...

I woke up in a cold sweat.

I was panicking horrendously, in between gasping for air. My body was a natural alarm, the norm, except I cannot recount the day up-leading into my soul-binding sleep session.

Sitting across from my hospital bed, timidly in a desk chair, was Darcy. The blonde was pretending to read a playboy magazine— as if it had any words of substance. Darcy was dressed in a pink cardigan with a soft white scarf tucked securely around her neck. When my eyes fully flickered open, she closed the sensual  magazine sharply, darting her irises towards my undoing.

"You are finally awake." She awkwardly grimaces.   Her cheeks were jaded a light pink, as she was prominently blushing.

I nod, a little at lost for words. I quickly glance around the room, noticing the window had been shut, limiting the cold draft I once felt. Abruptly, I rose to my feet. After stretching my limbs, I began to slide on my cotton slippers. A shy smile glittered across my lips, as I am relieved at least someone is now here to collect me.

"You were suppose to rescue me hours ago," After gathering my belongings, me and Darcy began to exit the hospital. "Where were you?" I interrogated.

Darcy glanced over in my direction, while we approached her pristine luxurious transportation. She opened the backseat for me to climb inside, and once I'm fully inside, I sulk before splaying out into the enclosed space.

I groaned loudly, once she reared the engine alive and the car began moving. Darcy turns on the heater without hesitation, eliminating the winter breeze snipping at my exposed edges.

"I had plans, Blaine." Darcy sighed. "I have a very reasonable explanation. Though, you probably wouldn't understand it." She deadpans, focusing more on the road.

I scoff. "I wouldn't want to hear it anyways." I claimed.

Darcy purses her lips before admitting, "You know my mom plans on transitioning you into homeschool, right?" She muses, peeking over at me through the rear view mirror.

I slapped my hand across my face, instantly fed up by the news. "What? Why would Scarlett do such a thing?" With exasperation , I shouted.

Darcy was equally as irritated, and oddly enough, she went on about how dramatically unhealthy that would be, to homeschool me, as if she genuinely cared about my sanity. "I know right? That's completely unfair, I mean she should've considered homeschooling for me, ages ago!" The blonde galled.

I rolled my eyes, insolently.

Home schooling is not what I wanted, and Aunt Scarlett should not be the one to make that decision for me. Legally she can, but she could've at least talked about it with me first. I've only been to school for three days and she's already determined to, pick me apart from society.

"I'm going to stop for coffee, would you like some coffee Blaine?" Darcy pulled into a driveway, I am still laying down in the backseat when I rose upward and noticed we were in the parking Lott of Bellingham's most popular diner, once again.

This seems to be everybody's favorite place, and yet, every time I've ever been here, it has been nothing but chaotic and strange.

"Yes. Get me an iced caramel frappe chino. No whip cream, light on the ice. If they even serve those." I reply. Darcy cocks a single eyebrow at me, with a confused expression.

Upon her swinging open the car door do I feel an even heavier, pondering breeze, which tugged and rippled between the car's generating heat.

"In this winter's assault, do you want cold coffee? You would freeze drinking that. That is so absurd," Darcy all but sighs, gathering her wallet. "You're definitely not from around here." She teases, before strutting away into the diner.

After awhile, I climbed over the front seat and sat in the passenger side. Not before turning the heater off, do I subside and unbutton my white sweater. Then, I had undone the button to my white pants— feeling submerged and tense due to the knots in my legs. A soft sweaty bead of a liquid, began to stream down the shaft of my neck.

I was sweating in the middle of a November's solstice, upon this weird discovery, I was shutting the heater off in an instant.

I wrapped my arms around myself, my eyes scanned over the diner a couple of times before I found myself slamming the door open, and ascending outside of Darcy's vehicle.  Being hit with pounds of the wind all at once, I hurriedly shuffle into the diner. Over head, does a bell ring off signaling for my entrance.

It doesn't take long to spot Darcy sitting at one of the wooden tables. She is smirking wickedly before she waves me over. I grimace at the thought of people seeing me like this. Damn near still in hospital clothes, an awkwardly large shirt covering my body and loose pants, pooling at my ankles.

Darcy is forecasting the most dazzling smile, before a miraculous heart-wrenching laugh escapes her lips. She fiddled with the mug that held a hotter liquid inside of it, which was apparent by the heat waves rolling off of it.

Instead of hurrying back out to me with my frappe, she relinquishes here, with these loud boisterous men.

After tossing a lazy hand and a beam of shiny white teeth, Robin greeted me happily. At her table sat no other than Titus, Aslan, and my friend Robin. Taken aback before returning a brief flickering palm, it was rather shocking to see both Aslan and Titus occupying the same table. Titus was clearly Silver's guy, and last time I heard, Aslan and Silver weren't on the best of existing terms.

"How is everyone?" I spoke quietly with thinning patience, to no one but Darcy. I looked around hesitantly and noticed they all had hot beverages, while they snacked on warm sugar cookies.

After removing his foot out of the isle, Titus was sliding down the bench to allow me a seat beside him. He had the most severe appointed, green eyes. They were charming and hostile equally at the same time. Titus wore a brown hipster jacket intended for the cold outside, but his swagger was no match for the cold shoulder I felt inclined to throw his way.

It's like I was being trigged by the sight of him, because mischievously, his foreboding words caused so much tightness to my limbs from the neck down.

The night of the passing storm played over and over again within my mind, in a loophole almost.

The night of the storm was the most ominous night, that Titus had decided to stir me home. Presently, I was still trying to unravel the meaning behind those words.

Which to me denoted, in no time, I would begin to unravel Titus.

"Blaine care to stay for awhile and chat with us?" Titus says this while his mouth suckled on his coffee mug, rather suggestively. My frown deepened even more.

