***I do not own these characters. All rights belong to Victoria Aveyard and the Red Queen series.*** With that being said: This is my first FanFic/one-shot in MANY years. So be nice. :p
Elane. Elane Haven.
Everything was fine, I thought, before she walked through the front door of my parent's home over Thanksgiving break. Volo and Larentia have invited the Haven family over as well as a sign of good will between our families and as a first step in the arrangement of Elane and Tolly's future marriage. They have not been subtle about arranging our lives for us. We are mere pawns in business transactions of their making. And while I have been able to sit still under my parents' control for quite some time, after today, I don't think that is possible.
Cal sits beside me now, his muscular arm draped over the back of the couch. I can hear our families in the library. Fathers discussing business. Mothers discussing us, their children as if we are not sitting in the next room.
Cal's brother, Maven, still a junior in high school, sits in the corner of our sitting room with headphones plugged into his ears, ignoring us all. God only knows what the poor thing is listening to. His outdated taste in music leaves a lot to be desired. But Cal's isn't much better.
A knock at the door stirs us from our mindless watching of reruns of 80s films on VH1. In a matter of seconds, Tolly bounds down the stairs, dressed in form-fitting black pants and a dark gray button-down shirt, and flings open the door. I am sure that he is just as nervous about this as I am...Ptolemus is my older brother. But we are as close as twins, in looks and personality. I can feel the energy he is throwing off from across the room.
As he opens the door, I turn my head just in time to see a girl around my age entering, with only one more figure behind her. The girl in question reaches her hand out towards Tolly, smiling gently as she introduces herself to him. Her long red hair frames her pale face, seemingly glowing under the late afternoon sunlight. My breath catches in my throat, a slight hitch to a rather normal action. I cannot deny that she is beyond beautiful.
"Elane. Elane Haven." She has to slightly look up to my brother to meet his eyes.
"Ptolemus Samos. But you already know that." The pair share a weak laugh. My brother is rather dry when it comes to interacting with women; he knows what he wants. While Elane is his type, beautiful beyond a doubt, it has yet to be seen if she can handle his wandering tendencies.
"Ah, Haven!" My father steps out from the library with the other parents in tow to welcome the Haven family into our home for the holiday dinner our maids have been preparing all morning.
"Volo, you old man!" A man with graying hair steps from behind Elane, reaching for my father. "And Tiberias! It has been too long!" Elane's father addresses the governor so personally that it is hard to dismiss.
"Indeed it has. Come, meet the children." Tiberias use of the term sickens me. The only child in the room is Maven, who now clings to his mother s side as she joins him on the love seat.
Cal grabs a hold of my wrist, pulling me up to my feet, but doesn't replace his arm behind me. We are not ones for too much PDA. At school, we live our own lives. Besides living on the same floor in the dorm, we are able to avoid each other until we absolutely have to face the music. And we often face the music at home. Mine mostly. His parents generally pay us no attention. It is mine who watch us like one of my mother's hawks.
"My daughter, Evangeline. And Ptolemus, the man of the hour." Father gestures to each of us and we exchange curt nods and handshakes respectively with Elane's father.
"It is a pleasure. Call me Jerald."
"And Tiberias, and Maven." The governor speaks now. Cal reaches a hand out to Jerald.
"I've heard many stories about you, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you. And please call me Cal." Cal has always gone by a shortened version of his last name...since before I could remember. Our families have been friends since before we were both born. Our arrangement is much less formal by now. It as if I was born for Cal. He is 11 months older than I am and it was assumed at my birth that I was to be promised to him on our 18th birthdays. That was two years ago. And here we sit, internally and mentally ignoring our betrothal.
Tiberias nods his head in agreement. "Yes, Cal. Helps to eliminate confusion at home! And I apologize about my youngest. He lives in his own head." Tiberias mentions Maven who still sits with his mother, Cal's stepmother, the ice cold and ever-fickle, Elara. Maven's thick curls rest in his eyes; jutting out over his sharp facial features. He often appears ill...what with his pale skin, lanky form, and general disposition. Compared to Cal's more athletic body, and amicable personality, it is not hard to see how he goes mostly unnoticed. And while they share a father and similar colors, their eyes are far different than any other siblings I know: while Cal's eyes burn bronze, Maven's are an eerie shade of blue, clear and precise like his own mother, eyes that could cut you.
