Word count: 5944 (not all chapters will be this long)
I really hope you enjoy this story!
Crown Pack: Alpha Robert
Cora's POV
I breathe in the fresh night air and admire the twinkling lights below me. The moon and stars shine bright overhead, a lot brighter than I'm used to in my Arizona city. But since this small Georgian town is far away from any other spot of civilization, the stars shine like diamonds in the sky. I've never seen them so clearly before.
The marvelous sky is just another reminder of where I am, who I'm with, and who I left behind in that crowded desert town. It's a happy reminder.
"What would you do if I threw up on you right now?"
I feel the mood darken along with my relaxed mood. Looking beside me with a bored look, I see Theo Drazen smiling at me widely. I can't help but compare it to his brother's smile who is one car above us.
"We're on a Ferris wheel, Theo. Why would you throw up," I ask tired.
His blonde hair is swept away from his face in a stylish comb over. He's wearing a plaid shirt which, let me be honest, looks amazing on him, but he doesn't understand that I'm not interested in a boyfriend at the moment. My life is too chaotic, way too chaotic for him and his perfect family.
But since I am staying with him for the next two months, I have to put up with his perverted pushy personality. He used to be just pushy and annoying, but from the last time I came here, three years ago, he had grown into a womanizer, unfortunately for me.
He shrugs innocently, not looking sick at all. "I just wanted to make you feel better, you don't seem too happy."
I sigh and involuntarily my eyes glide up at the car above us. From their car, I can hear giggling and see the bench swaying. I feel sick at the thought of what they could possibly be doing up there.
Theo follows my eyes and makes a sound of understanding. "You haven't warmed up to her have you?"
"Has anyone warmed up to her?" I say sarcastically.
"No, not unless you count Calix, but he's is too blinded by her big breasts to care about her-"
"Terrible personality," I finish for him. I cross my arms and with a scowl, look over the festival below us.
"She really is the spawn of Satan isn't she," he says thoughtfully.
"No," I say, "she's the devil herself." I think back to yesterday when she 'accidently' locked me out of Calix's house for two hours while she distracted him by watching a movie with him. Or today when she hid my phone from me for the good part of the day. I was frantic in finding it, hoping she didn't answer a call from my mom.
Theo sighs and hangs an arm over my shoulder. "My brother's a jerk, I know."
"He's not a jerk," I pause. "He's just in love," I say sadly.
"So that excuses his treatment towards you?" Theo sounds offended. This is why I like Theo. Even if he is a huge flirt he really does care about me, enough to go against his big brother. He's a good friend. "You're his best friend, and he's completely ignoring the way she treats you, that's not okay."
"To his defense, she always messes with me behind his back, so he never sees it." The Ferris wheel finally starts back up again, sending a slight breeze through my red hair.
"So you should tell him," Theo tells me, growing tired of Natalie's hatred towards me.
"I won't mess up his relationship like that Theo," I tell him. It's true, my best friend might be completely oblivious to his girlfriend's feelings for me, but I care about Calix too much to mess up something so great in his life, even if it's making mine worse. She makes him happy, and I know she does care about him, otherwise she wouldn't be afraid of losing him to me.
"I'm just saying that he should put uteruses before duderuses," he says seriously.
"Theo," I say trying not to laugh. "That doesn't work because Natalie and I are both girls."
He leans in close to my ear and whispers, "No she's not."
The Ferris wheel stops again, this time, it's our turn to get off. With both of us laughing, we get off the bench and wait to the side for Calix and Natalie next.
When they stop at the bottom, Calix waves to me with a big smile on his face which brings a smile to my own face. He's always smiling which is a gift to everyone around him because he has a perfect set of white teeth, and when he smiles the skin around his eyes crinkle up in the most adorable way.
He's about to get off when Natalie pulls on his arm to pull him back down. She says something to him with a pleading expression and a pout. Then Calix sighs, kisses her nose, and turns to the worker that handles the controls and says something. Then the Ferris wheel starts up again, and Natalie squeals in delight.
My happy mood changes once again to disappointment. Ever since I came here two weeks ago, Calix has been too caught up with his girlfriend to hardly pay attention to me. With everything going on in my life right now, I just needed one thing this summer, and that was Calix.
He's been my best friend since I was going into sixth grade and he was going into seventh. It was a summer just like this one except it was in my hometown in Arizona. Coincidently his aunt and uncle lived in the house behind mine, and he was staying there for the summer. I was enjoying the summer break at home when a boy a year older than me rang my door bell asking for his football that he threw over her fence.
