Eyes of Light

“Are we there yet?” That question was something that just kept spilling out of my mouth, annoying Nick to no end. He stopped speaking. “Please just say we’re almost there.”

I knew we had to be close to his little ‘house.’ It was more of a shack and I felt terrible that he had to stay there, even longer now that we had the black magic to deal with. I could see the look in his eye when we were visiting Denise. He missed his brothers and his mom. He missed his dad. He missed a real home. I felt like it was my fault for some reason.

I opened my mouth again but his hand covered it, his soft eyes sending me a glare. “You ask that one more time…” he trailed off, daring me. I smirked underneath his hand, waiting until he retracted his touch. His hands were so warm and soft; it made my body tingle with my glow.

“Are we there yet?” I blurted, giggling when he rolled his eyes.

“That’s it,” he sighed, clapping his hands together. I raised my eyebrows, wishing I could cross my arms--one arm just looked stupid. Before I knew it, his strong arms were wrapped around me, lifting my feet off the ground with ease. I gasped when he threw me over his shoulder, slapping his back with my hand while the arm in the sling hung carefully.

“Nick!” I cried out, grabbing at his shirt. He walked on casually, ignoring my whines to put me down.

“Lonnie,” he sighed, pushing me farther over his shoulder, his hand gripping the back of my legs tightly. I squealed again.

“What?” I whined, twisting my head around to try and see the path he was carrying me on.

“Just shut up.” I could hear the laugh in his voice and I smiled, not bothering to care like I usually would. He was opening up. He wasn’t being afraid of letting me see him and I liked this Nick. I liked the Nick that wasn’t grumpy, but fun and light; I wanted to see more of him.

I rolled my eyes and kept the grin on my face, using my hand to smack his butt. He jumped slightly and I giggled.

“Hey,” he growled, turning his head a little. “None of that.” When I leaned up to face him a little, I stuck my tongue out and repeated my action, giggling when his face flushed a light rose color.

He huffed and began to run, making my eyes widen in fear that he’d drop me. I gripped his shirt tightly and let out a scream, thrashing my legs--that wasn’t the best idea, considering he was holding me up by them, but he didn’t drop me. I could hear his quick breathing as he ran swiftly, easily dodging the tree branches, making me bounce and hit his back every time he hopped over a log or a large rock. His athletic abilities made me jealous, I had to admit. But this was… fun, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

“N-Nick! Put me d-down!” I begged, still laughing. He let out a musical laugh and it sounded real, beautiful. I blushed for no reason.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief when he slowed down, I let go of his shirt and wiggled in his grasp as he set me on my feet. I felt a tad dizzy and I glared, but he gave me an innocent look and continued forward, leaving me behind. I didn’t know why I just stood there, staring after him as he walked with easy and smooth strides. His curls bounced gently in the breeze with his movements, his visible muscles seeming to flex with every move. I couldn’t believe that Nick was a wolf. I couldn’t believe that I had been thrown into a world as a witch with a wolf soul mate. I couldn’t believe Nick was mine. I felt my cheeks flush at just that recognition: he was mine, whether he wanted to be or not. I also came to the conclusion that, by using Josh’s name in a sentence, it was more likely that Nick kissed me. I smiled brightly, unable to stop it, and snapped out of my daze to realize that he was farther ahead now, barely turning back to watch me stand there like an idiot. He didn’t say anything though, probably because I could see that familiar shed in the distance.

I hurried forward immediately, locking my gaze on all the trees that I passed. Everything looked the same in these forests. I wondered how Nick could tell where anything was: it had to be those wolf instincts. Keeping my gaze locked on Nick, I noticed that he had completely stopped, hands in pockets casually, and locked his gaze on me--waiting for me to catch up.

When I got close enough, he spoke in a soft, but curious, tone. “Why’d you stop?”

What exactly could I say? I was staring at you? I bit my lip and continued forward, finally passing him. I could hear his slow footsteps and felt his presence beside me, getting us closer to shelter.

“Just thinking,” I shrugged, clearing my throat.

“About what?” the flatness in his voice told me he knew I was lying. I just hoped he didn’t know that I was actually staring at him.

“Uhh…” I drug out, biting the inside of my cheek. He turned his head to face me, raising his thin eyebrow in response, and waited. “I was just thinking about… Josh.” I smiled eternally, trying my best to sound a little nervous. I was a horrible liar and my acting probably wasn’t the best, either. But the look on Nick’s face made my heart soar and my stomach flop: was he seriously jealous? His eyes were narrowed on me and his full lips were in a fine line, his face blank again. I wanted him to be jealous. It was the only way to know, besides the kiss, that he liked me… even if it was only a little. I’d take it. I’d take anything.

