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"I have an idea," I said, collapsing into the seat next to Vanessa. Almost immediately, Ains and Camden shared a grin.
"Which emergency service shall we call?" Camden asked, and I kicked him. He glared at me playfully, and just for a good measure, Vanessa kicked him. Laughing we high-fived each other, and I could feel Ains watching me as we all settled down.
"So what's the idea?" Vanessa asked, throwing Camden a sharp look. Camden held his hands up in mock-surrender, and Vanessa shook her head, but they were both smiling as I said, "We should crash St Heart's dance."
"No thanks. School dances aren't really my thing," Vanessa said.
I scoffed. "Bullshit dances aren't your thing."
"Fine. Crashing the school dance of my best friend's brother, who I also happen to have kissed isn't my thing," Vanessa said, a little more sharply than she'd intended, by her expression. "So excuse me if I avoid your brother as much as humanly possible, Caroline."
Camden threw me an apologetic look, to which I shrugged before I turned to Ains. "We're going."
Ains groaned softly. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, you have to go. My old school didn't even have school dances."
"We have them here," Camden pointed out. "Why don't you just wait until our next one?"
"Because Os – Mr Cole told me they're crap." I said, eyeing our teacher across the room wearily. We weren't supposed to be on first-name basis with the school's caretaker.
"He has to say that, Care," Vanessa said. "He went to school here."
"So I'm guessing this whole dance idea isn't just because your old school didn't have dances," Ains said when he caught me between classes, leaning against the lockers.
I sighed, shaking my head as I leaned against the lockers. "No. It's more to do with the fact of everything else that's been going on."
Ains searched my eyes, shifting his bag on his shoulder with his hand, his eyes not leaving mine for even a split second. "Tell me."
I sighed, brushing my hair behind my ear. "With everything that's been happening – my parents, finding out that you're . . ." I hesitated, glancing around anxiously before I said, "you know. And with Zoe coming back, I feel like everything's spinning out of control. Ains, a year ago, I was normal. Yeah, my parents did really care. Yeah, my brother would disappear for days on end for no apparent reason. But me, as a person, I was normal. But then I got abducted and everything changed. Now, right and wrong's a grey area, and who to trust is a grey area. For your information, I liked knowing who I could trust."
Ains sighed softly, leaning his head against the lockers, keeping his eyes fixed on me. The dark brown seemed to pierce right through me, and I sighed, shaking my head and looking down. "You know what, don't worry about it. I . . . I'm being stupid. I'll get over it."
"No, you're not," Ains said. He pushed my hair away from my face and took my face in his hands. I shivered at the touch and looked up at him as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I can see why you want some form of normal, Caroline. I get it."
I stared up at him almost incredulously and he smiled softly. "Camden goes to see his cousins. Ness calls her family back home. In this line of work, Care, everyone needs something to ground them."
"And what do you do?" I asked, curiosity outweighing my sudden urge to drag him to a school dance with me.
Ains sighed, his hands dropping from my face. I shivered as they slid across my skin, but I watched him as he picked at a loose thread on his bag, slender fingers pulling at it.
"You do," he said finally, his brown eyes finding mine.
"And how do I do that?" I asked, leaning against the lockers and I smirked up at him. Those brown eyes were warm with affection - affection for me, I realised - as he pursed his lips, almost thoughtfully.
"Just by loving me, you ground me," Ains said quietly, reaching out and brushing my hair behind my ear. Biting back a smile, I ducked my head, keeping the fact that St Hope's had instilled a 30-centimetre rule, although practically no one obeyed it, firmly in my mind as he continued. "I always wanted to be anything but what my father is, but I didn't care what. I'm pretty sure I could have ended up a drug dealer and I could have justified it, because I wasn't anywhere as bad as him. But when you look at me, you don't see someone potentially dangerous and lethal. You see something else. You see a strength I didn't know I had, a belief that I am every bit as strong as I want to be."
I stared up at him as he traced the curve of my jaw absently with his fingertips as he continued, "And every time you look at me, Caroline, I want to be someone who is worthy of that love you have for me."
I tried to tell him that he was, that he was the better person out of the two of us, but I couldn't get past my own surprise. Ever since I'd told him about Jase, nerves had been swirling in my stomach, afraid that knowing about both Jase and everything that came with that, paired with my mother's demeanour towards him had made him change his opinion about me. I was surprised to the point of not being able too speak that he still held me in such a high regard.
I gave up on telling him what he deserved and simply grasped the front of his blazer, tugging him towards me. I put one hand on the side of his neck and reached up to kiss him, sliding my hand to the back of his neck as his mouth pressed against mine, and I pressed closer to him as he rested the palm of his hand on the small of my back.
Yeah, this was definitely in violation of the 30-centimetre rule.
"Williamson! Morgan! 30 centimetre rule!" A loud voice boomed and I yelped in surprise, twisting out of Ains' grasp, turning to face my maths teacher as he glared at us from across the corridor and then turned, walking back into his classroom. Beside me, Ains laughed, pulling me into his embrace again. He kissed my temple and then pulled me into his chest, kissing my hair.
"I'll go," he murmured into my hair, his fingers moving back and forth across my shoulder. "If that's what'll make you happy, I'll go. I'll even endure the torture of a suit."
I tipped my head back to grin up at him and then I kissed him, pulling him closer and wrapping my arms around his neck. He settled his hands on my waist and I reluctantly pulled away, pressing my forehead against his.
"I love you," I breathed.
"I love you too – " Whatever he was about to say was cut off by the bell and he sighed, kissing my forehead again. "I have to get to Biology. I'll see you later?"
"Mm-hm," I mumbled as ways of a reply, leaning up and kissing him once more, quickly before I stepped back, watching as he slowly turned, retreating the other way.
