Summer of Love

The next few days were...different you could say. Cian was no longer talking to me and my friends seemed to deem me unworthy of their attention either, though they still lived in my house. Hannah at least was sympathetic, but she still had that air about her that said I was in the wrong.

Sitting at the table during home cooked meals was the worst. One day I just slammed my hands down on the table, causing everyone to jump and glared.

“Okay, what’s with the silent treatment?” I demanded, meeting the eye of everyone at the table and Sara was the first to glare back as expected.

“It’s you of course! Cian’s been absent for days from here and from school!” she said angrily, rising to her feet to match my stance and I rolled my eyes.

“I didn’t even do anything wrong! So, I had Thanksgiving dinner with Jordan because he found me in the Secret Garden. So what?” I cried in anguish, finding it hard to understand why everyone would be angry with me over something so trivial. It’s not like I slept with him and am pregnant with his unborn child.

Hannah reached over and patted my hand with a worried face. “Misa...you do realise that Cian loves you, right?”

Her voice was so soft and quiet that when I opened my mouth to start ranting, I paused midway and released the breath I had been holding to think. Everyone’s eyes remained on me and I looked around at them carefully. They all knew and they were just waiting for me to figure it out, but no matter how much I thought about it I just couldn’t believe it. Cian and I argued all the time and yes, I have developed some feelings for him, but I knew he didn’t feel the same. He was just trying to protect me like Derek did, because I had no one else. He was just being a friend and I hurt his feelings by comparing him to the one person he hates. I hung my head in shame and sighed, bracing my hands on the table.

“Cian doesn’t love me, guys. He’s just trying to keep me sane because I have no family left. He’s trying to be Derek because I relied on him so much,” I said quietly and felt the tears burning my eyes. “I have to go.”

Without another word and ignoring my name being called, I forgot my shoes and just ran out the door in my socks. The autumn air had a bite to it that night, but I didn’t care; I just ran. I searched all the places I thought he could be until I felt exhausted and couldn’t run anymore. I slowed to a halt and braced myself on my knees, heaving in the breaths until I regained my composure and straightened, smoothing the hair back from my face. I looked around, searching for any sign of him but he was nowhere to be seen. I really screwed up this time...

I began to walk around aimlessly, wondering if fate would land us together again but it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, when I rounded the corner of the street, I bumped into Jordan and we stared at each other in surprise.

“Hey,” he said, his eyes wide as he shoved his hands into his pockets and I managed a smile.

“Hey.”

He stole a glance around and looked back to me with a friendly smile. “What are you doing all the way over here this late?”

Frowning, I looked up at the sky and realized that it was indeed quite late. Seems I’d been running without really all being there in my head. I looked back to him and gave a shrug. I didn’t feel like explaining everything about Cian, or that I was looking for him. I decided to just give up, because he obviously needed his space and I was going to give it to him. If he had wanted to be found, I would have already.

He said nothing more about it and I was glad. I turned to look at him curiously.

“What are you doing out?” I asked, throwing his question back at him and he smiled, ducking his head. He was definitely a handsome creature and so adorably shy sometimes when his guard was down.

Before he could respond, a crack of thunder sounded from above, a loud boom that echoed throughout the streets and the sky lit up with flashes of lightning and I ducked, having been caught off guard. Laughing, Jordan reached over and grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the closest overhang as it started to downpour. By the time we found one, we both were soaked from head to toe. Shivering together under shelter, I realized how unhappy this weather made me. Maybe it was actually because I hadn’t managed to find Cian and I still felt the guilt, or maybe it really was just the weather, but hot tears prickled my eyes.

I felt Jordan’s eyes on me as the first tear escaped down my cheek and I swallowed, trying to contain the rest with much effort.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, his voice warm and smooth like honey and filled with concern.

I shook my head and wiped my tears with my wet sleeve, forcing myself to stop crying in front of him. I had no desire to tell him what transpired because it would just make me start crying again. Not only that, but then he would find out that Cian hates his guts and thinks he beats women for fun. I started laughing without warning and caught Jordan looking at me with worry. I waved him off dismissively and shook my head with a sigh, staring out at the cars driving by in the rain.

“It’s nothing, just the rain,” I said easily with the hint of a smile on my lips. Maybe I’m going insane or hysterical. I don’t know why I would be going either because it’s really not that big of a deal in the first place.

Jordan nodded slowly and cracked a smile. “Alright, I’ll take your word for it. Just let me know if you’re going to break down. Be sure to give me a head start to find cover.”

I laughed at his teasing gesture and realized that I felt better about everything. Cian had upset me with his accusations, but now I felt less guilty because right now Jordan was proving that he wasn’t what people are saying...or at least I had thought so in the heat of the moment.

Before I could blink or realize what was going on, I was being pulled into an embrace and my eyes widened in surprise. Jordan’s grip on me was less than comfortable and I felt like I was being suffocated in his chest and planted my hands on his chest to push away in confusion. I opened my mouth, ready to speak when I saw his glare from over my head. Gazing over my shoulder to see what had him so angry, I was horrified when I saw Cian standing there dripping wet and out of breath, returning Jordan’s glare tenfold.

The atmosphere crackled with intensity, charged with the hatred that radiated from both of them.

“So nice to see you listen,” he said sarcastically, his voice as cold as his eyes and I visibly flinched away. Jordan’s hold tightened on me protectively and I looked up at him with surprise. He shifted me slightly behind him and faced Cian head on, his jaw muscle twitching.

“There’s no need to be rude,” Jordan said in a calm voice that didn’t match his features.

