Hemlock Clan: What I Am

~ XXVIII ~

Cameron

"You look different." Rosie eyed me as I sat on the desk chair and placed two mugs of coffee in front of me - the red cup was hers, the blue one was mine, both contained white coffee with two sugars.

Shrugging, I spun in the chair so I could face her while she sat on the desk on the opposite side of the gatehouse, legs swinging underneath her. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, the purple ends brushing against her bare shoulders. I watched as she looked me up and down. Feeling a little self- conscious, I diverted my gaze to the floor briefly, to break the uneasy eye contact, feeling my cheeks start to heat up.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you look ...." She waved her hands as she tried to think of a word, then her lips raised in a knowing smirk. "It's Blake, isn't it? He's got you all hot and bothered and turning you into this massive mushy pile of flesh." She swept her gaze up and down my body again, her lips twisted in a grin.

I felt the whole of my head heat up at Blake's name and ducked my head once more, hoping that my face wasn't too red.

"Oh, Cameron, don't be like that!" Rosie laughed, swinging her legs excitedly. "It's great that you're dating him." She smiled gently. "Happy looks good on you."

Happy.

I was happy.

Blake made me happy.

His words, his touch, his smile. Even though I'd seen him only a couple of hours before my shift started, I missed him already. That last thought made me think of teenagers and their crushes, but I couldn't help it. I did have a crush on him. And it was obvious he crushed on me, too. But I was pretty sure that it was much more than a crush now.

Last night, when he'd taken me to his house ... it had been nothing like I thought. Despite the fact that I had been nervous about going to the house, knowing full well that I was about to meet his family even though he kept insisting otherwise, the evening had been, well ... one of the best dates I'd had. I might not have a lot of experience with dating someone, but I doubt a date with anyone else would have left me feeling so ... accepted. Liked. Included.

His family had made sure I was comfortable under their roof, and Blake had showered me in attention, kisses and ... something like love. But it couldn't actually be love. I mean, we had only known each other for a matter of weeks. No one can fall in love that quickly. Love at first sight was for movies, sitcoms ... not real life.

But in his room, when he saw my scars ... the way he acted. It was ... well ... He'd kissed each of my scars, and I'd felt his emotion deep in my heart, like he was pouring his feelings into every kiss. I had felt a tug every time his mouth met my skin, like a rope was between us, pulling us closer together with each brush of lips.

And that was all we did in his room. Kiss. Touch. Whisper. I had thought we'd do much more, especially after he'd had his head in my crotch, but it was as though the atmosphere hadn't called for sex. It had called for something far more tender. So, soft kisses, gentle touches and quiet murmurs had filled the air instead, and that had felt right.

"So, where did lover boy take you last night to get you smiling like this?" Rosie cocked her head to one side as she studied me again, her legs swinging steadily.

Clearly, being happy wasn't something she was used to seeing on me.

"He, uh, took me to see his house," I muttered, aware that a smile was tugging at my lips at just the thought of Blake, the heat in my cheeks still burning my skin.

Rosie straightened up, eyebrows nearly at her hairline. "House? Here? In the city?"

I shook my head. "No, it's out in the countryside. Near that old forest. About a hours' drive from here." I was surprised I remembered where his house was. On the way out there, I had been admiring the car, then was caught in my head after we drove past what would have been my old home. On the way back to the city, I had spent most of the ride admiring Blake, still trying to get my head around the fact that I was with someone like him.