Hey, hey, Everyone!
I'm sorry this is so late! I've started college and so many months off hasn't done me any good as that first day of full classes just hit me hard. It hasn't been much better for the last week or so, so please don't hate me. Updates will be longer to wait for because of this same reason but just bare with me.
It's the Christmas Dance! Yay! Caleb's a lucky guy, don't you think? ;)
I must say...D: I'm a little, or maybe a lot, disappointed that you guys couldn't get me to the 100 review mark last chapter :( I was really looking forward to it and celebrating it in this chapter but oh well, I hope you guys can make it up to me in this chapter :D
There's still a little bit more time to get your vote in on my Poll so click on my profile :D
Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT!
Without further ado...Enjoy!
Chapter 12
First
A few weeks passed, myself growing closer and closer to the family around me. Uncle Sam and Embry, along with the rest of the wolves, have been away a lot, something to do with the Cullens but I still see them from time to time, though not as often as I would have hoped. I was lucky to get a glimpse of them once a day and it was slowly depressing me a little bit. They seemed so busy and when I do get to see them, they look so tired. I miss Paulie. I know he's in the same predicament as the other wolves but I can't help but feel like he doesn't have time for me anymore, which hurts. Maybe it's irrational but I can't help what I feel, right? I've been growing so close to him a and then he's been spending so much time away from me. Some times, if he was away for too long, it would hurt. Physically, I mean. Nothing big. Just an ache in my chest which would dissipate as soon as Paulie came back. It's been easier being away from Seth, whom I love so, so much like my second father, and it's all because Dyl practically lives here now. He won't leave my side for whatever reason and when I need to shower or have a minute to myself, I have to bribe him with something, or doing something to get it. I don't mind the fact that he's so clingy. In fact, I love it. I feel like he depends on me and I like the feeling I get when I look after him for Aunt Vi.
In fact, we've been having the kids of the other wolves, my cousins if you will, over a lot more with the their moms, my Aunts if you will. The girls were always in the kitchen, cooking and everything for when the wolves got home. I would help them sometimes along with Annabelle and Megan. They looked a little on edge though, obliviously to Meg and Anna but still, I saw. They were worried. And I had no idea why. I've been helping Aunt Emily in the kitchen a lot actually, just to pass the time, working on my cooking skills for the future whenever I chose to get a place of my own someday. She even showed me how to bake her family recipes, which she told me I was a natural at. That made me happy because I loved to bake and always loved new challenges in it. On one of those rare occasions when the guys came home, they tried some of the things I made, loving them so much and asking me to bake more. I was happy to of course.
Annabelle and I were always together, having sleepovers pretty much every night at each other's houses and spending every waking moment together, and Dyl. The younger wolf kids always wanted to be with us, playing and such and who was I to deny them? They all just followed me around like lost puppies. Hehe, puppies. Me and Anna though, we've become more than best friends. We're sisters, much to Kim and Aunt Emily's delight. Before we found each other, neither of us really had any friends so I knew that they were happy to finally see us with someone who we could tell anything to. And I could tell Anna anything and everything. She'd be so understand and never judge. Then there's the fact that she's always there whenever the memory of my parents overtook me. She'd just hold me and let me cry then when everything calmed down, she did everything in her power to cheer me back up. She's amazing and my sister. I love her.
Caleb and Damon are the best guys in the world. Damon was a great guy when he got passed the bullying-me phase. He's so good to Anna that he's right at the top of my good list. And he's also not one of those boyfriends of your best friend that doesn't speak toy ou and only hangs around to be with their girlfriend. No, me and Damon are actually great friends, one of my best. Caleb was such a sweetheart and although he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend or something like that, we're so close. We're always holding hands and it's so easy, so much easier to talk to him than what it was when we first met. He makes me laugh and cares for me. He's amazing. He's also very excited about the Christmas Dance in a couple of days. He was surprised, as were my Aunts and the girls, to find out that it would be my first dance. Ever. I've never been one to attend them with having no friends. It was the same for Anna and it would be her first too.
Kim and my Aunts were going all out and had taken us shopping last Saturday for our dresses. They even bought us shoes with our dresses along with the accessories to bring the outfit together. They would be doing our hair and even make-up, much to my Uncles and Jared's dislike. They said that we were too young for it but then backtracked with the compliment of 'they already look beautiful enough without it' when my Aunts and Kim glared at them, which made us awe and laugh at the same time. Paulie and Seth were reserving judgement until they saw us dressed up, to our relief but agreed with the other three when they said we were already pretty enough without make-up.
Anna and me both loved our dresses, as you would expect. Both of them reflected what we liked. Anna like pink and frilly, which is exactly what she got. Her dress was knee length with pink frilly layers. The colour was a pastel pink but the thick band around her waist was a darker pink. Her shoes were simple white flats with little bows on them and her accessories consisted on some pastel pink flower earrings, a diamond flower pendant and a pastel pink flower clip. She'd be taking a white cardigan in case it got too cold too. Whereas, I like purple and slightly puffy. My dress was a satin halter dress with a thick black waist band. It was strapless like Anna's and reached down a little bit higher than Anna's to my lower thighs. Any higher and Uncle Sam wouldn't let me out the house. It has a black embroidered flowery pattern all over that I loved too. To round my outfit off, I was wearing some white flats like Anna along with some purple stone heart earrings, a diamond heart pendant, my bracelet that Daddy bought me and a white silk flower clip for my hair. Aunt Emily and Kim thinks we're going to look amazing but we won't know until we dress in a couple of days.
Tyler and Levi were going to the dance, along with Megan , Harvey and Rory but apparently they were taking it as seriously as Anna and I. Tyler was planning on dressing like Santa Claus, like the doofus he really is. Rory was dressing as an elf, as was Levi. Megan was wearing a dress but with bauble accessories, like bracelets and earrings and pendants that would make it obvious that she was one. Harvey was going as the Grinch. Why I don't know, but that's his choice. I feel sorry for Dyl and Lilly because they really want to go and really don't like fact that I'm going to be out for a whole evening, mostly Dyl. I knew he'll be sulking for the whole time I'm gone.
Yesterday, I found out that Uncle Sam is letting Jennie home for Christmas Break. Only. She'd be going back for school afterwards, to my dislike. She's already said she was sorry so I saw no real point in making her stay at Makah. Perhaps it Uncle Sam proving that he carries out the threats he gives, I don't know but I knew for sure that he was a stubborn man. Numerous times I've asked for her to stay and he's brushed me off, saying a simple no before he#d walk away. It was rather annoying actually but I knew that we had the whole of Christmas break to convince him and I was going to try my hardest.
The dance was tonight and I was with Anna in my room. Oh, and Dyl, of course. He laid across my bed, reading his comic book while Anna and myself sat at my desk, talking to Damon and Caleb on MSN. Anna was using my laptop, me my PC while Caleb was using his laptop and Damon his PC so that we could be ourselves and have a collaborative conversation. Damon was round at Caleb's house to get ready for tonight and would be coming to get us together. They've been begging us for the last fifteen minutes or so to describe our dresses to them or even send them a picture but we weren't going to spoil their surprise when they saw us.
FootieD: Come on! Please? Just send us a picture :)
ScribblerC (Caleb): Yeah, pretty please? :D
Tinkerbelle (Annabelle): Nope! :L We're making you wait! Mwahaha!
Billie-Bear: Hehe :P
FootieD: But, why? We wanna know now! D:
Tinkerbelle: Well, tough.
Billie-Bear: Come on, Guys. It's only a couple more hours until you see us anyway.
