Chapter one- First Move
The scent of pollen and nectar hung in the air, tall grasses swayed in the warm breeze, bathed in dusky, red-orange twilight. Hemmed in by trees, it was the perfect refuge. Two figures, teenagers, stood in the middle of the meadow, slowly moving closer to each other. Magnets—opposites—attracting.
"No!" She breathed "This is too…so wrong."
"But that's why I want it." He replied, advancing closer. "That's why you want it."
Her heart was beating furiously in her chest and she wondered if it were about to leap out. His face was perfect, almost too much to take in. Those fathomless gray eyes were focused intently on her, the usual hatred replaced by a faraway longing, and a raging internal turmoil, much like what she was experiencing now. That secret wish she had fought back time and time again was coming to life, and she wasn't sure she liked it. She wanted to dismiss everything, to forget it all and just close the gap between them, but she also wanted to run, far, far away, and pretend she didn't feel like she did, pretend they were really true enemies and she was loyal to her friends. The ones that hated the boy into whose eyes she was staring, drowning in. It didn't make sense; it had never made sense; that burning inside her that flared every time he entered a room, every time she heard his voice, or saw his face.
"You're not proud of it." She said, wondering how he'd even come this close to admitting it.
"Neither are you." He said.
Slowly gaining confidence she stepped forward, as if making a bold statement. "So isn't it best to hide that which we are not proud of, to bury it deep and try to forget?"
He let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his already messy platinum blonde hair. She noticed his tie was hanging lose, and many buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a milky pale chest. "Don't you think I've tried? Don't you think I'm reeling at…at this? Don't you think that maybe, I 'm out of ideas? I can't control it so I'm simply giving up and watching where I blow?" He shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of troubles simply by shaking them off.
For a moment she was taken aback, utterly unaware of how much he had felt it too. It hadn't just been her delusional imagination making up those tiny details; that is if she wasn't hallucinating right now. The whole situation seemed surreal enough. In fact, some of her dreams made more sense than this.
"Say something." He muttered; his low tone reaching into her chest and willing her to do exactly as he asked.
"I, I don't know what to say… It's too much to take sometimes, like some rain cloud hanging over me, I feel like a traitor just for wanting it. But other times I wonder why on earth it's so complicated, we're the same, but the world has made us opposites. It's…"
"It's like a rope pulling you away from everything you concentrate on, constantly reminding you." He took a step closer. "I don't know why I want it, but I do. I need it."
She tried to control her breathing, to stop the flood of heat to her cheeks but failed miserably, about the only thing she couldn't seem to do, was control her feelings for him. OWLs? No problem. 4 foot essay in for tomorrow? Fine. A teenage boy? Freak out.
"We can still play our parts." She managed. "But what about—"
"No." He said firmly.
"Just, here, would be our secret." He breathed, closing the final gap.
Above, the red-orange infusion of sky darkened, the product of many hours passing. Time completely forgotten by the two teenagers lying under the wispy clouds. Both were dulled by the drag of sleep, but, suddenly, like a cannon firing, a shriek broke the quiet. She had forgotten completely, it had been as if time were a mere inconvenience when she was with him, but now the weight of her responsibilities sunk back onto her slender shoulders. He looked over, alarmed by her sudden out burst.
"It's late, far too late. I have to go." She said, panic rising in her voice as she rose hurriedly, brushing her brown hair out of her eyes. She had left after hours so who knew what the time was now, and how many detentions she would receive if she was caught out of bed this late.
He blinked away the drowsiness and stood, a little clumsily on the uneven earth. "Then go." He said simply.
She looked the faintest bit disappointed, and partly surprised, but quickly covered her emotions as she turned away and began walk-jogging out of the clearing. He panicked for a second; this was the last time all the walls would be down for…He quickly cut off the thought.
Running to catch up with her, he grabbed the girl's waist, pulling her gently towards him, "Just remember, I hate you."
She could feel his smirk against her lips as they touched, softly caressing hers in a way that made her blush to think about. When their lips parted the world began to turn again, and she softly padded away. As the looming trees grew closer she looked over her shoulder, stealing one last glance before she lost him to the arrogant smirk once again. His silhouette was framed with moonlight, shining silver in the darkness.