[IC] shadows.

[Rystelle]

"I thought you might like it," Sophia whispered back quietly, a small smile on her face. She was actually really, really happy that Tim liked the movie. She had been worried that he wouldn't, that he would be bored. But he seemed really interested in it and for that Sophia was glad. It was nice to share things that they liked and have the other like it in return. Occasionally Sophia would glance at Tim out of the corner of her eye. With him being so close she couldn't help but recall when she had fallen asleep next to him on the couch. He had been really comfortable and warm. The space between them wasn't much but Sophia kind of wanted to close it. She wondered what Tim might do if she moved so she was right next to him. If she did their legs and sides would be touching. While Sophia didn't really think that anything might come from her crush on Tim, she still wanted to be close to him. In the end she tried to mask her own desire to simply be close to Tim by telling herself that if she tried some relatively simple gestures of physical contact with him, he might slowly get used to human contact in general and would shy away less. In the end Sophia leaned toward Tim and lay her head on his shoulder. There was still space between their legs on the couch, so if Tim didn't like the contact all Sophia would have to do would be to lean back up again and they would no longer be touching.

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim felt the weight of Sophia's head resting on his shoulder. He froze up for a second, stopped breathing. He couldn't focus on the screen anymore. All he could focus on was the weight of her head resting on him. The warmth of her body so close to his. The softness of her skin, the way her hair fell down over her face ever so slightly, the color of her eyes, the-- He snapped back to reality for a moment. He started breathing again. But he liked the way they were sitting. He liked feeling her so close. He liked knowing she was there. So he let her stay there. A part of him wanted to pull her closer, but he wasn't sure if he should.

[Rystelle]

Tim didn't say anything or made to move or push her away, so Sophia took it as a good sign. She stayed where she was, quietly enjoying Tim's warm presence. After a while her neck started to ache and she sat up, but instead of moving away she moved a bit closer to Tim and put her head on his shoulder again. Now she didn't have to lean so far over and it was easier on her neck. She stayed like that for the rest of the movie until it ended. Finally Sophia sat up again and asked, "So, what did you think?"

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim felt his heart beating faster as she shifted closer to him. Her body was pressed against his completely by this point. His cheeks were hot, his breath a bit faster. He was nervous, but he did not want her to move away. If anything, he wanted her to be closer. What was this feeling he had? This amazing, indescribable feeling that was radiating all over his body? And just like that, it was gone. She moved away when the credits rolled. His heartbeat returned to normal, his cheeks cooled down, and he let out a loud, shaky sigh. His palms were sweating a bit, and he inconspicuously wiped them on his pants as she asked the question of weather or nor he liked the film. Honestly, he hadn't been paying attention to the last 30 minutes of the movie, but he tried to answer to the best of his abilities. "Oh, ah, um... it uh, it was good. Um, I liked it, It was good, yeah. Tom Cruise... um... yeah, it was good."

[Rystelle]

Sophia smiled slightly at Tim's answer. She had probably managed to embarrass him. It was cute when he got flustered over some things. She wondered how he'd react if... Then Sophia caught herself and she shook her head to clear her thought. Going over to the light switch again she called, "Watch your eyes," before turning the lights on. She went over to her laptop, popped out the DVD, put it in its case, and returned it to itself. Sophia stretched for a moment to relieve the soreness in her joints, and then relaxed again feeling better. "Alright," she said. "What should we do now? Actually, I wonder what time it is." Sophia checked her phone real quick and made a face. "Oh, geeze," she said. "It's almost 10 already." Putting her phone back in her pocket Sophia asked Tim, "Do you need to get home?"

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim's face contorted into some sort of strange expression of alarm, annoyance, and nervousness. Yes, he needed to get home, because the clock was ticking and he needed to do some work today. But did he want to go home? Absolutely not. He wanted to stay. With her. She made him feel happy and normal and warm all over his body and he liked it. She made him feel feelings he never thought he would feel. And feelings he didnt even understand enough to describe. But, he also had a life. He couldn't spend it all with her. "Ah...shit. Yeah, I need to leave." he said, biting his lip a little. "Have work to do." He picked up his coat, sliding into it as he gathered up anything else he had left from before. "Um... thanks for all of, uh, this. It was fun, I dont know what else I would have done today."

