Rebecca's PoV

My coffee is still steaming when Izzy comes back from her classes.

I am sitting at the usual cafe table we both always sit at. It gives us the view of the woods beyond the campus. We have both claimed it since the beginning of the year. It was always ours;  and Izzy drives away anyone else that would dare to sit on the table. 

By this time, word has traveled, Izzy and Rebecca own this table. No one else.

Izzy flings her small designer purse on the chair and flops down sighing. Putting her head in her arms she wails,

" I swear, if someone doesn't remove Professor Warner from the college, I will."

I sigh, knowing that it's her daily complaint and that there is nothing to do about it.

" What happened this time?" I ask.

And then she starts to babble on about her 'ridiculous' project she has to complete in a day.

" Wow." I mumble, almost playfully. She lifts her head for a second and glares. I grin.

" Imma sue him" she suddenly declares. I raise an eyebrow while putting a finger inside the cup to check its temperature.

" For giving you a hard project?"

" Yup."

" Ok. I'll let you try."

I sip my coffee now knowing that it is bearable and won't burn my tongue. I hate it when that happens.

When Izzy lifts her head to see me happily enjoying my coffee without paying her a head about her problems, she hisses at me. I shrug.

" Even if I did care - which I don't, we can't really do anything about it can we?"

" I don't care. I just wanna do something."

The sun is low on the ground by now, and its light creeps through the trees in our view. The blue-gray sky splattered with clouds looms over us, as if it has something prepared. 

It's like the sky is crackling.

I look at Izzy, who has now lifted her head. Her dark long hair is in a high ponytail, and damn- it looks good on her dark tan skin. It was always her style. Elegant, sexy, and attractive. Very attractive.

Her chocolate eyes, a little lighter than mine, seem to crawl with hidden energy. Bubbly excitement.

But somehow, there is a tinge of sadness in it. Some kind of hopeless feeling. I have no idea where it comes from. It has been there for months now, and I have no idea how to remove it, though I desperately want to.

Her face moves closer and in the half darkness, I see a few small freckles up her nose. I get that sudden urge to run my hands over them. Feel her entire face, cradle it, hold it--

" Becca" Izzy's voice snaps me out of cloud nine. Cloud 9?

I shake my head.

There is something wrong with me.

" Yeah?"

" Do you want to go up to your room later? I mean, I haven't hung out with Sylvia in a while either. It'll be nice, all three of us. We'll have a girls night." She pauses and then adds as if an afterthought, " Forget everything and just have fun."

I nod, not saying anything, because I don't trust myself anymore. I might as well say something stupid along with those stupid thoughts.

What were those thoughts anyway?

It's all become so confusing. Life has.

***

We head up to my room when I finish my coffee. I had practically swallowed the second half of it in one gulp as Izzy kept on pushing me to end it.

Literally, no one understands the ecstasy of coffee. Some may think addiction, but I think devotion. It is the epitome of pleasure.

And no one- I repeat, no one understands what coffee means.

It's ridiculous.

I push open my room door and Izzy bounces in as if it's her own. Technically, it kinda is.

If it's mine, its her's. Everything that I own is hers.

I am her's.

She flops down on my bed and gazes at the ceiling. Her long legs beneath her skirt are almost wholly visible. Tan, toned ones. I quickly glance away, feeling those tingles down my spine yet again. Again.

" When is Sylvia coming?" she asks, absentmindedly, still looking everywhere except me.

" Her timing is always different. You never know when she would stay till midnight and when she'd come back after half an hour."

I feel Izzy slightly tensing. Her ring finger on her left hand twitches. Which meant she is concerned.

" Midnight? But-"

" Brady's always with her though. No need to worry."

I feel a tinge of annoyance in me. Because Izzy cares and is concerned about Sylvia?

Gods. What was this?

Was I jealous of my own best friend?

Was it even jealousy?

Who am I anymore?

Izzy sits up and smiles at me.

" Okay."

