Falling for Brady: An Imprint's Story
A/N: I have been terribly stuck in all of my stories. I hope that they are good enough to be read and reviewed. Please, enjoy! To my coolest friend Mystic, thank you! You rock!-Lexi
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
Let's Give Us a Chance
I stood by the double doors that led into the school cafeteria. It was so crowded and most of the tables were already occupied. I scanned the area briefly in search of my new friend Haliee. I was disappointed when I didn't spot her. I stopped when I saw Sasha and her minions staring at my direction. I could tell nothing good was going to come out this girl, so I hurriedly decided to eat outside.
It was a nice, sunny day. Why should I spend it inside a crowded cafeteria filled with a snobby princess that hated me, without even knowing me? I quickly answered my own idiotic question. She thought I was after Brady. Stupid Brady!
I quickly made my way down the hall. It took me less than five minutes to exit the giant door that led to the front of the school building. I walked down the concrete steps and continued past a row of parked cars.
"Leslie," called a familiar voice. I turned around and found Haliee smiling brightly at me. "Come here!" she ordered in her beautiful English voice. She was sitting on the hood of an old Buick. Her legs were crossed Indian style, a McDonald's bag laid on her lap.
"Hi, Haliee! What are you doing out here?" I asked her, returning the smile. I approached her, covering my eyes from the shining sun.
"Oh, I should've told you to join me. I usually eat out here. The cafeteria is so small and crowded." she laughed softly. She took a bite out of her burger and wiped her mouth with the brown napkin.
I just stood like an idiot in front of the car, bobbing my head. "I know what you mean." I finally said. I felt uneasy.
"I just saw Sasha Cane looking at me. I think she really hates me. Can I join you?" I asked, gathering all my courage to act normal.
Haliee was a beautiful person. She was a free-spirited girl. I could see the spunk in her smile.
"Of course, yes. You are part of the wolf-girls." she said, taking a sip of her soda. "You are more than welcome to join me. I'm so happy that we're friends. I can't wait for you to meet my boyfriend. He is so cute!" she said cheerfully, her eyes turning to scan the parking lot.
I followed her line of vision and found what she was looking at. Four extremely handsome, tall and tanned guys were making their way towards us. They all looked like brothers. Their hair was cropped short, muscularly built and did I mention handsome.
"Um, Haliee, I think I should go." I said quietly, still shamelessly staring at them. They moved so swiftly, yet gracefully. I was amazed at how well they coordinated their movements. They wore stylish clothes and looked like they had just stepped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog.
I turned to face Haliee, whom was looking at me sadly. She placed her burger on the napkin. "Don't go, Les." her voice sounding soft and somber.
"You wouldn't leave me alone with those guys?" she said attempting to sound sheepishly. Her deep blue eyes were searching mine, silently imploring me not to leave.
Yes, I was instantly defeated. "Oh that's not fair, Hale, you gave me that look and I can't deny you anything if you look at me that way." I complained, sitting next to her on the hood of the old Buick. The metal was a little hot against my jeans, but I endured it.
"Another mortal that falls for my puppy blue-eyed look!" she said triumphantly. Haliee hopped off the hood of the car and began to stretch. I silently chuckled as I watched her elegantly move.
"Here he comes!" she mumbled happily, clapping her hands like a giddy child. She turned to face me and gave me a broad smile.
"I haven't seen my Seth since this morning. We try to spend as much time together as we can. He's a senior and his classes are located on the other side of the school." she explained, leaning against the car.
I silently nodded, opening my lunch sack. I felt the need to look up at the direction of where those guys were coming from. I felt the pull to wrap my arms around one of them. I promised myself that I was going to ignore him, but faith had other plans.
"Maybe I should leave. You know, give you space." I muttered, facing her way. "That way you can spend more time with him." I added quickly, taking a bite out of my sandwich.
I heard Haliee sniff the air, causing me to laugh. "What are you doing, Hale?" I laughed, taking another bite off my cucumber sandwich.
"I swear on my Mummy's grave that I know that delectable smell." Haliee said, her eyes opened wide as she stared at me. "That's an English Cucumber Sandwich, without the crust!" she said jovially.
I looked down at my sandwich and nodded. "Yes, they are. Would you like one? I made two." I offered, giving her a wide toothy smile, just like the one Joshua gives me.
"I don't mind sharing!" I added when I found Haliee hesitating. She took the sandwich bag that I was handing her.
"I mixed the mayonnaise, cream cheese, garlic powder, onion salt, and the Worcestershire very well. The cucumbers are thinly sliced. It tastes really good!" I said with a drawl.
"Oh, how can I resist it, when you are waving it in front of me?" Haliee said dramatically, opening the sandwich bag and smiling happily at the sandwich.