[Rystelle]

Disappointment filled Sophia as Tim said that he needed to go home, but she forced herself to suck it up. After all, he had work to do, and she did as well come tomorrow. Besides, they couldn't always be together. And she wasn't sure if she should have him staying the night so often. True, they were grown adults and she knew nothing would happen, but decency had been drilled into her and she wasn't sure if she could handle another accident like the other night. "No problem at all," Sophia replied, putting on a grin. "I enjoyed myself too. Thanks for coming over, Tim. Here, let me get some stuff for you to take home." She then went into the kitchen and took his left overs from the fridge, adding more of everything to it, and then put some of both pies into another container. "Here you go," she said as she offered the containers to Tim. "I thought you might like to bring some of the food home with you. I put some extra in there so you won't have to cook for a bit." Having given the tupper ware to Tim, Sophia put on her jacket and shoes and grabbed her phone, keys, and wallet. "Alright, let's get going."

[DELTED293y5gds]

The two of them walked out to the car in a comfortable silence. They stood closer than usual. Tim liked it. Sophia liked it too. They both wanted to make a move of some sort, but Tim was unaware of it, and Sophia was too nervous to do so. So they just smiled as they walked, enjoying the company. Tim made the suggestion that they just walk the few blocks to his house, so they did. As they walked, it began to snow. Tim stopped dead in his tracks, looking up to the sky. The flakes were small, but they were definitely going to stick to the ground. He smiled a little. He loved snow. The way it fell. The way it stuck to the ground. How silently it moved. How light. How it could move with the slightest breeze. He held out his hand, letting some of the flakes stick to his hand. The shapes were very intricate. They were the flakes that one saw in cartoons or on television. "Wow." he whispered very quietly, to himself, smiling a little at his hand.

[Rystelle]

Sophia's face lit up with a smile as the perfect white snow crystals fell from heaven. Like Tim, Sophia loved snow. She loved the crunch of it under her feet, she loved playing in it and making snowmen and snow angels, and having snowball fights. She held out her hands and let the gentle crystals settle on her skin. Turning to Tim she smiled wider and said, "It's beautiful, huh? I'm surprised we have snow so soon, though. I hope it sticks. It'd be nice to have a heavy snow we can play in."

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim walked up to Sophia, looking up to the sky as he did. The snow was starting to stick to his hair and jacket now, but he didn't care. He just smiled a little more. He thought abut the prospect of playing in the snow, something he barely ever did, even as a child. He just walked in it, really. Sometimes he made little forts, but he was usually alone, in the woods. His mother couldn't find him in the woods. "Dont you think we would look kind of lame, playing in the snow like kids?" He asked Sophia, turning to her now. He breathed in sharply when he saw her, trying his best not to just gasp out loud. She was illuminated by the light of a street lamp. Fro tims perspective, it looked like there was an outline of light around her head. There were a few loose flakes of snow in her hair, caught in her fringe, falling onto her shoulders. She was smiling at him a bit, though tim wasn't exactly sure why. But he was absolutely sure of one thing in particular: She looked beautiful. He fought back the urge to just tell her that, because that could sound weird if he said it wrong, and he probably would have said it wrong.

[Rystelle]

Sophia gave Tim a look that was something like, 'Who the hell cares?' She shook her head and asked, "Does it matter? If we look foolish, we look foolish. There a lot of other things out there that are worse to look stupid doing. No matter what I'm going to play in the snow because I want to! If anyone else doesn't like it or think it's childish then they can just suck it!" Then Sophia gave Tim a wide grin. Why worry about the small things? Enjoying yourself was important, not what others thought. Then she noticed that Tim was looking at her a bit funny and suddenly she was worried. Well, perhaps what some people thought mattered. Like what Tim thought. "What's wrong?" She asked, frowning a bit as her brow furrowed with concern. "Do I have something stuck on my face?" Without really thinking about it she went to wipe her mouth on her jacket sleeve, but when she checked it nothing was there.

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim watched her movements carefully. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing right now. What was wrong with him now? Was something broken? He tried desperately to find words for a few minutes, but he couldn't seem to make his mouth move. He couldn't make himself say anything. He just...looked at her. What was this? And just like that, the spell was broken. "Oh, um...nothing. Is on your face. You look great." He said, not thinking. He didn't even catch what he said. He just smiled at her, because everything was okay. Right now, everything was totally fine. He took a step closer to her, his body in complete control, his mind telling him exactly what to do now. He reached out, and grabbed her hand. He faced forwards on the sidewalk now, in the same direction as her, facing his house. Partly because he wanted to start walking again, and partly so she couldn't see how red his face was. He didn't know why he was doing this, but he wanted to, and it was just fine with him. He waited for her response.

