Zaine stood awkwardly in front of me in his navy shirt and jeans.
"I don't know how you want to—" he started to say, but then I swiped his feet and he landed almost on the ground before bouncing up and looking at me incredulously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm serious about this," I told him.
"Well then," he huffed and then reached out to grab me, but I struggled because of his super strength. My arms were crossed over my chest and collarbone and my back was pressed to him, allowing no escape. If he was really an enemy, he'd be supplying less and less oxygen to my brain. "And what are you gonna do when they grab you like this?"
Suddenly, I hitched an idea and just relaxed in his arms, enabling him to loosen his grip in question or concern and I took that opportunity to generate enough strength to throw my hands down and find a release. I was out of breath in that short moment, but faced him.
"That," I answered him. He sized me up with hard set eyes.
"But they won't care that you pass out. They won't give you leniency," he lectured.
"Then don't give me mercy either," I figured as I charged at him, only to experience his combat at first hand as he grabbed me by the waist and hauled me over his shoulder with his arm over the back of my thighs. I grabbed as high on the back of his shirt as I could and kicked my legs over, but his grip was too strong. So I wrapped my shins around his neck and scrunched my body up to a position in which I grabbed his arm that held me, only to put all my weight to the side to throw him off balance and in that, his grip released and I was able to kick my feet over after unwrapping from his neck, and I tuck-n-rolled when I hit the ground. But before I could smirk at Zaine for beating him, he had pulled me up from the ground, turned me sideways and hugged my legs into my own chest. I managed to push myself away from him and roll out of his arms, but then he had followed and landed on top of me.
When I looked at his face, something made him uneasy, even though he was in the advantage point. I was just happy that he was still doing this. But something was wrong.
"What?" I whispered as I was being crushed beneath him.
"I'm afraid of what could happen in a position like this," he muttered, worried for reasons not at all related to combat. It was about me being a girl.
"So let's not find out," I said just to assure him before I brought my knees up with some unknown strength and once I felt my feet hit his abdomen, I pushed up roughly and he flipped over me. I grabbed onto his shirt and went with him as my legs wrapped around his body and when his back hit the ground, and his inertia or anxiousness would make his upper torso raise, but I placed my hands on his shoulder and knocked them back onto the ground and I heard the breath knock out of him, like Nala and Simba wrestling in The Lion King. I was out of breath as I straddled him and his eyes were widened in shock. I was surprised myself.
"Damn," I heard and we both looked over to the house and saw a handful of spectators. Zaine's hands went to my waist and easily moved me off of him like I was some one pound doll. I looked up at him and he extended his hand to pull me up without any effort on my part.
"So what's it going to be, hotshot?" Cheshire asked from the distance with the twins, Cariba, Warren, Wib and Jane watching. "Because I've never seen anyone pin you, but Sentara and even then—"
"There was no combat involved, just wrestling," Zaine said. "She doesn't know how to deal with recovery and they have weaponry—"
"What the hell is weaponry to a girl who can't feel anything?" Anthony asked. He had a point, but no one knew that I could feel the injuries just as they happened, and I could remember the pain, but it just...healed over quickly.
"You're missing the point," Zaine insisted.
"I think she could benefit us—"
"So then it's settled," I said, interrupting all that Jane needed to say. I looked at Zaine. "If Jane says it's in the best interest, then I am."
"Aspen, I already told you—"
"Well don't," I raised my voice. "You've been nothing but a soldier and leader to this unit, until I came along, so for the next four days, think like a leader and consider this."
He's been my boyfriend not even a full 24 hours and he's been a leader for what, the entire seventeen and almost eighteen years of his life?
"You know I can't," he said, taking a step towards me.
"Then try," I pleaded.
"I can't. Not with you being—" he stopped when I walked away from him because I didn't want him to use the excuse that I was his girlfriend. Fine. Then I wouldn't act like it until he got the picture. The audience made a whole for me to exit and Cariba and Wib followed me. I walked into our living room and shut the French doors.
"What's going on?" Cariba asked me as we sat.
"He's not letting me go on Sunday," I answered.
"What? Why?"
"Because he wants to protect me, but he really means that I'm of no use," I grumbled. "He switches gears from 'leader' to 'normal teen' like a switch, but he won't even consider it when it comes to this."
"That's because it's you," she was sure and I knew it too. I looked over to Wib, who was just watching.
"Since when did you and Zaine make a promise that nothing would happen to me?" I asked him, angered and appreciative, but I was angrier now.
"I'll leave you two alone..." Cariba said and stood up to leave. I crossed my arms and looked over at Wib.
"Zaine is a good guy," he started signing.
"I know that, but that's not what we're talking about right now."
He sighed.
"I don't want anything to happen to you," he expressed.
"Of course you don't. And I don't want anything bad to happen to you, but yet you get to go on Sunday and I don't when you and he, both know that I can handle myself!"
"But you can survive normally after all of this," he brought up with his actual voice and I paused and something went cold in my body. "Even if something bad happens to me, you can still live on. If anything happens to you, what am I supposed to do? Or Zaine? Or anyone here?"
"The rest of them have lived perfectly fine until we enrolled, but you...you can handle yourself too. You're learning to hear and speak when you want to," I said, trying to convince him...and myself. I didn't want to live with the thought of losing Wib, but he was making it real. Because, I would be sad if something happened to anyone here (even Indica), but Wib was my own flesh and blood.
"You know I can't do anything without you in the real world," he whispered. Great. Now my brother had me not wanting to go. "I don't want you to get hurt, but I know that you won't. I just think Zaine is being protective for obvious reasons."
"Whatever relationship we have shouldn't come between the extinction of our species, Wib," I hissed and then suddenly the two doors opened, revealing a pissed off Cheshire.
"They're trying to talk," Cariba said from behind him.
"Whatever," he said and then grabbed her wrist to tow her in here, only to walk up to me and do the same.
"What are you—"
"Just be quiet for now, please," Cheshire told me.
"You can't just—" Cheshire stopped walking and we both ran into his back. He looked down at Cariba.
"I don't have to be nice to you," he told her. "So shut up."
"That was rude," I told him as Cariba glared at him.
"I'm trying to help you and you're refusing me of doing so...that's rude if you ask me," he whispered, glancing at the both of us and without any refusal, our curiosity allowed us to get in Chance's truck and trust Cheshire for once.
=XXX=
"No," Cariba and I denied for the final time. We were planted right outside of a mall.
"Stop being stubborn," he pleaded. "You need to give Zaine a good night and maybe then he'll pick up that liking you is outside of all of this."
"No."
"And you," he said to Cariba. "...need to I don't know, have a night where you don't have to pretend about you and Warren hating each other."
"We don't pre—"
"PLEASE."
"What's in it for you?" Cariba questioned, finally. He looked over at me and I think it had something to do with Alice, but who knew. "Huh? Why are you being so nice?"
"Look at our unit," he started. "People are either fighting with each other, or loving each other. It's only you two fighting and—"
"No one said anything about love!" Cariba denied before he could say it.
"Whatever," he scoffed.
"What exactly did you mean by bringing us here?" I asked.
"I don't know. Apparently you girls like to go shopping before dates," he shrugged. Hmm. My thoughts went back to Kiely, every time she had a date, or whenever she or Tyler invited me to a party. It was definitely fun, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it like Kiely did. But then again, Kiely had loads of suitors.
"Fine," I said.
"WHAT!" Cariba yelled.
"Look, even if this doesn't work...we get a shopping spree out of it," I said, optimistically, throwing my arm around her shoulder as we entered the mall.
Two hours later, we were walking out with bags and bags of unnecessary stuff and no guilt because there was no real money spent. As I made it to the passenger seat before Cariba, while she put her bags back there. Suddenly, as I glanced at Cheshire, I was visualizing a nice date with Zaine full of laughing and kissing and happiness and then it quickly changed to his bedroom in which my dress that I just bought was being pulled off and then something inside of me shot my arm out to smack Cheshire and the hallucination ended and he was sitting there laughing. I glared at him.
"We don't even do that," I hissed as he teased me.
"Sure you don't," he laughed. "I was alone with Alice for three years and, trust me, we knew we were young but we did it anyways—"
"Ew, ew, ew," I commented, repulsed. Utterly and nothing but repulsed. But by then, Cariba was climbing into the back seat.
"What?"
"Well, I was—"
"NOTHING!" I lied, frantically and then Cariba gave me a suspicious look and it ended there. However, if Cheshire glanced over at me at a red light or something, there would be flashes of racy practices involving me and Zaine. It frustrated me and then I learned later on that if we didn't make eye contact, it didn't happen. But when we got to the mansion and Cariba so happily got out, I crossed my arms and glared at Cheshire as he grinned.
"Don't act like you don't want it to happen," he taunted.
"I don't!" I said. Liar. And then he looked through my window at the house and I saw Zaine and Warren waiting there. Great.
"Looks like Superman's waiting for you. I mean, he can't see through clothes, but—" I punched his shoulder roughly.
"You deserved that," I said as he rubbed his arm in pain. "Oh, and you owe me ten bucks."
"The flowers will come eventually, but damn, ugh," he hissed in pain, but I shrugged it off and he got over it as I got out of the car and grabbed my bags. That didn't change anything though. I was going to try and ignore the "boyfriend" side of Zaine until he realized that using me for Sunday was in the best interest. But even as Warren rushed to carry Cariba's bags, I walked past Zaine with my chin lifted, causing him to encircled my waist with his arms.
"Let me go," I said.
"No."
"This is domestic abuse," I mocked him. "Oh wait, we're not technically domestic, so...sexual harassment."
I planned to break his hold and walk on, but of course he was the super strong one. This time, he pulled me into him.
"Will you go on a date with me?" he asked. I laughed and grabbed his hand to remove it, which he obliged. I entered the house and he reached out to take my bags and corner me. He was even smiling. "If you really meant no, you wouldn't have bought all of this stuff and thought I'd like it when I'm fine with you just as you are."
I shuddered as his breath hit my face, but gulped. He knew me too well, somehow.
"Now," he started once more, dropping my bags and placing his hands on my waist. Crap. "Will you go on a date with me?"
"Mm..." I hummed as if I was contemplating the thought, but I already knew I would say yes. I think he knew that as well. And then he kissed my cheek and I knew I was already hooked.
"I'll let you dress up..." he whispered and then kissed my cheek again. "And not pin me to the ground..." he kissed my cheek again, closer to my jaw. "It'll be fun..." he kissed the base of my neck that time and I froze, something coursing through my body. His eyes met mine and his face was centimeters apart. My breath was obviously caught in my throat and my eyes were slightly closing, ready for him to kiss me...until he said: "Maybe I'll consider letting you go on Sunday."
With that, I opened my eyes widely and jumped up to wrap my arms around his neck in a hug as I kissed his head. He returned me to my feet and gave me a look every girl wanted.
"Well, maybe you can pin me to the ground," he joked. I rolled my eyes as he stepped away from me and grabbed my bags. I wondered how he got so good at that; pleasuring me into getting his way. I swear, the boy was...something else.