click the ⭐ to vote!

song: cigarrette daydreams - cage the elephant

HE PROCEEDED to shift his gaze in a slow, deliberate sweep over me. His eyes were thundercloud grey, and his once guiltless inspection erased when it landed on my ice cream.

Specifically, the ice cream labelled in big black letters with INDIGO.

His arms were folded around something, and when my gaze lowered, I realized what it was.

An extra-large bag of marshmallows labelled, also, in big black letters with… you guessed it—INDIGO.

He’d been about to throw one into his mouth when he paused midway to stare at me. I lowered my gaze, staring fixatedly at the rings on his right hand.

There were three, and the one on his forefinger glittered in the dim light. All three of the rings seemed to bleed into the ink patterns on his hand in a way that was undeniably attractive.

Bad idea. I looked back up at him, swallowing.

Realisation seemed to dawn on him, and he closed his mouth, sighing as he lowered the bag, a slight blush to his cheeks.

I couldn’t believe it.

This was the guy I’d been watching—admittedly creepily, for weeks, and he landed right in front of me after…almost sleeping with my roommate? And he stole my marshmallows?

I didn’t know how to feel.

I swallowed as I realized we’d been standing in the elevator for a while, with neither of us making an effort to press a button. I sighed, reaching for the Level G button.

But he reached for it at the same time, his hand brushing against mine.

I flinched away like it burned.

Then I realized how much of an idiot I looked, and inwardly cursed.

I glanced up to find his expression blank, save for the slightest suggestion of a smile on his lips.

Did he find something funny?

A flicker of annoyance shot down my temple, and when the doors to the elevator finally opened, I found myself fast-walking out, eager to get away.

“Wait.”

I stopped. It was strange hearing that voice. Because this time…he was talking to me. I turned, slowly, meeting his gaze as he stepped out of the elevator. His long stride reminded me how tall he was, and it made me want to look away.

“This is yours.” He held out the bag of marshmallows, cheeks warming. “Sorry.”

I found myself lifting a hand, fumbling for words. “You-you can keep it.”

The corners of his lips tilted upward—again, the mere suggestion of a smile. “I owe you something, then.”

“No, it’s alright, really.”

He tilted his head, studying my face like he lost something in it. After a moment’s pause, he said, “What are you doing out here?”

Was he actually trying to make small talk? Maybe he felt guilty about the marshmallows. I shrugged. “I wanted some fresh air.”

I licked my lips, more engrossed in the ice cream in my hands than ever, when the stranger’s silver gaze landed on something behind me. I turned, noticing a pair of older men a few feet away. One was smoking, and both were staring at me.

It wasn’t exactly an uncommon sight. The apartment wasn’t situated in the safest part of the city, and I always had to be wary not to walk back to the apartment alone. On most days, Kade would be with me. I rolled my eyes at the thought of him and snapped back to reality.

Frowning, it finally occurred to me that I’d stepped out with a flimsy pink tank and a pair of shorts. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I was two seconds away from rushing back to the apartment when the stranger’s voice stopped me.

“Stay,” he said.

Eyes wide, I wondered if he’d really said it, or if it was my mind making up things.

“Indigo?” He cocked his head, as if to confirm that I was, indeed, the neurotic label girl.

I nodded.

“They won’t touch you.” He sat on the low-lying steps at the entrance to the apartment, stretching his long legs out. Then he looked up at me, winking. “I won’t let them.”

Was he being…nice? None of the guys Scarlett brought to the apartment were nice. And since he had come with her, he couldn’t possibly have a girlfriend. Unless he was cheating. That was always a possibility.

But when I looked back at him and found him tossing a marshmallow into his mouth, I sighed and sat next to him. My ice cream was melting, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give in for a few minutes.

“Why are you here?”

The words fell from lips before I could help it. I regretted it immediately, spooning ice cream into my mouth to keep me from spurting another stupid thing.

It didn’t seem to faze him, though. He simply swallowed a marshmallow, his Adam’s apple shifting as he did. Then, he faced me.

“Because I want to be here,” he said, “And I do the things I want to do.” He leaned forward. Up close, his blue-grey eyes roiled like a storm. “Don’t you, Indigo?”

My heart skipped a beat as I averted my gaze, mumbling a muffled, barely audible response. The way his low voice wrapped around my name should’ve been illegal.

“I don’t think Scarlett likes you very much,” he said.

I huffed. “You don’t say.”

“Why?”

“Beats me.”

“Weird,” he said, “She seemed pretty cool.”

For some reason, agitation bloomed in my chest. Maybe it was because he barely knew her. Or maybe it was because he knew her far better than I did. Even though I was her roommate.

I shouldn’t have said it, but I was beyond the point of caring. “Why’d you leave, then?”

Somehow, my words had little to no effect on him.

“Because,” he said, looking me straight in the eye, remorseless, “When I’m with someone.” Another thundercloud gaze. “I give her all my attention. I give her respect, and she should give it back it me. For that time, however long it lasts, it should only be us.”

I forgot how to breathe for a moment. I’d never been talked to like that before. So direct and...crude. I clenched my jaw, and my shock turned quickly to something I couldn’t recognise.

“I’m so sorry for being a killjoy,” I murmured dryly.

The man was either stupid or brave, because he ignored the blatant sarcasm dripping from my voice and laughed. Maybe he’d been nice initially, but now he was grating on my nerves.

“Don’t be,” he said, his steely eyes sparking, “I found something far  more worthy of my time.”

And although my jaw was clenched, something jumped in my chest.

He smiled, lifting the bag of marshmallows. “These.”

I exhaled, rolling my eyes as he laughed under his breath.

“Jeremiah,” he said.

I frowned. “What?”

“My name.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You wanted to.”

“What—”

“You can call me Jem, though.”

I offered him a sour look. “I hope I never get the chance.”

He just grinned. “No promises. I still owe you.”

I huffed in response.

Wordlessly, he plucked the empty ice cream cup from my hands. I startled from the swiftness of it, but he was already bunching up the empty marshmallow bag and my cup as he chucked it neatly into the nearby bin.

“See you around,” he said, leaning down, bringing his face closer to mine. His breath smelled sweet, like spun sugar. “Indigo.”

He said my name the way you did when you learnt a new word you wanted to test out how it sounded. It annoyed me.

My mind was still reeling, skin hot as I watched his figure disappear down the street. He was better when he was just the subject of my observations, just a face in my imagination.

I hadn’t lied. I hoped I never had to see him again.

But when I skirted back into the foyer, I found only one word replaying in my mind.

Jem.

a/n:

and so it begins......

if you have any memes/aesthetics you can send them to me/tag me on instagram!!

until the next chapter,

stay gold,
yuen