“Really?” he mumbled, finally breaking my gaze, bringing his hand up to scratch his head.

“Yeah,” I breathed, turning around a little once we got close enough to the door. He seemed to stop, too.

“What about him?”

“My thoughts are my business, thank you very much,” I smiled, running my fingers through my hair. I hated how I couldn’t cross my arms. I guess I did it a lot and I was used to it.

“Yeah, but you’re my business so, in turn, so are your thoughts,” he retorted, crossing his muscular arms with a smirk. Jerk.

“What? How does that-”

“Just answer the question,” he grumbled, cutting me off quickly, almost eagerly. I sighed, rethinking my plan.

“The kiss…” I trailed off, locking my gaze on his stern face. He was biting his lip without thinking. “And yours,” I squeaked, hoping he wouldn’t hear me, but he did; I knew by the flash of surprise spreading over his smooth features.

“Why?” he questioned, shaking his head quickly. “I mean, I know I told you to think about it, but…” he didn’t even finish. It was odd, hearing him struggle for words.

“I’m trying to think about which one was better,” I whispered, clearing my throat nervously. That got his attention. Nick may be shy, he may be shut off from things, but any guy would want to know how you liked their kiss. It seemed to be that way in all the movies I watched. That’s what my dad said, anyway. He had told me that, after he first kissed mom, he was so nervous that he asked how it was. It was sweet in a dorky way.

“You are?” he questioned, running his fingers through his hair. I nodded slowly. It was silent for a moment, the wind not even moving, and then he sighed. I caught his gaze. “Well?” he muttered almost inaudibly, quirking his eyebrows in curiosity.

“Well… what?” I questioned slowly, gaining a look from Nick that said ‘ don’t embarrass me by making me ask.’ “I-I don’t know.” I was nervous suddenly, my heart thudding a little with my words. “I kind of forgot what yours was like. You might have to remind me.”

He had a look of shock, but his face was still stern, his eyes narrowed. I could still see the softness in his eyes though.

“Are you sure you won’t try to manipulate me again?” he mused, I swore I felt him lean a little closer.

“I-I wasn’t-” I blurted, stopping when he moved forward, his stance almost intimidating. I felt my back hit the wooden side, a gasp escaping my parted lips. It was as if I were mesmerized whenever I looked at Nick.

“You’re supposed to be truthful with your soul mate,” he whispered. It was as if he had changed moves in a snap. His eyes were locked on mine and I could feel his breath on me, pulling me in, but I refused to make the first move. We were, after all, still ‘friends’--if it even was that.

“And you’re supposed to kiss yours,” I breathed out, my voice unexpectedly shaky. I gulped when he raised his eyebrows yet again, cocking his head just a little. We were being blunt… I’d take advantage of it.

“Is that what you think?” he snorted. I flushed, looking away immediately. His hand gripping my chin softly, forcing me to face him and his stupid soft chocolate eyes and his stupid beautiful and heart fluttering smirk.

“I-I know that this is… different. I’ve never had a boyfriend before and I know you aren’t--I’m saying that I have to get used to this just as much as you, but I’m willing to try. I really am Nick…” My voice was low, barely above the whisper of the slow wind, but he heard. He knew what I was saying and his eyes told me he understood; told me that he felt the same--well, for the fact that this was new to him, anyway.

He stared at me for a long moment, his hands sliding up to rest above my shoulders against the old wood of the house. I swallowed the lump in my throat and leaned as far back as I could, trying to give him breathing space. He was the one that was so close to me though. I didn’t really want to back away, though.

“Do you wanna’ know why it bugs me when you think about Josh?” he finally whispered, heaving a small sigh. I nodded immediately, licking my dry lips. It was getting cooler out, but my glow was like a natural warmer. I’d be okay whenever Nick was around. “Because I know that he can be good to you.”

It seemed like such a simple answer. It seemed like it wasn’t even a reason, but it most certainly was; it was also a lie. There was no doubt in my mind that Josh was a good guy, but he couldn’t be good to me. Not in the way I wanted. Only Nick could do that and I was set on finding out just why and how.

“But so can you.”

“He’s already ahead,” he shook his head, looking away for a moment, but he kept his stance.

“How?” I giggled, flinging my hand up to cover my mouth. He sighed, but not out of annoyance. More out of relief, in some way.

He just shook his head and offered a slight smile, biting his lip in sudden thought. I watched him, waiting for his voice to sound or his body to move, but neither happened for a while. We stood in the same position for what seemed like an hour, when it really was only a minute--I wasn’t really complaining. The wind began to pick up and the breeze held a mist. I knew it was going to start raining out of nowhere, but the gray clouds seemed to have appeared gradually.