"Well now that we are all here, can I get you anything to drink?" Mother speaks up from behind us, dressed in her usual outfit of slim black pants and an emerald green button-down shirt with frills around the collar and edges of the sleeves. One of her cats moves languidly between her heeled feet. Mother is never far from some type of animal; Whether it be a domesticated cat, or the snakes in her lab. Her job as head animalistic behavior professor at the university keeps her busy and her love of animals satiated.
Elane sits across from me at the dinner table. Tolly is directly next to her, and Cal next to me. The four of us sit towards the far end of the table, with our parents and Maven on the other end. I suddenly feel a poke in my side and look down to see Cal's finger still pushing against my black and silver top.
I only need raise my eyebrows at him. We've developed an unspoken language in our years together.
"What's going on with you, Eve? You are acting stranger than usual." The audacity.
"What do you know Calore?"
"Just that you are more tense than most days. I know you hate being home with your parents. Should we head back to campus after dinner?"
The thought of driving the short distance back to our dorm rooms slightly excites me. But at the same time, I promised Tolly that I would stay and get to know Elane over the next couple of days. I shake my head. "That won't be necessary. Let s just get through dinner."
I look back towards the table, catching a brief glimpse of Elane's eyes boring into me. She immediately looks away. Her gaze is startling to say the least. If she is sizing me up, she isn't trying to hide it very hard. She and Tolly carry on in their conversation but somehow, her eyes find a way back to me.
"So, you two are sophomores at Columbia?" Elane's harmless question is not new. It is a trivial question that anyone with connections to our families know. Her voice is timid though, wrought with uncertainty. She has a lot to learn about speaking up if she is marrying my brother.
Cal lets out a cough, nodding his head. "Yeah. I m double majoring in both mechanical engineering and business...Eve's in business...but she dabbles in the arts fairly often."
"Well, Father s requirement is that we take business first and foremost. But Parsons allows me to audit during the summer."
"She made this top she's wearing." Cal points out to Elane. I look down at the black sleeveless top that is decorated with shiny pieces of metal woven through that I attached by hand. Elane smiles in my direction, and I hope that I am not blushing. My pale skin does not help me in that department. At some point in the evening, I have grown flustered, and I am not sure if I can admit it to myself that it is Elane s doing.
"Not much need for fashion in the steel world, eh?" Tolly's comment passes right through me. If anyone else would have said it, I'd kill them slowly with a glare. But I know he means it as a joke. He wanted to join the military, but father shut it down, instead insisting that he complete business school. I am pretty sure he entered law school because he simply likes to argue. But it still plays into father's hand.
"Your name definitely sounds familiar," I say to Elane, not sure of how she ended up at our table, especially at the holidays. "Are you from this area?"
"I grew up here in New York, just outside of Albany...but I spent most of my child hood traveling with father. I just started my junior year at NYU."
Oh, so you're in the city too then? We will have to all get together for a drink some time. I know Ptolemus stays holed up in his apartment most of the time...but maybe you can get him to hang out with the rest of us." Cal's offer shakes me. We hardly make plans together. And when we do, it s because one or both sets of our parents are in the city and want us all to join them for dinner.
"Yeah, sure. We should do dinner one night soon." I respond in kind.
Elane's timid smile grows as she eyes me. "I would love to."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Elane asks me as she steps out of my bathroom in a pair of flannel pajamas. I have chosen a plain black T-shirt to throw on over my boy shorts. I shake my head.
"With everyone here, all of the rooms are filled up. So no...I don t mind. Cal will keep Tolly busy... I can only imagine what those two will get into." Tolly may be a couple of years older than Cal, but they are close...much like our respective fathers...which reminds me. "Do our families have a history?"
Elane looks up from turning down the covers of her side of my king size bed. "Hmm...oh, yes. They all went to college together...your father, the governor, and my father. Cal seemed to know who we were before we arrived..."