ScribblerC: Exactly! You may as well put us out of our misery :D
Tinkerbelle: No.
Billie-Bear: No.
ScribblerC: :'(
FootieD: Not fair...
Billie-Bear: It'll be worth it :) Just hold on.
Tinkerbelle: She's right. You, hopefully, won't be disappointed :D
FootieD: Probably not but still...
ScribblerC: We're impatient.
Tinkerbelle: We can see that. Hehe :D
Billie-Bear: We're gonna have to go :( We have to get ready!
ScribblerC: :( Okay, B, Anna. We'll see you in a couple of hours :)
FootieD: Yeah. See ya, Anna, Billie. :D
FootieD signed out.
ScribblerC signed out.
I shut down the PC after saying bye to the guys, smiling at how we stood our ground against them. I knew that if we had that discussion in person, we would have caved to their puppy dog eyes. They seemed to have learned it from us. Damn. Though, they still work on them, thankfully. Anna grinned at me as she handed me the laptop and I put it back in its case before sliding it on top of my wardrobe.
"Do you think they're upset with us?" I asked, unsurely. Anna rolled her eyes.
"Nah. I think they were only teasing. I don't think they actually expect us to show them before they got here." she replied, flicking the back of Dyl's comic book as he was trying to read it. He glared at her, moving a way a little.
"Okay. That's good. It would have been a total bummer if they were mad at us when they got here." I chuckled. Anna nodded, flicking the comic book again. Dyl sat up, shifting further away from her. I stifled a giggle.
She did it a couple more times but Dyl, being the forever calm person he is, just moved away every time before continuing to read it. I shook my eyes, smiling as Anna giggled and I saw a slight smile reach Dyl's lips before he squashed it. Just then, Aunt Emily's voice called up the stairs, "Girls, Dyl, the guys are here."
Anna and myself frowned at each other, rushing out the bedroom and down the stairs. It couldn't be Damon and Caleb, could it? Surely not! Were they actually serious when they asked to see our dresses? I soon got my answer as we stepped into the kitchen and my face lit up like the sun. It wasn't Damon and Caleb that Aunt Emily was talking about...
"UNCLE SAM!" I screamed, launching myself at him. He chuckled, picking me up and kissing my cheek. I hugged him tightly, happy to have him home for however long it was now. Then Uncle Embry stepped in and I practically jumped from Uncle Sam's arms to his. "UNCLE EMBRY!"
"Hey there, Billie. You miss us?" Uncle Embry laughed, hugging me close. I nodded into his neck, the sadness of having them away so much creeping up on me as my eyes prickled. Behind him, Seth, Quil and Brady stepped in and I beamed at Seth as Dyl launched himself at his Daddy.
"Hey, Little Man. You been good for your mom?" he asked, smiling brightly. Dyl nodded as Mel snorted.
"It's not me he's had to be good for. Billie's had to lug him around everywhere she goes. Not me." she chuckled, rolling her eyes at me as Dyl blushed. I giggled.
"I don't mind, Dyl, don't worry." I assured my little brother and he beamed at me. Uncle Embry put me on my feet and I hugged the other two that came in.
"Why are you away so much?" Anna whined just as Jared put her down too. "We miss you."
"We miss you too, Baby Girl but we have to. Sorry." Jared replied, kissing the top of her head.
"It won't be for much longer though, Anna." Uncle Embry told her. She nodded, smiling at me. I returned it before frowning.
"Where's Paulie?" I asked, glancing around the kitchen before going to the back door. He wasn't out there either and I felt my heart drop. He hadn't come home. Didn't he want to? IU turned back, frowning. The adults looked at me, amused before inclining their heads back towards the stairs. I frowned, looking over there and Paulie was stood, leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face. I squealed, running towards him and he laughed, dropping to his knees and taking my little form in his huge embrace. I hugged him closer than I ever have. The pain I get when he was away from me was stronger this time than every before and I didn't like it. They've been gone for two days and it was agony. I felt the tears collect again, more so this time.
"Hey, Billie-Bear. You miss me?" he whispered, softly. I nodded, vehemently, swallowing back the tears but they were coming and I couldn't stop them. They slipped over just as he pulled me back, smiling. He sighed, his smile changing into a sad one as he wiped the tears away. "Aw, Billie-Bear. Why you crying?"
"Because."
"Because?"
"I missed you. You're not allowed to go away again. I don't like it." I cried, sniffling afterwards. He sighed, kissing my forehead.
"It's only one or twice more, Billie-Bear and then it'll be over. I promise." he replied. I dropped my gaze, not commenting. He sighed again. "Come on, wipe them tears away. I'm here now, aren't I?"
"Yeah..." I replied, wiping the tears away. I sighed. "It just...hurt."
He frowned, as did the other adults. "What do you mean?" Uncle Sam asked, concerned but also wary.
I pointed to my chest. "It hurt." Paulie's eyes widened, looking at Uncle Sam for a minute before smiling, sadly at me.
"I'm sorry, Billie-Bear. I didn't realise. Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, worriedly. I shrugged.
"I figured that you had enough on your plate." I replied. He sighed, shaking his head.
"That doesn't matter, Billie-Bear. If you're hurting, you tell me. No matter how busy I may seem. Got it?" he said, sternly. I nodded, sniffling. He nodded in satisfaction before shaking his head, rolling his eyes as he embraced me again. He pulled back, wiping away the stray tears on my cheeks before standing. "I just need to talk to your uncle for a minute and then we'll do something, alright?"
"Okay but I need to get ready for the dance soon." I reminded him. He nodded, following Uncle Sam out the door. I had to remind myself that he was coming back afterwards so the pain didn't come back. Anna linked arms with me, following the other guys into the living room, happy to have them back until the next time.
Paul's Point of View
I feel like the worst guy in the world.
Not only had it hurt every time I left Billie but I just find out that it hurt her too, a thirteen year old girl. My imprint was hurting because of me, because I left her. These past could of days were the hardest as it was the longest I've ever been away from her. I had no idea that it would effect her as much as me. I guess I was wrong.
"Sam, why is she hurting? It's not supposed to be like that between us yet." I asked, angry at myself for not realising this, for not sensing this about her. He sighed, shaking his head. Quil came outside to help since he had been through this too. He looked thoughtful too.
"I don't know, Paul. Really. I thought the imprint only hurt if you were romantically connected to us." Sam replied, frowning.
"But we don't know that." Quil objected. We both frowned at him, confused.
"What do you mean?" I asked, warily.
"Well, there's no proof to that. I was always with Claire. I saw her everyday. I never left her long enough to feel the pain I did these few days while we were with the Cullens." Quil explained. I sighed. "I think ou don't have to be romantically connected just to feel the pain for the wolf being away. An imprint is an imprint. I don't think it'll matter what stage you're at in it. If the wolf's away, the imprint will feel the ache."
"Well, that just sucks! How am I supposed to concentrate knowing this?" I protested, throwing my arms up in exasperation. Both Sam and Quil looked at me, sympathetically. "Jesus. She's just thirteen and then, she doesn't even know why she's feeling it. We could be away for a week next time, Sam. What are we going to do?" I was panicking slightly now. Damn Cullens!
"Paul...There's nothing we can do. The Cullens need our help and we've said we'll give them it." Sam reasoned. I growled.
The Cullens need our help. They always do. They are totally capable of fighting this battle themselves. They didn't have to drag our backsides into it! Their Pack isn't even that big! The Cullens had found themselves in a stick situation up near Alaska when they were living there. They had a run in with another pack that were we aware of that lived up there but we never thought that they'd attack the Cullens with the Denali's being so close to them like they were to us. The practically lived in the next town. A member of the Denali coven, Kate, had a fight with the Pack up there and didn't come out unscathed. The Denalis and the Pack had a treaty much like ours, their stipulations similar to ours too. Once Kate and the Pack member, who we now know as Gregory, started to fight, the treaty was broken.