Calix says he stills remembers me opening the front door in my pink and green striped pajama's and matching top. I was barely five foot then, but now I'm at least five nine. Times have changed us both drastically.
We shared that whole summer together; riding bikes around the neighborhood, having a mud fight, eating popsicles out on the front porch, me trying to teach him how to dance, and playing karaoke when it was raining outside.
Ever since then we kept in touch, texting all day every day, calling almost every night, skyping often, and even spending summers together again. After that first summer, he came for the next two, until I came out here to Georgia to spend only a few weeks here with his family. Every other year we switched off where we stayed except for last summer because neither of us could meet up. It seemed a lot had changed since last summer because I do not remember him being so attractive, and I was definitely not so grown up as he put it, which really means puberty hit me while we were separated. It was late coming, but at least it still showed up, much to Theo's appreciation.
"Well then," Theo sighs beside me. "Since my brother is an insensitive asshole, want to go do something else?"
"Like what?" I ask tired. I didn't want to come to this festival anyways, but Calix dragged me along with him. And since I thought it was only going to be us two I was agreed to come, until Natalie showed up and ruined the fun.
Theo shrugs his shoulders and takes a look around us. "There's that classic throwing game where you try to knock over the bowling pins?"
Having nothing better to do than to follow Theo around, I agree. Besides, maybe he could get me one of those cute stuffed animals, and Calix would feel bad for making me hang out with his flirtatious brother.
After waiting for Theo to unsuccessfully knock down all the pins, I grow bored. "I'm going to go get something to eat, want anything?"
He looks sideways to me before throwing the ball again, hitting nothing but air. With a frustrated groan, he says, "You're bad luck, get out of here."
Laughing, I do as he says and leave him alone.
I wander around the carnival a little bit before I find a hamburger stand. Only one hamburger stand in the whole carnival? It sounds un-American.
The line is long, at least a fifteen-minute wait but it gives me something to do. Besides, I really am hungry.
I wait patiently as one girl tries to cook burgers for over twenty people. The stench of grease, popcorn, and cotton candy hangs thickly in the air. I can't smell anything other than it; now that's American.
Finally, I reach the front and order a simple hamburger and drink. I fish out a ten from my wallet, contemplating on whether I should let her keep the change. Behind me people impatiently shift from foot to foot, waiting for the line to speed up.
One of the girls right behind me impatiently says, "Can you hurry up? I'm dying of starvation with a capital S."
She's with a guy who has an arm wrapped around her bare waist. They are both younger, probably freshman's in high school.
The cook, with a red face, ignores her while trying to flip a burger. I bet she hates her job, I'm sure once this carnival is over she's going to go to her car and cry.
Feeling sorry for her, I speak up to the rude girl behind me. "I would love to hear you say that to children in Africa."
The rude girl who is apparently "starving" glares at me. "I wasn't speaking to you, carrot," she sneers.
I laugh dryly. "Wow, creative. I've never heard that one before."
"Don't you have a soul to go take or something?"
"That's a real knee-slapper," I say blandly. "Where do you get all your ginger jokes? Off the internet?"
The girl opens her mouth to speak but gets cut off by a group of people older than us cutting in line in front of her. I let myself smile as her face forms into anger from coming in contact with such rude people, such as herself.
I open my mouth to thank the impolite people for handing out justice when I catch the gaze of one guy in particular from the group of four men.
I'm mesmerized by his eyes and the stare he's holding on me. Everything about him is perfect, his lips, his brown hair that's styled perfectly, his tall and large build, even the rugged looking clothes he's wearing.
He mumbles something to himself, the only reason why I noticed was because my eyes were entranced by his lips. Snapping back into my thoughts after hearing a cough, I turn around to grab the hamburger and drink from the young girl. I slap the ten down on the table and walk away suddenly feeling embarrassed by letting myself check the stranger out.
As I walk away, I feel eyes boring into my back so I walk faster until I turn the corner. Once I get back to Theo he's pouting next to the game looking like someone just told him that Game of Thrones was canceled.
"You didn't win, did you?" I ask once I get close enough. I hand him my drink so I can take a bite of my hamburger.
He only shakes his head before wrapping his lips around the straw of my cup. He hands me back the cup, ignoring the look of distaste on my face.
"I was really hoping you would win me something," I admit.
He raises both eyebrows. "Really?" I nod my head. "Is it because you're finally confessing your feelings towards me or because you want to make Calix feel bad?"