I am not sure if she means to belittle my lack of knowledge. "Hmmm...Cal seems to know a lot of things." Which is true. He has followed his father around the office for years now, privy to all sorts of matters.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" Elane has gotten settled in under the blankets and watches me now as I climb in on my side. I nod my head.
"What is it like...? Being betrothed to someone you hardly know?"
The truth is, I cannot honestly answer her question. "Cal and I have known each other for our whole 20 years of life. Cal and I are different...if I'm being honest."
"Please."
"We have known since a long time ago what our parents planned for us...and we both know what it is. While we are supposed to get married, we also agreed to have fun while we can...we are by no means exclusive...he's seeing this girl named Meredith...or Mary...?" I raise my hands in a questioning gesture. "It's complicated."
"And you?" Elane asks. "Are you seeing anyone?"
"No. I go on dates..."
"But nothing serious?" She asks.
I shake my head. "Nothing yet."
I toss and turn the whole night, painfully aware of how close Elane's body is to me the whole time. Why am I feeling this way? A couple of hours before my alarm is set to go off, I open my phone and quickly delete them, opting instead to get out of bed now and head downstairs to the gym and get a run in before anyone else wakes up. But my plans for solitude are squashed when I walk in to Cal on the treadmill, running at a steady pace. He nods his head to me as I climb onto the elliptical next to him and begin my workout. I must be taking my feelings out on the machine. I don t even notice that Cal has stopped and is now staring at me.
"Come on Eve. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours? I know you hate having to visit home...but ease up on the elliptical. It didn't do anything to you." His joke is lost on me.
"It's nothing Calore. Nothing... at least I don t know if it s nothing or not." I've never felt this way about anything or anyone...not even Cal. He's handsome enough...and I consider him a close friend...but there s always been something off. And now he wants to know why I am acting strange.
"Ok..." I start. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to hold it against me? To not tell anyone? And not laugh at me?" He nods his head. I step off the elliptical and walk over to the weights and he joins me, sitting down on the bench.
"I promise. As your friend and your fiance." We never call each other that word...fiance.
"I...as soon as Elane got here yesterday, I've been experiencing these weird feelings. And I do not know what to do with them...I know that I've never had a serious relationship outside of our arrangement..."
"Wow," Cal starts. "Eve...honestly...? Wow." He looks at me now; I can see the heartfelt emotion in his bronze eyes. This just got a lot more complicated.
He has no idea.
"Hey...," as I walk into my room, Elane sits up and rubs her eyes. Her red hair is sticking out in a few places and I chuckle internally at how cute she looks.
"Did you sleep well?" I ask. I know I did not. And from the soft snores coming from her all night, I am sure she did indeed enjoy her rest.
"Yes...surprisingly well for not being in my own bed." Her eyes glance over me quickly. "I didn't even hear you get up. Were you working out?"
I nod my head, staring down at my sweaty gym clothes, a pair of black leggings and a black sports bra. Working out is an understatement. I feel the sweat sticking to my skin and dripping from my hair. "Yeah. Cal and I like to work out in the early hours and...I honestly didn't sleep well last night." As a look of guilt crossed Elane's face, I regret having told her.
"Oh no! I m so sorry! Was I snoring? Did I kick you? I don t usually share a bed with anyone... ," She rambles, hiding her face under her hands. But I can already see a hint of blushing.
"No...it wasn't you." I lie. "I usually don t get very much sleep at home...a lot of pressure on me to act a certain way...and I let it get to me."
Elane purses her lips. "I know the feeling..."
Of course she does. We are in the same situation. Betrothed to two men who we didn't ask for. "Maybe you and I can hang out when we get back to the city... the words leave my mouth before I can even think. I know Cal mentioned it...but I mean, who wants to hang out with those two? I get enough of them..."
"Yeah! I'd love that." Her genuine smile melts me from the inside.
"Good...," smiling, I return to getting ready for my shower. "I'll be out shortly if you need to use the shower..."
