Tonight Will Change Our Lives

Rachel swore that Aiden had been pulling her leg as they traveled down a beaten road that veered off of the main road. No one could have possibly known about it. Rachel would have missed it if she were trying to find it. There wasn't a sign or anything to signify that there was a road present.

Even then Rachel thought Aiden was planning on killing her or something along those lines. It would have explained his friendly nature. They walked on that road for a good half hour before Rachel finally spoke up.

"Aiden, this isn't funny. Where the hell is your house?" Rachel asked with worry in her voice.

"It's fine. We're almost there," Aiden said.

"It's getting really dark out here," Rachel commented.

"No, it's just the trees are taller and thicker so they block out whatever light that makes it through the clouds. Why? Are you scared?" Aiden asked, turning his head to smile at Rachel.

Rachel turned her head away to hide her embarrassed face.

"Aw. It's ok," Aiden assured.

Rachel felt his hand reach for hers and lace its fingers in between hers. Rachel's chest started to beat quickly. She looked at her hands in his then looked at Aiden who was staring at the road ahead of them. Her hand tingled in his cold hands. Rachel couldn't wrap her mind around it. Aiden was holding her hand. She was holding his.... and she wasn't pulling away.

Aiden had to be able to hear her heart echoing in the still forest.

"We're here!" Aiden announced as they walked into a clearing.

Rachel's mouth dropped as she stared at Aiden's home. It was beautiful. A three story building with ivy growing up its sides. It was a marigold color and the window shutters were painted a beige color. At one point they must have been white.

"It's beautiful," Rachel blurted out.

"I guess," Aiden replied, shrugging his shoulders. "It's nothing really. Let's get inside. It's cold out here."

When they stepped through the front door, Rachel realized that she was still holding Aiden's hand. She let go of it immediately.

"I-I uh, thanks for getting me through the forest," Rachel stuttered.

Aiden smiled at her, "I didn't really have much of a choice. I'm going into the kitchen to get us some snacks. The studio is up the stairs on the second floor. First door to your right."

Rachel nodded and followed his directions.

His home was beautiful. When they had entered, they had stepped into a huge main hall with a iron-rod spiral staircase. The walls were painted a warm peach tone. The floors were carpeted with a lighter shade of peach.

"It must be a nice place to live," Rachel muttered to herself as she made her way onto the second floor.

The door on her right was open. The girl stepped in and gasped. It was a studio one could only dream of. Unused easels lay about the room. A work table covered with buckets of assorted brushes was pushed against the opposite wall. A rack that reached the ceiling held many different colors of paint, mirroring what a wine rack looked like. Finished paintings rested against each other and the walls.

"Oh crap, I forgot something," Aiden muttered from down the stairs.

Rachel stuck her head out of the door in time to see Aiden's back disappear down the stair case. Something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes. For the first time, Rachel noticed a door across the studio. She glanced back at the stairwell and then back at the door.

"Just a peek," Rachel said quietly to herself.

Rachel walked across the hallway and opened the door slowly. It was a bed room. A dark bed room, at that. The walls were painted navy blue while the ceiling was painted white. It was clean for the most part. There was an occasional dirty shirt laying on the floor but other than that it was a clean room. Rachel decided not to bother with the light switch and walked over to the desk that was beside the large bed.

The desk was also very clean. A stack of books lay on top. Rachel opened the first book, titled "Complexities and Contradictions of Astrology". The name inside was Aiden's. It was strange to Rachel that Aiden would be reading a college level book. They didn't offer astrology at their school. Rachel knew Aiden was smart. She didn't realize that he was a genius. She put the book aside and another book lay underneath titled, "Advanced Topics in Cellular Anatomy."

"Snooping through my stuff?" A voice whispered against Rachel's neck.

The hair on her neck stood up. The girl turned around and came face to face with Aiden.

"I-I I was-"

Aiden silenced Rachel and kissed her softly.