Storm Brew

"So," I said with an attitude. "Where's the fun?"

"The fun? You just came out of the fun." He nodded to a few feet away, where a short line was lining up. "You could've warned me you unhinged your jaw like a snake out for alcohol."

"Oh, please—I'm not even drunk." Aric's glance of skepticism spun a little as my foot failed me.

"Of course not, luv, you're just hanging onto my neck for fun." He placed a steady hand on my back, pushing me forward lightly.

"Well maybe I am..." I derided cutely. "Your shirt is so soft," my eyes grew wider as I dragged out the 'so'. "Is it Armani?"

Aric took my fingers away from the collar of his dark shirt, I wanted to whine because it felt smooth—but there was a breeze and I smiled 'cause it was just too hot and it felt so good.

"Dolce, please don't puke on it." I couldn't tell if it was just me, or if he'd really wrinkled his nose. Stumbling into his side I held onto his arm like it was a teddy bear. "Not even drunk..." He repeated mimicking me mockingly.

"Hey! I resent that." I held my index finger to his face, green eyes blinked startled and then I was laughing—really hard, like I couldn't stop. I held my stomach, there was a warmth coming from within it and pain—like when I ran beyond my limits, or didn't breathe right while doing it. I just couldn't stop. It... it was just so funny—his face... "Ah... hahaha, your face—you should've seen your face! Haha..."

There was a moment when my arms were both disconnected from Aric's and I was toppling over, unable to keep my composure. I gasped a laugh—yep, I hadn't stopped the laughter just because I was falling backward like a newly cut tree—as my back met a hard metal surface. I glanced over my shoulder.

"How many cars do you have? One for each town you visit?" I patted the Porsche's door behind me.

"I like cars," Well, there was a thing he and Mr. I-need-time-to-think had in common.

"Where are we going... now?" I asked as my mind slurred down, making my whole body feel heavy.

Aric opened the door and pushed me into the car's seat, closing the door.

"You need to sleep." Aric stated.

Huh. I wondered how he was still so... responsible-looking. He'd drunk too, and made out—Aric made out a lot. Double at a time—I giggled and he gave me a strange look.

"You made out with twins," I clicked my tongue turning on the radio. "We're just having fun—living young and wild and free!" I shook his shoulder; Aric shrugged my hand away making an easy left. "Sing along, Aric—use your accent for something other... other..." I laughed slumping into the Porsche's backseat. "So what we get drunk, so what we smoke weed, we're just having fun—we don't care who sees!"

"Your sentences are so coherent they're hard to keep track of, luv." I heard the chuckle behind the gruff tone.

I threw my hands up in the air—my fingers hit the car's ceiling. I threw my head back as I rolled the window down, then I popped my arm and head outside, enjoying the awesome sensation of not caring about anything in the world—Aric said I needed sleep, well I'd never felt less tired! There was a finger tugging on one of my belt hoops when I hollered "wooo!" as we drove past a police car.

Whoops.

When Aric had successfully stuffed me into the black Porsche he reached for the seatbelt I hadn't been wearing... hmm... that stirred something. Something really, really deep—it was muddy like a thought I didn't want but I always had. So, I gave up trying to think what the hell a seatbelt could mean. It would just ruin my buzz if I thought about stuff. Thinking was so... geeky. I giggled toppling my head onto a nice, round shoulder. Porsche's were small. The seats weren't far apart.

"Do you want to get pulled over?" My head swam with warmness, my shoulders archer and dropped. "Unless you want me to shoot the cops—I suggest you stop making things hard."

"How am I making things hard?" I scoffed softly, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"How about by hollering like a wolf on fool moon?" He squirmed out of my reach. "And keep your hands and everything else to yourself. I'm not crashing the car because you're hyper on freedom and booze."

"Aww, you're no fun." I scowled, but pressed my head into the closed window.

"And you have no self control," he said bitingly.

I pushed out a sigh before turning my head towards him—like it was the most heavy gesture in the world—and... stuck out my dry-feeling tongue at him. Then, I laughed.

"Come on, luv, let's go then."

