Infatuation

The couch was vibrating.

Okay, moving up and down. I tried digging my head deeper into the pillow, wrapping the covers closely—something sunk beside me.

I was sleepy like hell, still, I managed to peek at what was disturbing me. Shaking my head, I forced raven strands away. Only a little lamp was lit on the nearby table; I saw round shoulders rolling in and out as Aric bent down, working his shoes and jeans off.

Aric... I sighed, feeling my body sink into the thin mattress.

Wait, alert! Code red, code red! Had I just thought Aric's name and sighed... happily? I should feel angry, maybe push him off the couch-bed for waking me up in late hours of night. I'd been sleeping like a baby.

I should...

My brain stopped as Aric laid down facing me. Unexpectedly, our eyes met.

"Huh," he cleared his throat subtly. "I didn't mean to wake you." His velvet voice lowered to the infinite's of low. "Since you woke up, though, can you share those?" I glanced down. I was hogging all the covers.

I looked at him for a fleeting second, remembering how he'd been shaking inside the freezer. I never wanted to see his doped, lifeless gaze again. Relinquishing the death grip on the sheets, I watched Aric covering himself, placing an arm under his pillow then closing his eyes. I tried lulling mine into doing the same, but found it impossible. I didn't get why, I mean, before he came over I was infected with Sandman.

Now... now it was like I had a caffeine rush.

"I'm not in the mood, Anna..." it escaped softly—only for my ears—after I'd touched the side of his head where a hazy, purple bruise had formed. From Nate's punch, no doubt.

I dropped the finger.

"I wasn't trying to get you in the mood for anything." I declared quieter than usual. "I was admiring your temple, looks like you've been hit by a brick."

"I got punched. You of all people should be jumping up and down, hum? I even expect you to give my brother a medal for it."

I stifled a frown from manifesting.

"You surprised me, I thought you were going to hit back." I mused. "Why didn't you?"

"Bugger," he cursed in a very Australian-like accent, turning onto his stomach but keeping his face turned to me. "I've had this conversation already, I don't like to repeat myself. Let's just sleep, yeah?" the sheets rustled when Aric readjusted for what he deemed to be a final time. His head sagged into the pillow.

I rolled my eyes, letting them fall to the black hair. Its silkiness was encrypted in my brain on so many levels it scared me. I'd always remember it, because I'd never met someone with his luxurious, glossy black hair.

Since we'd escaped death by icicles, I'd been going over the new feelings in my heart. Not only for Aric—for life, from what I wanted to do with it. I'd promised myself if I survived I'd turn it around. I would do what my Aunt wanted, I'd attend College. Maybe actually get to know guys before sleeping with them, take a swing at normal.

"Why aren't you in the mood?" I propped my head on a hand, staring down at him.

His eyes slit for the third time since he'd gotten in bed. I got the sense I wasn't bothering Aric, not as much as he wanted me to believe.

A glint in his pupil was missing, the intense glow was there, but something was amiss. I couldn't put my finger on it. He just looked exhausted; not body-tired—emotionally drained.

"You like making me miserable, don't you?" a tug of lips made my eyebrows rise a little. "You're such an evil woman." He rubbed a hand up and down his face.

"You woke me up. Now pay the price of keeping me entertained." Aric had gotten closer—his face nearly in front of mine.

"I thought you weren't trying to shack up." I almost smiled at the thick, drawled accent. It was sexy.

"I wasn't—and I'm not. But you made me curious... and I'm having trouble falling asleep." I wanted to show him the close distance between us didn't affect me.

I could feel his sweet musky scent invading my personal space, causing my skin to crawl in a nice way. My forest eyes dropped to the sensual lips. I watched as they formed a knowing smirk.

"Thinking about our departure kiss?" I looked up, aware he'd been studying me with content as I reminisced about what happened between us in that walk-in freezer.

I tossed a handful of hair over a shoulder, exposing my neck.

"There's nothing to think about." I shrugged. "We were in a tight spot and we could've died—plus, my brain was pretty frozen already."

Aric blew out a breath; it spread over my naked flesh. I gritted my teeth.

"Right," he agreed. "It was a near-death reaction thing, completely understandable. There was nothing going on there. We're just enemies with benefits when we're itching."