"Why would you want to make me feel bad?"
Surprised, both Theo and I turn around to see Calix walking towards us with Natalie attached to his side.
"Because you're a dîck," Theo mumbles under his breath. I jab him in the side to make him keep his mouth shut. I really don't want this night to get any worse than it already is.
It didn't take long for Theo to realize that I had feelings for Calix when I showed up a couple weeks ago. I think he actually figured it out before I did because I was completely shocked at the realization. Calix is my longest friend, and I never thought I would like him but I do. When I came here this summer, I was expecting to spend it with my best friend, watching movie marathons, eating pancakes, swimming in the lake, and forgetting everything that happened back home, but what I got instead was a turned supermodel best friend who was easily one of the hottest guys I've ever seen, his jealous girlfriend, and a lot of awkward feelings.
Calix looks at his brother strangely before shaking it off and smiling once again. "Have you guys played this game?" He points behind us to the kiosk.
"Theo tried and failed miserably," I say, feeling happier just talking to Calix.
"Hey!" Theo protests.
"He has terrible aim." Calix rolls his eyes and walks between us to hand the man some money to play.
"I bet you can't knock down all nine pins and get Cora that huge bear up there," Theo challenges, pointing to the side of the kiosk where a huge blue bear is hanging up.
I know what he's doing, and I'm grateful for it. He gives me a sideways smirk after Calix says, "Ten bucks says I can."
Natalie glares at me and Theo once Calix steps up the counter to pitch the ball. She already has a pretty decent sized elephant in her arms, so Calix obviously already played a game for her. Calix really is lucky to have her, because she's pretty, but I wish her personality would match her looks.
Calix throws three times and only knocks down a few pins. Looking to me with a lopsided grin he says, "Sorry Cora, apparently I suck at this game as much as Theo does."
The man hands Calix a small gray monkey and apologetically Calix gives it to me.
"I love it, thank you." I offer him a grateful smile. He returns it with one of his own.
"Maybe we can go head over to the House of Mirrors? You said you wanted to check it out?"
Theo shakes his head repeatedly beside me. "No way am I going in there. I got lost when I was younger, and I've been traumatized ever since."
"Well then it'll be us three," Calix says, wrapping an arm around Natalie's waist and starting to pull her away.
She's too busy looking at something to follow along with Calix. Instead, she keeps her feet planted on the floor and her eyes trained on something else. Following her gaze, we all look at a man, one of the college students I saw earlier who I had a staring contest with, walking up to the counter and slapping down a five dollar bill.
I notice Calix's eyes harden once he realizes Natalie's attraction for the older man, but I can't blame her. Everything about him is perfect. Against my better interests, I begin to drool over the stranger, not being able to escape the unmistakable attraction I have for him. He's as good looking as Calix, questionably maybe even more so.
He takes a step back ready to throw the first ball. Turning his head ever so slightly, we make eye contact, and once again I'm struck by his beauty. With his eyes on me, he throws his arm forward and releases the ball letting it hit the bottom row, sending all nine pins tumbling down.
The crowd that has formed simply by admiring his beauty, clap in applause. Calix doesn't bother to clap but tightens his hold on Natalie when she starts following along with the other star-struck women.
Without a word to the volunteer manning the booth, the man with perfect aim and the perfect face walks up to the giant blue bear that Calix tried winning for me and unhooks it.
"Let's go," mutters Calix, as he starts to drag Natalie away with him, but she doesn't move an inch. She stays perfectly still as if in a trance as the man walks towards her.
Jealousy bubbles up in my body so fast I'm shocked by its appearance. Does she really have to get every guy I feel attracted to? It's not fair!
Instead of going up to Natalie though, the man walks around her, sending her jaw to the floor and a relieved smile to spread across Calix's face. But when the man stops in front of me with all of his beautified glory, Calix's face instantly drops, and Natalie's face turns into a fit of rage.
I stand dumbfounded as practically the whole town watches as this stranger hands me the giant blue teddy bear without a word.
I struggle to fit the giant thing into my arms, while still holding the food, drink, and monkey in my hands too.
The man takes the bear back and says simply, "I can hold it for you."
Before I can reply with something, anything, Calix steps in. "She doesn't know you, so she won't be accepting any gifts from you."
Taking my hand, he leads me away from the man who is now glaring holes into Calix's back. I can't help but admire him from afar as Calix drags Natalie and me away from the crowd.
