From the Ashes

I feel terrible by the time I scramble into the choir room. Though late, no one pays me much attention, except for Kaitlin, who has been giving me quizzical looks from the moment I stepped into the room. I avoid her gaze as I sit in my assigned seat on the end of the top riser. Chorus didn't matter much at this time of the year, we had already had our concert, and the choir director was giving us the remainder of our days to study for finals. It was all very relaxed. I'm not surprised when I spot Kait making her way up the risers to sit with me.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asks as I pull out the physics I never got to study. I shake my head wordlessly. I glance up to see her giving me a concerned look. With a giant sigh, I let the notebook fall on my lap as I explain in a hushed voice that Roman was going to be out of town all summer, and that I went a little overboard when I confronted him about it.

"Oh damn," she whispers, giving me a sympathetic pat on the arm. "Just talk to the guy at lunch after chorus. Start by apologizing, and maybe you guys can work it out," she suggests. I lean my head against her shoulder, my stomach wound into a tight knot.

"I know..." I whisper, "But I'm so embarrassed. First the stupid misconception in the mall, now this." Kait puts her arm around my shoulders in comfort.

"Gotta do what you gotta do, babe." I chuckle feebly, appreciative of her support. As carefree as she was, she is a good friend, and a great listener.

"Thanks, Kait," I say with a small smile. She nods, and rubs my arm.

"You could do the project together over the phone. Or on a videochat... Which could turn out to be really fun with Roman Spade," she ends with a devilish pervert-grin. I scrunch up my face as I laugh explosively, and probably a little too loud for the setting. Kait bites her bottom lip promiscuously as she wiggles her eyebrows at me.

"It would certainly make up for your pride, which got you into this in the first place," she emphasizes her point with an elbow in my ribs, her smile fox-like.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." I shoo her with a half-hearted flourish of my hand. I finally return to my studying as Kaitlin settles with messing with my shiny new hair, and I half-listen to her story about the amazingly sexy so-and-such-graders who took their shirts off during flag football in PE last period.

I shake knots and tiny braids out of my hair as I walk to lunch after chorus, wishing it were that easy to get the knots and twists out of my stomach. I sit at my usual spot next to Kaitlin in the big cafeteria, at one of the tables on the far end against the window that overlooks the courtyard.

"I found him," I whisper, spying the tall and dark-haired form of Roman strolling out of the kitchen doors and into the cafeteria with a green plastic plate of food. I stand nervously, setting my purse down onto the seat next to Kaitlin.

"Go get 'im, Tiger," she says motivationally, giving my butt a smack. I swat at her hand before scurrying out into the isle between rows of connected cafeteria tables. My nerves jump as Roman turns in the opposite direction and starts to walk away towards the other end of the cafeteria. My pace quickens with my heartbeat as I scramble as discretely as possible to catch up to him. Watching his swagger in front of me, my gut churns with a different feeling, born from the thoughts I normally have about Roman. So full of himself, so hubristic. Luckily, these thoughts of normality calm me.

Slightly.

He ends up sitting at a table in the corner, next to Sage. They were the only occupants on one end, sharing the table with a pair of sketchy looking guys on the other. I couldn't help but notice the tables immediately opposite and beside were mostly full of bright-eyed girls. Sage nods his head in greeting to me as I stop to stand beside Roman, whose torso is turned to face Sage. I return the nod, and Roman twists back to follow Sage's gaze.

"Hello Aleithea," he says, offering a tight smile. His expression was otherwise blank.

"May I sit here?" I ask politely, and I see some of the girls from the table beyond this one turn to stare at me. Roman gestures to the empty chair beside him. I slide into it, straightening my frayed jeans before tugging on the edges of my Saosin tee. He returns to his burger.

"I... wanted to start with an apology," I say, hating that introduction the moment it tumbles out of my mouth. I realize he picks up on that when he hides a smirk. He stays facing his tray, both elbows against the table, his back slouched and arched into a muscular curve. How I hate his tight black tee shirts.

"I forgive you," he says as I open my mouth to elaborate. I clamp it shut as he finally turns his smoky gaze to me. I hold his look, my brows knit and my stomach uncomfortable, as I still want to apologize in a better way.

"I had no room to speak at the mall this weekend, I didn’t mean to offend you," I continue, despite his sudden acceptance, initially thinking he is being a smartass, "And... I overreacted earlier today."

"Allie," he says, his voice almost a whisper, leaning toward me slightly so that I would look at him squarely, and I do. In place of the blank slate, the look on his face in sincere, and behind the curtains of his dark hair, his gray-green eyes are soft. "It’s alright. I overreacted, too. I'm just too damn stubborn to admit those kinds of things sometimes. We're good, Allie. And we'll find a way to work on that project together, I won't leave you hanging," he says with a smirk, sitting up straight. The knots in my stomach evaporate in relief, and I return his look.

"You sure about that?" I smirk at him, leaning my arm against the table and crossing my legs at the knee. He leans in close to me again, resting his arm parallel to mine on the table.

"Well that depends on how you propose we go about working on this project together," he murmurs, his voice at a low and rumbling register. I force my gaze not to flicker to his strong jaw line, his bright silver snakebites.

"Over the phone," I offer with a shrug.

"No service at Alpine Mine."

"Video chat sessions," I continue with Kaitlin's suggestions, and with each one his smirk broadens.

"No internet." I look past him at Sage, who had put earphones in when I started apologizing to give our conversation a bit of privacy. Thinking slyly to what my flirtatious devil of a friend would do in this situation, I stretch my arm out in front of Roman, leaning into him slightly as I lightly touch Sage on the arm. He pops out one ear bud and looks at me expectantly.

"Is Roman lying? Is there no service or internet access at the camp you guys go to over the summer?" Sage laughs, flicking his thin blonde hair out of his eyes.

"He's telling the truth, Alpine Mine's a dead zone for those kinds of things," he confirms. The smell of Roman's tantalizing cologne fills my nose, and the small hairs on the back of my neck rise with the touch of his warm breath on my ear.

"Thanks, Sage."

"Sure thing, Allie." I return to my own personal space, and Roman's grin is as broad as ever.

"Looks like we're SOL, darlin'," he murmurs, the last word soft and warm. My heart gives a treacherous leap, and I fight to keep the coloring of my face to its normal shade. God damn it, his ability to make my heart and feelings react like a lion-tamer was frightening. And slightly annoying.

No, definitely and extremely annoying. I straighten, looking away from him.

"So you are going to bail, then?" I say plainly, using a smirk to hide my discontent.

"I'll come up with something. I promise," he tells me, leaning both arms in front of him on the table again to pick at a pile of tater-tots on his tray. I wrinkle my nose.

"Well you figure that out, then," I chuckle, manhandling my emotions and squashing the attraction towards him as I stand from the table. Satisfied with my last words, I start to stroll away, making sure to add a little extra swing to my back porch as I grin in my decision to join the flirtatious power-play Roman was so good at dominating.

"I'll be seein' you, Aleithea," his voice floated after me. Without pause, I lift my hand in a graceful-fingered wave, and from the sound and timbre of his voice, I knew with a smile that I would never stand a chance against Roman.