As the Cullens view the Denalis as their cousins, or whatever, they're considered family. When they got the call from them asking for help, Carlisle didn't even ask questions and gave them his family's help. When they finally learnt of the situation, they gave Sam a little call, knowing that we knew the Pack the Denalis were fighting against. Carlisle wanted Sam to try and negotiate with the northern Pack but their Alpha, Omar, was a hard ass, even worse than Sam in his earlier days and wasn't having any of it. His Beta was just as bad and was unable to be reasoned with. Omar's Pack only consisted of nine pack members, in contrast, Sam and Jake's Packs added up to 16 members. Even without our help, the Cullens and Denalis had 13 fighters. I don't see the need for our help. Kate has assured us that the fight between her and Gregory wasn't intentional, at least on her part. We all knew that once initiated in a fight against our sworn enemy, the instincts take over and it's extremely hard to go against them and walk away. They're always telling you to kill the bloodsucker and protect, protect, protect. That's all what Kate and Gregory was doing protecting their families.
Now, I personally believe that after becoming a father, Sam has softened. He caves into people like the Cullens that want help because of this. He answered Carlisle's call for help and now we've found ourselves running back an forth between La Push and Denali, Alaska, which takes a few hours to do, leaving our imprints behind just to fix a mess that wasn't caused, not only because of us but even the Cullens, when we could have been with our families. Now, because of all this, I was causing a thirteen year old girl's pain. That was so messed up!
Sam had a fear though now, having just returned from Denali, that something else was up. Jake had this fear too as they both claim to have smelled two alpha scent coming out of their reservation. If that was the case. We were in deep shit and the need for our help could be justified because I doubt that the vamps could handle two Packs on their back. Both Jake and Sam claim that one of the scents was definitely Omar's so there was only one other Pack involved in this but still, that didn't squash their fear. Both of the other Packs know that we're helping Vampires. They could easily turn on us or something, view us as traitors to our kind. That would not be good. I didn't like that fact that Sam and Jake were juggling with their imprints' safety. With my imprint's safety.
"Sam, I don't like this. I don't like the fact that we're dealing with another Pack's business. It's their business. It's their treaty and in their eyes, it's been broken. Would you expect some other Pack to come here and try to negotiate with us if ours was broken with the Cullens?" I asked, shaking my head. Sam just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"The Cullens have asked for our help, Paul. We can't turn our backs on them."
"Why not? All those years ago when we were just starting out, you would have." I objected.
"It's better to have allies then enemies, Paul. The Cullens are valuable allies, if you ask me." Sam almost growled. He sighed, exasperated and took a deep breath. "Listen...I know you don't like this. I don't either. Do you think I like gambling with my wife's safety? My kids'? I don't, so you know. I don't like this anymore than you do but allies are allies. It doesn't matter what species they are, if they need help then we give them it."
"Urgh! I understand that, Sam, I do. I'm not that unreasonable, okay! I just don't like the fact that Billie is hurting because of this. She's not like your imprints. She's younger and more vulnerable. I just don't like it." I sighed, defeated. I dropped my head.
"She's stronger than you give her credit of, Paul. She's been through a lot more in her life than most of us do in a lifetime. You now what she's lost, everything she's had to live and juggle with. Give her some slack. She might surprise you." Sam murmured, sadly. I looked at him, seeing that he didn't like the fact that his niece was hurting either. I sighed, heavily, nodding.
"You're right and I do know. I'm just scared for her." I admitted. He nodded in agreement. We stood there for a while, just thinking to ourselves about what's going top happen next up on Denali. It scared most of us. Those with imprints. We knew what we were juggling in this and none of us liked it. But as Sam had said, the Cullens are valuable allies and they've asked for help so we give them it.
We were both startled out of our thoughts by Billie-Bear calling us from the back door. "Paulie! Uncle Sam! Come on! Aunt Emil just finished the food and you've been out here for ages!"
"Sorry, Billie. We'll be in in a minute, Sweetie." Sam called back, smiling. She nodded, looking between us for another minute, curious before heading back inside. Sam and I looked at each other before sighing and heading back inside. Everyone was around the table, imprints and kids on the guys' laps as they ate and laughed. I knew how they felt. It was good to be home.
"Paulie! Come sit!" Billie-Bear shouted over from the other side of the table, getting up and pointing to her chair. I smiled, walking over and taking it. She crawled up onto my lap and I draped my arms around her, loosely. I watched as Billie-Bear put a huge plate of food together for me and I kissed her cheek in thanks, eating with just the one hand like most of the other guys were doing.
"So what you been doing while I've been away?" I asked, lightly. She shrugged, uncommitted.
"Stuff."
I chuckled once. "Stuff? What does that entail exactly?" I asked, amused. She shrugged again.
"You know...stuff. Anything and everything." she replied, vaguely. I laughed, shaking my head at her. She stuck her tongue out at me, poking my cheek. She giggled and did it again and I took a snap at her finger, playfully. She scowled, making me chuckle.
"Are you excited for tonight?" I asked her. She grinned and nodded.
"Caleb wanted me to tell him what my dress looked like but I wouldn't budge." she laughed, proud of herself. I grinned, though only yo hide the irritation I had towards Caleb.
He was a great kid and I shouldn't and don't have anything against apart from the fact that he was with my Billie-Bear. She's my little sister, future lover (that's sounds twisted but work with me) and I had to watch her dating another guy? My wolf didn't like it and neither did I. Every time she mentioned him, I just wanted to slap him and tell him to jog on but I couldn't do that, for many reasons. One was that he was just a little kid, only fourteen. Another was that Billie-Bear was with him and me hitting him would be taking some points off me as her big brother. I couldn't have her upset with me. A third reason would be that he was plain and simply a good kid. He was polite and caring, not only to Billie_bear but to everyone he spoke to. I noticed that he looked up to Aaron, his big brother like he was freaking Superman or someone heroic, which was awesome because Aaron was perfect for Leah. He's an honest gentlemen.
I just didn't like his association with my Billie-Bear. I'm her big brother and every protective. I blame it on the Wolf in me.
"Come to think of it, I haven't even seen your dress, Billie-Bear." I noted, frowning. She smiled.
"Tough, you'll have to wait." she giggled as I pulled a sad face. "Too bad, Paulie. I'll be in it in the next forty five minutes anyway."
"Speaking of, Billie, you should get ready now, Sweetie." Emily suggested, smiling at Billie. She smiled and nodded back, hopping off my lap with a kiss to my cheek before linking arms with Anna. Dyl soon joined her, grabbing her hand. She grinned and shook her head at him but followed Emily up the stairs. Tyler, Levi, Megan and Harvey soon followed them up with their moms, leaving us at the table.
"Who wants to be ten bucks that Billie looks the best out of all of them?" Quil asked, grinning. I chuckled, pulling ten bucks out my pocket.
"Nah, Anna will." Jared protested, throwing a ten on the table. Claire and the remaining wolf girls all rolled their eyes at us but everyone put a ten on the table, choosing between one of the girls. The odds were on Anna and they were all going to lose. Only me, Sam, Embry, Seth, Steven, Andy and Quil bet that Billie would come out on top, the others opposing. Though we were all surprised to see Mel come down, take one look at the pile of money on the table and place a twenty down.