Aric held me up, both his hands guided me through a garage. That was what I could tell, darkness was all consuming here and my eyes weren't really paying attention to just one spot. We rode in an elevator, my jacket was resting on my shoulders all of a sudden, after that, time pretty much disappeared. It all seemed to blend into those two events. Before I knew it, we were walking into some sort of... penthouse. On the other side of the living room were a pair of large, windowed doors, beyond them was a really big swimming pool.

Wow.

"You have a swimming pool?" Life seemed to fill me back up, my legs were ready to march outside. Aric didn't think the same way I did.

"Time for bed," he wiled me toward a small hallway opening the first door. "You can stay here." I don't think he trusted me to sit down properly, because he walked me over to the brown bed, pushing me onto the bed's edge. "Stay, don't leave for a nightly swim, understand? Stay." Aric smirked when I groaned rubbing a temple. "I'll see you tomorrow."

His back turned to me, I watched him walk over to the shadows, blending into them and soon I saw nothing because he'd closed the door.

As I looked in turn of myself, my eyes couldn't discern any important detail. I wasn't even trying. I bent down and heard my shoulders pop—that was a first.

After taking off my shoes I fell on bed, head on top of the pillow. To me, time didn't seem to move on. I stared to the ceiling, rolled over, spread my arms open—nothing was doing anything for me. There was this annoying, tight thing—I could've kicked myself for being stupid. The tight things were my top and jeans. I scowled feeling them still on my body, it was so uncomfortable. You'd think it would be the opposite since they were like a second skin on me. Well, they weren't.

Sleeping naked wasn't the best option, even if it was under the covers. Getting naked in penthouse was too big of a temptation—I got naked and it skinny-dipping for me. Aric looked really serious about me not going for a swim, meaning I shouldn't push my luck. He might snap, who knew? Too bad these assassin's didn't come with an instruction manual. Things wouldn't be like this, if they did.

I flicked my eyes open. Once I sat up my stomach made a grouchy protest so I waited until it calmed down, enough so I wouldn't throw up.

Gracefulness wasn't part of my walk when I ventured across the bedroom Aric had put me in, I tripped over my own feet, and maybe Aric was right. Maybe I was drunk. Huh. I felt with my hands for the door and its knob, grasping, pulling it back as I found it. The hallway was lit by the outside moonlight; I wondered just how high up we were.

My aquamarine eyes settled on the partially parted door to the left, the lights were off. If I could describe how I ended up on my knees and hands on top of the bed where Aric was sleeping, I'd explain, except I couldn't. I just landed there after checking what side he wasn't sleeping on.

The bedside light came to life at the same time my throat got placed in a choke hold. Emerald eyes gazed sharply aware, like he'd never been asleep at all. Had he been? Was it possible to had such fast reflexes?

Aric's hand vanished, like his fingers had never been curled around my neck. Now all he did was rub his forehead.

"It's been one hour... one hour since I said go to bed, what the hell are you doing here?" He chucked his phone back to the table.

I gathered my bearings, shaking my curled hair over my shoulders.

"These clothes are too tight to sleep in—has it really been an hour? 'Cuz over in my room it feels like time doesn't move, seriously, if there's a clock in that bedroom it's gotta be like, frozen or something—" I cut off my rant seeing as he hadn't been paying any attention, instead he was opening a bag, diving his hand around.

"Here," he handed me a T-shirt. "Is that good enough, can I sleep without you jumping me?"

"You were sleeping?"

"You're dodging the subject, darling—but yes I was asleep, why would that be so hard to believe? Assassin's need sleep too, you know, I'm sure you do since—"

"You were so fast, I barely shook you and you sprung. How did you do that?" My eyes were saucers, my head bobbed forward in curiosity.

Aric's forehead creased. I'd give a dollar for his thoughts.

"You're an annoying drunk, luv, really you are. If anyone tells you otherwise they're lying or just as drunk and annoying as you." There was a drop in his scowl when I didn't retort, my eyes glazed on him like a kid waiting to hear a big secret. "Speedy reflexes, they take over you over the years. Off my bed, yeah?" I giggled at the more evident Australian accent.

