The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 26

They are so blue. She thought. How can they possibly be so brightly blue? She wished she could come up with a word that would describe that kind of color blue. She went through a few candidates in her mind, but nothing seemed to fit. No words are worthy enough to describe such eyes.

The air around them was buzzing with tension so much so that Hailey imagined hearing an actual buzz, despite the sound being that of their breath. The dripping water from outside had either stopped or she couldn't hear it anymore. It was drowned out by the weird atmosphere that became an impenetrable bubble around the two of them. All she could hear was the air passing between his parted lips, moving considerably slower than her own breath. The warm air coming out of his mouth was rolling over her chin onto her neck. She didn't realize how close he was now. He must've moved towards her. Or possibly she had moved towards him. She wasn't sure.

The smell of roses became even stronger, overwhelming her. She could imagine herself running through a garden filled with them, the sky the exact blue that she couldn't find any words for to describe. The smell was duller now than when she'd first met him, but now that he was so close to her, she could detect a different layer to it. It wasn't sweet or overly potent, rather there was an earthy flavor. It reminded her of the smell that she associated with home and feeling safe.

They moved as close as possible without touching any other part than their legs. This time they had both moved at the same time. His eyes were all that she could see now. Being this near allowed her to see details in the seas of blue that she hadn't been able to see before. His irises truly resembled the waves that she had come to call them in her mind. There were miniscule light-colored waving lines mixed in the deep navy that looked like the glittering sun reflected on the water's surface. It was like she was discovering a completely new dimension of him. It made her crave for more.

She felt herself sinking into his eyes, drowning in the deep dark parts of them and she could swear the wavy lines were moving. She would never have believed that drowning could feel so pleasant.

Hailey took in a sharp breath when her mind comprehended what was about to happen. His eyelashes were fluttering close like butterfly wings and his lips moved. He was slowly leaning into her, passing the tiny distance that was still between them. Hailey closed her eyes and waited for Ash's warm breath to collide with hers. A sound came from Ash's mouth, it was a soft groan from very low in his throat. All the time in the world seemed to pass just as time was standing still and only Ash and Hailey existed. Just as his lips brushed hers...

"Hey, guys?"

The voice was muffled and distant, but it cut through their bubble like a sharp knife. It was as if someone had punched Hailey in the stomach and all the air was abruptly forced out of her lungs. Ash rolled off the bed, making no sound as he landed, not even a soft thump. Hailey kept forgetting how swiftly Ash could move, the way humans couldn't. She wasn't very surprised to have forgotten it right at this moment, seeing as she only just remembered her own name again.

"Dinner is ready. Are you coming?"

Hailey climbed off the bed as Ash stood up straight. Only after hearing the voice again, her mind was able to connect it to its owner.

Leo, Ash's half-brother and the Leader of Team Beta, she recited to herself. Slowly, trivial things like memory and other brain functions started coming back to her.

"Yes, Leo, we're coming. We were just talking. Don't wait up, we'll be there in a second," Ash said. Leo said a word, probably okay or something, but neither of them were listening. Ash turned to Hailey. "You are ― uh, blushing," he said.

"You, too. How come? We were just talking, weren't we?" she snapped. He was taken aback, clearly, he hadn't expected Hailey to react like that. It made her realize that she was being somewhat harsh. What else was he supposed to say?

"Look, Hailey, I'm sorry, but you have to understand―"

"No. Forget I said anything," she interrupted in a small voice, she had never felt so vulnerable. Hailey tried to put up the hard mask of security again, but she couldn't. She tried to turn away from him, but he walked around the bed and put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look in his eyes.

"They can't know about this, about us," Ash replied. He was trying to be gentle with the way he said it, but he couldn't completely hide the sharpness of his tone. She felt her gut twist painfully.

"Why? Because I'm just some mortal?" she spit, trying to sound stern. But really, her voice betrayed how hurt she felt.

"Yes," he replied, too quickly. Hailey's eyes grew and her mouth fell open. Frustrated, Ash took his hands off her and combed them through his hair. The movement through the velvety, dark waves made Hailey wish it were her own hands. She looked at the ground to stop herself from being distracted just as Ash groaned and said, "No, I didn't mean it like that."

"You don't seem to mean anything you say," she said flatly and concentrated on pulling her clothes right. Flattening the wrinkles and forcefully brushing her hair with her fingers.

"Okay, Hailey, listen to me. Listen," he repeated, because she hadn't been looking at him. Now she was. "If my Team finds out, they are forced to tell the Order and if they do, we'll both be punished. Severely punished." He took her wrists, but softly so he didn't hurt her, and stopped her from ripping through her knotted strands. "They'll execute you and I can't let that happen."