Do You See Me?

Nessa sat out on the back porch of the cottage that she and her parents lived in. She was perched on the hand railing and was staring angrily out into the trees. She was still mulling over the afternoon in her mind.

She had taken Nahuel out to Otter's Point; a hidden pebble beach on the border of the reservation. It was her favorite spot; so peaceful and quiet. This visit was even a little romantic.

Nessa was harboring a little crush on Nahuel and had since he had started living with the Cullen clan a half a year ago. "For the sake of perfecting my new lifestyle" he had said.

She had been out with Nahuel to Otter's Point before, but today she had decided to admit her feelings to him; to herself. She had told him after some small talk about the pretty weather. But, she had been expecting too much.

FLASHBACK

We arrived at Otter's Point right after lunch and spread a blanket out on a boulder. We spent most of our time skipping rocks and watching birds swoop down over the grey water. It was November, so there were orange, crimson and gold leaves dotting the waves like tissue paper. It was so nice, and absolutely perfect for what I was about to do.

"Hey, Nahuel," I said. My companion looked at me and smiled.

"What's up, Nessa?" Climbing up on the rock, he sat down next to me. Better now than not at all, I thought.

"I just thought you should know…" I started, gaining confidence, "That over these last few months, I've really come to like you. I've really started to see you and love you as a brother, and more."

"Alright," Nahuel muttered, absorbing what I had said.

"Nahuel, what I'm trying so hard to say is," I took a breath; "I love you, Nahuel. I really do. You're the kindest, most wonderful person I have ever met. I don't want you to leave; I want you to stay here and be a part of the coven. It would be great, wouldn't it?" Nahuel broke eye contact with me, staring at the sky. I couldn't read his expression, but I didn't need to.

My heart was already sinking.

END FLASHBACK

Nahuel had remained unaffected, looking thoughtfully out at the grey-blue horizon until muttering "Why don't we head back?"

Nessa had been crushed. How could he hear that she loved him and not have any reaction? She ran a little behind him back to the cottage and left him there. She didn't think he even noticed she had dropped back as he sped off towards her grandparents' house.

Now, here she was, still brooding over the whole scene. Not completely mad at Nahuel, but not blaming herself for the screw up.

Maybe he just needed time to think, right?

Maybe he didn't know how to say yes?

Or maybe he was still struggling how to tell her no...

"Oh stop it!" She shouted, quieting the voices in her head.

"Stop what?" Nessa jumped, spinning around. Nahuel was staring at her, a humored expression on his face. She felt a blush rise in her cheeks, but didn't try to hide it.

"Sorry, I was just-"

"Thinking?" Nessa bit her lip.

"Yea, that's it..." Jumping off the rail, Nessa shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. She stared at the reflection of herself in the sliding glass door, not at Nahuel; Concentrating fully on her cranberry blouse, light brown jacket, and lace up boots.

"So, Nessa, do you want to talk about earlier?" Nahuel asked.

"Not really..." She replied bluntly.

"Why not?"

"Well, aren't you going to tell me no?" Nahuel looked surprised. He walked over to her and held her hands. Looking into eyes, Nessa could see the truth in his eyes; even before he said it.

"What you said this morning, at the beach," Nahuel began, never once leaving her gaze, "It took me by surprise and I didn't know how to react. No one has ever returned the love that your family has given me; the love that you've given me."

"So, are you saying that you like me?" Nessa asked, still kind of confused. She understood where Nahuel was coming from, but that didn't mean that she wasn't a little star struck. He was her first crush after all.

"Nessa, I love you a lot." Nahuel smiled down at her.

"So, where do we go from here?" Nessa replied in a small voice. Nahuel led her by a hand through the cottage, and out into the woods.

"First, I want to take a walk, love." Nahuel laughed, "I want to enjoy this evening with something equally as lovely. Smiling blissfully, Nessa and Nahuel walked all the way to the cliff and watched the moon and stars rise.

Author's Note:

Here's another Ness/Nahuel story. I'm watching a marathon of "What Not to Wear" and other fashion shows and just churning out the one shots. I'm on a roll, but I'm curious about how you all will like them.

So, let me know! Rate, review, love it!

Thanks lots!

Carie Lea

p.s. watching all these fashion shows makes me feel like Alice. I have the urge to go and make a bunch of dresses and shirts right now. Maybe I'll go knit a hat?