Chapter Twelve
The pounding beat shakes the room and sends a thumping through me almost as if it's an electric shock, Kickstart the beating of my heart.
The flashing lights and dull haze of smoke cover the floor which is jam-packed with dancing bodies. It's captivating. The music sucks but the beat compels you to dance. To move. Connor pushes by me, grabbing a shot glass of a clear liquid. He smirks, downing the shot in one gulp. He waves at me, obviously mocking how lost I look. Than he's gone and Jon is following him, pushing their way through the packed bodies.
Honestly it's freaking me out a little. I've never even been to a party so this is a little overkill. I now understand why Will likes going out so much. It feels like if I dance, everything will be OK. As long as I keep dancing. A girl jostled me, giggling and clutching a bottle of vodka. She's wearing even less clothing than I am and a boy is following her. I'm pretty sure I don't need to know what they're going to do. I sate around at the pulsating crowd and very little sticks out. It's all bright colours and fake everything.
Girls wearing nothing. Guys staring at them like their meat. It's actually kind of disgusting. Tiny details stick out to my eyes. A red dress flaring out. The bright pink of a drink. The sparkle of a pair of green eyes gleaming back at mine. Luke sends me a mocking smile and instinctively I stick my tongue out. He laughs and looks away. He looks natural, like he belongs. I so don't. But he's. … Wow I don't even know how old he is. I slip through the crowd, trying to disappear.
I don't really think I like this at all. I feel far too aware of every piece of my body. Maybe I have to drink to enjoy a club. "Hey baby, Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" A hand wraps around my waist and I slap it off. A man stands learning at me. His teeth are a yellowish colour that I associate with smoking. He's probably twice my age, which is still creepy even if I was 18.
"Drink?" He holds up a glass of some clear liquid. I shake my head, remembering all the lectures I got from Will. I can hear his voice now, Never take anything a Stranger gives you.
"C'mon girly. Smile a little more. You'd be much prettier if you smiled." He moves closer. All I can smell is cigarette smoke coming off him in droves. It coats my lungs until the point that I feel faint. Air isn't coming down my throat and I cough. Turning my head, gives him an opportunity to sneak his arms around me.
"Get off me." I try to hack out but my throat isn't working. The lights are blazing and playing tricks on my brain. "There you are! I've been looking for you all night." Luke appears instantly by my side. The man snorts, obviously planning on ignoring the other man but the second he sees all 6 foot tall, muscular frame of Luke, he slides away, murmuring excuses.
I cough again and I can feel the smoke clearing from my lungs. Luke's looking at me strangely. We're close together, almost pressed together. For a second, I almost think he's going say he likes me. But he turns away though and stares at the floor. " Want to dance?"
I used to take ballet classes when I was little. My mother had this idea of everything that made up a perfect daughter. I unfortunately never lived up to any of those expectations. Nothing except ballet stuck. Yet my lessons ended tragically when my teacher suggested my applying to an international school. She thought I was that good.
But sadly, savent can't do that. At least that's what I was told. I was banned from ever dancing again. I'm pretty sure it's not the kind of dancing that Luke means but I loved that moment when you nailed a part of the routine and you just felt this rush. You felt like you could do anything. I miss that feeling.
"Let's go." I grab his hand and pull him forward onto the dance floor. The beat instantly compels me and I start to move. I may be classically trained but I used to have random dance offs with the other girls. I might be rusty but I know how to move to a beat. My hips start to sway and a rush of daring slides through me. I whip my hair back sliding closer to Luke. I can see the competitiveness flashing in his eyes, the one thing we share.
An unwillingness to back down from a challenge.
Slowly I feel his hands slide around my waist, pulling me closer until I'm literally pressed against him. Hesitantly I slide my hands forward until they lie on his chest. He makes a low noise from the back of his throat. I'm not sure if we're dancing anymore. His head is so close to my neck, and his hands trail lines of a burning hot fire on my skin, sinking into my veins and burning me inside out. Is this what being drunk feels like?
This impulsive feeling of being able to do nothing wrong. This rush of colours and feelings that sparkle and burn against the black of my eyelids when I close my eyes. But I haven't had a single drink and it's not alcohol running through my veins, it's something stronger
. Like my own personal brand of heroin. One of his hands cups my cheek, tracing my jawline and tangling into my hair. My hands trail up his shoulders and around his neck. I can feel every line of his body pressed against mine and we just fit. There's a spark of an unfamiliar emotion in his eyes as he leans closer and closer to my lips. And when they finally touch it's like everything and nothing all at once. Everything falls away from me, the only thing that is real and true is the boy with his arms wrapped around me.
It's a hot burning fire that rips through me which pulls me closer towards him, like I'm a drowning person and he's dry land. Like I've been dying every single day of my life and I finally found a remedy. It's not sweet, it's not gentle. It's hot, fire, passion. Everything that makes us similar is reflected in this kiss.
