Note: I do not own 'The Covenant' but do own my character. If wondering, it's pronounces the word 'are' with an 'n' on the end of it. I do take liberties throughout the story. Enjoy!
I woke up in my bed the next morning. I wondered how I got there and what had happened last night. The last thing I remembered was the guys saying they were going to show Reid his birthday present. I ran my fingers through my hair and went downstairs. No one was in the kitchen so I checked out where we had watched movies. Reid was stretched out on the couch and Tyler was curled up sleeping on the bean bag.
"Hey," a voice said behind me.
I turned and there stood Sarah.
"I heard you get up. You OK?"
"Yeah. What happened?"
"Kate and I had gone into the kitchen to get the cake and ice cream out. The guys went to show Reid his gift. You went upstairs to change into your pajamas and on your way back down, you tripped and fell down the stairs. You were out cold but OK. When the guys got back, Caleb carried you upstairs and put you to bed."
"Ouch. I'm sorry I ruined the bash."
"You didn't. You just missed cake and ice cream. Come. I'll cut some for you."
While we waited for everyone else to get up, I told Sarah about Kellen.
"I thought the way you were flirting with Reid meant you like him."
"Flirting is just flirting. Besides, I don't think Caleb would like his cousin dating one of his 'brothers' and I certainly don't need to be one of Reid's conquests. Kellen is sincere and intelligent. He's older than the typical high school boy. I don't know but it just seems right when I'm chatting with him. I can open up to him about anything and he doesn't judge me. There are things that I've been about to tell him that I haven't told any of you because I'm worried how everyone would react. I know it sounds nuts but I really think that something positive is coming out of this."
"I'm happy for you, Aren, but not every guy on the Internet is Prince Charming."
"But some are. Thanks for the cake. I'm going to get dressed."
I went upstairs and logged into the Internet. I was stepping out of the sweatpants when I heard the familiar ding from my laptop.
KC says: Happy New Year's. How did the bash go?
HotGirl says: Great. How was seeing your old friends? Like old times?
KC says: Almost. They were surprised to see me. Turns out that my RSVP hadn't been received by any of them. So are we still on? You sure you can get by your cousin and his friends long enough to meet me for lunch?
HotGirl says: Yeah. When I'm done getting dressed, I'll call the taxi company to come and pick me up. I should be there by one.
KC says: Great. I'll be the only guy with flowers.
HotGirl says: And if I don't see you, I'm the one with the red hair.
I signed off and finished getting dressed. I called the taxi company and they said a car should be there in 20 minutes. I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. I was quiet leaving the house, no one saw me leave. I waited for the taxi out by the gates. When it pulled up, I got in and told the driver where to go.
We were soon pulling up to the little café. I gave the driver a twenty even though it was only 12. I was too happy to care. I entered the café and looked around. Every table had one flower in a makeshift vase but there was only one table that had a bouquet of white calla lilies. The guy sitting at the table had his back to me so I went up to the table and sat down.
"Kellen, I presume."
"Aren. Thanks for meeting me. These are for you," he said handing the lilies to me.
"You must be a mind reader because these are my favorite."
"You're just saying that. I guess you had no problem getting by your cousin."
"Probably doesn't know I've left."
A waitress came over and I ordered Earl Grey tea with a bit of honey. Kellen got a refill on his coffee. Looking at him, I took in his strong jaw and his quirky smile. His hair was dark brown and spiked up in the front. His eyebrows were bushy but it looked good on him.
"I brought that CD that we talked about. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Sorry that it's a copy but I managed to loose it after importing it to my computer."
"No problem. I'll most likely do that too so I can have it on my MP3 player."
The waitress came back with my drink and a plate of breadsticks. They weren't biscotti but actual breadsticks that had just come out of the oven.
"I hadn't eaten yet so I ordered them to munch on. If you're up for it, we could go out for something more to eat."
"Sure. I had some left over birthday cake this morning. It seems like whenever something important is going on, I manage to hurt myself. I move back here and crash my aunt's car and break my arm and bruise my ribs. I'm celebrating my birthday, New Year's and Reid's birthday and I fall down the stairs. I'm such a klutz."