I look at her, my stomach fluttering now, with butterflies. They swoop and turn and poke. They make my breathing hitch with every small movement she makes.

Her smile is a rare one, a real one. She is easy to form it, but shows it rarely. Sometimes, I think that one is only for me.

Just for me.

All of a sudden, I remember something. Shit. I quickly go to the small cupboard in the room and slide it open. There, I see a small package-wrapped by the one and only me-- and lift it up.

I can't believe I forgot it.

As fast as I can, I run over to the bed again, where Izzy has her legs crossed into a casual crisscross. She grins wide when she sees the present.

" Oooo. The signature early Christmas present from my dear bestie!" she says in a joyful, singsongy voice. I give her early Christmas presents each and every year. It's my signature thing, as she says it.

This time though, I am confusingly nervous. I wonder if she would like it or not. I mean, she's always liked it, but this time, it seems so much more personal that I can't help but worry.

I fiddle with my fingers as she opens the present.

When she radiantly tears the poor wrapping sheet, I stare at her eyes, waiting for her reaction.

 As she lifts up the golden necklace I gave her, she lets out a sound between a scream and a sob. 

She looks at me, her eyes filled with so much joy I have to look away. It makes my heart tug in ways I've never felt before.

The necklace is special. It is the same one I have, the one she's wanted for years. It was a family heirloom of mine, one she fell in love with.

I could never find it though, until I came upon a vintage store in Vermont. Which was where I lived. I had saved it for her, thinking it would be the best Christmas present ever.

However, I couldn't wait anymore and decided to give it as an early Christmas present.

I have no patience. I know.

She flings her arms around me so fast, I almost tumble over the carpet. A small chuckle escapes me. I have no choice but to put my arms around her as well. She drops her head onto my shoulder and her arms are around my neck.

For some reason, the gesture seems so intimate that my heart lifts. I am flying.

Her dark strands brush lightly over my cheek. She pulls away slightly so that we are a hair's breadth away from each other. Her nose slightly touches mine and I realize she is a little taller than me. Her chocolate eyes are filled with happy tears. I smile,

" Do you like it? We're matching now."

" Why do you even ask? Can't you see?" she breathes. I feel it all over my face, the scent of intoxicating vanilla.

" Put it on." She says, and turns over, her back facing me. She takes her ponytail in her hands and tucks it over her shoulder. I take the necklace over her neck and clasp it in the end. My hands linger on the nape of her neck for a few seconds.

The only sound I can hear is our own breathing. I can hear Izzy's getting sharper with each second.

Just then, right out of the blue, I tilt my head down, uncertainly, and brush my lips as light as a feather across her collarbone. I keep my grip tight on her other shoulder.

I have no idea what I'm doing.

She gasps, and her head instantly drops back. I feel her breathing fastening.

I press my lips harder and my hands travel down her shoulder, to her waist, by which I pull her closer. It's like my body is working at its own accord. I have no control over it anymore.

But I like it.

Fuck. I love it.

I start to move my lips up her neck, the hand on her waist tightening. With my other hand, I unleash her ponytail. Her dark, lush brown hair tumbles down on me, but I don't mind.

All I can feel is her.

She moans, giving me more access, as I make my way up to her ear. I start to nibble on there as Izzy's hard breathing fills my ears.

Gods, I want her. I want to kiss her.

By the amount of sounds and gasps that are now emitting from Izzy, I want to think that she wants the same.

But my brain has drowned. Everything logical, sensible is now buried beneath the earth. I will have time to think about the consequences of my actions later on.

But not now.

I turn her around and see her shock filled chocolate eyes. But I see desire in them too. She doesn't push me away.

Instead, she grabs onto my shoulders. Our hips touch as she pushes me against the wall. The impact doesn't hit hard. Her hand defends me.

We breath onto each other's face, silent, unable to say a word.

Just as our lips are about to touch and I'm about to do the most rebellious thing in my life, I hear Sylvia's voice.

" Rebecca?"