ix. sparks

                                    

                                          
Gracie rolled over and let the sunlight gently kiss her face. She had long grown used to the feeling. Not just on this trip while she slept in her best friend's car, but way back when, as well. When she rested in the chairs of her mother's hospital room and the sunlight wandered in, or when she slept at her late grandmother's house, when she camped with her brothers, or even just at home when she forgot to pull her drapes closed. But she never expected to roll over and find Awsten in the room as well. Or, she did, she just forgot, I guess. 
                          
She quietly recoiled, pulling her knees into her chest and pushing her hair away from her face. Awsten hadn't seemed to notice that she woke up. 
                          
He was plastered to a chair in the corner next to the TV and bathroom door. He was tuning his guitar using nothing but his ear. He phone was propped up on the dresser the TV lived on. Gracie smiled as she watched him. He seemed to glow in the sunlight. It danced across his face so gracefully; as if it belonged there. His eyelashes seemed to bathe so naturally in the glory of the morning, his freckles illuminated with pride.
                          
All these years, she never could get this boy out of her mind. It never made sense. How could he be so captivating after he left her in the dust like that? Why would she still long for him? As she layer their in their bed watching him tune, it all rushed back to her. It all made sense. 
                          
"You look happy," Gracie whispered. Her voice was still stuck in it's funny little morning setting. She hated it, but Awsten had always loved it. 
                          
His head shot up at her the sound of her voice. 
                          
"Oh, crap, did I scare you?" She pulled the covers up higher against her body. "I'm sorry." 
                          
"No, no... Did I wake you, though? I'm sorry." Awsten stood up and put his guitar on the chair as he did so. He didn't realize he was being loud, he was just anxious to play again. His account was doing so well all of a sudden, he wanted to churn out some new videos before he lost any of the momentum. 
                          
"No," Gracie finally sat up, but held her knees to her chest still. The blanket fell to just cover them. Awsten forgot what she looked like without baggy clothing on. Gracie pointed over towards the window. "The sun woke me, actually." She ran her fingers through her hair and smiled warmly at the boy. "Not you." 
                          
Awsten walked over to the bed and sat down in front of her. He smiled at Gracie. Most of the night, he found himself awake, wondering about what medication Logan could mayhap be talking about, but as he stared at Gracie now, the sunlight swelling all around her, he couldn't imagine anything wrong with her. She looked beautiful, even if the clothes she was wearing were filled with holes. Her blue eyes sparkled and her messy bed head only served to deepen her looks, though Awsten was sure that his own hair wasn't doing the same for him. He probably looked like a heroine addict, nothing compared to Gracie's beauty; today and every single day before. 
                          
They stared at each other, each thinking the same things. Awsten wanted so badly to just reach out and cup her face. To just kiss her and never stop. 
                          
But he couldn't.
                          
Awsten cleared his throat and stood up. 
                          
"You hungry?" He made his way over to the front door where Gracie's backpack had spent the night in a puddle. That was the one thing Gracie forgot to air out and dry. She made a mental note to shove it in front of the air conditioner the second they hit the road again. She also reminded herself not to shove anything in there for a few days.