"Billie." was all she said, heading into the living room for the hairbrush that was on the coffee table before springing up the stairs again, giggling. Seth grinned at the opposing and then enforced the rule that you can't change bets now.
Well see...And I couldn't wait to see her.
We left the money on the table, all of us taking mental notes on who was betting for who before heading off into the living room to catch the game. We all took a beer and munched on the snacks that Claire had set out on the coffee table as we knew that the girls would take ages. All girls do. I glanced at the clock, seeing that it was only an hour and a half until their dance started. Damon and Caleb would probably be here in an hour to pick them up. Maybe we would have to wait that long?
It was half time on the TV and all the snacks had been depleted. The girls were currently in the middle of making more and Aaron came strolling in, looking smart. I knew that he was a chaperone at the dance. I was going to be one but I thought that Billie would feel like I was checking up on her so I resisted to sign the sheet.
"Haha, you scrub up nice, Aaron." Jake chuckled. Aaron grinned.
"Yeah, yeah. You'll be wearing one of these soon enough then I'll be the one laughing at you." he replied, fiddling with his cuff. We all chuckled at Jake's lack of comeback and Leah walked in looking mighty fine.
"Looking good, Lee." Seth complimented. She grinned too, kissing his cheek.
"Do we all get one of them if we compliment you?" Quil asked, slyly, earning a sharp slap across the head from Claire, who had just chosen that moment to come in with the snacks and then a glare from Aaron. I swear, that boy is as protective and possessive as we are over our imprints. If he's close enough, he'd actually hit us for a comment like that. He's fit in perfectly.
"No." Aaron grumbled, still glaring. Leah chuckled, kissing Aaron cheek. He smiled at her, shooting Quil one last glare before turning slightly to the entryway. "Cabe, get in here!"
"No." Caleb called from somewhere we couldn't see. Aaron rolled his eyes.
"He's never liked suits. He thinks he looks hideous in them." Aaron explained to us all, shaking his head.
"I do look hideous. And it's tight! I hate it." he shouted. We heard the girls giggling.
"If you don't come in here, I'll tell Dad what you did with his golf club-"
"FINE! Fine, I'm in. Geez." Caleb huffed, exasperated as he stepped in from the entryway, clad in a black suit and purple tie, nice shiny dress shoes and a bouquet of purple and white flowers in his hand. This kid loved flowers. And of course, his sulky frown. He looked good. What was his problem?
"Caleb, you look amazing. What's the problem?" Andy asked, confused. Caleb groaned, pulling at the collar of his shirt. We chuckled, knowing what his problem was.
"It's...tight. I hate it." he grumbled. Aaron rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
"Quit whining." he chuckled, pushing him a little. Caleb just pushed him back, grumbling still.
"Yeah, quit whining. I don't see any problem with this." Damon said, walking in behind Caleb, shaking his head. Caleb scowled at Damon but he just laughed. He was practically in the same suit as Caleb but his tie was a pastel pink. I assume that they had corresponding ties with the colours of the girls' dresses. But that's just my guess. He had also taken a page out of Aaron and Caleb's book by bringing Anna a small bouquet of yellow lilies or something. I think they were lilies anyway.
"Shut up. You're only saying that because you wanna get on Jared's good side." Caleb retort, making Damon resort to punching him, though his flaming face was making it obvious that Caleb was right. Aaron snickered at Damon. I winked at Jared.
"Ahem." Emily cleared her voice from behind Damon, smiling brightly as if she was proud of herself or something. We all looked at her, smiling. "You look dashing boys."
"Thank you, Mrs. Uley." They replied in unison.
"Guys, I'm sorry but...you need to give the money to the ones who bet for Billie, even Anna says." she told us guys, making the opposing groan and I high fived Sam.
"Wait, you told Anna about the bet?" Jared asked, sheepishly. She giggled, nodding.
"Yeah but she said that she expected it anyway so you're not in that much trouble." Jared blushed a little, looking sorry.
"So are they ready?" Caleb asked, excitedly. She nodded.
Yeah, but the others wanna come down first." she told us, just as Ty, Levi, Megan and Harvey came bounding in, looking like they didn't think they looked like total idiots. They were cute in a way but still, totally comical. We all chuckled, shaking our heads.
"Santa Claus? Really?" Caleb asked, incredulously, grinning. Tyler stuck his tongue out.
"Lev...you do realise what this looks like, right?" Damon asked him, standing back a little bit, smirking. Levi frowned, shaking his head.
"Well...Elves are what to Santa Claus?" Caleb prompted and I knew where they were taking this. Levi, though, didn't.
"Dude, Elves are Santa's little helpers? You're practically his skivvy right now." Damon explained and we all laughed. Levi obviously hadn't thought about that. Tyler grinned, smugly and Levi pushed him.
"He wishes." he mumbled, disgruntled, making us all laugh again.
"You look cute. Take no notice of them." Emily chuckled, kissing her boys on the top of their heads.
"Um...Harvey, why are you the Grinch?" Brady asked, confused.
"I felt like it."
"You felt like going as the Grinch? You have Christmas issues?" Quil teased, smiling. Harvey scowled at him, making us all chuckle.
"You looked pretty, Meg. What are you?" Jared asked his seven year old daughter. She grinned, showing two missing front teeth. She looked so cute.
"A bauble." she replied, twirling on the spot. She had bauble earrings in and her dress was to her knees and covered in sequins. Her shoes were glittery and she had some sort of glitter over her skin too. She looked super shiny.
I noticed that Emily had disappeared for a minute and the other girls that was helping them get ready come into the living room, looking very smug with themselves. We watched them curiously until Emily cleared her throat again.
"Everyone, I give you Miss. Annabelle!" Emily announced, moving out the way and revealing a stunning looking Anna in her place. Wow, I bet Jared was regretting not signing that chaperone sheet. If Billie-Bear looked anything like his daughter, I'd regret it too, especially with the way Damon's mouth looked a little slacked. Her dress was pink and she had on some white shoes. Her hair was in curls down her back and she had a piece of tinsel plaited into her hair. She was wearing make-up, much to our objections last Saturday when they told us about it. Jared was smiling like an idiot.
"You look amazing, Baby Girl." he called to her, making her blush, deeply. I grinned. Damon stepped forwards, kissing her on the cheek and presenting her with the flowers.
"You look beautiful." he complimented, smiling. She grinned.
"Thanks. You look smart." she replied, then looked towards the stairs. "But seriously, if you think I look good, you haven't seen anything yet. B looks gorgeous."
"So we've heard but I wanna see." Caleb replied, excitedly. Anna looked at Emily and they both nodded.
"Everybody, I give you Miss. Billie!" Emily announced again and we heard footsteps on the stairs. We all got up, walking into the hallway where we all froze. She looked stunning...
Her dress was purple, strapless and a little shorter than I would have liked but I couldn't bring myself to tell her off for that. She looked freaking amazing! So gorgeous. She was smiling, brilliantly, trying to hide it by ducking her head. She had some white flats too, like Anna and a little grey cardigan was hooked on her shoulders. Her hair was in a bun but the curls were free over whatever held the style in place. She had purple tinsel in her hair too, wrapped around the top of her bun and she had a white flower clip in too. Her jewellery consisted of her Dad's bracelet, a pair of purple heart earrings and a heart necklace. Where Anna's theme was flowers and pink, Billie's was hearts and purple. Her whole outfit seemed to make her violet eyes pop, seeming more alive than ever. You could see it in her eyes that she thought that she looked gorgeous and my God, she did.
