Malethea again - you're welcome! This chapter is SHORT so we apologize. At least it's a fairly early update!!!

~Anna

*katlyn, still mumbling*

ireallylikebooks

~Katlyn

Approximately a year ago, Alternate Universe

The world is on fire and I am burning in a pit of lava because that is love - forever burning your soul in eternal hell.

(Okay, so my metaphors need some work.)

Love isn't how I imagined it - it's not fireworks or stars or touching the whole universe and feeling infinite, but it's still loved all the same. It's just happiness and light and the feeling that if you fell you would keep falling forever and ever and ever.

Because if you trip over backward, it's like the fragile grip you have on the world will shatter and you will go falling falling falling down.

"Poetry has never been your strong suit," admitted Malik as he flipped the page of my journal. He was lying on my bed (fully clothed, for all you perverts who are wondering.) 

I blushed and fidgeted, sitting on the very edge of the bed, as far away from Malik as possible. "Hey - if you don't like it, you don't have to read it," I protested, reaching for my book.

"Oh no, I'm enjoying this," he said with a smirk, yanking my journal back. "Do you talk about a boy with golden hair and perfect ice blue eyes?"

How did he figure that out so fast? "N-no," I stammered, trying to grab my notebook. 

Malik leapt off the bed in one swift and graceful movement, raising my poetry journal high above his head. "Are you sure?" He skimmed through the pages. 

"Give that back!" I shrieked, jumping off the bed and reaching for the book, but Malik was far taller than me. Curse his tallness.

Even if it makes him hot.

Wait. What.

"'A knight in shining armor approaches, his golden hair peeking out from underneath his helmet like the sun through the clouds. His smile was enough to make thousands of girls swoon. His icy blue eyes glimmered from beneath his mask... if only he would let the girl see him," Malik read, smirking even harder. "Thea, do you really think I'm that beautiful?

"Give that back!" I said, stamping my foot and turning red.

"'She smiled at him, for beneath his mask she knew he loved her. And yet... the world was on the tip of their fingers, the stars seemed to hover in the sky just for them, and the breeze seemed to run through their hair like it was theirs to control, but he still wouldn't let her see him. Was she not enough? They parted ways, forever lost to each other.

"'And so, the girl and her knight lived forever wondering what could have been. If only the touch of her lips was enough. If only the moments they shared were enough. If she had taken his hand, if she had let the stars fall down around them, would that have been enough?'" Malik shut the book and looked at me.

I blushed and twirled my hair around my finger, not meeting his eyes. "Sorry," I whispered in a quiet voice, still staring determinedly at the ground. 

I expected him to yell. I expected him to ask, why do you think that?

I did not expect him to capture my lips with his.

It's not fireworks. It's not touching the sky, it's not feeling infinite, but it feels nice, familiar. It's not burning passion, but it's enough. It's happy. It's Malik.

It's as though he's a part of me. Our souls aren't merging together, but it's so familiar and it feels like I'm happy. Happy is enough. Malik is enough.

This is enough. Whatever we have is enough.

His blond hair swept across my face for a fleeting moment before he pulled away.

"Thea," he whispered. "Thea, are you happy?"

I didn't need words to express myself this time. I only smiled and pressed my lips to his.

He pulled back again with a smile, then flopped onto my bed. The sunlight streaming through the windows set his hair alight, and it was as golden as... gold. 

I smiled and lay down next to him, my eyelids drooping. It was late afternoon, only about 5 o'clock, but something about Malik felt safe. I felt safe.

We woke to a crowd of parents sniffling at the sight of us tangled together, our legs crossed and our hands clutching each other's like children. It's not the best way to wake up, let me assure you.

"Mom!" I shrieked, sitting upright, my dark brown hair sweeping over my shoulders like a waterfall. "Were you watching me sleep?"

She only smiled sadly and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "My little girl is growing up," she said with a sad smile, her eyes misting over. "And yes, Alethea, because I won't get enough moments like these before you leave the house forever."

"With Malik," added Sophie with a knowing smirk. 

"Because you're gonna fall in love and live happily ever after!" screamed Naomi, belly-flopping onto the sheets. I glared at all of them.

"We're going to what?" asked Malik, sitting bolt upright and banging his head on the side of the bed. "Owwww," he moaned, falling backwards onto Naomi. "Wait - was Naomi sleeping here this whole time?"

"Nope!" said Naomi with a grin. "I was only watching you sleep from the doorway." Like that was any better.

Keefe coughed. "We were actually present while you were unconscious," he corrected. Still creepy.

"Present while you were un-coon-shus!" repeated Naomi happily. I smiled back at her, she was too cute to be mad at for long.

Ugh, but they were actually watching us sleep... that sounds really wrong...

"Please leave," I said quickly, practically shoving them all out the door. 

"Do you think they're gonna kiss again?" asked Naomi loudly from the hall. I blushed and slammed the door shut, but not before Mom told Naomi something I would never unhear:

"Probably something more," said Mom, and you could practically hear her smirk. "I mean, they are teenagers, after all."

"What is that?" questioned Naomi, clapping her hands together. The lucky little oblivious girl who didn't have to be burdened with knowledge.

Sophie was quick to interrupt. "Nothing you need to know about, Mimi."

"Oh, so it's like poobertie?"

I couldn't control myself after that - Malik and I burst out laughing. When she grows up, she's going to be so embarrassed about that.

Thank y'all for reading yet another awkward bonus! Unfortunately, because we update so rarely (sorry 'bout that, by the way), and we get a lot of reads fast, and we have a lot of bonus chapters planned, we usually have a bonus every other chapter.

Whoops.

~Anna

*katlyn needs to stop mumbling*

idonotneedtostopmumblingiwillcontinuethisforever

~Katlyn

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