Later that day as I sit next to Cal on the couch, once more watching movies on the TV, he pulls me in closely. I side eye him and receive a look that I am beyond familiar with at this point in our relationship. I turn my head slightly to see our respective mothers sitting in the dining room, just within our line of vision. "I swear...we get no peace. How am I supposed to live?"
Cal laughs lowly and pulls me in even tighter. "Once we get back to the city, I'll make sure you get all the privacy you need..." he winks knowingly at me before reclining in his seat, pulling me down with him.
"What do we have here?" Tolly's voice stirs me and I jerk upright from Cal's shoulder, catching Elane's glance as they enter the room.
"We were just watching TV. Care to join us?" I am not sure where the pair have been, but I can only guess outside because Elane's tresses are wind-swept and her cheeks are red from the cold. Tolly's own silver hair is slicked back in place. But his face is the same shade as Elane s, having not escaped the effects of the weather.
Tolly nods his head and sits on the far side of the couch, leaving just enough room for Elane to squeeze in next to me. I tense up as she grazes my side with her arm. Cal must feel it because he relaxes a bit and ends up pushing me closer to her...I would say that he is not aware of what he is doing. But we both know he is. I turn to see him staring at the TV with a smirk on his face, eyes lit up like he is up to something the rest of us know anything about.
I scold him with my eyes. He only laughs. Damn Calore and his need to help. I will talk to him about this later.
"Calore, want to join me for a drink in the library? Father just got in some aged whiskey that I have been looking to get into this week." Tolly sits up from the couch and turns to me. "Be nice." He knows that under normal circumstances I would turn into the evil sister looking out for her brother once he leaves the room. But not in this case. I actually like Elane and feel sort of bad for her that she has been put in the same situation as me.
"No promises!" I call out to him as he turns the corner. "What were you two up to earlier?" My question to Elane is innocent.
"Oh, Ptolemus was just showing me your mother s greenhouse...," she says my brother's full name, no sense of familiarity. "What about you guys...you looked...cozy..." I cannot immediately tell if she is meaning to sound jealous or curious. I always know.
"Yeah, cozy...," not in the least bit, I want to tell her. I want to tell her everything. Dear god. Why do I want to tell her anything? I hardly know her.
"You ok?" Elane s voice carries over to me.
"Hmmm? Oh yeah. I m fine...just lost in thought."
"That seems to happen a lot to you Eve...," she says my shortened name as if we have been friends for years like myself and Cal or even Tolly.
"Hey," Cal and Tolly join us back on the couch with their drinks in hand. Tolly does not offer Elane a sip; but Cal reaches over to me without even thinking. I take the glass and sip slowly, feeling the alcohol burn as it slides down my throat.
"Thanks..."
The four of us sit quietly, staring at the TV. I am not actually watching though. I lean forward with my elbows on my knees. After a few minutes, I feel Cal's strong and warm hand on my lower back. It is not meant as a romantic gesture, but merely a friendly one. He wants me to know he's there. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Elane sit forward as well, joining me in my stance.
"There s a bonfire tonight out at the river...," Tolly tells us. "Are we going to it? Or just sitting here and watching TV all day?"
"Bonfire. Bonfire, definitely." Cal responds. "You in, Eve? Elane?"
I look to Elane before I answer. She smiles. "That sounds like a great idea. Eve?"
Nodding my head, I return the smile. "Yeah. Let s do it."
"I think you should wear that black skirt you always wear at school with your leggings and that gray oversized sweater, the one with the zipper...and your combat boots..." Cal sits on my bed watching me tear through my closet.
"Why?" I ask, attempting to find something decent enough for the woods and something cute enough to wear in front of Elane. "This is crazy, Calore. What am I even thinking? Who am I? Fawning over...a girl. My parents would kill me if they knew what I was doing..."
Cal stands up and walks over to my closet to join me, wrapping me in his forever-warm embrace. "Well they don't. So let's just have some fun while we are away from the house tonight. And after Sunday, we won t have to see them for a few more weeks."
I have come to appreciate Cal's friendship. If anything, I know that I can always count on him to be a shoulder to lean on. We have similar families and lifestyles which helped in the beginning to form this bond. But now, out of the confines of our upbringings, he is one of my most trusted confidants. Along with Tolly. And I think Elane, in the future.
