"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."

~ Helen Keller

Ice packs, action movies, and a living room filled with empty boxes of Salt and Vinegar Pringles; nursing Jonah back to health for the past three days hadn't been easy. Luckily, his fall in the bathroom hadn't caused any additional damage to his knee.

Both Jonah's and my friends had been extremely supportive, bringing pizza and playing video games to distract him. Jonah was still pissy, of course, but the company helped. Dan and Andy had been over, Abdur and a few others too. It was basically a friendly intervention to uplift his spirit.

Unsurprisingly, Mom and Dad didn't return from Milwaukee, if anything, they blamed Jonah for being reckless. Dad didn't even bother asking if he was okay, all he managed to say was, "This is why I told him to stop playing that stupid sport."

Jonah's knee brace was still on and he was supposed to be moving around with crutches but he was stubborn as a mule, limping around without them. Stacy pretended to care, poking her head in to ask how Jonah was doing once a day. It had just been hectic, and even though Jonah kept reassuring me that he was alright, I was hovering around him like a honeybee.

With two heaping bowls of popcorn, Melaine returned to the living room. Everyone had agreed to watch Final Destination 5 after Jonah convinced them that it was an epic idea, which in all honesty, it was. Dan and Emily were cuddled up on the recliner, Jonah was basking on the double-seater couch with his legs stretched out in front of him, Eric and Mark were lounging on the bean bags in the corner, and I was snuggled underneath my blanket on the four-seater L-shaped couch.

Melaine sauntered towards Eric and Mark, handing one of the bowls to the latter while placing the other in Emily's lap.

"I think the cookies are still somewhere in the fridge," I informed her.

Jonah chuckled sheepishly, "Actually, they're right here," rubbing his stomach and licking his lips mischievously.

"This little prick is just taking advantage of us." Melaine pouted, smacking Jonah's head playfully before slumping down on the other end of the L-shaped couch.

"Ow. That hurt." Jonah dramatized before whining, "Dude, how far is the pizza? We can't start watching without the pizza."

"Did we order Homeslice or Big G's?" Emily questioned, lifting her head from Dan's chest.

"Big G's, obviously," Jonah replied.

"Big G's, obviously," Emily mimicked Jonah.

When Dan whispered something in her ear, Emily suddenly turned bright red, gawking at him doe-eyed. I shook my head, a smile dancing on my lips at their idiocy.

"You're letting this whole special treatment thing get to your head, buddy boy," I muttered to Jonah.

"Kid's got a point though, we can't start without pizza." Eric encouraged Jonah's smug behavior.

"And coke, we need coke," Jonah added.

"I'm sure Eric won't mind getting drinks from the kitchen," I responded with a smirk.

"Man," Eric groaned, "Why do I always have to—"

When the doorbell rang, interrupting Eric's complaining, Jonah's ears perked up and his mouth visibly watered like a dog's.

"Don't you dare drool on the couch," I sassed while marching to answer it.

I huffed, eyeing my cavewomen-like appearance in the mirror adjacent to the front door. My hair greasy and frizzed, my nail paint chipped. Dark circles peeking through, my lips cracked, a small zit forming on the bottom of my chin.

Gross.

It is what it is, bitch.

As I swung open the door, Jonah conveyed his impatience, "What's taking so long?"

I rolled my eyes, turning over my shoulder to holler, "Searching for your brain!"

I held out a stack of folded notes, turning back to face the entrance with a disgruntled sigh. A frown creased my brows when the figures standing before me weren't the pizza delivery guy.

"Andy. Tobias," I voiced with surprise, biting my lip knowing how horrendous I looked.

"Yo, wassup," Andy greeted me jovially.

I beamed welcomingly, turning sideways to let them through. Andy was quick to steer through, Tobias, on the other hand, stood glued to the doormat.

I couldn't control my thoughts when I sank in his appearance. He was the kind of handsome that chilled my bones, his eyes embodying a myriad of emotions before he even uttered a word. It was like a breath of fresh air, seeing his face clear of any injuries under the afternoon sunlight.

Deep breaths, you're doing great.

"Hi," I said softly.

"Hey," he replied, scratching the back of his neck.

I would've been taken aback by his awkwardness had I not been a breathless mess myself. Tobias' gaze flickered from my eyes to behind me when indistinct laughs echoed from the living room.