The next flash of lightning flashed over Cian’s features and his eyes glittered like diamonds. Without saying another word, he held out his hand to me and I stared at it in confusion. He wanted me to go with him, to get away from Jordan. Looking up, I saw his emerald eyes on mine sadly as if he knew already what was going to happen. The guilt crept up.

Cian must have sensed it because he bit out that my friends were searching for me since I ran off in the middle of dinner. I sighed and looked at Jordan guiltily, knowing my friends were more important right now. Sensing the withdrawal, he looked down and removed his arms from around me. He looked so upset that I almost wanted to stay with him, or invite him to come along but Cian grabbed my hand in a vice grip and began practically dragging me away. I stumbled along after him in the rain, my hair plastered to my face as I tried to keep up with his long legged gait.

I cried out in frustration and jerked my hand out of his hold, stopping to stand on the middle of the bridge and glared at him. He paused and turned to look at me with an unreadable expression, droplets of rain falling from his hair and face.

“I thought you weren’t protecting me anymore?” I snapped angrily, forgetting all about being guilty.

He looked away with the shake of his head and sighed. “Sara wouldn’t leave me alone until I found you seeing as they didn’t have any such luck. It doesn’t surprise me that you’d find him again right away.”

I literally growled. “I bumped into him looking for you, you idiot!”

He smirked in a way that made my stomach twist uncomfortably. I didn’t like the way he was acting right now...it wasn’t him. It wasn’t the Cian I knew.

“Looking for me, were you? What for? You obviously don’t need me,” he said with a grin, holding his arms out as he placed more distance between us.

I screamed at the top of my lungs until he strode over and slapped a hand over my mouth, glaring down at me.

“Are you crazy?” he shouted over the rain and booming thunder.

I pushed his hand aside angrily. “Yes, I am! I am so frustrated and instead of hitting you, screaming was the next best option!”

He shook his head, his eyebrows raised. “You’re a fucking nut case.”

I was shocked...utterly shocked. I stared at him in horror, my blood turning cold as it drained from my face. Hearing him say something like that was definitely not the Cian I knew and now I felt scared. Where did he go? Did I do this and if I did, what did I do?

He saw the shocked hurt register on my face as I just stood there unable to move, staring at him in bewilderment. I saw something move in his eyes as he turned to face me, but he clenched his jaw and held his stance, the emotion leaving as quickly as it had come.

I was so puzzled and hurt that I started to laugh. This time I knew I was going to breakdown because even though I laughed, the tears streamed down my face to mix with the cool rain drops falling from the sky. He just stood there and watched me as I buried my face into my hands and continued to laugh and cry. Why on earth would he ever say such a cruel thing? Am I really a nut case?

“You know what?” I said my voice cracking and I looked up to find him face to face with me. “Don’t feel obligated to do anything for me ever again. You don’t have to be my protector, my friend...nothing. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

Now his mask fully slipped away, the coldness washing away with the rain to reveal a similar shocked expression that I had just expressed. Shame washed color into his cheeks, but I didn’t stick around long enough for him to say anything. I moved past him and jogged over the rest of the bridge, the tears falling uncontrollably and a sob hitched in my throat. He called my name, but I ignored him and pushed myself to keep going.

I felt his hand grip my arm and turned blindly, striking out. I glared at him, breathing heavily as he lifted his hand to touch the growing red welt from where my hand had met his face. The sound of the streets had faded, leaving nothing but the sound of rain as we stood there staring each other down. I felt my lip begin to tremble so I turned to make a break for it, when he grabbed my arm again and this time I cried out in frustration.

“God damn it, Misa!” he growled and pinned both of my arms to my side before assaulting my lips with his own.

The warmth burst inside of me like a bubble and spread through my veins like wildfire. I clung to him as if my life depended on it while his lips moved across mine like rose petals. With the gentle brush of his tongue, my lips parted on a sharp intake of breath and he devoured me. The tingles started from fingers all the way down to my toes and I began to tremble. Ever so slowly he pulled away, savoring the kiss and waited with his lips inches from mine until I opened my eyes. His glowed back at me like sparkling ripples on the ocean, unnaturally bright as they scanned over my flushed face and swollen parted lips.

“I can’t stand seeing you with that guy,” he said, his voice oddly hushed over the sound of the rain. “I can’t stand seeing you with any guy.”

The confession made a blush rise to my cheeks, but I could no more than stare at him still star struck after that mind blowing kiss we just shared. He gently brushed the wet hair from my face as I blinked through the raindrops hitting my face steadily. Leaning forward, his lips brushed over my forehead and my cheeks before resting lightly on my lips.

“I’m sorry for what I said, Misa. I never, ever meant to hurt you. I just can’t lose you to someone else,” he muttered, his lips fluttering over mine as he spoke and instinctively I parted my lips to kiss him.

I saw the hint of that handsome smile before he sealed my lips with his, drawing out my very soul. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, my thoughts erased of anything but him and the distant calming sound of raindrops falling around us. I could feel his muscles beneath the light sweater he wore and pressed myself closer into him without a clear thought in my head. The moment was perfect, almost magical even when he removed his warm lips from mine and rested his forehead against mine and smoothed a hand over my hair.

“Why can’t you see?” he murmured, his voice filled with anguish and I wondered if he was talking to himself or speaking to me.

Thoughts of Jordan were long gone by this point. Feeling the moment, wrapped in it like silk, I lifted my hands to cup his face and waited until those enchanting eyes met mine and I smiled. His eyes searched my face for a moment before his lips curled and his eyes began to dance in the rain. Feeling elated and flying high, I laughed happily and held him tight as he lifted me and spun in a circle. Look at that...we’re dancing in the rain.

The moment was so perfect, so right that neither of us noticed burning emerald eyes watching us with disgust from the shadows before disappearing as quickly as they had come.