"Should we really have left Theo behind? I mean he's all alone out there," I say worriedly, following closely behind Calix as he leads us through the house of mirrors.
"Why?" Natalie laughs from up ahead, her crackling making my head ache. "Do you have a little crush on him?"
"Gross," Calix and I say at the same time. He turns around to give me a large grin and a wink.
"Well it's completely understandable," Natalie says, briefly admiring herself in a mirror. I roll my eyes as Calix swivels his head back around to face his girlfriend.
"What is that supposed to mean?" he questions with a jealous stare.
"Babe," Natalie giggles, placing her hands on Calix's chest with a grin, "I'm not attracted to your brother at all. Why would I want him when I have a better version: you?" She leans up on her tiptoes to kiss Calix, I look away only to see their lips attached at every angle.
"Now Cora on the other hand," she says when she pulls away, "is obviously settling for your brother because she can't have you."
"Seriously?" I roll my eyes. "Have you thought that maybe Calix and I are just friends?"
She looks over Calix's shoulder to me. "Have you?"
"Alright," Calix exhales, "as much as I want to see a cat fight, I really don't want to see my best friend and girlfriend go at it. So shall we?" He ushers us both along, and somehow I find myself at the front of our short line, an image of myself staring at me from every angle.
"Theo was right. This is creepy." I shudder as I try to find my way out of the labyrinth.
When I hear no response in return, I look in one of the many mirrors around me. "Calix?" I ask when I don't see him. I spin around calling his name again. I don't get a response.
"Are you serious?" I groan to myself. Immediately I begin to retrace my steps, hoping they didn't run far off.
It must have been fifteen minutes later after I get lost that I finally spot another human being for the first time. It just so happens to be my luck that the person I spot is the stranger from before.
"Um, hello there," I say awkwardly. He silently starts to make his way to me from his opposite end of a hallway. "I'm lost, do you know how to get out of here?"
He comes to a stop in front of me, his blue eyes calculating as they look at me from top to bottom. Finally, he speaks up, "Follow me."
He turns on his heel and begins to walk away without looking back. I'm forced to follow him. "Thank you," I mumble.
Minutes pass by in uncomfortable silence before I decide to finally speak up again. "My name's Cora by the way."
He gives me a brief sideways glance, not bothering to even turn his head all the way to look me straight in the eyes. "Ronan," he says after some time. "What happened to your boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?" I question then begin laughing. "Oh, you mean Calix? He's not my boyfriend," I laugh although the words sting. "He's dating that raven-haired girl."
"But you love him."
"Love him? Of course, I do. He's been my friend forever. But I'm not in love with him."
"You have feelings for him," he exclaims while he continues to lead me out of the House of Mirrors.
"I uh," blush rises to my cheeks, "Is it really that obvious?"
He gives me a sideways glance the same time we emerge from the house of mirrors. The sky is darker now, and fewer people crowd the area. I couldn't have been in there for long though.
Ronan puts a hand on my lower back as he says, "Unrequited love is the most tragic kind."
"Thanks," I say blandly, feeling like I'm the scum of the earth.
Ronan must notice because he stops walking, grabs me gently by the wrist and says, "He's blind. You can do much better."
"It's just a stupid crush, that's all. It's nothing more, so you don't have to get all mushy about it," I tease. "Nice try though."
"I'm not good with crying women, and you looked like you were about to cry," he admits.
"Crying women aren't the hard to handle you know," I say, starting to walk again with no particular destination. "All you have to do is hold them pretty much."
"So if you started crying right now would it be acceptable if I hugged you?"
"Only if I started crying," I promise with a laugh.
We pass another empty booth, but before I can walk very much further Ronan pulls me around the corner.
"Are you taking me somewhere?" I ask curiously as we join the heard of people walking out of the carnival.
He nods his head. "Home." He looks over at me. "I assume you need a ride home correct?"
"Well," I look around me trying to spot anyone I know which is a total of about three people. Theo is probably long gone, I mean he hardly ever even sleeps at the house and let's face it, Calix and Natalie probably ran off somewhere.
"I saw that boy with his girlfriend leaving the House of Mirrors and laughing," Ronan says.
"Oh," I whisper, feeling like Ronan will get to hug me pretty soon. Of course they ran off and of course, they were laughing because it's oh so funny to leave me in the middle of the House of Mirrors with no idea how to get back.
"I can kill him if you want."
I look up to Ronan to see him staring down at me with the same amount of seriousness he's had this entire time. I laugh and say, "Thanks for the offer, but I think I would be able to actually sleep better if I didn't have my best friend's blood on my hands."