"Ahh, the way mortals fall for scrumptious food!" I said smugly, a victorious smile on my face. We ate quietly enjoying the delicious food. I'd forgotten about those ridiculously tall guys that were trudging their way towards us.
"Haliee!" a deep voice called. I silently gasped when I saw him approaching us. My heart was beating hard against my chest. He resembled Brady so much.
"I've missed you!" he said lovingly, stopping in front of her. He wrapped his enormous arms around her small waist, crushing her against him.
He kissed her forehead and waited patiently until she finished her sandwich. It was by far the most beautiful, tender moment I've ever seen. "English cucumber sandwich?" he asked knowingly, grinning at her.
Haliee nodded. "They are delicious, baby." she said, still chewing on her food.
I chuckled nervously, getting off the hood of the car. I glanced over to the three guys that stood behind Haliee's boyfriend and froze. Brady was standing elegantly, beautifully and more handsome than this morning, staring at me. He'd that confusing gaze in his eyes. If I could guess, it was exactly like the one Seth was giving Haliee.
It's a look that you can't describe! Just turn around and leave. Leave if you treasure your life. Go if you are smart enough. Don't look at him. You are gawking. That is just plain rude, Leslie! I mentally scolded myself.
I gathered my wits and turned to face the car. I silently chewed on my sandwich and wished to God that the ground would open a giant hole, so I could hide in it.
"Who's your friend, babe?" Seth asked, his voice was kind and jovial. I turned to face him and couldn't help smiling.
Seth's eyes were deep wells of chocolate goodies. His sincere smile wasn't forced, it came naturally. He was a kind soul, just like Haliee. They deserved each other. I could feel my cold exterior melting at his kindness.
Haliee was still enjoying her sandwich, smiling intensely at him. "She's Leslie, my new friend. She's joining us for lunch today. Sasha Cane wa-"
"Hale, please, they don't need to know." I said briskly, trying to hide my embarrassment. "I- I don't want them to know, please." I stuttered nervously, when I saw Brady's pained gaze turned into anger.
Brady cleared his throat. "What did she do to you?" he demanded, his eyes burning into my soul. "If she did something to hurt you, please tell me." he added quickly, his eyes begging me.
I looked down at the floor nervously. Why did I feel so drawn to him? I felt like an invisible force was pulling us together. As if a silent voice was screaming that we belong together. I wanted to look at his hazel orbs and believe that he wanted me.
"She didn't do anything. I'm just exaggerating." I said coldly, staring at my shoes. "I was just lonely." I said curtly.
Did I really just say that? I'm a freak. I can't believe this. I feel like I have to tell Brady everything. I can't hide anything from him. I just can't, but I don't know him. I should never get to close to him. It was dangerous.
"You don't have to be. You can always join us. You're part of our family." Seth said cheerfully, the corner of his mouth wrinkled in to a perfect smile.
"Thank you." I mumbled, taking a sip of my apple juice. I darted my eyes from Seth to the other guys that stood beside him.
Seth removed his arms from Haliee and held her hand tenderly. "Leslie, these are my friends, my brothers." Seth began in his husky voice.
"This is Collin Rue, Shawn and Brady Brooks. I assume that you've met Brady already?" he asked, giving me a curious stare.
I nodded. "Yes, we met this morning." I shrugged.
There was an awkward silent. "Well, I should get going." Shawn said, breaking the silence. He shoved his giant hands into his pocket and cocked his head.
"It was nice meeting you, Les. Hope seeing you again! Don't pay attention to Sasha Cane. She wants Brady but she can't have him. See you later, bro." he said, turning away from us.
I reluctantly waved at Shawn. "Bye." I mumbled, feeling Brady's eyes sizing me up. I had it! "Why are you staring? It's awfully rude!" I cringed at my sudden tone. I couldn't believe that I had done that!
Brady was smiling. "Finally, she's speaking to me!" he said, his tone turning serious, moving closer to where I was. "You and I need to have a talk!" he said, taking my hand in his.
"We need to discuss a few things." he said angrily, dragging me away with him.
I looked at Haliee and Seth, but they just waved at me. "Haliee?" I asked desperately, "Help me!" I begged, but all Seth did was smile. Ok, so right there I wanted to punch Seth and take the cucumber sandwich I'd kindly given Haliee.
"Tell me everything!" Haliee said with her mouth full, as she leaned against Seth strong chest.
"I will not!" I shouted indignantly at her. I knew I was going to tell her everything, somehow I couldn't deny her anything.
"Let go of me, Brady. You are acting like an ass!" I said angrily, trying to pry his manacles away from my wrist. "You are hurting me! It hurts a lot." I cried, pushing his stomach.