My fingers curled around the end of my top, when Aric noticed what I was doing he groaned whirling in the other direction. What was his problem? It was like he'd never seen a girl naked. I wasn't even taking off my bra.

"You can turn around," I called finishing slipping out of my jeans, glad to see the T-shirt was long enough to cover my panties.

Aric looked at my face, never anywhere else. Wow, this was the same guy I saw having a threesome in a bar? Well, he didn't have a threesome per say, but he had two hot twins hogging him, as if there weren't other men around, geez.

"What are you still doing here?" He called me into the present.

"Oh, right..." Hmm, how come his mattress was softer than mine? "Your bed is better than mine." I let him know.

Aric was taking a step forward, probably to tug me to my feet and to my bedroom—when I started bouncing up and down.

"Melissa," he gritted sounding a lot like Pacey when I got on his nerves. "Stop."

I giggled throwing a pillow at his head—though it didn't hit the target, he caught it mid air. I rolled to the far end of bed hugging the other pillow; seriously I looked like a five-year old. Aric's hands seized my shoulders after he came onto bed, I smiled dumbly, but really I should've been thinking: Crap, did I get into trouble? Did he finally blow a fuse?

He tried preying the pillow from my embrace, I wouldn't relinquish my hold. Suddenly, I found myself and the pillow being dragged across bed and yelped. Releasing the pillow caused Aric to fall back, it was a good thing he fell on bed. Blinking softly, I approached him like a wild rabbit would approach a fox, cautiously. Inching closer and closer, I hovered above him, his eyes gazed into mine. A finger reached out to poke his chest.

"You're wearing down my patience, Melissa." He said with irritation, but continued to lay there looking up at the ceiling.

Funny that I only noticed now, Aric was wearing a T-shirt and sweat pants.

"You sleep all dressed up."

"It's chilly, I got cold. Is that a crime?" Aric lifted himself, making me tumble slightly.

"No," I mumbled. "Aric?"

"What?" He exhaled grabbing his head in both hands.

"Can I sleep here?"

His eyes almost bulged—it was like I'd asked for the dirtiest thing in the history of... well, I don't know—anything?

"No, it's my room—"

"I'll just sleep with you, it's a big bed." I opened my arms showing him I couldn't reach the margins. "See?" I smiled widely; really I was being such a kid. No wonder he was getting annoyed.

"It's not right."

"Oh, why not? Your mattress is softer than mine!" I whined pluming into the pillow. "I thought you didn't like Nate, so what's the problem with me sharing a bed with you?"

"I don't care about that," he stated emotionless, the corners of his jaw pinched. "It's just not right—"

"That's not an answer," I sang out lout, grabbing the pillow, shoving it the furthest away as possible then I lifted the covers getting under them. "Goodnight," I called before snuggling.

***

There was shifting, mumbles and curses but there was a sinking weight on the other side and the lights were gone.

Waking up to a load of pain made me wish I had bought pain killers. Groaning I rolled over, hitting something—something warm. I was up against a smooth, cozy surface. My head splinted harder when I smiled slightly, rubbing my cheek against it. Nate… my head deduced. But just as soon as my hands wrapped around the arm I was leaning on, my brain fired a code red. Nate wasn't with me, so… unless I'd dreamed the whole him leaving thing—I gulped wondering who the hell was next to me.

Peeking open my eyes, I pushed the flashes of pain away—was I hung-over? It sure felt like it, and it was a hard one. The arm's skin was familiar; it looked golden—like Nate's. As my chin tilted I saw green instead of light brown. Oh my God. What the hell did I do? Who knew, I mean, I was angry with Nate and… I wouldn't make out with his—Ew. What if I had? If Nate found out he'd kill Aric, then he'd kill me—oh crap. I should've put a stop to my out-of-control behavior, I should have drawn a line. 'Cuz if I'd done anything with Aric, well, that was out of line. Nate had lied, he hadn't cheated. At least, he better not have done it—because if I ever found out he head... someone was going to have a black eye and no teeth.

"What…what are you doing here…?" I stuttered rubbing my head as light flood in.

Aric shifted cutting off some sun light.

