Returning to Innocence [EDITING]

Chapter Thirty

I'd just like to apologise for taking ages to upload and thanking all my new fans! I love you all!

Song of the day: The Only Exception by Paramore. Beautiful song XD

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"Are you tired?" I whispered, after we had lain in silence for a while.

"No." Alex whispered back, putting his arm around me. I let a smile creep onto my face as I nestled into him, enjoying the feeling of his warm body next to mine. It was a piece of comfort in the harsh world around me.

The sound of my mother stomping up the stairs made us both freeze and Alex quickly slipped under the bed. My eyes snapped shut and I lay there limp, praying that if she looked in she would fall for my sleeping act. The door creaked open and I held my breath, terrified. What if Alex wasn't hidden well enough? What if she saw him? What if she knew I wasn't asleep? What if...

The door shut and I sighed in relief, running a shaky hand through my hair. Alex climbed back onto the bed next to me, wrapping his arms around me. I breathed in slowly, calming myself down slightly.

"Scarlett, chill," Alex whispered. "She didn't catch me."

"But if she did, she'd probably ban me from ever seeing you again. You're the only person I trust, I can't have you gone." I stuttered, my speech becoming more rapid as I thought of what it would be like. I was already destructive; with out him... I couldn't bear to think.

"Calm down. It didn't happen and she can't stop me from seeing you. I won't leave you again, never. That's a promise." I saw him smile in the faint light and I shook my head.

"But what if..." Alex cut me off with a kiss and I melted into it, eyes closing automatically as my body relaxed. All thoughts were taken form my mind except the connection between me and Alex right now.

I never believed in soul mates. In books, they would go on about the soul mate principle between vampires and werewolves, or just normal people; I always thought it was ridiculous. If soul mates existed, why didn't mine come and save me?

Except now with Alex, it felt plausible. Me and him connected in such a perfect way. We hadn't known each other long, but we both trusted each other so much. If my life was in jeopardy, I would trust Alex to keep me safe. Just him lying next to me now, holding me, protecting me, proved that he cared. It proved that he cared more than anyone.

He pulled away and I snapped out of my reverie, blushing at my previous thoughts. Soul mates? Was I really thinking about that? I barely knew him. I didn't love him yet, why was I thinking about soul mates? It was ridiculous.

I coughed nervously, not looking up. Alex sat up and I followed, my arms still wrapped around him. My head lay on his chest and he stroked my hair absentmindedly every once in a while. We lay in comfortable silence.

Alex's breathing became even as he drifted to sleep and I sighed happily. His arm remained protectively around me as I stared up at the darkness of my ceiling. A crack in the curtain made shapes in the curtain and I let my mind wonder.

What if I had never met Alex? What if the teacher had put me in a different seat in English? Would I still have sparked Alex's interest, or would we be practically strangers like I was with most of the class? If I hadn't met Alex, I would be on a path of self-destruction with no one holding me back.

The front door opened as my dad came in, only discernible from the creak of the floorboards in the hall. I jumped, making Alex stir but not wake up. As Dad began to climb the stairs, I realised what a dilemma. If I woke Alex up, he might speak and my dad would hear; if I didn't, my dad might come in and see him there.