My first day back, the weather was warm and sunny. I opened the curtain and let the sun shine into my room. It felt great to be getting back into the swing of things.
"Where do you want this?" Dustin asked, from behind me.
I turned to see him holding a brand-new laptop. "Where did you get that?" I asked.
"I got it for you. Kind of a welcome home gift. It's loaded with the newest art software. You can actually detach it from the keyboard and use the stylus to draw on the screen."
He looked like a little kid on Christmas. "Shut up! Dustin, this is a Mac!" I exclaimed. "This is too expensive! I can't believe you got me this."
He grinned and set it on my desk. "We'll play with it later. Now, we need to get the rest of our stuff unpacked. We have an early day tomorrow."
I watched him fill Dani's closet with his clothes. "It's gonna be weird to be back in class. I hope I can still pay attention with your mental chattering in my head."
"I promise to keep my mental chatter down to a dull roar." He came up behind me and kissed my ear.
"Okay, you two." Dani came in with a box. "Shawn wanted me to bring these to you." She set the box of books on the bed. "But hurry up cuz I need the box back." She began to pull her books off the shelf.
I turned towards her, surprised to see her ringed in a green glow. I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them. Everything was normal again. I was beginning to wonder what was up with my eyes. Was I still having weird side effects of the Link? "Dinner tonight?" I asked her. "We could go to the diner."
"Sure!" She grabbed the empty box from Dustin and stacked her books inside. "I'll tell Shawn and we will meet you here at six." She propped the box on her hip and gave me a hug. "I'm so glad you're back."
I smiled after her and turned to Dustin, giving him a sexy wink. "It's good to be back."
He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I have a quick errand to run. Will you be okay here for a few hours?"
I gave him a curious look. "Where are you going?" It had been so long since I had been alone, without him.
He pulled his jacket on and headed towards the door. "There's something I need to do now that we are back. I'll tell you later." And he was gone.
I busied myself with unpacking, arranging my clothes in the closet next to Dustin's. It felt normal to be sharing a room with him. I laughed to myself as I realized how quickly things had progressed between us. I had come to SLU with no relationship experience, and now I was shacked up with my first boyfriend, playing Supernatural house, so to speak. All we needed was a couple little vampire babies and a German Sheppard.
I pulled out my new computer and began loading the new programs. It had been awhile since I had drawn anything, and my creative juices were flowing. I removed the screen from the keyboard and picked up the stylus, marveling at the technology that was now available to us. I took a deep breath and began sketching a beautiful landscape, complete with a pair of love struck doves flying towards the horizon.
I lost track of time as I immersed myself in my creation. "That's beautiful," I heard Dustin's voice behind me.
I jumped and dropped the stylus. "I didn't know you were back." I reached up and kissed him. "How did everything go?"
He smiled and dropped his coat over the back of the chair. "Perfectly."
I looked into his eyes, trying to figure out where he had been.
He linked his green eyes to mine. "Later," his voice whispered in my head.
Dani and Shawn arrived at our room at exactly six o'clock. "Who's driving?" Dani asked.
"Let's take separate cars." Dustin grabbed his keys. "I want to take Katie somewhere after dinner."
I searched his eyes again, but he just shook his head. "My secret." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"
I took his hand as he led me out the door.
The diner was busy, and we had to wait a few minutes for an empty booth. "Dustin, where have you been?" George jumped up from his table and headed towards us. As he got closer, the outline of his body began to glow a soft green. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, the glow had faded. I felt a dull ache at the base of my skull. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was beginning to think I might have to call Brian and ask him what was going on with my wonky vision. I tried to push it to the back of my head and concentrate on dinner.
"Our table is ready." Dustin started towards the booth but stopped and turned back to me. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes," I lied.
"Are you sure?" He reached his hand to the back of his head.
Oh, yah, the Link. "Just a small headache. Nothing to worry about. I'm probably just hungry."
He studied me for a moment. "Okay. Let me know if it gets worse."
I met his eyes. "Something tells me you'll know if it gets worse."
I felt better after I had something in my stomach. I topped my cheeseburger off with a chocolate milkshake. "Ready for classes tomorrow?" Shawn swiped a fry from Dani's plate.
"I hope so." I sipped the last of my shake. "I tried to keep up with most of my assignments while I was gone but missing the lectures might have hurt my test scores. I'm going to talk to all my professors tomorrow. Hopefully I'm not too far behind, but I'm prepared to offer cash if need be," I joked.
"Are you ready?" Dustin dropped two twenties on the table and stood up.
"Yup." I grabbed my purse and laced my fingers through his, relishing the feel of his energy pouring into me.
Dani and Shawn smiled at us. "Never thought I'd see the day..." Shawn winked at Dustin.
"Zip it." Dustin flashed him a look that shut him up.
It was a beautiful night and Dustin opened the sun roof on the car as we sped up the mountain. I knew exactly where we were going. Our spot.
He pulled up to The Bluff and switched off the engine. His green eyes were blazing in the dark when he turned to me. "Katie, I've been in this world for a long time. I've met a lot of girls, but no one like you. The moment I looked in your eyes, I knew I met someone special. But I got scared. After what happened with Dani, I wouldn't let myself fall for you. So, I acted like a jerk." He took my hands in his. "But when I saw what you did for her, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I did what I never thought I would ever do; I let myself fall for you. I know we haven't been together that long, but I can't imagine my world without you. If anything happened to you, I would die inside. You are a part of me."