"Black skirt, huh? You think that s the one?" I pull the skirt he mentioned out from my closet and move through the other clothes to find the sweater.
"You've got great legs, Eve. Show them off a bit..."
"You re an ass sometimes, Calore..." I retreat to the bathroom to change my clothes, emerging with another thought on my mind. "How are things with Mary?"
He chuckles.
"Her name is Mare. And you would know that if you ever showed your face when she was around."
I shake my head. "Does she know what she signed up for? That she can't actually have you?"
"She knows that our relationship can t go anywhere...but god...Eve. I really like her and it sucks sometimes so much that we can t be more than what we are."
"Oh...we can. But we also know that if we do that, our families will essentially disown us. And you are loyal to a T. You'd never do that to your father." He knows I am right. Despite all of his faults, Cal is loyal to his father and heeds his every beckon call, a prince awaiting his father's legacy.
"I can wish." He sighs wistfully. "She asks about you...what you're like...if the rumors are true...," wait, rumors?
"What rumors?" I basically shout at him.
He laughs, winking at me with his bronze eyes. "Nothing to worry about, Eve. Nothing at all..." Cal thinks he can get away with this.
"Like hell it s nothing. What rumors?" I don't normally allow things to bother me. But my feelings for Elane have me on edge.
"I was only kidding with you, Evangeline. Calm down before your family burst into the room because of your commotion." He reaches a hand out to ruffle my silver hair.
"You better be glad I haven't done anything to my hair yet, you asshole. Get out of my room before I kick your ass for pissing me off."
As Cal turns to leave, Elane appears in the doorway. "Oh, hey...I didn t realize you were both in here...I ll come back."
"No! No, come on in, Elane. I was just leaving." Cal scoots out past Elane and shuts the door.
"Wow, you look comfy...I didn't bring anything like that because I didn''t think I d be leaving the house..." she seems nervous and embarrassed.
"You're more than welcome to look in my closet. I've got some warmer stuff on the left hand side and some extra boots on that bottom shelf..." I watch as Elane peers into my closet. She reaches in and pulls out a dark green sweater dress along with a pair of knee high boots.
I automatically reach into my dresser and pull out a pair of leggings for her. "You'll need these tonight." She thanks me for them and heads into the bathroom to change. Once we are both ready, we leave my room and walk downstairs to find the boys.
The ride to the bonfire is silent, except for the radio. Cal insists on listening to his eclectic collection of old school music...the stuff our parents listened to when they were our age. His jeep carries the four of us comfortably, he and Tolly in the front and Elane and I in the back seat.
As soon as we park, however, a group of girls come bounding up to the jeep. Either they saw Cal's car or Tolly's hair first, I do not know. But by the way they attack the passenger side door, I am guessing the first. I climb out of the back seat and offer a hand for Elane to do the same. Our fingers touch briefly, sending a shock up my arm.
"Oops!" Elane smiles. "Hate when that happens...thanks." She jumps down and straightens her pea coat. "Who are those girls?" "Nothing to worry about," I assure her. "They've been following these guys around for years. Tolly has only ever had eyes for one of them...and she does not appear to be here." An image of Wren flashes through my mind. That girl and my brother are trouble...he can't seem to get away from her gravitational pull. But now that Elane is in the picture, I can only hope that he treats her with respect...and the thought causes me to shudder. Can I lie to myself? That I want him to respect her because of what they are or because of what I want us to be?
Cal places an arm around my shoulders, and one around Elane. "Come on ladies. Let's leave him to that..." Cal does not like the attention. I know he really likes Mare, and that nothing could cause him to stumble from her path, except me. And I have no plans of doing that to him anytime soon. Honestly, if and when we do get married, it is going to have to be an open marriage. I can't do that to him, and he can't do that to me...as loyal as we both are to one another and the path set forth by our parents. He guides us to a table set up with cups and a nearby keg and pours us each a beer before scanning the crowd of people around us. I see some familiar faces, friends from school, and the like.
