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It all started with a dumb idea. However this time, it wasn’t my dumb idea, it was Avery’s. Avery who thought that sneaking into school at night to investigate our shady ass teacher was a smart idea. Y'know, because there definitely isn’t anybody around after hours, so we can check out the teacher’s desk and shit, right?
Yeah, there was a security guard. We didn’t know about him, but Eli still had a bad feeling, and we honestly should’ve listened. Now I'm stuck in a tight little broom closet, squashed against Rox- who happened to be Eli’s girlfriend- uncomfortably. I could feel her breath on my neck as she panted softly. We had just dashed in here, barely avoiding the security guard around the corner. The situation was tense, we didn’t want to be caught even if punishment was light, it would mean people would get closed. We needed them to be sloppy in order to catch the clues we wanted, to catch the culprit we needed.
We heard heavy-booted footsteps pass the closet and turn down the hall, and only when the footsteps were out of earshot did we breathe a sigh of relief. Preparing myself to dash out of the closet, I reached for the door handle.
A look of panic crossed my features as I felt along the wooden slab frantically, despair taking over as I settled back with a groan.
Yep, it was one of those closets.
I sighed softly as my head fell forward, resting on Rox’s shoulder. I felt her fumble for the handle as well, to no avail. She groaned.
“You’re not claustrophobic, are you?” She asked.
I scoffed quietly. “Anyone would get claustrophobic in here.”
“True.”
I tried not to focus too much on the points of contact between us, for propriety’s sake. My arms were on either side of her head,- I had gotten a lot taller after I started eating properly, now Rox and I were almost the same height- our thighs weren’t touching, but they were close, and our chests brushed when we inhaled.
Her hands were on the wall behind her, trying to put space between us. I tried not to think about how I must smell, having run around the school for a good half an hour fleeing from a security guard. What was the last thing I ate? How bad is my breath right now??
I felt her reach into her pocket and bring out her phone, type a minute, then slide her phone back into her pocket. It was dark so I couldn’t see that well, but I could feel her breath on my face when she turned back towards me. It smelled sweet.
“Are you uncomfortable?” She asked after a few moments.
“Yeah,” I admitted, “you?”
“A bit. Wanna change position?”
“To what?” I almost scoffed. The closet was tiny, most of it taken up by brooms or buckets. How would we fit in any other position?
“Wanna sit down?”
I raised my eyebrow, though I knew she probably couldn’t see. “How?”
“I can sit in your lap.”
I was surprised, yes, but not repulsed by the idea. I don’t particularly mind people sitting on my lap, and Rox was one of my favorite people- my very best friend. I shrugged innocuously.
“Sure, if you don’t mind.” I leaned against the wall and sat, crossing my legs and waiting for her move.
“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I minded.” She pointed out, not hesitating to situate herself comfortably in my lap. I resisted the urge to put my hands on her hips- something I would normally do when Warren came to sit on me, and something I had to train myself out of when my more platonic friends started sitting on my lap. My hands stayed planted to the concrete floor.
“Eli will come get us when the coast is clear.” She told me, turning to talk over her shoulder.
The corner of my mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Nice.”
There was a moment of silence before, ever so slowly, Rox leaned back into my chest. I kept still, trying not to scare her off. Trying to get her to relax.
She was fully leaning on my chest and just… sitting there, chilling. Resting, like she was gonna try to fall asleep.
“Rox?” I whispered. I got a sleepy hum in response, which made something warm expand in my chest. She trusts me enough to fall asleep on my lap, laying on my chest- and she’s so cute when she’s tired...
“Are you tired?” I asked playfully, shifting my arms so that they were scooted forward more, giving her more support. A more protected position.
“Mmhm” She hummed, which I found super irresistibly adorable. I have so many feelings for her right now - but I kept them to myself. The last thing I wanted to do was interfere with Rox and Eli’s relationship.
“You can sleep if you want, I don’t mind.” I told her gently.
She shifted, turning her head toward me again. “You sure?”
“Yeah, go for it. You usually fall asleep earlier anyway.” I reminded her. Everything was so soft in this moment, just the two of us trapped in a closet, holding her… our voices a hushed murmur in the small space as we got more comfortable, shifting around each other until she was cradled in my arms. Her head leaned against the wall next to my shoulder, every exhale pushing air onto my neck. It made me shiver, and I swallowed to mask my discomfort.
It’s all so sweet, I love it so much.
Rox mumbled something below her breath and shifted, curling further into my chest. My heart was pounding, I'm sure she could hear it, but I closed my eyes and savored this moment anyway. I had one of my best friends cuddled up to me, sleeping soundly because she trusts me. It meant a lot, especially since she’s had trust issues in the past. We were still stuck in a broom closet, still squished together uncomfortably, but my other best friend was gonna bust us out of here any minute.
“Hey Mark?”
I almost jumped at hearing her voice. I thought she was asleep ???
“Whats up?”
“Cant sleep like this. Wanna talk?”
I smiled, heavily resisting the urge to run my hands through her hair or something similarly stupid. She sounded exhausted, poor girl.
“Sure. what about?”
“Got any juicy gossip?”
I grinned. She knows.
I detailed all of the affairs and rumors i had heard around the school and around the house, and she imputed with some she wanted me to confirm every once in a while. She was comfortable in my lap, snuggled up to my neck. I didn’t mind supporting her a bit, since she was mostly leaning on the walls. I wasn’t getting tired at all.
We were in the middle of discussing what rumors there were about her and Eli when the door opened, revealing the very person we were talking about and his redheaded companion. I smiled.
“Speak of the devil.” i muttered. Rox looked at her man, blinking tiredly. Funny thing was as soon as he set eyes on us, his expression darkened. Jealousy, i assumed.
Eli offered his damsel a hand up, which she took graciously, sort of stumbling into his arms. (which was adorable as fuck). I stood up on my own, brushing off my butt as i did so. I smirked as i passed the couple, seeing Eli stroke his girlfriend’s back possessively. Honestly, i didn’t know whether to be offended or proud.
“Let’s go home, dudes.” Avery whispered, leading the way to the school’s doors. I followed close behind, with Eli and Rox trailing after me.