"Oh." I giggled, giving him space to pass, "You can, uh, go on inside." Tobias took a few steps to enter, joining me underneath the door frame. I turned to him and added, "I'm just waiting for the..." I gestured with my chin towards the pizza delivery guy who came into view, "...pizza."

Smooth.

"We're watching Final Destination 5, by the way." I tried to make conversation with Tobias, handing the pizza guy, Tim, as his nametag read, money in exchange for four boxes.

"Man, I love the Final Destination franchise, they're so realistic and true and just all-around epic," Tim replied before Tobias could and I furrowed my brows, weirded out by his casual intervention of a private conversation.

Tobias and I shared an uncomfortable look as Creepy Tim kept standing there, with hopeful eyes, like we'd invite him in or something. As if Tobias had suffered whiplash, his head flipped in Tim's direction to give him the deadliest stink eye.

"Do you want this to be your final destination?" Tobias said through gritted teeth, a deep scowl painting his visage.

Creepy Tim broke into a fit of laughter, "Nice one, man."

"He isn't joking, you know that, right?" I clarified with haste before Tobias crushed his skull or something.

Creepy Tim peered up at Tobias, straightening and clearing his throat, "Oh." He cowered away from Tobias' reach, shaking his head and apologizing, "Dude, I-I'm sorry."

Tobias made a slight movement, threatening to lunge at him, which caused Tim to flee down the front lawn like he had zombies chasing his weirdo ass.

For a second I didn't react to the whole scene, but when I did, I threw my head back and started rumbling with laughter. Creepy Tim's priceless expression replaying as I wheezed for air, the boxes of pizza bouncing as a mixture of snorts and giggles escaped my mouth.

For the first time in a long time, I couldn't breathe for the right reasons. And just like that, I knew that this memory would be etched in my mind forever. It was so trivial yet wholesome.

"Hurry the hell up!" Jonah demanded from inside.

"Phew," I breathed, trying to compose myself.

Tobias' scowl had now dissipated, his head cocked to the side as he watched me, a sliver of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

I held back a smile, biting my lip bashfully, "Come on," I said, walking towards the living room and placing the pizza boxes on the coffee table.

After exchanging pleasantries and fighting over slices of pizza, Mark flicked the lights off and the movie began. I lowered into my spot on the L-shaped couch.

My breathing was slightly shaky because Tobias had settled down next to me. He just always made me feel so conflicted, so different. When my thigh brushed against his, I felt him stiffen and my heart spiked. I straightened in my seat, propping my feet up to hug my knees.

Unconsciously, I glanced to my right. The curl of his eyelashes was bewitching, his hair tousled most attractively, his stubble casting a shadow over his cheekbones and jaw. I admired him for a few moments before flickering my eyes back towards the T.V screen.

It was the most relaxed I had ever seen him. He was enjoying himself and for once, he seemed normal. It was a novel situation, but to be honest, he had been different since the night of Jonah's injury. Nicer. Less grumpy. More smiley.

During the opening scene where the bus crashes, I was consumed by the gore. Blood everywhere, people dying. It was absolutely riveting. Other than Emily and Eric, who were both squeamish, everyone else was enjoying the gruesomely scripted movie with hollers and "hell yeah's".

When we neared the part where Olivia undergoes eye surgery, as always, I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. It was one of the only scenes in cinematic history which made me cringe. Ironically enough, I always watched it so that I could experience the cringing.

"Guys, guys, guys. Watch how Ariel gets all squirmy at this scene." Jonah deliberately dragged me under the bus.

"I do not!" I defended my honor unconvincingly.

They were the most nerve-wracking five minutes of my life. One hand hovering over both my eyes, I kept cracking open my fingers to catch glimpses, shuddering. When I couldn't take it anymore, I buried my head deep in the crook of Tobias' neck. He tensed significantly but didn't object, I peaked at the screen once again and to my luck, her eye was being fried by the laser that very second.

Oh, God. Fucking breathe.

It's okay, it's just a movie.

Once the scene passed, I retreated from him, embarrassed. Our eyes interlocked, my mouth parted. I felt like I was catching fire just by staring into his amber orbs, forgetting all about the movie and my anxiety.

Unfortunately, the vibrating of his phone caused him to avert his stare. He stood up abruptly and I released an unsteady sigh. I awaited his return, but much to my dismay, he never came. The remainder of the movie slipped by quicker than I had expected.

Jonah was right, I was whipped.