I felt his hand slide off the wall, barely bumping my shoulder before it grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand off my mouth. He engulfed mine with his warm one, lacing our fingers almost instantly, only a slight hesitation, and kept his eyes locked on me. The way they darted so quickly, trying to read every ounce of me was new and thrilling in some weird way. He cared. He wanted to know what I was thinking and why. I wanted to know the same, but asking him to phase would be a red flag and he’d make sure that whatever he was thinking stayed private. I could tell Nick was just that way; he was trapped inside his own little world… almost literally.

Watching him with wide eyes, I could sense him leaning closer by the fact that his hot breath increased against my lips, and the way my glow seemed to ripple. I felt an odd feeling pierce through me and I nearly gasped, my eyes locking on the way the glow kept flickering from bright to… brighter. It was as if my body was a wave and, the closer Nick got, the more it rippled; the more it excited me.

“I think you need to calm down,” he whispered against my lips, a shy smirk covering his lips. I felt my face burn as he neared even more, his nose touching mine, his lips close. His liquid brown eyes locked with mine and flicker of gold shown through gently, but it seemed so right. It didn’t seem weird or out of place.

“I can’t,” I hissed, gulping. I knew full well my feelings were out of hand, and out of my hands as well. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t know how to get my heart to stop hammering against my chest or how to get my breathing to stop being so ragged. His growing smirk only added to it. My reaction to his closeness was feeding his ego, but I really didn’t mind.

I felt my eyes fluttered close before he even leaned closer, his lips touching mine almost feathery. I wasn’t going to get used to this, that was for sure, but I was definitely going to soak it in as much as I could. His lips pressed to mine within that second and it was like a thousand lights flashed off in my mind. I couldn’t help but be excited. We were making progress. He was kissing me without trying to prove a point or give me CPR. He was kissing me because I asked him to, sort of; we’d get to the point where he wanted to on his own… I hoped.

His lips moved so slowly against mine, almost not moving at all--like he was hesitant or thinking, or maybe both. But they were soft and gentle. I had those same butterflies and those same tingles, my glow looked like fire. When he pulled away, he didn’t look at me, but he kept his hand in mine and pulled me over to the door just as the sprinkles began to fall from the clouds.

“When I was little, I always thought that, when it rained, the clouds were crying,” I breathed, trying to calm myself down. Nick stood in the doorway for a moment and gave me a strange look, not failing to chuckle.

“Really?” I nodded. “You’re random, aren’t you?”

“My mom always said that a conversation isn’t a conversation unless someone is smiling or laughing.” I smiled slightly, remembering the very day she told me that. She had on one of her favorite blue dresses, her curly brown hair up in a messy bun, but it looked so elegant. The curls flowed around her face, bringing out her smile and her bright eyes. She always held my hand when we walked down town, making sure I was safe, and she’d always tell me funny little things.

“I think you do enough laughing and smiling for the both of us,” he pointed out, dragging me inside the little place. I felt his grip loosen, like he was bout to pull away, and I sighed and pouted, squeezing his hand to let him know I still wanted to hold it. To my surprise, he tightened his grip back up and stood still, waiting for me to speak--it wasn’t a long wait.

“That’s not true. I don’t smile all the time.” I didn’t want to be overly happy, but it was hard not to giggle or smile when Nick was around, that was something I now knew. He had the cutest facial expressions and, when he wasn’t being a stubborn jerk, he was sweet; he was always beautiful though.

“I never said that was a bad thing,” he shrugged, holding out his free hand in defense. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“What are you saying then?”

“That it’s cute.” He said it so nonchalantly that I didn’t even realize those were his actual words. Did he just say that to me?

“D-did you just compliment me? Again?” I teased slightly, grinning brightly when his cheeks turned another shade of pink. “Are you feeling okay?” I lifted my hand out of his and pushed a few of his curls away from his forehead to touch my palm against his warm skin. He didn’t flinch or give me a weird look, he only chuckled and smacked my hand away after a second. I didn’t want to admit that I had to step off my heels a little to lean up, but I did, and I set my hand back on his forehead with a laugh.

“No! I wanna’ feel your hair!” I whined again, twisting my finger around one of his curls.

“You’re so weird,” he complained, but his smile didn’t disappear; not even from his eyes. I melted.

“You know, that really hurts,” I muttered, pulling my hand away from his soft locks. He cocked his head and rolled his eyes, getting me to giggle again.