[Rystelle]

"That's a relief," Sophia sighed. She gave Tim a small smile, then stood waiting for him to start walking again. But for a bit he seemed frozen in place. It was long enough for Sophia to notice the snowflakes clinging to his hair and jacket. If he stood there long enough she imagined that Tim would be covered in snow, just like in cartoons. The thought was kind of funny as she further imagined him dragging him back to one of their apartments and thawing him out with a hair dryer and then making him some warm tea. Then Tim moved and Sophia's thoughts went right out the window as she suddenly found her hand in Tim's. Sophia's heart gave a sudden start and she felt it drop into her stomach and bounce back up in an instant. She couldn't tell if she was nervous or surprised that Tim had actually taken her hand. React, she told herself. React or Tim might move away. She thought about it without really thinking about it. Sophia simply wanted to hold Tim's hand and so she seized the opportunity and laced their fingers together, leaned against him for a moment. Her face was red, but with it being so cold it was hard to know if it was from shyness or the wind. After a while she managed, "We should... should probably get going. S'cold out here." But she still held Tim's hand a little tightly, unwilling to let him go for the rest of their walk.

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim nodded in agreement, and so, the two of them moved on, hands intertwined, next to each other, walking significantly slower than they were before. But that was fine. Tim wanted it that way. His heart was beating at a million miles an hour, but he could hardly focus on it. He could only focus on the warmth of her body next to his, and the feeling of her hand tangled up in his. The snow was covering all of the sidewalk by the time they got back to Tim's apartment. They stood awkwardly outside the door, neither letting go of the others hand.

[Rystelle]

Sophia felt like her head was all jumbled up. She liked Tim but she was still scared of getting hurt. She wanted to try dating again, but if she told Tim she had a crush on him would he return her feelings? Was he holding her hand because he was trying to get more used to physical contact? Or did simply want to hold her hand? If he did was it merely a friendly gesture or did he like her? So many thoughts going round and round in her head. Sophia increasingly felt she was growing wishy-washy in her decisions and wants. Her mind seemed to buzz as if there was a horde of bees flying around the inside of her skull. But if one thing was for sure it was that, no matter what, Sophia didn't want to let go of Tim's hand. His hand was big enough to envelope hers, but their fingers fit perfectly together. It was warm too, as was the rest of Tim. Sophia could feel the heat radiating off of him as she stood close beside him with their arms almost but not quite touching. They were in front of the door to Tim's apartment now and Sophia knew she was going to have to let go of Tim's hand and then make the trek back alone to her apartment. She didn't want to, but she had to. Still, in an attempt to keep the moment a few more precious seconds longer Sophia said, "I had fun tonight. Thanks for coming over, Tim."

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim chuckled a bit, awkwardly, letting go of her hand. He felt the warmth leave it almost immediately, and he loathed that. He moved in front of Sophia now, smiling a bit. He noticed all of the small details about her again. She was so pretty, he thought. She was nice looking. Aesthetically pleasing. A nice piece of art. Bea-- "It was fun." He said, breaking his train of thought. "I don't think I woould have done anything today if it werent for you so, y'know, thanks."

[Rystelle]

Sophia tucked her hands in her pockets in an attempt to preserve the warmth that quickly threatened to fade away. She didn't realize Tim was staring at her because she was too busy noticing the tiny details about him. The way his hair fell in his eyes, how his shoulders were broad even though he had a slim build, how much taller he was than her, how he exuded this quiet aura that only seemed to make him more alluring. "You're welcome," Sophia automatically replied. "Well, I should probably get going now. Still got that walk home in the cold. I hope you like the food. Oh, and I have work tomorrow so you'll know where I'll be. Anyway... Night, Tim. Thanks again." Yes! Sophia thought excitedly to herself. I didn't fuck it up! She gave him a smile, then turned and headed down the stairs and back out into the cold. But Sophia didn't feel cold on the walk home. She felt warm from the inside out. She could still recall the feeling of her hand in Tim's even though his warmth was gone. But by the time Sophia stood outside the door of her apartment she was once more worried about the thought of being in a relationship. Could she do something like that again? Could she risk being hurt again? Did she want to? Did she want to find someone to love and to love her, even though she could be hurt? And then Sophia had a revelation. She was stupid. Stupid to believe that she could have any kind of relationship at all without there being hurt at some point or another. There would be fights, disappointment, and tears. Every relationship had them. Family, friendships, love. She had experienced them before, and she would experience them again. But what mattered was working through them, working to make things better, to make the relationship stronger. No matter what type of relationship it was. Sophia knew that long ago she had wanted to start dating again. She had just told herself not to. And maybe that was for the better. Maybe she had somehow known that it wasn't the right time, that the right guy hadn't come along. Until Tim. He was sweet and kind, fun to be with, and Sophia liked that he could open up to her. Not to mention he was definitely cute. She had a crush on him for sure and she couldn't deny it to herself. She wouldn't, she thought. But she would still try not to let it show around Tim until she knew how he felt about her. Finally Sophia entered her apartment, feeling better than she had in a long time. The next day at work she would no longer find herself shying away from couples, but rather hoping that maybe at some point that would be her. Maybe with Tim...

