Work Text:
RollieColey87: hey
RollieColey87: curtis took me to the hospital
RollieColey87: just got back
The door behind Coley shuts with a dull thud, like the thudding at the back of her head. She plops down the ice pack onto the carpeted floor with a splat, barely even cold anymore. Coley’s body feels like jell-o, weak and soft and wobbly. The adrenaline’s probably wearing off now, she thinks. She stares down at her hands on the keyboard, propped up on her knees, splotches of angry red and purple there.
Worth it, she thinks. It was all worth it. For a big damn kiss. For the girl of her dreams.
And so, Coley waits.
Sonya doesn’t make her wait for long this time.
SonyatSunrisex00x: oh no :(
SonyatSunrisex00x: didn’t the kiss make it feel better
Coley grins. The edge of her upper lip aches, dressed wound coming to life again. She touches the rest of her lips briefly, gingerly. The spot where Sonya had thumbed her lower lip burns. But she doesn’t mind. She doesn’t mind her split knuckles as it stings when she types her reply.
RollieColey87: it did
RollieColey87: you didn’t kiss the back of my head though
RollieColey87: still stings like a bitch
The reply this time is instant—
SonyatSunrisex00x: :( poor coley
Coley can’t help but roll her eyes.
RollieColey87: >:(
SonyatSunrisex00x: want me to nurse u back to health?
SonyatSunrisex00x: it’ll cost u though
RollieColey87: how stingy
RollieColey87: don’t you have a knight-in-shining armor discount?
SonyatSunrisex00x: why dont i come over tomorrow so u can find out?
Coley feels her heart stuck in her throat, a small smile on her lips.
RollieColey87: didn’t really think you’d be into that kind of thing
RollieColey87: but sure!
RollieColey87: :)
SonyatSunrisex00x: i’m full of surprises ;)
SonyatSunrisex00x: i’ll be there at 10?
RollieColey87: okay, c u
“i love you”, she types. Before her pinky could press the enter key, Coley stops.
A second passes. Her cursor on the screen blinks as she thinks it over—should she really? Her bruised pinky finger pathetically hovers over the enter key as the scenes from that afternoon play in her head like a cheesy movie montage. (“I’ll stop running,” Sonya says, after she just ran from SJ’s poolside just to catch up to her. “I want to be with you. I love—)
Coley erases it.
There’s a part of her that’s still afraid that Sonya might take it back.
…
Ten o’clock comes the next day, and Coley wakes up to fingers in her scalp.
Gentle nails graze at the skin there in a slow, easy rhythm. Coley resists the urge to fall back asleep, half of her face still buried in her pillow. Her eyes open to the sight of bright sunlight shining through her attic window, dust floating through the air in swirls. She grimaces and moves to close the curtains when she feels the fingers stop, untangling themselves from her hair. Coley feels the skin on her knuckles ache again. She winces.
“No sudden movements. Nurse’s orders.”
Coley turns to Sonya with a sleepy scowl. “It’s too early for any of this.”
“It’s literally 10AM, sleepyhead,” the latter giggles. “And here I thought you’d be glad to see me.”
Coley rubs the sleep from her eyes, scabbed knuckles rough against her eyelids. She then sees a smiling Sonya, dressed in a loose, frilly tank top. Her tan skin looks even more radiant in the soft glow of her bedroom. She studies her face for a while—heart-shaped and dainty, like those doll figurines she’d ask her mom to buy for her when she was little, with lips shining with her signature strawberry lip gloss, as if tempting Coley to put it against hers. That’s what Sonya is, anyway. A temptation too hard to resist. But her heart swells at the thought of her being here, in this little attic, temptress all to herself. Vulnerable, unabashed. Just Sonya.
The thought makes Coley’s cheeks heat up like the summer sun. She has to take a breath before she replies, “I am.”
Sonya looks at her fondly, like she’s so nice to look at, just like her. It makes Coley a little uncomfortable. She looks away.
“I know. I’m just kidding.” Sonya whispers as she shifts her weight on the bed, legs outside the covers. Her periwinkle nails make their way onto Coley’s scalp again, massaging its long dark locks with much focus. Coley’s eyes dart back to her face.
“Trenton hasn’t given you any trouble, has he?”
Sonya shakes her head softly.
“Okay. Are you staying over or…?”