"Wow." Quil muttered behind me and I just nodded. Caleb stepped forwards, offering her his hand as she hit the bottom step and helping her down. They were both blushing, probably from the audience they had. He leaned in and kissed her cheek for a bit longer than Damon did, which I didn't personally like but I kept my trap shut, not wanting to ruin this moment for Billie_bear. She took the flowers and smelt them, grinning and kissing Caleb's cheek in thanks before handing them off to Claire so that she could put them in a vase.
"You look perfect, Billie." Caleb complimented, more confident than I expected him to. He was usually so shy but righ now, he looked like he knew he was the luckiest guy here. He was. I knew it and he knew it too.
"I feel so pretty right now." she whispered, shyly. I grinned.
"Pretty? Billie-Bear, you look gorgeous." I contradicted her. She giggled.
"Your dress is way too short though." Sam commented, disapproving but she just rolled her eyes with the rest of the girls in the room.
"Leave it, Sam." Emily warned, smiling but the warning was in her eyes. He sighed, shrugging. "Have fun tonight, you four. Leah, make sure these two dance some too. They don't call it the Christmas Dance for no reason."
"You bet. You all ready?" she asked, excitedly. They all nodded, waving goodbye to us before filing out the door. I noticed that Damon had his arm around Anna waist but was glad to see Caleb only holding Billie's hand. I don't wanna see that.
We all stood there for a minute, replaying what we saw. They both looked stunning. I knew where Sam was coming from with the dress comment. It was too short for comfort but my Billie-Bear was happy so I couldn't say anything. She had said that she felt pretty and that had made my heart swell, hearing that from her. She's always looked beyond pretty but her acknowledging that was amazing.
"He better keep his hands to himself." Embry grumbled, scowling at the front door. Sam, Seth and I nodded in agreement.
"They're growing up." Emily sang, innocently. Sam glared at her, in denial like the rest of us.
"She's thirteen." he protested.
"Teen. Teenager. Get used to it because it's gonna get worse. You remember how Jennie was." Emily reminded him and we all groaned. Those with daughters had vowed that they'd never let them act that way but I truly think it's in a teenage girl's genes to act that way and like all the fashion and make up and stuff.
"Oh, trust me, if she gets as bad as Jennie was, she'll be joining Jennie at Makah." Sam grumbled, only half joking Well, if that's the case, Makah here I come because I'm not being anywhere without my Billie-Bear. I'll follow her to the end of the earth if I had to.
Billie's Point of View
I can't believe I was doing this.
After revealing myself, all dressed up , to my family and receiving some mind blowing reactions that nearly had me in tears and feeling even more beautiful than I had originally thought when I first looked at myself in the mirror after Aunt Emily and Leah had finished with my make up, being greeted by my super cute, super handsome date, dressed in a black suit, shiny black dress shoes and a tie that matched the colour of my dress and then leaving the house all flustered and excited, I now found myself driving to the school's Christmas Dance, where all my classmates would see me, dressed like this.
To say I was nervous would be an understatement.
I sat on Caleb's lap once again, Aaron driving us with Leah in the passenger seat up front, their hands intertwined and resting in Leah's lap. It was a good thing that Aaron's car was an automatic, right? Caleb had his arms around me, holding my hand that he'd occasionally kiss or my cheek whenever he felt the need, making me blush every time he did. He was a lot more comfortable with touching now, holding hands and kissing my cheek or hand, never the lips, not yet. I wondered to myself if he could sense how nervous I was. I knew he was nervous because his knee I was sitting on was trying its best to bounce up and down, a sure sign in telling whether or not he was nervous.
Beside us though, Anna and Damon looked totally at ease, holding each other's hands with Anna's head on his shoulder, eyes closed whilst Damon just gazed out the window with a slight smile on his face. I've known every 'stage' their 'relationship' has taken, always coming from Anna herself and I know that holding hands and resting against each other seems nothing to them, not since they had their first kiss on my birthday at the bonfire. She'd told me the next day and I couldn't be happier for her. I don't know if I was ready for that stage yet, having not done anything like this before. I couldn't bring it up to him, afraid of dieing of embarrassment or something so I had no idea whether or not he was ready either. He has no trouble kissing anywhere else on my face or my hand, even my neck! But never my lips. I didn't know whether it was because he was too shy or the fact that he just didn't want to kiss me. Both could be plausible.
Caleb's reaction to me a few minutes ago had seriously increased my self confidence and I really did feel pretty right now. Of course, Paulie's compliment increased my self confidence even more and I loved that he'd be so kind. I loved him so much. He always knows how to make me feel better and he constantly tells me that I'm pretty and beautiful. Caleb had bought me flowers again, even matching our dress code of purple. It truly was my favourite colour and I loved that he could share that with me tonight. He didn't seem to mind wearing purple either so I was happy and it made me like him more.
Suddenly, the car stopped, bringing my head back to the present and seeing that we were outside the school. I could see the other kids arriving, the younger ones with their parents, all lining up to get into the Gym. I took a deep breath as Caleb squeezed my hand. He smiled at me, kissing my cheek and putting me more at ease, only a little bit before helping me out the car. Somehow, I managed to get out without tripping or flashing my knickers, fortunately, n or did I bang my head so the night was starting off great, in my opinion. Caleb held a hand out for me to take and I smiled, holding on to his hand as Aaron and Leah led the way to the end of the line.
We stood patiently for about five minutes, Caleb's arm coming around my shoulders when it started to get a little chillier and I shivered. I smiled at him in thanks and that's when our science teacher, Miss. Tierney, walked up to us, smiling hugely and quite madly. But she was mad, if you ask me and any other student she taught.
"Well, my Dear...Is that Billie Meggan?" She asked, cheerfully and amazed. I smiled, blushing.
"Yes, Miss. Tierney." I mumbled, quietly. Caleb squeezed my hand, grinning.
"My God...you look stunning, my Dear. Are you here with Caleb?" she asked, conversationally. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Wasn't it obvious that I was with his arms so clearly rapped around me? Instead, I just smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Ma'am." I replied, sweetly.
"Ooh, you better hold onto this one, Caleb. She's a dime." she complimented. I blushed as Caleb grinned.
"I will, Miss. Tierney." he promised, making me blush harder. She 'awe'd before walking back towards the gym. I groaned.
"That was embarrassing!" I exclaimed. The other five just laughed at my expense as Caleb kissed my cheek.
"Dude, stop it! You're outshining me." Aaron teased, pulling Leah close with a playful scowl. We all laughed again.
"I can't help it." Caleb defended himself, not looking sorry at all. He grinned at me as I kissed his cheek.
"Next." Mr. James called and we stepped up to the desk just beside the gym doors. Leah and Aaron collected their chaperone badges while we got our entry tickets and a couple of raffle tickets as well. Then we were ushered inside the gym, the gym that was totally transformed.
The walls were decorated with streamers and banners saying 'Merry Christmas' and whatnot. There was a light sprinkling of fake snow on the floor, making it look a little more Christmas-y than what the tinsel of all colours hanging from the rafters above us did. I also noticed the disco ball up there too which hasn't always been there. But then, how often did I even look up at the rafters while I've been in here? There was food and drink tables lined up against the bottom of the bleachers, each one having a person manning it so that they could help the younger kids with anything that they needed. I recognised the eight grade technology whiz, Jeremy Sparks, manning the DJ station, making Jingle-bell Rock blast through the vast space. I didn't know what he was really listening to but the bopping of his head certainly did match up to the beat of Jingle-bell Rock, if you could say that it even had a beat, that is.