Aric made me blush for the first time. Talking about sex was something I did since I turned sixteen, even before it was a subject that hadn't truly fazed me. I'd had other complicated things to deal with, like learning pressure points of the human body. The way he'd phrased it though... I never heard anything quite like it.

"But then again," he muttered. "If that's true, why would you care if I'm alright or not?"

I blinked, leaning inches backward as he got closer. In a moment, I collected my snappy comebacks.

"I didn't ask anything like that, you're dreaming." After saying it, I realized how lame it sounded, he saw it do, regarding me with a sarcastic grin.

"Aww, but you did." His finger flipped a hair away. "You asked why I'm not in the mood to have hate-sex with you." My face flattered for a second. Did that imply caring?

My teeth ground together, "Right, because all I think about is how great and amazing you are in bed." I averted my eyes with a heavy dosage of sarcasm.

"Isn't it, though?" he threw out promptly. "What else do you have on me—besides how appealing I am? Nothing. You don't know me."

"Is that supposed to make feel guilty or something? Because you don't really know me, either." I retorted harshly, not understanding why his words had caused such a volatile reaction.

"Now that's not true," I parted my mouth slowly as he shook his head. "I might not know what your favorite food is, but I know other things by the way you act and speak. I've told you what I think of you. Back when you tricked me into playing pool if you don't remember." He filled in with a sense of plenitude.

I remembered, in fact, it was the most accurate description I'd ever gotten from a guy. He'd been the first to state it like that. When had he even evaluated me? We hadn't been that long together.

My only opinion of Aric was one. He rocked my world in bed.

With some reluctance I accepted he was correct. I didn't pay attention to the moments he was around, I only cared when we were going at it. That shouldn't eat at me... but there was a feeling, like my stomach was twisting around, like two snakes getting tangled in one another.

"I fancy you," Aric's sudden blurt got my eyes big as saucers, he let it slide. "You're not clingy or needy," I stared. "I enjoy the way you're able to speak your thoughts. It's bold. You have a mind of your own. It's..." Aric shook his head like he wasn't achieving the vocabulary he desired. "It's refreshing." His thumb brushed a dark eyebrow into place. "And we do have great sex."

My eyes warded off his, my tongue wetted my lips fast as I drew a breath into my lungs. I continued staring beyond him to the lit lamp until I was certain I could be myself.

"Did you make that speech so you wouldn't answer what's up with you?" my head cocked with a tight expression as he showed me a ravenous smile.

"I find you intriguing," Aric's finger tips brushed my collar bone's skin. My eyes wanted to follow it, see where it went—but I kept them stilled on his. "That's why..." he breathed, gaining closeness to my chin, his lips dragged along it, then staged themselves under my earlobe. "I went back for you." His velvet tone faded out.

My body jolted as Aric simply caressed my ear-shell.

I felt his satin hair under my palms, slowly molding my fingers into it. I felt Aric's soft exhales on my neck as he kept kissing a sensitive spot on my curve. I was incapable of getting him away. It was just too wonderful and delicate.

I leaned my face to his, traveling a hand down, tugging at the sleeve of his t-shirt, peeking at the tattoo. I liked that, it was nice. Going from his shoulder to the beginning of his forearm, was a large black feather, twisted to the sides like it was floating in the wind.

"That's not what I wanted to know," I managed when he ceased causing nice, prickling sensations. Aric lowered his forehead to mine, our hair was both dark and mixed together. I could only tell them apart due their textures.

"I thought you were tired and wanted to sleep." He rolled onto his side of the couch. "So, there."

I sniffed, twitching my nose disapprovingly.

"I'm not in the mood either," I told him, feeling his bare leg brush mine. "I just figured the reason why you aren't in the mood is the same reason why you didn't hit Nate back—not that I wanted you to..." I added so I wouldn't be responsible for something in the next day. Who knew if Aric would decide to punch Nathaniel because I was being so insistent? Mel would rip my head off if she found out.

Aric's sigh was heavy and annoyed, but I wasn't a person who gave up easily.

"I'm just going to keep bugging you—" As I finished poking his shoulder, not only was I cut off but also found my hand caught in his.

"Today's the anniversary of my Mum's death. Can we please wrap the interrogation and sleep, now?" joking traces had vanished, Aric was glancing me expectantly while I was left flabbergasted by his snappy confession and request.

"Huh... sure." I answered after he readjusted the sheets covering us.

"Goodnight, then." He mumbled into the pillow's fabric.