"You don't remember?" There was a last hint of sleep in his tone. That phrase was never good.

"Did we… did we do something?"

"God no," he sounded mortified by the possibility.

My gut wrenched with relief, there was another part that felt let down. Was that outburst supposed to mean I wasn't attractive?

"You make it sound like that would be impossible."

"It is impossible, luv." He climbed out of bed allowing me to see just how dressed he was. He had more on than I did, I'd give him that.

"Why, are you gay?" Aric's glance chilled me. "Okay, just a thought…" I guess that matter was supposed to be laid to rest, as Aric didn't offer an explanation. "So, what did happen last night? Did I get hit by a bus—did you get the license plate so we can sue?" I saw a smirk creeping onto his lips.

"I'm pretty sure you'd be dead if that were the case, darling." He stated smartly, ruining my smartass question. "What happened was that I took you somewhere fun—a club."

Oh… it didn't ring a bell. No, actually, a lot of them rang—they were all playing in my head at the same time.

"Then what?"

Aric gave a one shoulder shrug.

"Then you drank it."

I looked over to him startled.

"I drank the whole club?" I stuttered.

Aric hung his head and I knew he was hiding a mocking smile.

"No, that was a way of saying you drank a lot—too much."

I sat up covering my eyes letting out another pained groan.

"Someone turn off the sun," I whined crashing back into bed, mumbling incoherent stuff.

There was a snicker; it was obvious who it came from. There wasn't anyone else in the bedroom. I chucked a pillow at him without even aiming. The pillow didn't come back, but there was pacing, a door being opened and… silence. I glanced around to see Aric had left.

It hit me like a load of bricks. A pit of blackness swarming inside of me, releasing cold specks of ice—that's what it felt like... when I realized the truth. The worst moment in your life is when you finally wake up and learn you've lost yourself. It was a hideous feeling, understanding that maybe I'd never known myself all that well. I'd always done the right thing, I followed the rules, I cared—sometimes I even cared too much. How could I have let myself think, for a second, that there was nothing wrong with me? Nothing bad? No one was perfect, I wasn't an exception.

I proved I was capable of killing and it wasn't the worst feeling in the world. It kinda felt... like I was in control. Just for a minute, I had control over my life—not just mine, another person's. I shouldn't feel good or like it, that was evil. I was evil. The last few days had been like dreams, like I'd been locked in my body while another person took over. It wasn't me, but it was, because I saw everything, I planned everything. I enjoyed doing what I did. What I did in the last couple of days was drop the barrier around my anger. I had allowed it to flow outside, to explode from within me. It felt really good. I was living my life, making my choices. I couldn't care less if it made a bad person; I couldn't be burden with what others thought of my actions because there was this victorious emotion sprouting. It felt too great to let it go. But then, I didn't want to be like this forever. I didn't want not to feel compassion, love—I wanted it. I just had to find a balance between my yin-yang. I needed a restraint. And I knew what that was—or rather who, but he left. So, until he hopped back in my life, if he ever did, I was swinging towards the badass side of me.

I wish I could say I hated him, I couldn't, or I could but I'd be lying. After everything, I still loved him. And it was because I loved him that I wanted him to quit. Because one day he wouldn't be lucky. Drew was a perfect example of that, Nate was right—the only reason I'd been able to murder her was because she underestimated me. What if Nathaniel did the same one day? It wasn't just that though… it was wrong and I saw it in his eyes sometimes. I saw how—

I yelped as a soft thing got thrown my way—the pillow.

"You're going to stay in bed all day? I thought you wanted me to teach you how to fight." Oh yeah, that I remembered it had been before my drinking night.

"We're gonna start now? I have a splitting headache…" I mumbled seeing Aric leaning on the doorway.

"No, not now. We can't do anything here, luv. We're leaving." My ears perked. Leaving?

"I'll get dressed." I jumped off bed gathering my new clothes.

I think I could pretty much kiss my fun goodbye, I wondered if I could back out of learning how to defend myself without being a wuss... There wasn't a way. Oh well. Yesterday I wanted this, and as soon as my headache passed I knew I'd be wanting it anew.