Ronan shrugs. "The offer continues to stand whenever."
"Thank you," I timidly say while I grip the door handle, ready to hop out.
He nods his head, not caring to even answer. Honestly, I think this man is as emotionless as Kristen Stewart.
"Well uh, I'll see you later," I ask hopefully.
Seconds pass by as hours as he silently analyzes me before answering. "Count on it."
A ridiculous smile splits my face in two, and immediately I feel my body fill up with happiness. "Cool," I squeal. I open up the door and hop out of his truck as fast as I can. "Um, goodnight."
"Goodnight," he replies. In that moment, with the street light illuminating his face I realize that he is the most good looking man I have ever laid eyes on, even hotter than Calix, and I want him.
I close the door and turn to walk up to Calix's house, making sure I have the right amount of hip sway. I don't hear his truck drive away until I wave goodbye to him once again and close the door behind myself.
"Who was that guy last night?"
Calix looks up from the TV screen, the remote in hands being crushed by his tightening hands.
"It shouldn't matter," he tells me, "just stay away from him okay?"
After I got home last night I put in my ancient old iPod and blasted the music until I couldn't hear anything from the outside world. Then I let my mind wander off to Ronan, not Calix and Natalie next door who were making quite the racket.
"Not until you give me a reason to," I argue. Mason, Calix's best friend, takes the time to shoot Calix's character in the head, giving him another point. Calix doesn't even notice.
"I don't even really know him myself, Cora. He was a senior when I was a sophomore. All I remember about him is that everyone was scared of him and he always hangs out with group of people who live in the woods. He's like their leader or something, and there's a reason why we stay away from those people. They're weird."
"Who are you talking about?" Mason asks curiously, finally putting his controller down after realizing that Calix wasn't going to play.
"Ronan Victor," Calix says but that's all he has to say to make Mason's body tense up.
"Why are you talking about him?" he asks with a quiet voice.
"Because he tried flirting with Cora last night at the carnival," Calix grumbles.
"He wasn't flirting with me." I blush.
"He tried flirting with you?" Mason questions, his eyes brows as high as his hairline.
I shake my head. "No, he didn't. He was just being nice, that's all."
Calix turns to Mason frowning. "Mason, tell Cora that Ronan is incapable of being nice."
Mason shrugs his shoulders, his eyes darting around the room. "I guess so," he whispers.
Calix smiles triumphantly. "See?" He says to me.
I roll my eyes. "He wasn't flirting with me, Calix. We talked last night when he was giving me a ride home and he being, well I wouldn't so much as call it nice, as emotional as a piece of wood. But still, he was being a gentleman."
"He gave you a ride home?" Calix asks incredulously.
"Um yeah?" I ask confused.
"And you let him?"
"Well, he didn't kidnap me," I mumble.
"Why would you get in a car with him?" Calix asks, growing angrier by the second.
"Maybe because you left me at the carnival to go fuck your girlfriend," I snap.
Silence ensues the living room for only a couple seconds before an "ooooh," comes from the doorway.
Theo says, leaning on the door jamb, "Ha! Got 'em!"
"I thought Theo was going to give you a ride home," Calix tells me, ignoring his brother.
"No," Theo shakes his head, "I texted Natalie to tell you that I was going to a party." He lifts himself from the door jamb to come sit next to my side.
"She told me you texted her to tell me that you found Cora, and you were driving her home," Calix says, his brows pulling in.
"Dude," Theo sighs, "how damn blind can you be?"
"I suggest we go eat to help Calix have an epiphany," Theo says happily standing up from the couch.
"Or we could let it go," I say tensely. Ever since I got home last night, I haven't been able to stop thinking about Ronan. His eyes haunted my dreams, and his voice I swear is echoing in my mind. I'm not one to fall for someone easily, but I think Ronan affected more than I thought.
For the first time in two weeks, I'm not getting butterflies while I'm around Calix, instead, I'm getting butterflies just thinking about Ronan. I'm not aching to curl up next to Calix or hold his hand, but instead, I'm aching to touch and be near Ronan, even to hear his voice.
Somehow I need to let Theo know that Calix could marry Natalie for all I care before he does something stupid like telling his brother how I feel and ruin our friendship.
"I'm not hungry. Let's just watch some TV," Calix speaks up.
Slowly, after half an hour I lose consciousness and fall asleep to the sound of the TV showing American Pickers.