He pulled a box out of his pocket. "I got this for you." He placed it in my hands.
I gaped at him, feeling my heart leap into my throat.
"Before you freak out, it's not a ring."
I lifted the lid. Inside, on a bed of cotton, was a gold necklace with a circular charm. He reached in and held it up for me to see. "It's my crest, the same one I have tattooed on my back. I had it made by our Lines Magic Caster. Whenever you're wearing this, you will have extra enhanced physical strength."
"Are you serious?"
He nodded. "I want you to wear it always. Never take it off. Not in the shower, not in the pool, never. This way, if you get in trouble, and you're alone, you can handle whatever happens."
"What if it falls off?"
"It won't. It's forged with Old Magic. Once you put it around your neck, it won't come off unless you take it off. Look at the clasp," he demonstrated. "It's made to respond only to you." He tried the clasp, but it wouldn't open. "You try."
I held the necklace and clicked open the clasp. He took it and draped it around my neck. "Push here," he guided my hand. The necklace clicked shut. The moment it touched my skin, I felt a jolt through my body as blood rushed to each of my extremities.
"Dustin," I breathed. "This is amazing."
He nodded. "Even though I want to always be with you, there will be times when I can't, and this way I know you can take on anyone who messes with you." He kissed me softly. "I love you Katie."
My heart pounded in my chest. "I love you too," I whispered.
As I said the words, it dawned on me that I truly meant it. The past three weeks had been the most transforming of my life. Before my accident, I was a shy young girl from a small town in Northern Louisiana. I had never had a boyfriend and now I was Linked to an immortal. I had super human strength and my boyfriend could control my heart rate and speak to me telepathically. It was like an episode of Supernatural. I half expected Dean and Sam Winchester to come roaring up in their Impala any moment.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Dustin looked out over the water.
I ran my finger along the necklace. "I hope so. I'm not really worried about classes, but I know at some point I'm going to have to deal with Anya."
He nodded. "I think as long as you don't issue an outright challenge, she will consider it a lesson learned and move on."
My mouth fell open. "Have you met me?"
"Katie, you need to be smart here." He tried to reason with me. "We have enough to worry about without starting another war with an angry Shadowfall. She tried to kill you. If I wouldn't have been there, she probably would have succeeded."
I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. "So, you're saying I can't defend myself?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all." He put his hand to his head. "I just don't want to risk losing you again."
"I thought that's why you got me this." I grabbed the charm hanging from the chain around my neck. "So, in case I run into trouble, I can handle myself."
"That doesn't mean we need to go looking for trouble" he argued.
"Ugh!" I pulled away from him and glared out the window. I knew deep down that he was right, but I wasn't about to give in that easy.
"Katie, please. I just want things to calm down for a while. I want to have a normal life with my girlfriend. I don't want to spend day and night worrying about retribution from a bitchy Shadowfall who, in the grand scheme of things, doesn't mean anything to us."
I sat back in my seat. "It's my pride on the line. I'll look like a wimp."
"But you will be a wimp with a pulse," he stated.
"Take me home," I ordered, feeling the anger bubble through me like lava.
"Katie," he began.
"Take me home."
He sighed and turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared as he threw it in reverse, the tires spraying rocks behind us.
Neither one of us spoke on the ride home.
"Are you going to ignore me all night?" Dustin asked, when we returned to our room.
I busied myself with packing my book bag for the morning, ignoring his plea.
"Fine." He pulled the blankets down on Dani's bed. "I'm going to sleep." He crawled under the covers and turned his back to me.
I felt tears stinging my eyes as I turned the light out and climbed into my own bed. I knew in my heart that Dustin was right. After everything that had happened, the best idea was to stay under the radar. After spending so many nights cuddled up in his arms, my empty bed felt like a cold tomb. Tears fell free from my eyes, as I tried to keep from making any noise.
I heard a rustling, and a moment later, I felt him sit on the edge of my bed. "Hey," he whispered. "You know I can't sleep if I you're upset."
"I'm fine."
"Katie, please look at me." His voice was soft and soothing. "I'm sorry."
I rolled over and met his beautiful eyes. His body was tinged in the bright green glow. I reached out and put my hand on his cheek, and the glow began to fade. "I'm sorry too." I moved over so he could crawl in next to me. "I let my pride get in the way of common sense. You're right. I promise to keep things cool, as long as you promise me that I will get my revenge someday."
He laced his fingers through mine. "I promise. I want nothing more than to get back at Anya. And when we do, we'll do it right, so we never have to worry about her again." He locked his eyes on mine. "Please don't cry anymore," he telepathically begged me. "It breaks my heart when you do."
"Then be nice to me." I held his eyes, marveling at our ability to communicate in such an unusual way.
"Man, I hate fighting with you. You're more stubborn than I am."
"Don't forget it," I countered back.
He leaned in and kissed me, taking my breath away. "I meant what I said earlier. I love you."
"I love you too."
Author's Note- So, it was definitely time for Katie and Dustin to have their first real fight. Who do you think was right? Vote and comment below! Luvs as always!! AM💜