“You make a big deal about everything, too. You overstep your boundaries.”

“How so? How have I ‘overstepped my boundaries?’” I mocked, feeling more comfortable around him than ever.

“You touched my butt,” he smirked. Now I blushed, forgetting that I had done that.

“I think you were imagining that Nicholas,” I shrugged, attempting to adjust my sling. It wasn’t working too well. He sighed and pulled my hand away, putting his concentrated face on. He looked up into my eyes while his hands moved, his voice a whisper.

“I think you wished I was imagining that.”

I stared at him for a moment, feeling the sling get tighter, and I blushed further. So what? I tried not to smile, but there wasn’t much else I could do.

“Hey, Nick… can I ask you something?” I asked softly, biting my lip. He sighed, blinking a few times.

“If I say no, you’ll ask anyway… so sure.” I rolled my eyes but went on to ask my question.

“Are we… actually getting somewhere, or are you going to pretend like this isn’t happening? That we aren’t actually getting along.”

He was silent for a moment and stepped away, running his fingers through his hair. It made me nervous, how long he was taking to answer that. Was he having second thoughts? About the kiss? About anything? I didn’t want to make this uncomfortable, but dang it! I’d make him go at least two whole days without backtracking.

“As long as you don’t try to manipulate me again,” he grinned suddenly, turning just enough to show me his smirk and genuine eyes. I breathed deeply, shaking my head.

“Are you ever going to let me live that down?” I slipped, covering my mouth when he laughed musically.

“So you admit it then?”

“Oh, would you just let it go! I wasn’t trying to do anything…”

“Just admit that you were trying to make me kiss you and I’ll leave it alone,” he bargained. I blushed and rolled my eyes. No way was I going to do that.

Moving forward suddenly, I took another glance around. How long were we going to stay here? I glanced at Nick and decided it really didn’t matter.

“Are we going to Eve’s now?” I knew it wasn’t far from here, but it was raining and getting darker, and my legs refused to go anywhere else. I had just now realized that Nick had set the bags by the door during our little conversation and I wanted to shower.

“Are you up for it?” he questioned, turning his back on me to open the drawer of the messy dresser.

“No,” I breathed, pushing my hair back. “I hate walking now, thanks.”

“Don’t be a baby, Lonnie. You’ll be doing a lot more than walking when the time comes,” he grumbled, but he was more concentrated on digging through the drawer than talking to me.

“Why do you always insist on calling me a baby? I mean, I wouldn’t mind if it was used in the pet name term, but you’re insulting my maturity,” I rambled, deciding to throw myself onto a couch that sat, dusty in the corner. I coughed as the debris flew up, but didn’t make myself move.

“Pet names aren’t really my thing,” he murmured, throwing some clothes onto the floor. I rolled my eyes; typical boy.

“And apparently neither is cleaning; is this place even sanitary? I know you don’t plan on living here for that long, but I wouldn’t even be sure if it’s… livable.”

“Oh gosh,” he sighed, turning around to face me, leaning his back against the dresser. “I don’t have time to clean anything up, since I spent most of it looking for you. And now I have to help you train and stay on top of school work. We’re busy. I think cleaning should just be a little lower on your to-do list.”

“I’m just saying,” I shrugged, twisting myself on the couch. At least it didn’t stink. In fact, it smelled amazing… just like him. I guess such a small space holds the smell of it’s occupant. I smiled. “Since you’re so clean and well dressed, it seems like where you live would be too…”

He was silent for a moment, his eyes zoning out as he focused on a crack in the wall. I bit my lip, the sound of the rain splattering against the small window seeming to echo through the whole room.

“I used to take care of stuff at home,” he finally whispered, his eyes meeting mine. “Joe was gone a lot. He kind of rebelled when dad had gone away and Kevin was busy with school… I had to help my mom out with Frankie and the house, not too mention all of my own duties that were starting to unfold. I just… I guess I got so sick of it that I stopped.”

Nick opening up was a beautiful sight, like nothing else I could imagine. To see someone so sheltered from life speak about himself, to talk and act so mature made something in me just a little happier. I think my exhaustion was getting the best of me.

“You’re a perfectionist though.” I smiled, remembering how he had to have the books so precisely in the hallway. We were definitely making progression.

“I am not,” he denied, but I knew he knew it was true.

“Mhm,” I mumbled, looking away, nervous suddenly. I just didn’t exactly know why. “I’m… going to take a shower, okay?” I finally mumbled, glancing up to see him nod. I slowly lifted myself and walked over to the bag, rummaging through to find some suitable clothes for sleep.

I had a feeling tomorrow would be a busy day.