I open my eyes a few hours later with a crook in my neck. I squirm out of Calix's hold on my legs and notice that the TV is still on. Some mindless show is playing now, so I grab the remote from Calix's lap and turn it off.
Suddenly I hear a sound from outside the window, something like a branch scratching it. I try to ignore it, thinking nothing of it until it happens again and again and again, with no certain rhythm.
Against my better judgment, I get up from the couch and make my way to the sliding glass door, opening it and closing it behind me as quietly as I can. As soon as I'm alone outside, I know something is off, but my mind nor body will let me turn around and go back into the safety of Calix's home.
So instead I walk further into the backyard of the Drazens. The shadows from the overgrown trees cast the backyard in absolute darkness, save for a single light in the tree house built by Calix and his father.
I've always heard the phrase, 'curiosity killed the cat' but up until now I haven't put it to use. I've never been adventurous, I've always been the panicked and scared kid who stayed in the back of the group, always looking over my shoulder. But now something has changed in me, call it intuition or fate trying to plan something, but I feel something in my stomach pulling me towards the lit tree house for whatever reason, and I can't help but let me lead me to it.
I don't try to imagine what or who I could find in the tree house, but when I finally get inside I'm surprised to find Ronan sitting in the corner with a flash light in his hands.
"What are you doing here?" I sit down on the dirty floor by the entrance as the wood creaks beneath me.
"What other reason would I come here other than to see you?"
"Can you turn that thing off?" I hold my hand up in front of the flashlight which is shining right in my eyes.
He does as I ask, and the small area basks into darkness, the only light coming from the moon.
His eyes are bright in the darkness, they're the only bright thing about him at the moment. His mouth is in a thin line, not amused or annoyed. His jaw is slightly clenched from what I can tell or that's possibly just his strong jaw line.
"Why did you want to come see me?" My voice comes out more shy and timid than I would have hoped, which isn't normal when I'm speaking to guys, but then again I never speak to guys like Ronan before, ones that affect me this much.
"You live with that man?"
"Calix?" He nods, his jaw working. I laugh. "Calix is not a man, no offense to him but he just graduated from high school. Give him a couple years and he'll catch up to you."
"You didn't answer the question," he says, his voice not raised or quiet. Seriously, he needs to learn what an emotion is.
"I'm staying with him, there's a difference."
"Staying? So you're not from here? That would explain why I've never seen you before."
"I'm from Arizona, I'm only visiting for the summer before Calix goes off to college."
"You're staying with him for the summer? Is that appropriate?"
I laugh even though a normal person would find his questions quite personal and rude. "It's not like I'm sleeping in the same room as him, and I'm only seventeen. I can't buy a hotel room for even a single night."
"I have extra rooms at my house."
I raise my brows in the darkness, not sure if he can see them or not. "Are you offering me to come stay at your house?"
"I'm only offering if you're accepting."
"Well, I'm not accepting, so I guess you aren't offering," I smile, and I swear my cheeks start to heat up but I'm thankful for the cover up of the night to hide it. "Thanks anyways though, but I'm perfectly fine staying with Calix and his family."
"You can come anytime," he says, his eyes staring at me deeply. "I live in the middle of the woods."
"Wait seriously?"
He nods his head and without thinking I scuffle across the tree house until I'm sitting right in front of him, our knees almost touching.
"Do you live in a cabin? I've never been in a real cabin before, and I've always thought the woods were so cool, like I've wanted to get lost in them, just completely lost in mother nature and not know where I am at all. Except, of course, since I live in a desert, I've never been able to." I blush and duck my head after I realize I've been partially blabbering and that Ronan probably doesn't care about anything I just said.
"I do live in a cabin and," he says leaning forward until our faces are about half a foot apart, "I like it when you blush."
I make a 'yeep' noise and instantly back up until I'm at the entrance, completely humiliated. "Well, I should be heading back now before Calix wakes up."
"You do that," he says with a straight mouth but a trace of amusement in his eyes. That's the most emotion I've ever seen out of him, other than when he was glaring at Calix the night before.
"Um well uh bye, and I guess I will catch you later, I guess alright well um bye." I race down the trunk of the tree as fast as I can and sprint across the lawn until I reach the door. I open it and close it behind me softly. Before I close the blinds, though, I see Ronan in the darkness, his figure silhouetted in the entrance of the tree house.
A large grin splits my face in two, and like a little school girl with her first crush, I wave to him across the small and empty distance.
He doesn't wave back.
That's basically Cora^^ lol