“Curtis has put me on Coley duty until he comes back,” Sonya looks proud of herself as she grins wider, “so you’re going to be under my care.”
“Wow. That’s so adult of you.” Coley can’t help but smile, pain on her lips forgotten. “Are you going to make me watch The Neverending Story too?”
Sonya playfully slaps her arm. Coley tries to avoid it by rolling over on her back, immediately regretting it as her freshly stitched wound makes contact with her pillow. She curses under her breath as Sonya laughs at her, dissolving into a fit of giggles, before her eyes soften to one of concern again. “Are you okay?”
“No,” Coley shifts to lie on her side, body facing Sonya as she does. She sinks deeper into the bed and clutches her covers tightly to her chest. “I actually think I’m dying.”
“You’re so dramatic.” Sonya juts her lower lip with a pout before patting Coley’s head gently, like how an owner would pat a sick puppy. It makes Coley whine. The blonde laughs at her, voice melodious.
“I think you’re supposed to be treating me, not ridiculing me,” Coley grumbles.
“Of course! God, how could I forget,” Sonya gasps, making a show of putting her palm against her forehead. She then turns to Coley with an expression the latter can’t decipher, but it makes her feel fuzzy. Sonya’s hands fly to cup her cheeks, slender fingers warm. “I need to give my knight-in-shining bicycle the best treatment there is.”
Coley blinks up at her. “Which is?”
There’s a small playful grin on her face now, more subdued than earlier, as if hiding a secret. She licks her lips as her eyes flutter down to look at Coley’s for a brief moment, scabs and all. Coley stares at Sonya’s brown eyes—light hazel from the faint sunlight filtering through her yellow curtains. Sonya carefully closes the gap between them, breath hot and sweet as she presses her lips gently onto Coley’s wound there. Coley’s eyes flutter shut, kissing back with the same softness Sonya deserves. She feels Sonya grin against her before pulling away.
Coley resists the urge to whine.
“That. And maybe some instant ramen while you’re at it.” Sonya’s face breaks into another toothy grin, proud and playful and happy and loving.
They spend the day scrolling through Coley’s iPod library, Sonya making fun of how much broody pop punk is in there, a contrast to how soft Coley feels when she’s holding her. Sonya dresses her wounds with more care than she exerts on putting her lip gloss, on doing her nails. (“As you should,” Coley teases, and after a flash of guilt makes it to Sonya’s face, she plants a small kiss on the hand holding the iodine-soaked cotton swab. Sonya grins at her like a little kid.) They eat Sonya’s attempt at instant ramen later that day on Curtis’ couch while watching a reality show rerun, Coley’s hands in hers, intertwined like sunlight in water.
Coley counts the number of times Sonya kisses her. Twenty-seven, at some point. She tries to remember every little place she does so: on her wounds, on her cheeks, on her lips, sometimes on her bare shoulders. The last kiss is on her cheeks (again) at the front porch, a parting kiss as Curtis pulls into the driveway. Sonya giggles as she peppers her with kisses, and by now Coley has lost count.
When Curtis exits his hot rod with groceries in tow, Sonya pulls away, waving a hand to him as he fires them an awkward salute.
“Hey, girls,” he says, clearing his throat right after. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Coley smiles. “No, not at all.”
“Care to join us for dinner, Sonya?” he grins fondly at them, blatantly staring at Sonya’s arm securely wrapped around Coley’s waist. It makes Coley want for the ground to swallow them whole. She looks at Sonya expectantly.
Sonya doesn’t pull away. Instead, she holds her a little tighter. “I’d love to, Mr. Carson.”
Their dinner is a little better than the instant ramen. Coley smiles for the nth time that day when Sonya finds her hand under the table, and if Curtis had noticed, he doesn’t dare say.
...
RollieColey87: did you get home okay?
SonyatSunrisex00x: yes thank u
SonyatSunrisex00x: thank ur dad for me
SonyatSunrisex00x: told him i’m coming over again tomorrow
SonyatSunrisex00x: i think you need me
RollieColey87: admit it
RollieColey87: you just like kissing me
SonyatSunrisex00x: i love kissing you
SonyatSunrisex00x: that has been established
RollieColey87: just kissing me?
SonyatSunrisex00x: maybe i love everything about you
SonyatSunrisex00x: just maybe
RollieColey87: :)