. But when Hayden finally opened his eyes, hers was already waiting.
Her eyes consumed his, holding it captive. She'd burrowed into his blanket.
Not touching, not brushing.
Just being beside him.
But now, with his eyes opened, with him staring at her in that way she'd long to be stared at in so long, Raven couldn't hold back.
She moved closer to him, her hands going over his back as she embraced him.
And even though she was quite gentle with him, Hayden was as still as a board in her arms.
Raven smiled.
She looked up at him, her pupils dancing.
"Hayden, I'm going to steal a kiss okay?".
Hayden's eyes widened in the slightest, too groggy comprehend what was happening.
But Raven had made her move.
Her lips met his slowly, carefully, gently.
And it was a feeling she'd cherish forever.
She didn't move against him, just kept her lips against his, her eyes closed.
She felt her heart explode, and then piece itself back together.
Her hands tightened against his back the slightest bit, savouring what she could get before she had to let go.
When she pulled back, when she looked at him, Hayden had fallen asleep again.
She sighed heavily, feeling her lips tingle and her heart dance.
A small smile spread across her lips as she moved closer to him, tucking her head in his abnormally warm neck.
And willing his illness away so she could do that once again.
Somewhere between patting his back and playing with his hair, Raven soon fell asleep.
***
When Matt entered the room, Raven was already asleep.
He stood silently in the doorway, feeling his heart shatter, shatter, shatter.
His gaze was becoming increasingly blurry, and a ball was forming in his throat, in his chest, in his heart.
He glanced at Hayden, feeling a prickle of jealousy, but he couldn't muster hatred for the guy.
He wasn't as close to Hayden as Hilda and the twins were, but he liked him.
And though he didn't know the extent, he knew Hayden lived a hard life. Him hating Hayden wasn't something the guy needed in his life, not with everything he had going on.
Bare looking at his apartment, and he knew Hayden had it tougher than he'd thought. He had necessities.
A bed, two sofas, a book shelf, a small wardrobe.
There was no TV, no kitchen, nothing.
If liking Raven would help him find even a little solace, Matt couldn't hate the guy.
It didn't mean he would stop liking Raven, he didn't think he could even if he wanted to.
It also didn't mean he would give Raven up if Hayden ever messed his chance up.
It just meant that Matt wasn't blind, and that he could see the bitter truth before him, literally spread out for him to see— even if it was on a twin sized bed.
He kept the tablets beside the table, stared at Raven for the briefest second, and stepped out of the apartment.
He wouldn't be the reason for Raven's heart to shatter.
Even if his did in the process.
***
It was evening.
Raven was still tucked up against Hayden, the sun setting behind her.
'She looked beautiful', Hayden couldn't help but think.
He'd been awake for some minutes, watching Raven.
He'd felt her hands course through his hair in his sleep, but he wasn't strong enough to fight the weakness.
And when he'd felt her lips against his, he could've sworn he would die from mortification.
It'd been a day since he'd last taken a shower, since he'd last brushed.
Connor and his mum had helped him before they left, and tucked him in.
Hayden slowly pulled away from Raven, careful not to wake her.
Linda had told him, when she and Connor were leaving not to put on a shirt, and not to cover up so his fever would lessen.
Hayden felt embarrassed, hoping Raven hadn't seen him.
His embarrassment had everything to do with his insecurity.
He wasn't built like most guys were, and if you looked close enough, you'd make out the bone of his rib.
His arms were the most muscular part of him, from when he'd worked in a factory, loading bags of cement unto trucks.
He was far from what Raven needed.
Brushing his thoughts off, he entered the shower.
***
Up until Hayden finished dressing, Raven remained sleeping.
The boy smiled a little, feeling his mood improve despite his weakness.
He slid back into the bed beside her, sighing heavily.
He couldn't help but notice her quirks.
How her nose would scrunch up while she slept, how her eyes would move when that happened.
Hayden resisted the urge to pull her flush against him and claim her lips they way she'd claimed his.
He could feel her lips against his, praying his weakness should ease off him for a minute at least. But he'd lost.
And now, he could only stare.
Hayden didn't look at Raven the way she did him.
With her, it was fierce, it was urgent, it was rushed. It was uniquely Raven.
With Hayden, he wanted to savour moments, he wanted to coax every little gesture, every little motion.
He wanted to envelop, to engulf.
He wanted her to be aware, present in mind and soul.
But Raven made things difficult.
With her, he found that another side of him surfaced.
A side that was more feral, more primal.
A side he couldn't quite control. And he was scared.
Of pushing the limits, of pushing the boundaries, of burdening her with the weight of how much he felt for her.
Yes, Raven liked him.
He would be a fool not to see it in her eyes, and her smiles, and her laughter.
God, her laughter...
But with Hayden, he was miles beyond like and planets beyond infatuation.
He was in a world that consisted of Raven. That started with her and that ended with her.
He felt everything with her.
And he didn't know how to stop himself from going any deeper.
He didn't know how much it'd take for his feelings to become unhealthy, to a point he didn't know where he started and where she ended.
To a point he became a willing prisoner to Raven Stone.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone