© Amber Kalkes 2014
*Song Of The Chapter: "Ho Hey" By The Lumineers
Chapter Sixteen: Getting To Know You…Still.
When one wakes up you’d think the first thoughts that enter your mind should be happy ones. Things like, “What a beautiful morning!” or “Wow, I am so well rested!” or you know anything remotely cheerful.
Instead my first thought was, “I can’t believe that furry bastard tried to leave me!”
When his thoughts floated into my mind I was pissed. Of course they hit me as I was exiting the basement as Seth did goes knows what with Newman. It was like getting hit by a mac truck in the gut. After all this, after I started to trust him the bastard thinks he can up and leave me?
Oh hell no.
I paced upstairs for an hour while Seth took care of business. What did he think he was doing? Here he had spouted all the bullshit about soul mates and never leaving me again after the first time. Everything was much more intense and connected thAn it had been the first time he had run off. Yet, he still thought that was an option.
Fuck that.
If Seth got to be all Neanderthal about his affection then so did I. He was mine. Seth West belonged to me and there was no way in hell that I was going to let him go. Especially when he came up with some bullshit about him protecting me from myself. Sure, I was surprised with how under-affected I was by the death we had lately but that was just my messed up mind and me getting into one of our daily fights.
Then I cried in front of him like a baby. That was the worst part. It wasn’t even tears of devastation, it was tears of anger. How could that fleabag think it was okay for him to up and ditch me! Sure, it was painful to think of, so painful it bordered on a physical ache but it was overpowered by the anger.
Dumbass.
I looked over my shoulder at Seth as he lay in bed with me in his black and tan plaid pajama pants. His bare chest was on show, a mouthwatering sight, with one plaid covered leg poking out from under my multi-colored quilt. On hand was resting on his abs while the other was thrown above his head. Seth’s mouth was agape with small deep snores escaping it.
He looked cute which I had to begrudgingly admit, even if I was still mad at him.
Bastard.
I willed myself to keep scowling at his adorable and sexy sleeping form. I wanted to hit him or kiss him, I wasn’t sure. It was a mixed emotions deal. Actually my emotions were all over the place now. Did I trust Seth now? To an extent yes.
I trusted him with my bodily welfare. I trusted him to protect me and be loyal to me in all situations. I trusted him to take care of me. Despite all that though I couldn’t trust him completely with my heart. Not after this last bullshit stunt of his. Nope, he’d have to earn it back. Besides, grandma always said, ‘A little groveling never hurt a man. Might even strengthen his knees for the years to come.’
Woman was as crazy as a bat out of hell but she had her moments of wisdom.
“What has a scowl on your face, Love?” Seth’s rich baritone asked sleepily.
Do not melt at his words! He is in deep shit and he needs to know that!
Exactly.
“You. You have put this scowl on my face with that shit you pulled yesterday.” I said through pursed lips and narrowed eyes.
Seth’s look became instantly panicked. “It...well…”
“Nope! No talking your way out of this one, Seth. You are up shits creek and there is no paddles allowed on your trip.”
“But—“
“Nope!”
“Sylvie—“
“NOPE!” I shouted crawling out of the bed and making my way to the bathroom. I felt a little giddy and naughty for doing this but he had to learn a lesson somehow, right? Besides he was fun to mess with.
I was about to enter the bathroom when a warm arm wrapped around my waist pulling me back until I was tossed onto the bed. I gasped in surprise but that was slowly swallowed up when Seth’s mouth stifled it with a kiss. Damn him. Damn him and his ability to do things.
He pulled back and I opened my mouth to speak. He again stifled it but to my disappointment he used his hand this time. Half tempted to lick his hand I thought against it, the pervy asshole probably would thank me for gifting him with it. What a weirdo.
“No, now you get to listen.” Seth said slowly shooting me a ‘don’t push me’ look. I rolled my eyes and huffed. He smiled at me before he continued. “I’m terribly sorry about yesterday and the direction of my…thoughts. I didn’t think you’d hear me since you hadn’t been dipping into my mind at all before this.”
Oh so because he didn’t think I’d hear it that made it so much more acceptable to think it? I narrowed my eyes to let him know that wasn’t an acceptable answer. He gave me a sheepish smile.