It was the worst mistake I've done. My left hand began to hurt. "Great! Now I'm going to have two bruised hands. Are you made of brick? Damn, great fuck, this hurt!" I cursed under my breath, trying to hold back my tears.
Brady reluctantly released my wrist when we reached a wooden bench. He motioned me to sit down, but I didn't obey. I was going to stand, it gave me a better chance to run.
"Please, sit, Leslie. I want to talk to you. We have less than thirty minutes before the lunch bell rings. I have so much to tell you. Please, listen to me." he pleaded, taking my hand in his and gently caressing it.
"What can we possibly talk about?" I snapped in frustration. I sat on the bench and pried my hand away from him. "I don't think there is anything that you can tell me that will change my mind about you. I think you are a douche bag in the sea of men. I can't believe I thought I-" I trailed off, rubbing my hurting hand.
I looked up to face him; his face was twisted in pain. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I didn't mean it. I tend to lose my temper on occasion." he said apologetic. "I just want to talk to you. I don't want or can stand it when you are mad at me." he said softly, raking his fingers through his perfectly cropped hair.
"I understand that Sasha said hurtful things to you. I am sorry that I couldn't put her in her place. I am not dating Sasha. She's not my girlfriend. We are nothing, you have to believe me. I don't care about her. I only care for you. I want to get to know you. I want to know everything about you. I can't fathom the possibility of not having you in my life. Leslie, please believe me." he said, kneeling in front of me.
I quickly felt ashamed. Here was Brady telling me the truth. I wanted to accept it all, but it was too sudden. He was technically confessing his undying love. I shoved the thought aside and gazed into his hazel eyes. They were pleading.
"I don't know, Brady. Sasha probably has the influence to turn the whole school against me. I don't want to become the victim. I really don't understand why you are paying so much attention to me. Is this some sick joke? If it is, please, end it now. I don't want to fall for you. I wouldn't be able to survive a broken heart. It takes too long to heal and I can't have it broken again." I said, technically supplicating him.
"I would never do such a thing to you. You are my world. I wish I could show you how I feel for you. Do you believe in love at first sight?" he asked, his hands rested on my lap. I looked down at them and decided to hold them in my hands. They were hot and I felt the urge to place them on my face.
"I don't think I can believe you. My father destroyed my trust in the opposite sex. He obliterated every shred of hope I had for humanity." I whispered, remembering how my father destroyed my life when he cheated on my mother.
"I'll prove it to you." he vowed, clasping my face in his hands. "I'll prove to you that I am saying the truth. Leslie, let's give us a chance." he said, pulling me closer to him. Our faces were only inches away. I could feel the soft warmth of his breath.
My heart began to pound hard against my chest. I gulped loudly; his nearness was the prelude to a kiss. He looked down at me behind thick eyelashes. I felt like melting. He pressed his lips gently against mine. It was barely a peck, but I felt the electricity rushed through my veins until it reached my heart. I felt a kaleidoscope of emotions surge inside of me.
This was my first kiss. It was a tender moment that I would forever cherish in my heart. He was staring at me, with the same love-sick look that Seth gave Haliee. I felt uncomfortable, but all my feelings were put on hold when he bent down to kiss me again.
This time his lips came crashing down on mine. I felt his tongue trace my lower lip and I quickly gasped. He continued to probe my lips with his tongue, kissing me lightly. It quickly made its way inside into my mouth and I instinctively welcomed it. I tasted and savored him. He tasted like raw power intertwined with love. I pressed my aching hands against his temples, pulling him closer to me. He continued to diligently explore the inside of my mouth, a loud moan escaped my mouth. His hands moved to my knees. He began to trace soothing circles on my thigh. They never left the area, all I felt was the heat emanating from his touch. His mouth was warm, yet so pleasing. I inhaled his soft musk mixed with pine.
He reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, biting my lower lip softly. He leaned his forehead against mine. There was an impish smile on his beautiful face. His dimples decorated his immaculate and flawless face.
"Will you give me a chance to prove how much I care for you? Let me make you believe that there is true love. I love you, Leslie." he whispered against my ear, his hands still resting on my thighs. "I love you, Leslie. If I act like a love-struck teenager is because I am!" he said slowly, encircling his arms around my waist and resting his head against my chest.
I was petrified to the spot. It was too much for me. I wanted to run, to stay, to shoo him away. I moved my trembling hand and touched his thick black hair. It was soft and smooth against my hand. I traced the contours of his perfect face with my fingers.
"Let's give us a chance!" I chuckled, tilting his head to face me. "Promise you'll not hurt me, Bray-Bray." I demanded. He smiled happily and kissed my nose.
"I promise, Les. I will make you happy." he said, and I believed him.