And it keeps going. The seconds refuse to end, hanging, clinging to us as if they can feel what we feel. And finally the moment ends and we're left, gasping for breath, still entwined and wondering exactly how to proceed.
His eyes glow down into mine and I know he feels it too. This is a irreversible change, the minute we kissed. No the minute I walked into that alleyway. And now I have no clue if what to do.
"Want to get out of here?" It sounds like a good a solution as any so slowly taking his hand, I lead him off the dance floor.
…..
"They're going to kill you." I frown at the car we all took to the club. The one Luke is sitting in, glaring at me impatiently. "If they didn't want me to leave, they would have taken the keys."
"If don't think that's how they'll see it." I tug on my hair anxiously. We got some weird looks from our mini make out session in the club and someone told us to get a room but we didn't see the others as we left. And honestly, I don't really care. I'm still buzzed from our kiss.
Screw it. I slide into the shotgun seat and a flash of victory sparks in his eyes. He reverses out of the spot with surprising speed and we are soon racing down the road.
"So how old are you?" I say conversationally, running my fingers on the leather if the car seat. It smells good in here. A mixture of leather and coffee and some other smell I can't identify. He looks at me strangely but continues to drive without answering. I pout and glare out the window. The countryside roars by, dark and mysterious. And I'm hit by another surge of daring. Slowly I roll down the window. A blast of cool air hits us, blowing my hair back. I unbuckle my seatbelt.
"Whoah. What are you doing?" His voice is frantic, rough. "Trying something." I lean towards the windowsill, placing my hands on the ledge.
"Stop." I ignore him.
"Not kidding. Seriously stop!" And with one push I lift myself onto the windowsill so I'm sitting halfway out of the car. The wind knocks me backwards but my grip is strong enough to stop it. It instead twists through my hair, whipping it back and my eyes sting from keeping them open. But it's the most free I've ever felt. I love it. There are no words to describe it.
And I fall back in the car breathless. Luke just shakes his head, silently laughing at me but all anger is gone. I don't even realize I'm staring, memorizing every inch of his face before the engine stops.
"We're here." He swings out if the car and I follow his lead. "You're not planning on murdering me are you?" I stare unwillingly at the dark woods.
"What are you chicken?" He sets off, tall frame silhouetted against the car. That settles it. I will not be chicken. I bite my lip and take off after him.
"Have you ever tried walking in heels" I grunt, skipping astound a tree root.
"No."
"Well I think you might have some more sympathy for me if you had." My feet are killing me but honestly I'm scared to take them off. Who knows what's on this ground. Suddenly I feel arms sweep me up and I'm tucked against Luke's chest.
"See this I like." He laughs and I can feel the vibrations slide through me. "That's because it's little to no effort for you."
"Exactly." It's silent and I half shut my eyes, enjoying the silence.
"We're here." He sets me down gentle and I yank off the the stupid shoes. "Oh." I can't say another word. Because it's so beautiful, I just can't explain it. The moonlight pours like liquid over the trees of the small clearing. The ground is soft pine needles and it breaks out into a beautiful lake. Fireflies glow around the edges and a high cliff, covered in ivy is the other side of the lake.
"I love it." Luke smiles at me and I catch my breath. He's dazzling in the moonlight, hair glowing and eyes shining even brighter.
"Yeah. It's my secret spot. Not even the guys know about it." A wave of an emotion I've never felt hits me and I slide my hand into his.
"Dance with me."
"We have no music." I pull him forward and start to move. I'm not sure what I'm dancing too but it's amazing. It's a beat that I've never heard before but I love it. I spin out, laughing and then it hits me. This is what love feels like. He pulls me closer, swaying to a beat only we can hear.
"I'm 15." He breathes into my ear. And I look at him, eyebrow raised. He doesn't look it. "Yeah I know. Tall for my age." I shake my head, that's the least of it.
"Well I'm almost 16." That catches my attention. "Wait. When's your birthday?" "June 4th. Why?" I pull away, staring at him.
"Aria? What's wrong?"
"Serious?" I gasp, I feel trembles all over. I don't know whether it's fear or anticipation. He nods, staring at me in concern. "Because my birthday is June 6th. And I'm 15 too." I can see the realization dawn on his face. He sweeps my hair away with a featherlight touch on my jawline and stares deep into my eyes.
Please let it be true. Please God if you even give a damn about us, the spawn of Devil's. Please. Aria. His voice echoes into my head and it's fireworks beyond belief. It's you. And his lips are crashing one mine. And it's the best feeling in the world.
…..
Not even the collision of a million stars could be more beautiful than this. As two, destined for death, break the rules. A bright glow envelops them, and they're sparks. Burning brighter than any of the other sparks. A way to cause death and a way to create love as the two sparks intertwine and glow together.
Authors Note
So sorry this is late but I'm about to get off school for winter holidays so I'll update quicker
