watching as he slips away - Rachel Young

Fingertips brush his skin, the fabric clothing his upper arm. An innocent touch, a playful gesture.

  'You're so funny', it says.

He laughs at this. At her. With her.
Her hand, placed lightly on his arm, allows for a small chuckle to leave his lips parted in a grin. There is silence. She smiles. He looks at her hand, still placed on his arm.
She pulls it away,
They chuckle again. At what? They smile. Why?
The girl looks down. There is nothing beneath her but she looks anyway. The silence, their eye contact. The lingering laughter. She looks down. Her fingertips reach up beside her cheek, she brushes away a lock of blonde hair that was never there to begin with. She tucks it behind her ear. It was never in the way.
She feels how hot her face is.

Him.

He looks at her.
At her. 

She feels his gaze but she can't look up. She laughs again though nothing is said. What else can she do?
He shifts his feet. One foot, then the other. The silence is awkward. Heavy. He breaks it.What he says is short, the lift in his voice, the raise of his eyebrows. The small laugh that follows.
She laughs. Her face erupts in a grin. She laughs. He could have said anything and she would have laughed.
He smiles with her, satisfied. Satisfied with her reaction. Satisfied with her.

With her. 

The world passes by. They don't even notice.
His hand reaches upward, to his head, long fingers brush back his hair. He sighs, blue eyes blinking, looking upward. Falling back down. Until finally they land on her.

On her.

And she looks back.
They look at each other.
It's mutual.

Shit, it's mutual