"Oh hey, there's Farley...if you will excuse me, I have a few words to discuss with her." Cal steps to the side to meet Diana Farley in the center of the trees. The tall blonde has shaved her head, making her look more fierce than usual.
"I've never been to something like this..." Elane starts. "There's not a lot of time for these types of things when you spend most of your life on a plane or a different continent."
I shrug my shoulders. "You didn't miss out on much...unless getting drunk and making out with random people is something that excites you..."
"I wouldn't know..." I swear I see her blushing.
"Well then, let's try to have a good time. Want to dance?" I ask her as she slowly sips her beer. I've already drank all of mine. I know the routine. She takes one more sip, a bit longer this time, and takes the hand I offer her, joining me among the other dancing teens. The music plays loudly and I find myself swaying to the beat, keeping an eye on Elane to make sure she is still comfortable. She does not know anyone, and I feel that it is my duty to protect her. Protect her? Who am I turning into? Elane smiles at me. She seems to be having fun. When I spy Cal walking back to us with pursed lips, running his hand through his hair, I imagine that his conversation with Farley did not end well.
"Sorry for leaving you..." He stands still, not dancing, noticeably not enjoying himself.
I shake my head. "I have Elane to keep me company..." My smile causes him to loosen up a bit.
"What's up?" I twirl in place, backing up to him and moving my body against his own. Elane is still next to us, but her back is turned briefly, giving us a millisecond of privacy.
"Mare and Farley are apparently friends. Mare had mentioned it to me recently that she had an old friend from up here, one that moved here from Canada, and told me her name..."
"Huh," I laugh. "There's more to Mare than meets the eye."
"I'd say so..." Cal shrugs his shoulders.
"What's so important about this Farley girl?" Elane has turned her attention back to us, moving closer to me and Cal. "She's the leader of a group of people who protest my father's office..."
"And you associate with her?" Elane is shocked.
Cal shakes his head. "We know each other...and apparently Mare has become involved with their group...something we will be talking about when we get back to campus this week..." I can tell Cal is bothered by this. It is true that we run in the same circles as Farley, but we make it a point to separate our identities from her own.
"She's nothing to worry about, Cal..."
"You say that..." He shakes his head at my statement.
"Well, I say we ignore her...I mean, I don't know her or anything...but I don't like seeing you guys upset." Elane smiles, coming to stand in between me and Cal and shaking her hips.
Cal laughs. "Yeah, ok. You're right...isn't she Eve?" I tell Cal to shut his mouth with only my eyes. He acts like a child more times than I would like. I shake my head and continue dancing, placing a hand on Elane's hips to steady myself. But as quick as my hand reaches her hip, a force pushes me into her from behind. "Oh...," I stand back quickly and hold Elane at arms' length.
"I don't bite, Eve...," The alcohol must be hitting Elane hard. She continues to dance, leaning in closely to me and smiling. "You smell amazing..."
"Ummmm...,"Why am I tripping over my words? "Thanks..."
"Can I tell you a secret...?"
Elane s eyes are soft and wide although she is on the verge of being drunk, her motor skills appear in working order.
"Elane, you are practically drunk. Best not spill any family secrets you can't take back." I try to talk some sense into her. To no avail.
"I think you are the prettiest girl I have ever seen...and I have no experience with boys...or girls...but I really want to kiss you..." The words fall out of her mouth one by one and she does not stop herself. I, on the other hand, reach out to steady myself on her arm.
"Elane...let s go sit down..." I wrap my hand around her wrist and drag her several feet over to a fallen tree, the hulking mass takes up quite a bit of space. I have seen people stepping over it all night.
"Elane...," Lines form in her forehead as she frowns.
"I thought maybe you felt the same way...that..."
"Elane. Dear god. You have no idea how much I've wanted to kiss you since I saw you walk through that door. And sleeping next to you...literal torture. And...," I want to pull her closer and kiss her as I speak but I do not know the consequences. Once I kiss her, I don t know that I will be able to stop. "And what?"