"Alright, you four. Don't cause any trouble or I'll kick your asses." Leah threatened, making Aaron laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Okay, what she really means is, have a good time and try to behave yourselves, okay." he corrected, chuckling and rolling his eyes, smiling as he began to drag Leah towards the dance floor. She turned back with a warning glare that only strengthened her threat without words. She'd kick our asses. We all laughed once they were gone, shaking our heads. They could be as bad as any kids like us when they started to act silly.
Damon chuckled a few more times before turning to Anna, smiling. "You wanna dance?"
She scrunched up her nose, smirking. "To Jingle-bell Rock?" she asked, incredulously. He grinned, shrugging.
"Eh, we'll make it work." he replied, shrugging as he dragged her away after Leah and Aaron, leaving Caleb and I alone.
"They're so good together, don;t you think?" I mused, grinning after them.
"Definitely. Like two peas in a pod." Caleb agreed. He turned to me, intertwining our hands together. "You wanna get a drink?"
"Sure."
He led me towards the bleachers and the drink stand which Mrs. Raeburn was manning. She smiled at us both, fondly as we approached, asking if we wanted orange squash, apple squash, limeade or water. We opted for some ade and she poured us each a little plastic cup, handing it to us both with a warm smile and a 'have a good night'. He then led me towards the bleachers behind her, sitting a couple of rows up and away from any other student. I did notice that I was mostly eighth graders up here, the ones that thought that they were too cool to dance to something so cheesy. I paid them no mind as he sat close to me, putting his drink between his feet on the bleacher below us. I smiled, copying him.
"I've never really been to a dance before, you know." he told me, matter-of-factly. I raised my eyebrows, surprised.
"Really?"
He shook his head. "Nope." he replied, popping the 'p'. I frowned.
"Why not? Are you trying to tell me you're an awful dancer? If you are, you're still dancing . There's no getting out of it." I teased. He laughed, shaking his head as he nudged me in the side, playfully.
"No, that's not what I'm saying and FYI, I'm a great dancer-"
"I'll be the judge of that, Mister." I interrupted. He scowled, nudging me again but I just nudged him back.
"Stop interrupting." he whined, chuckling. I giggled and locked my lips with my invisible key, throwing it over my shoulder. He just rolled his eyes at my sow, smirking. "What I'm trying to tell you is that you're the first girl I've ever taken to a dance. Ever."
I just stared at him, stunned and flattered. He looked down into his cup, nervously awaiting my response. "Oh..."
Oh? Is that all you can come up with? You're practically the best student in your English class! Surely, you can think of something a little more literate and something that he could understand! My head screamed at me and I cleared my throat, trying a again.
"I mean...wow Really? I thought you'd have loads of girls wanting you to take them to dances and stuff...right?" He sighed.
"Yeah...I guess." he agreed, mumbling something under his breath that sounded a lot like, 'But none of them were you'. I swallowed hard, pretending that I didn't hear what I wasn't supposed to. That didn't stop the blush from taking over my face though and I hid it behind my cup as I took a sip. He sighed again, turning to look at me with a smile. I smiled back.
"You wanna dance? I'll prove to you how great of a dancer I am." Caleb chuckled, standing and offering me his hand.
"But what about the drinks?" I asked, taking his hand. He shrugged, uncommitted as he pulled me, gently, off the bleachers and over to the dance floor just as Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer came on. I groaned. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"
Caleb threw his head back in loud laughter that was drowned out a little by the loud music before spinning me around. I joined in with the laughter, allowing him to lead me in our dances to the silly song and all the ones that followed it. He had a right to boast about his dancing skills. He was an amazing dancer. I looked over to Aaron, who hadn't left the dance floor since he and Leah left us at the door, and saw that he was just as good. Caleb must have got dance lessons when he was younger or something, either that or Aaron has been coaching him. Damon, however, wasn't so smooth in his movements, nor was Anna but they were oblivious and uncaring to those around them as they improvised, laughing at some of the moves they came up with. They were enjoying every minute of it though, not thinking that they were being silly at all.
We all stepped off the dance floor to get another drink and a snack to replenish the energy we've just lost. Caleb and Damon began to toss little pieces of biscuit at each other, catching them in their mouths with skill and precision. Anna and I chatted about how well Marcy Leson had done with the dance decorations, giving her an eight out of ten and then debated on what Jeremy was really listening to at his DJ post. Anna guessed that it would be some sort of rave music or something but if I knew Jeremy, I bet he was making good on his hip-hop fetish. We both laughed at that before the guys asked us to dance again, switching dance partners so that Caleb and I could teach them some good moves. In the end, it was futile as both of them had minds like sponges that leaked every piece of knowledge you made them soak up and not to mention their poor co-ordination skills that were like a drunk monkey trying to walk a straight line. It was funny really because Damon was amazing at football. You needed some sort of co-ordination for that, didn't you? We swapped partners back again just as Kate Winslet – What If came on, forcing us to dance to its slow rhythm. Caleb stepped closer to me, hesitatingly placing his hands on my waist as mine rested on his shoulders like all the others dancing around us. We began to sway, gently, not quite meeting each other's gaze in this...well, intimate moment.
About halfway through the song though, things changed. I took one look at Caleb, seeing just how much he liked me and cared for me. I smiled, my eyes prickling with tears and I laid my head on his chest to hide them from him while my arms wrapped around his waist. He kissed my head, winding his arms around my shoulders and holding me close to him as we continued to sway.
I thought about how much Caleb actually meant to me, how much I actually liked him and realising that it was quite a lot and then he's made my first dance amazing. He's been so sweet an gentle. He;s also made me laugh more than I have since Mommy died and that was amazing. He's amazing.
He pulled back some so that he could look at me, smiling as he kissed my cheek. "You wanna go for a walk with me?" he asked, quietly. I smiled.
"Will they let us back in if we leave?"
He nodded. "They should if we have our tickets."
I bit my lip before nodding, smiling. He smiled too, grasping my hand and leading me through the masses of little kids that had finally plucked up the courage to leave their parents sides and the gym walls to come and dance and have fun a bit. He grinned back at me as we made it through, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. We stepped out into the night and shivered, his arm tightening around me as we walked in silence at first but after a few yards, I began to speak.
"I'll miss you, you know." I whispered, sadly, frowning at the floor. He squeezed my shoulder.
"Miss me? When?" he asked, confused. I sighed.
"When you graduate next year and head off to High School." I replied. He sighed too, stopping and turning me to face him. I looked at the floor though.
"B, I'll miss you too but we have the whole summer before I go there and we'll hang out after school too. It's only for a year." he comforted me. I sighed. He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. "B, look at me."
I sighed, looking up. He smiled.
"You'll be fine. I don't now if you notice or not but a lot of people at school really like you. You've just been...quiet and stuff, since you know and they don't know how to approach you so they just leave well alone." he told me, sincerely. I looked at him like he was crazy. He chuckled. "Seriously, they do. I don't like the way some of the guys in my year look at you though. Even some in your year or the one below. Any lower and they think you have cooties."
I laughed at that. "Aren't you supposed to think I have cooties?" I teased. He chuckled, shaking his head.
"No way, I grew out of that when I turned twelve." he replied, shrugging. I smiled. Then he turned sad again. "Seriously, B, everything will be fine and we can do what I said. Can we?"
I sighed. "Yeah, sure we can but...it just won't be the same. You won't be at school."
"I know. High school's going to be hard at first without you there." he said, softly. I blushed.
"You're so sweet, Caleb." I whispered, looking at the floor. We were silent for a long time before I felt Caleb's finger under my chin, lightly coaxing me to look at him. I did and saw his calculating expression.