"A cute klutz though."
I smiled at Kellen and thanked whoever had given him the wrong email address so we could meet.
We talked while we finished our drinks and the breadsticks. While I offered to help pay, he brushed my hand away. He left the money on the table and grabbed my free hand and led me out of the café.
"My car's over here. So where do you want to go?"
"Any place that I would remember is probably gone. Why don't you pick?"
He opened the door to his BMW and held the lilies while I got in. He handed them back and closed the door. It smelled like his cologne and I took a deep breath in.
"Why don't I cook? I've always been told that what I cook tastes heavenly."
"Only if we can do something sinful afterwards. That way it's balanced out."
He smiled at me and drove me to his place. It was a little apartment above a store on Main Street. It was small but cozy. There wasn't a lot of furniture in it. I offered to help him but he declined.
"Sit down and relax. I'll put on that CD so you can listen to it now."
He turned on the stereo and went into the kitchen. I took a seat on the couch and relaxed. The music was soothing and soon I felt tired. I couldn't help myself from drifting off. I mustn't have been asleep that long because when I awoke, Kellen had the table set up and everything was finished.
"I'm sorry for falling asleep. I must still be tired from staying up so late last night."
"Don't worry."
What he cooked was delicious. I normally don't have seconds but I did. He was right; it was heavenly.
"I'll help you clean up, Kellen. You shouldn't have to cook and then clean up all by yourself."
"I'll put the dishes into the sink to soak and will get back to them later. Let's sit on the couch and talk."
He removed the dishes and went into the kitchen. When he came out, he had two wine glasses.
"Did you want some wine? I thought about serving it with dinner but thought it would be better afterwards."
"Great. When I lived in France, I drank wine all the time."
I took a sip and swished it in my mouth. It was a great tasting wine. I complimented Kellen on it and he gave me one of his smiles in return.
I excused myself to go and do some insulin but Kellen asked if he could watch me do it. Afterwards, we talked and talked. There were times that I caught myself telling him things that I thought I had forgotten.
"The summer when I moved, Caleb and the guys were being guys. They didn't want to hang out with me or anything. One of them had jumped out from behind a tree and had scared me so I went running into the manor to find my mother. Instead, I saw my uncle and three other older guys going into the basement so I followed them. I heard them talking about something called the Covenant and how the boys will be ready soon. It didn't sound all that interesting so I crept back upstairs and went back to bugging the guys."
The sun had begun to set when I realized how late it was.
"I should get going back to the manor. Caleb might be wondering where I am. Not like he's my parent or anything but he's the protective cousin who thinks it's his job to watch over everyone who's younger than him."
I leaned over and kissed Kellen. I got a rush of something and I didn't want to stop. I kissed him deeper and held onto him. He returned the kisses and on one, he eased my lips apart and caressed my tongue with his. I moved closer to him, almost sitting in his lap.
He kissed down my neck to the base and pushed the collar of my shirt to the side to get at my collarbone. Kellen kissed my neck and then slightly blew on the wetness so chills would run throughout my body.
A moan escaped my lips and he took it as a sign to continue. I ran my hands up under his shirt and pulled it off. His chest was hard and muscular. I ran one finger down the center of his chest and then around his pectorals.
Kellen shifted back on the couch so he was leaning against the back of it. I straddled his lap and pulled my T-shirt off. He kissed down from my neck into the spot where my cleavage began. I wrapped my arms around him before pulling back.
"Not here."
He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me as he stood. I wrapped my legs around his torso and he carried me into the bedroom. I stood on the bed and reached up to the ceiling. When I did that, Kellen unbuttoned my jeans and slid them off. I stepped out of them and he threw them to the floor. I knelt on the bed and removed his jeans.
Kellen got on the bed beside me and took me into his arms. He held me for a moment before we fell back onto the bed. I kissed his lips and worked my way down to his flat stomach. I kissed his belly button and looked up into his eyes. They were black.