"You know what." I glance sideways at the group of people nearest us and shake my head. "It doesn't matter what we want, Elane. We could be meant for each other in this messed up world...but we are pawns in a bigger game...you and Tolly...me and Cal..."
She is silent for a few moments as she mulls it over in her mind. "But in the city... In the city...we have a bit more freedom. Can we just table this discussion until we are back in the confines of my bedroom?"
"Eve...Evangeline, I don t know if I can sleep in the same bed as you and not be able to touch you...its all I could think about all day. When Cal put his arm around you, when he shared his drink with you...placed his hand on your back...I only wished that it could have been my hands...and imagined what your skin feels like..."
I can feel myself blushing. For someone with no experience, I d dare say you could give Casanova a run for his money... We have inched closer on the log without paying attention to our own movements. I reach out and place my hand on her own and she moves it into her lap. "Are you sure you just aren't really drunk?"
Dear god just let her be telling me some semblance of the truth...
"Eve...I have no experience but I've known that I have liked girls for a lot longer than you would think. I just needed to meet you to know that I was right all along..."
"Hey ladies...," We are interrupted by Cal once more. The brief pause in our conversation brings me back to my senses.
"Cal...," Without saying another word to either him or Elane, I stand abruptly and pull him back towards the Jeep.
"Eve, calm down. What s happening?" Before he is able to ask anything else, I push him against the Jeep and wrap my hands around the collar of his jacket, pulling him the short distance down to meet my lips. He is startled, I can tell because he does not initially kiss back.
"Eve...whoa...what s gotten into you? What happened with the whole Elane thing? We don't do this..." He s right. We don't.
"Oh, Cal!" I sob, moving my now tear streaked face into the crook of his neck. His arms move to wrap around me and he rubs a warm hand up and down my back. "I think if you wouldn't have interrupted us, we may have kissed and I wasn't ready for it..."
He gently pushes me away, holding me at arms length from his chest. "Really? That s awesome Eve...you can stop your worrying then. Remember...? Fun...? Test the waters."
"Hmph." It sounds more like a laugh. "You say that. But you're only downfall is that politically reprehensible girl...it's not the same."
"Evangeline. Look at me." Cal reaches for my face with his fingers, pulling me back into his direct line of sight. "You won't ever know what you really want unless you try...screw everyone else. I know Tolly would say the same. If you think you want to get to know Elane better...do it. Jump head first into the unknown..."
He may be right. Tolly would want me to be happy. "When did you become so philosophical, Calore?"
"Mare may be rubbing off on me...there are worse things." A slight blush creeps into his cheeks as he says her name. He really likes her.
"That girl has stolen your heart alright."
The statement brings a smile to his face. "She's a regular thief."
"Ok...," I shrug my shoulders, feeling slightly better after our honest conversation. "But when this comes back to bite me in the ass, I'm taking you down with me."
Cal laughs at me but pulls me back into his warm embrace. "All in the name of love." With Cal's second blessing, I turn back towards Elane.
I stand back for a moment watching as she surveys the rest of the people standing near. Every few minutes, she takes her hand and pushes her hair behind her ears, causing me to sigh. Damn it, Elane Haven...what are you doing to me? As if she heard my thoughts, she turns to meet my eyes, a smile splayed across her lips.
"Eve, are you ok? I was a bit worried..." As she starts falling over her words, I walk the few steps in her direction, sit down, and grab hold of her hands.
"I'm fine...I think...I'm just scared. And Cal only proved my point."
"What point was that, exactly?" Elane raises her well-manicured eye brows. But instead of answering with words, I lean in and kiss her quickly on the mouth. She tastes of peppermint and alcohol...and I want more.
"Eve...are you sure? Ten minutes ago, you ran off afraid of me..."
"Shut up Elane...just kiss me." And with that second kiss, I am sure of one thing and is that Tiberias Calore...or any man...will ever make me feel this way.
Not going to lie. This one-shot was inspired by an Evangeline playlist ( playlist/0LD79O6Atw8PAk8RW3fqsV) on Aveyard's Spotify. Made me think of how Eve and Elane's relationship would transform and take shape in another world, present day amidst the issues faced now.