“Not that makes it okay.” He back peddled quickly. “I just care about you so much I didn’t want you to be conflicted because of me, Love. I’d never really leave you. Sure, I thought about it but I could never actually do it. Just trust me on this okay? Do you think you can?”
Seth waited for my answer but had yet to remove his hand. I rolled my eyes then gave his hand a pointed stare. He removed it and quietly muttered a sheepish “sorry” before imploring me with his eyes. If I were a lesser woman I would have melted like snow on a summer day. But me being me I just melted a little, like the inside of a Hot Pocket.
“Trust you?” I repeated. “You want me to trust you on this?”
He nodded his eyebrows furrowed in worry at my tone.
“Trust is two cannibals giving each other blowjobs, Seth. This is not really about the trust.” I said, half-lying. “This is about you being stupid enough to think I would really let you leave. Did you think that I was just going to let that happen?”
“Sylvie, I know your hurt….”
“Hurt?” I parroted cutting him off. “Nope, I’m not hurt. I’m pissed off. You have managed to piss me off. I want to hit you. I want to claw your eyes out with a gardening rake. I want to smack you over the head with a cinderblock until all the stupidity is out of your brain!”
“I love you!” he suddenly blurted.
Everything froze. My heart, my lungs, my mind, my skin went numb and all I could do was stare into his green eyes blinking slowly. I had to give to Seth; he knew how to shut me up.
“You what?” I breathed.
His fingers caressed the side of my face. “I love you, Sylvie. I’ve loved you for so long but I just thought it was the mating bond. I thought it was my wolf making me want you but then I met you. You were spunky and funny. You made me laugh when I rarely laugh. You make me happy, Sylvie. God, even when your threatening to beat me up I can’t help but think of how beautiful you are.”
“That’s…kind of a fucked up thing to be turned on about.” I said not really functioning at my best intelligence level.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I know but it’s true.”
“So, you love me? Like really, really love me?”
“I do.”
His tone was solemn and his face serious. Well I’ll be damned the hot piece of wolf tale was really actually in love with me. Made me almost feel bad for the poor sod. Now the question became did I love Seth?
He was hot, granted. Him leaving me made me want to shoot fire from my mouth. The idea of him with other women made me homicidal. Seth’s green eyes could make me melt like ice cream on a sidewalk. His voice was shiver worthy. When he held me he made me feel safe and complete. Well…the evidence was in his favor. Apparently my silence was making him nervous though because he spoke up eventually.
“You don’t have to say it back.” He said quickly. “I know this has been quick and—“
“Seth?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.” I smiled. “I have some quick questions and then I’ll respond to your confession, okay?”
He nodded with a cute little confused frown.
“Okay. Favorite color?”
“What?” he chuckled.
“Your favorite color, Seth. What it is?”
“Um, Gold.”
“Cool.” I beamed. “Favorite food.”
He shrugged. “I guess Pineapple.”
I made a face. “Gross.”
“What about you?” he asked me with a crooked smile.
“Color or food?”
“Both.”
“Um, I guess favorite color would be, red. Favorite food would be Chinese food hands down. I have to drive all the way to Farmington just to get it though. It’s like an hour drive just for the stuff so I usually just settle with some ramen since I’m pretty useless in the kitchen.”
The dazed look I recognized as affection was in Seth’s eyes when I looked up at him. It made me blush and I am not much of a blusher. He was still lying on top of me on the bed but he was kind of angled off so I could use my hands as I talked. It was an intimate position but casual at the same time.
“Okay, now for the hard questions...” I said mock seriousness overcoming my face. “Favorite band of all time?”
“That’s a hard question?” he asked, humor glittering in his eyes.
I nodded.
“Alright. I guess I’d have to say Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.” He said with a slight shrug. “You?”
“Lemmy Kilmister is God.” I said carelessly.
“That’s not a band, though.” He pointed out.
“Don’t question my answers or I’ll put you back in your fancy little dog house, wolf-boy.” I threatened half-heartedly.
He made a show of clasping his mouth shut but the humor was all over his face. We carried on like that until morning became noon and we ended up debating who was a better Dumbledore, the first one or the second one they had to replace him with. It was a nerdy conversation but my cheeks were aching from laughing so much.
“Hey Seth?” I called as his head laid on my chest, his ear pressed to my left breast as he listened to my heartbeat. My fingers were running through his dark brown hair and I swore I could hear him purring.
“Yeah?”
“I love you, too.”