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim shut the door to the stairwell behind him, leaning against it and looking up at the lone, solitary door at the top that lead to his apartment. His brain was tangled up. He felt weird, like something was inside his heart, squeezing down on it. But he also felt really happy. And warm, and sad, and like he was blushing. There was something about this that he really liked. It mostly just scared him, though. He had no idea what was going on, and he didnt know how to figure it out. Was there something wrong with his health? Was he sick? He shook the thoughts out of his body, and instead pushed on, moving up the stairs, cracking his knuckles as he moved. He felt good. He honestly felt happy. That was new. But that was good. He liked it. He hoped it would last a bit longer. He pushed the front door open, stepping into the darkness of his apartment. He flipped on the lights, tossing his coat onto one of the hooks by the door. But something felt off. Tim walked towards the couch, his body stiff, his face contorted into a look of awareness. He looked into the kitchen. Nothing. The bathroom. Nothing. The living room held nothing, as well. He looked towards his bedroom, one of the rooms he rarely found himself in. The door was shut. Bad sign, he thought. He forced himself to move to it. His hand was on the door knob. He twisted, pushed, stepped. He was in the room now, which was, for some reason, darker than his apartment had been. He reached for the light switch, flipped it, and made a noise that was almost a shout as the door slammed shut behind him. Tim stood there, completely still, not even trying the door. He knew that it wouldn't open anyway. He just stared at the wall in front of him, his face sad. Not scared, or angry, just...sad. He was staring at the portal.

[Rystelle]

Sophia filled the rest of her night by washing dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and then getting ready for bed. As she worked and got settled in for bed Sophia found herself thinking of stuff she hadn't in a long time--things that couples did together. Without really meaning for it to happen, Tim appeared beside her in her mind's eye in every scenario. Going out on a date, going for walks, laying on the couch at home cuddled up together while watching a movie, and a million other things too. As time went on and Sophia realized what she was thinking about she became increasingly embarrassed. Her face flushed red and she found herself absentmindedly repeating or messing up simple tasks without meaning to. At the same time Sophia couldn't help but feel giddy, happy, positively ecstatic even. She had no idea why she was so happy, but she couldn't stop from feeling like her heart was going to bubble over. When Sophia went to bed the last thing that appeared in her mind was Tim's face and she thought about earlier when she lay her head on his shoulder and when he grabbed her hand and held it as they walked back to his apartment. With these thoughts in her mind Sophia fell asleep with a smile on her face.

[DELTED293y5gds]

We're sorry, but we were unable to complete your call. Please ha-- "Fuck me!" Tim shouted, quite literally hurling his phone across the room. It bounced off the wall and fell silently onto his bed, leaving a mark above the headboard. He had tried every number in his cell phone. Sophia, obviously, the cafe, the police, the hospital, that one person he had to do a group project with his senior year of college, everyone. The phone never got through the first ring. He had been trying for roughly three hours, his sense of time completely gone by this point. The door was locked too. He had already tried breaking it down. It would not budge. And the portal was also, conveniently, right where the window would usually be. Perfect. Tim stared at the portal, shaking his head, breathing heavily. He knew what it was that he needed to do. He knew what he was supposed to do. He really didn't want to do it. It was the only way, though, he knew it. And so, he did it. He went in. His entire body was a shaking, nervous mess. He stepped through, and he felt the entire world stop. Oh. Ten minutes later, he stepped out. He was emotionally drained. Everything was gone. He couldn't even begin to process what had happened. He grabbed his phone off the bed, checking the bars. Perfect service. He tried the door. It opened without any hassle. Any other time, he would be annoyed at this situation. But right now, he just moved. his eyes glazed over, his body on auto pilot. He pulled out his phone, texting Sophia. Went in portal. Come over tomoro after work He tossed his phone onto the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch, falling asleep instantly.