Half of You

Blue - Fifteen

Button downs are a staple in his wardrobe it seems - this one is pewter grey, bunched up at the elbows, making the ripple of his muscles beneath look like chiseled stone. Dark black jeans display powerful legs as he steps out of the doorway and into my space.

Overwhelming.. that's the only way to describe how he affects me, commanding every ounce of my attention. His scent curls around me, invading my lungs, and his eyes captivate me in twisting shades of black and green. "You look even better." I do my best to not sound breathless.

He grips a wicker basket in one of his hands and the other reaches out to me. A gentle caress of electricity passes through his body and into mine. "Where are we going?" I ask, letting him lead me into the trees through a path of beaten down grass. His smile is sharp.

"A field of flowers that only grows for a few weeks each year. It's the perfect place for a picnic." Big pink, purple and blue flowers are what comes to mind, like those around the lake. Bushes upon bushes of them. I wonder what he's packed, my stomach clenching at the idea of food. I should make it a habit to start eating after training.

"I'm starving. What did you bring?" I ask, glancing at the basket swinging on the other side of his legs. He stops and pulls a thick bush to the side, motioning his head for me to go through. "I packed for the stuff us to make sandwiches, and those little cakes you made. The few that were left anyway." I step through where he's directed. This isn't a path at all, just an area of thick underbrush where I have to duck so I don't hit my head on low-hanging limbs.

"Did you like them?" I didn't get a chance to ask him before. It didn't seem appropriate with everything else going on, with those deaths so fresh. They are still fresh now.

He moves past me, holding thorn bushes, some branches and vines out of my way. "I did." He pulls more growth free, until I can see a peak of bright light. I crouch lower, moving through the small space created, then standing up.There's a whole field void of all but a single tree, and the sun glimmers down on ankle height white flowers. "It's really pretty." The sight of them brings a smile to my face, and when Payne rests his hand on my lower back, a blush soon follows.

"I thought you would like to see it. The first cold snap of the year will kill them all off." I nod in understanding as we cut a careful path through the flowers, making our way to the tree. He reaches in the basket and pulls out a folded up blanket. After I help him spread it out flat we both sit down across from each other, and he begins to unpack the food. Is this how things were always supposed to be between my mate and I?

"I love it. This place, this land, it's.. very beautiful. I explored the land back home with Limmie, but that was fun because it was dangerous. This is peaceful." He pulls out a loaf of bread, a knife, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a few condiments.

He unwraps the bread and uses the knife to start slicing it. "It is. The quiet here is different than other packs I've been to." A short pause. "What would you like on yours?" It doesn't take long to consider.

"Ham, and everything but tomato." I've never been a picky eater, but tomato is different. He nods and gets to work assembling it for me. I try not to show my surprise at the gesture. "I thought that it would be scarier being here, being among new wolves. Even if I miss my family I feel more at home here, like I have a place." Kassidy's words ring in my head, more true than I felt they were originally.

He hands me my sandwich on a folded up napkin, cut in half. Exactly like I asked for it. I take the first bite and realize exactly how hungry I am. Payne begins to make his own, a small smile curling up at his lips like it's barely there. "I'm glad you came. We may not have ever known about each other otherwise." If I wasn't chewing I would frown at his words. If I had been stubborn and not listened to my mother, I would still be in Deadpaw, facing my rejection daily.