krydwen

Where mystery meets romance...

—Excerpt—
We lay next to each other, both of us not saying a thing, but I feel comfortable. I don’t have the impulse to have to talk to him to avoid an awkward silence because it has never been awkward with Ash, I realise. 

“You asleep?” he whispers to me. 

“Nope,” I reply quietly. “It’s weird because my body is so tired but I can’t seem to shut my brain off.” 

“Me neither,” he says. I hear the crackling of the fresh sheet under us move and realise Ash has turned to face me.  

“Uhm, what?” I ask dubiously. 

“Nothing, I’m just trying to find a comfortable position.” 

“Okay,” I say as I stare at him in the dim glow of the candles. 

Ash stares back at me, his hand lifts to push away a strand of hair that has fallen into my eyes, then he closes his eyes. He is asleep in the next moment, with his hand frozen on my cheek. 

Usually, with anyone else, I would push his hand away because it feels wrong and uncomfortable. But his caress felt good against the slight burn on my skin. And as he rests his hand on my cheek, I can’t help but think about how no one has ever held me close to them and makes me feel this way. Even though Ash and I are far from holding each other close, just a touch of his hand comforts me in ways that others’ hugs have tried and failed. 

Without much thinking, I push Ash’s fallen hair out of his eyes and rest my hand against his cheek. In the next moment, as my eyes start to droop, I feel a pull of his cheek against my palm and realise he is smiling. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

When an apartment building is plagued by a strange substance in its water, its residents uncover a foreboding mystery that will perish them all. With a deadly fog that blocks their escape, they must now forget their differences and work together to overcome the horrifying events that ultimately threaten their survival.

Black In the Water

<p>"Hey, what are you thinking?" Hunter asks from beside me. We sit around a long makeshift meeting table—which is really just a few normal dining tables situated together to form a long one—with a few other people. I sit to the right of the head of the table, where Mrs Gomez's empty chair stares back at the rest of us. Ash, quiet though he is, sits across from me and tries his best not to make eye contact. To my right, Hunter sits. He is looking at me intently—too intently, as if ready to take action following whatever command he thinks I will be giving him.</p>

<p>I break eye contact and look down to my notes on the table—just a scribbling of illegible writing that filled half the page. "Nothing," I say quietly, avoiding eye contact from everyone around the table, especially from the person sitting across from me.</p>

Aiden Jenkins. Under Our Noses