Stuck

Chapter 12

I felt him lean down and sit beside me.  "Thank you for helping me out earlier," I said meekly, not wanting to be overbearing.  

He just shrugged.  "It was nothing.  Are you sure you're alright?"  I scoffed.  

"Honestly?" 

 "Honestly."  

I sighed.  "No."  

"Okay, so here's a new one for you; why not?" 

 I looked at him.  His brown eyes were filled with concern.  "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."  

"Try me."

 Should I?  I contemplated.  Is it a good idea to confide in him?  It might be nice to have someone to talk to instead if holding it al in. A little voice in the back of my head told me no.  This couldn't possibly be a good idea.  It's just one more person to worry about.  It's probably not the best idea.  

"There's not actually anything wrong." 

"Val, don't try that stuff with me, obviously there is." 

"You want the truth?"  

"Yes!" 

I sighed. "I'm homesick.  This place is nowhere like where I'm from, and I just want to be with my brother, at home.  I want to go home."  I felt my eyes welling up again.

"Isn't your brother still in town?  He couldn't have left that quickly."  

"He left yesterday."  Towards the end of the sentence, my voice cracked.  

I had hoped it was subtle to that Cade wouldn't notice that I had began to cry, but I had no such luck. He put his arm around my shoulders, and took the other arm and gently placed it on my back, pulling me into him.  I shivered at the contact.  

"I'm so sorry.  You shouldn't have to care for me this much.  I promise I'll be out of your hair and back home in no time."  

"But that's the thing, Val."  He murmured quietly.  

"What?"  I replied halfheartedly.  

"I do care about you."  

"Wait, do you mean in the way-" I was shut up by the feeling of his cold lips against mine.  

Stunned, I just let him kiss me, and then thought, fuck it.  I'm only here for a little while.  I relaxed into it.  His lips were soft, but surprisingly freezing.  He hadn't been standing outside nearly as long as I had, but he still managed to make his lips absolutely chilly.  Sooner than it had begun, he pulled away.  I immediately looked away, embarassed by my actions.  

"Um, I just had to- I mean, I felt like it was right to-"  

"You don't need to apologize.  I'm just not in that place right now, if that's alright with you."  

Cade cleared his throat.  "That's fine, yeah.  Totally okay."  

I nodded.  I can't believe that just happened.  One moment I'm sitting outside alone in the cold, the next, I have a college boy from the 2000's kissing me. Never thought I would end up here.  

But, did I like Cade at all?  I mean, he was a little old-fashioned for me, and although he may be a bit uneducated in everything, it might be okay.  The little voice in the back of my head piped up again.  It could never work.  I was going to have to restrain myself from getting into something with him.  I realized that we had been sitting outside without talking for quite awhile.  

"Do you want to-"  

"Go inside?  Yes please."  He sprung up without a second's hesitation.  

Quietly, he slipped inside and held the door for me.  I ducked under his arm, and upon getting inside, came to terms with just how cold I was.  I shuddered and hugged myself, starting to shuffle back to my room.  

"Val?"  

"Yeah?"  

"Do you just want to sleep with me tonight?"  I was taken aback.  Isn't that another way of saying that he would like to mate with me? 

"Excuse me?"  

"No.  No! I didn't mean it that way.  Shit, sorry, I forgot about the language barrier.  I meant like actually sleep.  You look pretty cold and a couple of thin blankets in your room isn't going to solve anything.  You need body heat."  

"Oh.  I guess that would be alright."  I nervously got under the covers and made myself comfortable.  

Involuntarily, I shivered.  I scolded myself quietly before Cade spoke. 

"Are you still cold?"  

"A bit."  

I heard him move over from the other side of the bed until his arm was around my shoulders and his arm draped across my waist.  I put my head on his chest and tried to sleep.  

Fortunately, my method of drowsiness finally worked.

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Hey, sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've just been wicked busy. Sorry for the short chapter as well.

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