----

Staring at the glow-in-the-dark stickers on my ceiling, I lay on my bed. It was 2 a.m. and all I could think about was Tobias. I chewed the inside of my cheek, contemplating what to write. We had texted a few times since Jonah's injury but right now, I didn't know what to say.

Me: Hey, you up?

Tobias: yeah

Me: do you think we can train tomorrow?

Me: I mean, today

Tobias: wait

Tobias: let me check my schedule

Me: what, do I need to make an appointment now??

Tobias: hmm, I think I can squeeze you in for an hour or so

Me: righttt

Me: I forgot you were the president of tobiasville

Tobias: cute but lame

Tobias: pick you up at 6

And just like that, I fell asleep with the goofiest smile on my face.

----

"First thing's first, trust no one. Every person is a threat. You anticipate, you predict, you stay guarded. It's all about body language." His voice was gruff, with concentrated brows and authoritative eyes.

I repeated after him with determination, "Don't trust anyone. Anticipate. Predict. Stay guarded."

He pointed the steel gray weapon in my direction, his toned arms on display through his white sleeveless vest. My tongue instantly became sandpaper dry, my heartbeat spiking.

Get your shit together, Heart.

Shut up, Brain.

"If someone pulls a gun on you, what's the first thing you do?" His questions were short and quick, like his punches.

"Run like Creepy Tim did." I snorted, letting my humor subdue my nerves.

He tilted his head seriously and lowered the pistol, "You don't run. You never run. You run, chances are, you get shot."

"So...I just...stand there?" I raised my shoulders uncertainly.

"You achieve to deceive and deceive to achieve," he professed.

"Huh? Is that, uh, some kinda tongue twister?" I asked, utterly perplexed.

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep or my growing restlessness. My mind and heart were caught in a fierce battle and it was just unsettling to be holding so much conflict inside.

Tobias was quick to elaborate, "You distract with reassurance. Convince them that they're winning, that their plan's working." He raised the handgun again, "I'm about to shoot, what do you do?"

"Duck?" I offered unwisely, feeling timorous under the scrutiny of his gaze. "No, wait, distract and convince." I cocked my head.

"Here." He shifted the gun around in his hands, holding onto the barrel with an irritable visage. When he gestured with his chin towards it, I curled my fingers around the rear end.

"Firm grip. Stretch your arms," he ordered and I instantly tightened my grasp. "Now. Watch," he said before stationing himself in front of me. "Feet apart." I obeyed his every command.

With outstretched arms and an iron-clad grip, I aimed straight at his chest. With a lightning-fast stride, one of his hands clasped the chamber of the gun from above while the other karate chopped my wrist using the pinky side of his hand, making me instinctively release. And just like that, he retrieved the weapon and created a safe distance between us.

"Be quick," he reiterated while repeating the motion, showing me how to simultaneously bring both hands forward to snatch the gun, "Now you try."

As soon as the words left his mouth, I lunged toward the pistol, my left hand grabbing the barrel and my right hand attempting to karate chop his wrist, but he stood unfazed. Not only was I unsuccessful in claiming the handgun, but I also forgot to lean away from the gun's aim. If it had been loaded and the situation had been real, I would have been limp on the floor with a bullet in my skull.

Great anticipation, you moron.

I groaned with frustration, feeling pathetic that I couldn't accomplish one simple task. It was like I had the mental capacity of a chimpanzee and the reflexes of a sloth.

"Ariel, just let your survival instincts drive you." He instructed me, traces of agitation visible in his orbs.

Breathe.

I exhaled, puffing out gusts of deep breaths before shaking out my nerves, cracking a few knuckles, and taking my position in front of him again. Holding the gun, Tobias seemed like he was truly in his element. A dangerous shade of amber clouded his eyes, his posture straight, his attention transfixed.

Like a hawk, he watched me and it was making me self-conscious. I tried to disguise my features; evading his intimidating stare.

Focus.

With jittery irises and a pitiful stance, I contemplated how I was going to execute the move. Unsurprisingly, my efforts to disarm him were once again futile. I kept failing, each time I tried, either I wasn't hitting right or gripping right or stepping right. It was outright infuriating.

"Again," he articulated for the fifteenth time.

We had been training for almost an hour. I was sweaty, drained, cranky, and most of all, my Great Wall of Patience was collapsing.

This isn't nearly as fun as I thought it'd be.

----

Never underestimate yourself.

Please don't forget to vote, comment, and share if you enjoyed this chapter.

Love, Ari