"Billie...I-I I know that...I've never officially asked you but we've been together...for a few months now..." he trailed off, biting his lip, nervously. He sighed, letting go of me and moving to sit on the picnic bench on the playground. I frowned, following after him. What was with the weird behaviour?
I sat beside him, my hands in my lap as I waited for him to start speaking again. I knew he wasn't finished and he had a major issues with expressing his feelings. He's never been the most expressive guy and combined with his natural shyness, he keeps to himself a lot. When he has something to say, you bet he means it and is more than likely wiser than you'd expect him to be. I also knew that he was nervous again too as his knee was like a pogo stick. He straightened up with some new resolve he's just come to, taking a deep breath as he shifted to sit on the bench sideways, a leg on either side of it. He reached for my hand and I gladly took it, intertwining our fingers. He smiled, sweetly and I smiled back, blushing slightly. We sat that way for a few minutes, just looking at our hands as he continued to rearrange his thoughts. Oh, how I longed for Edward Cullen's mind reading power right now! Caleb was driving me mad with this silence. He knew what silences did to me.
It was only a couple of minutes later when he sighed, lifting his gaze to mine and I could see the conflict in his, like he was having some internal battle with himself.
"Billie. I really like you...and I know that-that I should have asked sooner but...Wi-Will you be my...girlfriend?" he stammered, nervously but with the same resolve in his eyes. I couldn't help but think that that question wasn't his main one but it made me happy all the same as I beamed, loving his cute, innocent nervousness and charm as he waited patiently for me to answer his serious question. I beamed that much wider and I saw a glint of hope in his eyes right before I answered, strongly and happily,
"Yes."
His face erupted into the widest, happiest, ecstatic grin I've ever seen. "Really?" he asked, happily but in slight disbelief. Did he really think I'd say no?
"Yeah. I'll be your girlfriend, Caleb." I confirmed, quietly. He sighed in relief, his eyes closing. We were quiet again and this time I broke the silence, "Was that why you've been stressing and tiring your knee out?"
He didn't answer apart from a slight twitch of his lips. I watched him, his eyes still closed and when he didn't answer after a further three minutes, I went to stand, saying, "We should return to the dance."
He stopped me though, squeezing my hand in protest as his eyes opened. "Wait...Billie, wait a minute, please?" he pleaded, pulling my hand gently, coaxing me to sit back down. I did, a little bit closer than before. He seemed to notice and he smiled slightly. I frowned at his voice though. He sounded really anxious and desperate. He looked at me for a minute before shifting slightly closer, the resolve in his eyes strengthening as he stammered out, "Billie...Can I...kiss my girlfriend?"
My breath caught, my heart skipping a few beats and picking up double time as I stared at his hopeful expression, wide eyed and shocked. I gulped, actually thinking that he was joking so I teased him right back.
"Really? Do you want me to go find her so you can or-"
He groaned. "Billie, I'm being serious...Please...Can I, please, kiss you?" he asked again, earnestly.
I stared at him for what seemed like forever, shocked, excited, nervous and flattered. Why all the emotions, you ask? Well, shock because I was actually in this situation right now, where my boyfriend wanted to share our first kiss together, excitement for that exact same reason and to kiss Caleb would be my first kiss...ever, so that made me super nervous. I mean, what if I'm really bad and he ends up never wanting to kiss me again? Would he regret asking em to be his girlfriend? But then behind all that, I was flattered, flattered over the fact that he was so sweet and innocent enough to ask me. How many guys did that? I certainly haven't heard of any. Don't most guys just swoop in like they do in the movies? But then, I guess that Caleb's got the right not to be like most guys, right? I mean, Aaron isn't and he's Caleb's role model.
As this internal battle raged on forever in my head, his hopeful eyes began to dull, appearing less alive as rejection wept its way into his features. He gulped, biting his lip off as the time went by and I still looked at him, thinking to myself. His eyes haven't left mine and I can see everything pass through his eyes...i could see defeat pass through his eyes, defeat that shouldn't be there.
He sighed, breaking his gaze from mine as he looked down at our intertwined hands and watched as he unwound them, pulling away as he mumbled, "Never mind, Billie. Forget I said anything."
Panic shot through me as he went to stand and impulsively, I grabbed the back of his neck. "Wait, Caleb." I pleaded, pulling him around to me and pressing my lips to his, gently. He eyes widened, considerably, still frozen from shock at my suddenness. I pulled back before he could recover, blushing like I've never blushed before. I've never been so impulsive before but I hated that he was going to walk away from me, that he thought I wouldn't want him to kiss me. I don't regret what I just did. It may have been the best thing I've ever done. His lips were soft, pressing against mine and I could still feel the tingle I felt when our lips connected. It was a great first kiss.
I looked away briefly, looking back at him to see that he was still frozen, my hand still on his neck as his laid limp at his sides. He eyes were as wide as saucers, I didn't think they could get any bigger or more dazed. He seemed to be in some sort of trance or something. He was breathing a little shallow and the only movement from him was the convulsive swallowing of his throat.
I understand the emotions that passed through his eyes when it took me a long time to respond in some way to his question. I understand because those same feelings surfaced in me the longer he remained in his current state. My swallowing was almost as bad as his as I fought back the tears that were building. I was bad. I was a bad kisser. He didn't like it. He'll never want to kiss me again. I took a deep breath and started to pull my hand away from his neck, planning to wait his trance out and wallow but his hand caught mine, keeping it on his neck as his other brushed, softly, up my arm, causing goose bumps to pickle at the ultra gentleness he was using. I looked at his face then, his eyes. He looked right back, affectionately as a small smiled graced his lips. He was out of his trance leaning forwards.
My second kiss was even better than my first, his plump, warm lips brushed against mine, gently for a long time, making my eyes close. His lips began to move against mine and I responded immediately. The kiss was still gentle, only the lightest pressure but it was magnificent. I often wondered what would be so great about two pairs of lips touching but now, I feel it. It's like the nerve endings across your whole body come alive and you're super sensitive to everything, hyper aware.
Like I now feel that his hand was caressing my cheek while his other rested on my waist. I could feel how his soft breaths from his nose danced across my rosy cheek, making me shiver slightly. The outside world vanished the minute he pulled my face to his and all I could feel, smell, hear, taste, and if I opened my eyes, see was him.
Eventually, we both pulled apart to catch our breaths. His crimson cheeks were sure to match mine as we held each other's gaze. He smiled, softly, his hand still caressing my cheek as he licked his lips, gulping. I smiled back, chuckling breathlessly. He smiled wider.
"What?" he chuckled. I shook my head, trying to clear it. The kiss had left me in a tiny bit of a daze.
"Nothing...That was just-"
"Amazing. Fantastic. Perfect..." he supplied, grinning. Then he turned very shy and embarrassed. "That...um, that was...my first kiss."
I just stared at him, awed. Did he think I didn't know that? He smiled, shyly. I smiled back, nibbling my lip. "Mine too."
"Do you, maybe, wanna go for-"
"Yes." I cut him off before he even got the question out and then blushed. |he grinned before sliding his hand behind my neck and pulling me back to him, gently.
I swear, it gets better the more you do it. My eyes closed instantly as his lips pressed back to mine, only this time with a little more pressure. He pulled me closer, his hands caressing my cheek and thigh as he kissed me earnestly. Increasing the pressure a tiny bit, he hesitated. I frowned a little before something wet and smooth brushed along the bottom of my lip and I jumped, pulling away to see what it was. Only then had I realised that it was his tongue. He froze as soon as I pulled away, looking sheepish and embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It was too soon and...I'm sorry." he spluttered, blushing ferociously, looking anywhere but me. I didn't answer for a time, thinking about how it actually felt, then I realised that I liked it. A lot. I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth, tasting him for the first time. He tasted like popcorn and mint, which I knew he always smelt like too and then limeade from earlier. He watched me, curiously but still worried that he'd taken things a little too far. "Billie? Y-You okay?"
