I prayed to every god I knew of that I wasn't blushing. Teddy was far too close, leaning on my shoulder to support himself. He snorted, and I dissolved into fits of giggles against my will. He just laughed harder, and I thought two things.
One, that what I said wasn't quite that funny.
And two, damn, he is so cute when he laughs.
It took me a moment to realize that Teddy had stopped laughing. He was staring at me, those kaleidoscope eyes seeming to see into my very soul. I gulped, and figured out that I had said that out loud. I had never meant to say that- his friendship meant so much to me, and we'd known each other since I was born. I felt my heart begin to shatter at the unreadable expression on his face.
I don't know if he noticed. But, I pushed him away and ducked my head as I stood up. He let out a gasp and I ran.
I ran down the hallway from his bedroom, and rushed down the stairs. I vaguely heard him calling after me, but I didn't stop. Tears cascaded down my cheeks, and I rubbed them away while my white and rainbow colored hair created a shield around my face.
My mother always told me I wear my heart on my sleeve, and that I am an open book. She said it all the time, and because Veela are naturally tuned into emotions and beauty, my emotions are stronger then anyone else's. Her heart got broken, once, too, she'd told me, and she learned to lock herself away, and she gave the same advice to her sister, too.
Merlin, why didn't I listen to her?
I rushed down the hallway after I finished the obstacle that was the staircase. I heard Teddy's footsteps pounding heavily on the stairs, and I ran harder. The backdoor was so close; I just had to reach a little farther.
There! I yanked it open with more force than what was probably necessary, and dashed outside. Before I could get very far, though, an arm wrapped tightly round my waist and I was pulled flush up against Teddy. He wrapped his other arm around me and buried his face in my hair.
My heart began to race. He was breathing deeply, and I was so certain he could feel the heat in my face. After all, my nose was in the crook of his neck and I could feel my eye lashes against his soft, pale skin. Teddy's fingers began to run through my hair and my breathing hitched. I was relaxing, finally, and then he pulled away. I heard myself give a whimper of protest.
He smirked at me, the ass. Then he took off, and I, as always, followed him. I always did, and I always would. I hope he knew that that I would follow him to the end of the earth, or time.
He ran to the gate, and we were going to be in so much trouble. He lifted the latch, and it was open. He ran out, and I followed, closing the gate behind us. I heard the latch fall, and I knew we weren't going to get back in that way.
I turned away from the gate and saw Teddy waiting for me at the end of the yard. Merlin bless him, I thought, because he's so damn wonderful. I ran up to him, and he stood there, only for a moment. He fingers brushed my cheek and I couldn't stop my eyes fluttering closed and I knew I could stop myself from leaning into the touch, but I didn't.
Then the warmth from his hand was gone, and my eyes snapped open. He was running across the street now, and I took off. I wondered when it had become this way, me running after him rather him after me, and why I bothered.
I bothered because he's Teddy, and I love him.
The streetlight flickered on as we ran past them, and every once in a while Teddy would turn back to look at me, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight. Time seemed to slow down as he turned full around, jumping a little as he ran backwards, smiling at me in joy. I smiled back and ran a little harder, trying desperately to keep up with him. He was a fast runner, and, as a half-werewolf, he didn't tire easily. I hoped he remembered that I wasn't like him and couldn't run all damn night.
I chased him into an alley, where he leaned on a brick wall, and I panted heavily in the shadow across from him. He looked worried, but I was fine. Just tired. "Alright?" he asked, his voice quiet.
"Yes," I answered in a whisper.
I moved closer to him, and he pulled me close before kissing the top of my head. I looked into his eyes and knew, boldness was my friend. In that moment, it would get me far. So I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth to his. For a long time, he didn't respond to the kiss. I was a bout to pull away when he kissed me back. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and I lost all train of thought.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
We snuck back into the house just as dawn threatened to appear. Teddy left me at my bedroom with a whispered, "Good night, Vic. Oh, and we'll have to do that again," and a wink.
I crept back into my room with a blush heating my cheeks. My sister, Dom, was already awake and she asked me what happened to make me so red. I went to bed without answering, thinking how she had no right to know.
