Page 11 of Always There Bayou
“Nope,” I shrug. I ignored the rapid pounding of my heart as I tugged on their shorts once more. They don’t move as they cross their arms over their chest. “Bunny, come onnnn. I’m sleepy, and I know you are too. We can talk about this shit in the morning. Come lie down with me.”
They finally give in to me with a sigh and climb into bed, so I pull them into my arms like I’ve been doing for years. Simone and Harley always tease me about how close we are, and I’m constantly fighting for my life trying to explain that what Denny and I have is purely platonic, just like I had said to Chey earlier today. I’m not avery social person, and until I met Simone and Harley, Denny was my only friend, so of course, we were close as can be.
At first, we bonded over our love for being away from all the drama of messy kids in middle school, but we eventually realized that we fit together like two opposite sides of a magnet. They were the artist, and I was the athlete. They were optimistic, eccentric, and a little bit naïve, and I was more laid back, stoic, and a protector. We may not have had many of the same interests, but we learned to appreciate and respect each other’s differences.
But I think we also bonded over a shared trauma of losing people important to us. When I learned about how they’d witnessed their mom get murdered at the age of six and then how their aunt and uncle adopted them after their dad went to jail for killing her murderer, I knew then that I had to protect them. I couldn’t imagine how they were feeling after that.
However, much like everything else, we had different ways of coping, too. I bottled all my feelings up and constantly thought about troubled times, yet Denny chose to only focus on the positive to stop the sad feelings from moving in. And in turn, some of their optimism rubbed off on me from time to time. But I appreciated it, because they made every day so much easier.
They were undoubtedly my other half, and although I was more on the introverted side, I had no problem standing up for them against anyone who made them feel less than. They had a permanent spot in my heart, and I knew that the same was true for them about me.
I’d do anything to ensure that they only ever felt loved and accepted.
Damn…maybe Iwasin love with them.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Denny asks as they turn around in my arms to face me. Their beautiful, doe-like eyes stare into mine as that funny feeling starts to build up in my stomach again.
My stomach knotted up with nerves. Even before Chey pointed it out, I noticed a while ago that I’d feel my heart skip a beat whenever Denny was close. It always confused the fuck out of me because I’d never felt this way about them in the past, yet it was getting increasingly intense with each passing day.
So, I chose to ignore the feelings and think about other things.
“Oh, um, nothing,” I say, averting my eyes.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why do you…need to hold me every time you spend the night?” They ask hesitantly, pulling my eyes back to theirs. “I know we’ve been cuddling for years now because it was the only thing that calmed you down, but now…now you cuddle with me just to cuddle with me. Hell, every time we’re around each other, you unconsciously find a way to have some physical contact. I mean, I’m not complaining at all, I’m just curious as to…why.”
“Truthfully?” I ask and they nod. “I think it’s because I think of you as my comfort person. You anchor me.”
“Yeah, you’ve said that before,” they chuckle. “And I get that, but…like…it’s the way you hold on to me. It’s almost like you don’t want me to ever leave your side.”
“Wow, you’re dragging it,” I joke, but my grip on their hips doesn’t loosen. I ignored the feeling that started to build up in my chest once again. “So, what? You want me to give you space? Say the word and I will.”
As soon as those words left my mouth, my heart knew it was a lie.
“I-I didn’t say that,” Denny stuttered.
“You acting like you want me to let you go,” I tease with a smirk.
Their cheeks were bright red, and it always did something to me. I got pleasure out of being one of the only people who could make them blush. I liked the fact that I could always make them laugh, smile, and everything that came with being their best friend. I mean, yeah, like I’ve said, it wasn’t lost on me that they were attractive as hell, but who wouldn’t think that?
“I…”
I don’t even give them time to finish before I pull them closer to my chest. I bury my face in their neck and inhale the scent of their favorite body wash. I wasn’t sure what was coming over me, but suddenly Denny wasn’t close enough. They were so soft, and my mind was spinning because of it. I kissed them softly on the neck as my hands gripped them tightly.
Fuck, why did I suddenly want them so bad?
“Cory,” I hear Denny whimper against my ear, and I shiver, panic finally setting in. I quickly pull away and glance at their face.Their cheeks were flushed, and I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. What the fuck had I just done? “Cory…”
“I’m…I’m sorry,” I cut them off, afraid of what they were gonna say next. “I don’t know what…I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” they say. “Let’s, uh, let’s just go to bed, okay?”
I could’ve been mistaken, but I swear I could hear slight disappointment in their voice, which confused me. All day, my emotions have been all over the place. We’d never crossed that line, but the more I lay next to them, the more I wanted to cross that line.
I knew I needed to end whatever this was before I did something that would change the course of our friendship. I didn’t need that. I didn’t want that…did I? I wasn’t sure what I wanted. All I knew was that Denny was the only constant in my life, and if I acted on my hormones, allowing this to go further than it should, I would ruin that.