"If you don't mind, stop calling me that," I grumble.

Robin chuckles from the far side of Darcy's left, chirping about how much he enjoyed a window seat. He didn't think no one noticed, but he kept stealing greedy glances at Titus.

Awkwardly, I stood beside the table, hand on hip in hopes for either Darcy or Titus to leave with me. Nevertheless, my ankles shook together like clattering spoons on a Hungry Sunday. I was justly off of my medication, which had a residential lasting after-effect on my body.

Not to mention I was still dressed in my ill-patient attire with knotted bed hair and bunny slippers adorning my feet.

Despite Titus's gesture being inviting, my insides were whining and my prescription had an ironic way of making me crave isolation and solitary confinement. The most prominent quality most hospital patience reciprocate, desiring to be alone.  I didn't care to be around people, but I sought a specific kind of lonesomeness. With someone special.

I just don't know who this someone is yet. I just know he has stormy eyes and a hell-bent frown.

"Why don't you have a seat beside me? This gathering will be over in some time soon." Titus finally says this, before pointing down to the only available place beside him. Doubtfully, I take it unwillingly.

The aroma of a pumpkin spice latte and an rotting citrus, devours me like a perfume. I eye him suspiciously only to come into contact with beady predacious green, in the shape of his on-lookers. Robin nods lowly unbeknownst to everyone else, I blush heatedly at this— deciding to create space between Titus and I.

Aslan taps his fingers softly on the table, in my eyes, this was his way of satisfying his angst inability to move. I've only known Aslan for a week, maybe more and it was obvious to me that Aslan needed to feel the surge of confidence in his walk and the switching of his thighs rubbing together. In other words, he couldn't safely sit still, and as someone who shared the same discomfort, I was widely dismayed sitting at a table. I needed to feel my pulse skipping beats like a girl in a meadow.

Except my meadow was words beyond words, with arrays of pastel paint on the side. It's been years since I've touched a canvas let alone a color pencil, and suddenly I sat buoyantly fascinated by the idea gazing at the person across from me.

"Darcy you know I need to get home." I reminded my cousin irritably, "Could you make your time being spent hastier?" I shrugged my shoulders as another chilly wind racked over my fragility.

Darcy ignored me still, as she made easy comments about her coffee being too bitter and tasteless. I rolled my eyes, turning to face the isle. Subconsciously I had given her five more minutes before I would bolt for the doors and begin my route home. Walking alone with my terrible sense of direction.

"What is your rush to abandon us. I can reassure you we make pleasant company." For the first time since I've walked in, Aslan chooses to speak to me.

His voice is more horsed and raggedy as if he had previously stuffed cotton balls down his esophagus. By the looks of his superbly flushed cheeks, I could tell Aslan was two moments away from a common cold, if he weren't sneezing and coughing already.  His hair was splayed sticky on his forehead, being flattened by the black beanie he'd worn, a contrast to his typically curly, golden hair.

Two days ago I had seen Aslan mowing his lawn in the cold rain, his dreadfulness must be the result of his pursuit. He sniffled lightly, appearing to be cozy in his loose-fitted sweater.

"I know you make good company Aslan." I sarcastically pitched, earning a smitten glare from the star boy.

"I am just eager to get home, to get out of this bad weather. It's terrible outside." I admitted honestly. Aslan darted his attention to me, I could tell he disagreed with my statement and even despite his current condition and his porcelain skin, I bet his body chastely enjoyed this approaching snow, as well.

Titus undid the button of his cool hippy jacket, showcasing his chest hairs to add emphasis on his bubbling opinion on the cold, "I find winter to be the best season. Perhaps its a carnal time to be a man." Titus began to shrug his jacket off, "Of course you women should love it. You get to prance around in all these different fancy furs."

Titus pointed at the prettiest girl in the room, it is Darcy and her fluffy fur boots, which aroused  laughter from Robin and me. "He's right. I do love a good mink coat!" Darcy retorted happily.

"Would you agree Aslan?" Titus proudly poked at Aslan's shoulder, "We brace the cold hungrily like we need it. We're like animals. It's a time to flaunt strength and strategy." Titus began to talk more about how he so dashingly adored the freeze.

"The freeze is the most potent source of survival. We as men, accept it and thrive in it." Aslan finishes Titus' sentence. I scoffed disputably, still keening my focus on the doubled doors. Darcy had two thrashing minutes to grab her keys, before I would inevitably depart the group to walk home.

I smirk down at the cup of hot chocolate in his hand, wafting my nose. "You can't say that with a stuffy nose, and think I'll take you serious after that." I beckoned. Aslan fought his grin, before he broke out into a chortling fit.

"Why won't you come over my house again Lilah? When we hung out we watched movies and laughed." Aslan played with the hem of his sweater, as I damn near gawked at his confession. For what he called a good time, I precisely detail his brother, Wesley, being blandly rude to me for no reason. Now I recall the reason why I've been avoiding Aslan.

"Because we sure did hit it off the last time we did?" I spat questionably. "Between me patching your bloody bandages and your jerkoff brother I can't decide what was more eventful." With detest, my chair slid from underneath the table, freeing my legs once I ascended to my feet.

Without a second to spare, I sprinted towards the door, pulling it open before exiting through its space. Once I made it outside, harsh wind hit me from every angle. I made it to Darcy's car first where I began to tug my blankets out, tying it over my head in the process.

The only known path that lead to my aunt's house was through the woods, so I didn't hesitate to cut through the bushes contumaciously.

Once the mud began to coat the bottom half of my less durable slippers, I regretted my decision.

My mind was made, my heart was set, but I couldn't help but to consider turning back to the diner.

Maybe I overreacted...

Nevertheless, it was too late for turning back.