I looked in his eyes and smiled. He seemed to relax considerably simply from my smile and smiled back, slightly. "I'm fine." I replied, sweetly.
"I'm sorry if you didn't like that." he mumbled, apologetically. I shook my head.
"It...It wasn't that. I was just surprised, is all...I-I liked...it. It felt a little weird but I liked it." I admitted. Caleb grinned, lightly. I blushed, watching as he leaned in again, hesitantly, kissing me normally for a few seconds before that same wet, smooth feeling swept over my lip. I jumped again, slightly but didn't pull away. I let his tongue graze my lip a couple of times before hesitantly parting my lips, allowing my own tongue to creep out. We both gasped when they softly touched, both withdrawing before going back for more. Soon, our tongues were nudging each others, trying to get into each other's mouths. I let him win and the feeling of his tongue prodding around in my mouth was strange but good. I liked it.
We sprang apart, startled, breathing heavily and flushed by a light clearing of a throat somewhere near us and we both looked up to see a smirking Leah and Aaron gazing down at us. Leah was in Aaron's arm, her hands on her hips while Aaron rested his head on her shoulder, grinning widely at us. I gulped, feeling my blush deepen and spread down my neck whilst looking anywhere but them.
"Well, well...we wondered where you two got off to but...here you are...giving each other's tongues a work out." Aaron teased, mercilessly and I heard Caleb mumble 'shut up' as Leah slapped him around the head, lightly, though still with the silly smirk on her lips and fighting back laughter.
She looked at me and said, "Don't worry, it's totally normal and okay. I promise not to tell your Uncles...or Seth...or Paul. We both know how they can get and if they found out, they'd probably lock you up in your room for the rest of your life." she chuckled. I joined in, half heartedly and embarrassed as I smiled, gratefully. She was definitely right about that, at least.
Caleb coughed, embarrassed, glancing at me with a smile. "So is there a reason why you came up to us or...?" he asked, quietly. They both smiled, Aaron wider than Leah as he was still dwelling on our kiss.
"Yeah, they're calling everyone in for the raffle. You've been out here for quite some time now, approaching about an hour, kissing face." Aaron joked. I groaned as Caleb mumbled again and Leah pushed Aaron. He just sniggered, kissing Leah on the lips with a grin. She just rolled her eyes, grinning back.
"Okay, thanks...we'll be in in a minute." he replied, flashing a smile. They smiled back, slyly, nodding once as they turned and walked back towards the gym, hand in hand and snickering as they went. I rolled my eyes at the, and got up to follow. Caleb rose with me only to grasp my hand to stop me. I looked at him, quizzically before smiling, seeing what he wanted. He grinned as I leaned in, pecking him once, twice, three times on the lips before leading him off to the raffle.
In the end, Anna was the only one out of the four of us to win anything. Ticket 56 was tagged to a very nice pair of converse sneakers, that I was secretly jealous of but I was sure that if I asked, she'd let me borrow them. We practically shared wardrobes anyway and we were the same size in everything too, which was very good.
We danced for about 30 more minutes before the Christmas Dance ended with a nice slow song and a good festive holiday speech from the principle. Caleb hasn't left my side since our first kiss, or even before that but I didn't complain about that. I loved his presence it made me feel wanted and the kisses to my hands, shoulders, cheeks and yes, even lips, made me feel every bit of what I was to him – his girlfriend. Officially. I am Caleb Tamah's girlfriend! How on earth did that happen? Thank you, Angels! Someone up there besides Mommy and Daddy does love me!
Much, much too soon, we found ourselves saying our last goodbyes for the night. I still sat in Caleb's lap as Aaron's car idled on the curb in front of home and Aaron and Leah made out against his hood. Damon and Anna were outside their own door, their heads and shoulders hidden by the top of the car as they said goodbye, talking and whatnot while Caleb just smiled at me. I chuckled.
"What?" I asked, defensively. "I swear, if I have something on my face and you're only just telling me about it, I will kill you."
He laughed, loudly, shaking his head. "No. Of course you haven't. You're beautiful. I was just thinking that you're my girlfriend now, finally and I couldn't be any happier." he admitted, heart felt and earnestly. I smiled at him, softly.
"You're so sweet, Caleb. I'm happy too. Thank you for taking me to the dance, it was so much fun. Amazing."
"You're welcome, B. Any time. It was a amazing, you're right." he agreed, smiling affectionately as he placed his hand, softly, on my cheek. I smiled back, placing mine on his as I leaned in, pressing my lips to his in a sweet kiss. He brushed his tongue across my lip and I let him in, hesitantly. This was all so new to me still but I was eager. We kissed for a few minutes before placing one last kiss on my lips and pulling away. He smiled at me, widely before helping me out the car. As he hugged me tightly, Anna linked her arm with mine. She and Leah were grinning at me, widely and I blushed. Did they see our kiss in the car? Probably.
"Okay, bye guys!" e called as they pulled away from the curb.
"See ya!" They shouted back, waving from their windows. I giggled as Damon leaned out of his and blew a dramatic kiss towards Anna, who blushed this time. Leah and I giggled again.
We smiled at each other before heading towards the house. Only Jared, Kim, Reuben, Uncle Sam, Aunt Emily and Paulie were here, sitting in the living room as they watched some sort of action movie. I took a guess in saying that Harvey and Megan had stayed the night too. As we walked in, everyone looked up at us. We smiled widely.
"Hey! How was your dance?" Aunt Emily asked as Paulie got up, picking me off the ground and swinging me around in a big hug. I giggled, kissing his cheek as he put me down. I grinned up at him. He beamed right back.
"It was awesome! So fun and I won some converse sneakers in the raffle." Anna gushed, holding up her shoes. Jared and Kim looked proud of her. I smiled.
"So you've enjoyed yourselves?" Paulie asked, looking down at me. I nodded, quickly. He smiled again. "Good. You need some fun."
"We had tonnes." Leah confirmed, grinning at me, knowingly. I glared at her and it wasn't unnoticed by Uncle Sam, Jared and Paulie, who all just looked at each other and then me, suspiciously. I rolled my eyes at them.
"Well, I'm pooped. I'm going to bed. Are Ty and the others back yet?" I asked, kissing Uncle Sam on the cheek.
"Yeah. Ty and Levi are in their room and the other twins are sleeping in the guest room. They had to come home earlier than you, apparently." Uncle Sam replied. I nodded.
"Can Anna sleep over?" I asked, hopefully, knowing she'd want to. Jared and Uncle Sam smiled and nodded.
"Sure. Don't stay up all night though." uncle Sam ordered. We both nodded, yawning as we climbed the stairs, arm in arm. "And don't make any noise. The twins' are either side of you."
"Okay, Uncle Sam. Goodnight, everyone." we both called at the same time, making them all chuckle at our own twin like trait.
"Night, night, Billie-Bear." Paulie called from the bottom of the stairs. I smiled down at him just as we turned into the hallway.
Anna borrowed some of my pyjamas, like she always did whenever she slept here, which was usually actually. Ty and Levi strolled in after a few minutes to chat about the dance and how lame they thought it was. I had to disagree. I thought it was quite cool but they're little boys, what do they know, right? After about ten minutes, they said their good nights and went off to bed, leaving us to climb into my bed and fall asleep almost immediately.
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