CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NORTH
The day has arrived. Adrenaline has been pumping through my veins all night. I just can't wait. I'm ready to cause some chaos. I'm lucky that I have an instrument case, a sports bag, and a duffel bag. My backpack was filled to the brim with clothing and other stuff. I could tell this was gonna hurt my shoulders. It was gonna be worth it though. I took up an entire seat on the bus with all the heavy bags I was carrying. I doubted it would all fit in my locker.
Walking into school, I ran into Essence, who looked excited and jittery. Like she had eaten a bunch of sugar. When she walked up close to me, she smirked.
"Football practice today?" She jokes. I nod, smirk, and signal to her bags.
"Dance class?" And she nods. She leans in real close to me and puts her lips close to my ear.
"You ready for this?" She whispers. "Ready to have it all?"
"Yeah…" I respond, shouldering my backpack. "I was born ready." Essence gives me a confident smile and I gaze at her lovingly. She comes in for a hug and I almost fall on my ass. I regain my balance before I totally embarrass myself in front of my crush and potential future girlfriend.
"Oh!" Essence cries. "You need help shoving that in your locker?"
"You have stuff too! You take care of yours, and if I need help, then come help me, okay?" I said. Essence nodded and headed off to her locker. Naturally, I had a hard time putting all my bags into my locker. They kept falling out or just not fitting in at all. Essence skipped over three minutes later, willing to help. She set her binder and laptop on the floor beside us.
"How the hell did you fit everything in there?!" I rasp, feeling winded.
"Like I always say, I'm gonna make it fit!" Essence chatters. She simply pushes on my bags and they just slide in. What the hell. She closes my locker. Essence's smile is wicked and she turns and heads off to class early, but not before I grab her by the collar of her shirt and pull her up against my body. Don't get hard, don't get hard, don't get hard, damn it, I got hard…
"See you in a couple hours…" I purr. Essence's face is just inches from mine. I brush my fingers over her cheek gently. I gaze into her pale, pretty eyes. I feel her breath brush across my cheek, she's so close. She's so beautiful. She's so radiant. She's so gorgeous. I back her up against my locker door and her breath hitches in her chest. I chuckle softly and hug her close. I nuzzle her neck gently.
"Um, guys?" A familiar voice laughs. Essence breaks away from me and whips around to face Myrah, Derek, and Alyssa. They're smirking at us. Essence blushes and the group starts laughing. Not in a teasing way. In a friendly, you can trust me kinda way. Myrah, Derek, and Alyssa join us. They gather around us in a circle.
"You got everything?" Derek addresses everyone. We all nod in unison. Essence starts playing with the big ring on her pinkie. I'd love to put that ring on another finger of hers, but hey, we've got a long way to go.
"Are you guys ready for today?" I ask. Everyone nods.
"See you all at lunch." I finish. The bell rings and everyone, except Essence and I split up from each other. Essence gazes at me with those pretty eyes of hers. She pulls her lower lip into her mouth. I eyeball it hungrily. I make my way over to her and grasp her chin between my thumb and forefinger gently. Essence looks a little sleepy or trance-like.
"Please. Don't. You're driving me crazy over here!" I laugh. She releases her lip and I let go of her chin. I say goodbye and walk away from her, towards first period. I whisper, I love you under my breath as I leave her standing there. I feel her eyes watching me. All first period, I fantasize about something I've been planning ever since I first met Essence. What? It's not like I need to pay attention. No one's ever gonna come to school again. Hell… They're not even going to leave. I didn't pay attention in any of my classes. When lunch rolled around, I could sense the excitement in the air, but also some tension.
Essence's anxiety kicked in and gave her a slight breakdown. It made it hard for her to eat. It was a little scary at first, but eventually she was able to calm down and have a little something. I kept an eye on her the rest of lunch, rubbing her back and talking to her when needed. Essence was getting overwhelmed and stressed out and started panicking because there were so many people. Lunch was about to end soon, and I just prayed that Essence's powers didn't go off when we didn't plan them to. Essence kept insisting that she would be okay and that everything was fine but I knew that it wasn't. She was frightened. So many people to take care of and such little time to do it. I don't blame her for freaking out.
Finally, the big moment arrives. Essence, Myrah, and Alyssa hide in the girl's bathroom and Derek and I hide in the guy's one. We plop down on the floor near the sinks. We wait for the bell to sound. When it does, Derek snickers.
"This'll be good…" Derek says, his smile sly. I grab his arm and keep him down. He looked at me quizzically. I beckon him to sit down.
"They will come to us…" I remind Derek. He nods. I look at him for a moment and decide to just suck it up and ask him.
"I need advice, man…" I tell him. Derek looks über-confident. He smooths out his jeans.
"Well… What about?" Derek asks, playing with the soles of his Jordan's.
"Essence." I say. He looks at me again. "I mean… She's literally everything to me… I wanna make my move once we arrive at our destination… I mean, like, really really make my move."
"What do you mean by that, though?" Derek asks. I take a deep breath.
"Confess my feelings and then… Hopefully… Kiss her… After that, I might try to, you know… Ask her out…" I say, messing with my shirt a little bit. Derek nods. "So what do I do?" I ask him.
"Be yourself. Pour your heart out. Like some French guy who's a poetry type guy. That's romantic. Don't be afraid to hold doors or whatever. You know? As for the kiss? Make it sweet, passionate, warm, make it a kiss she'll never forget. Make it cutesy but not sissy, you know? Cutesy, sexy, and nice. A little hand in the hair, grab her by the jaw, press your body into hers. Bam. Putty in your hands."
I nodded, thinking over everything. Pour your heart out. Sweet, passionate, warm… She'll never forget… Cutesy… Cutesy, sexy, and nice… I loved the sound of this.
"Got it. Thanks so much." I tell Derek, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Not a problem. But do us all a favor, will you? Do that stuff in private. 'Cause one, it will make everything that much more romantic, and two, we don't want to see you two getting hot and bothered or horny or start fucking or whatever in public. Okay?" Derek laughs. I nod, feeling my face get warm. The bathroom door swings open and Essence, Myrah, and Alyssa stand in the doorway. Essence holds out her hand to me. My breath catches in my chest.
"Ready, North?" She asks breathlessly. I nod and take her hand, grasping it firmly and lacing my fingers with hers. She leads me out the bathroom and down the sixth grade hallway. We walk side by side, holding hands, and stop at the end of the hallway. Ten classrooms. Five kids at one end of the hall, studying and laughing, two teachers talking in front of one classroom, a teacher chiding two students, a group of friends working on a drama skit. This will be tricky. Essence smirked all confident-like.
"Freeze, bitches." She murmured under her breath as she let go of my hand and started to raise her own. I watched in amazement as a pale blue aura surrounded her and flooded her eyes. There was a loud bang and whoosh and I watched as everyone in the hallway looked over at Essence in terror and fear. A big burst of snow and cold wind blew the teachers and students back against the wall at the end of the hallway. That knocked the wind out of all of them and they gasped for air. Essence looked at me and mouthed, finish them. I snapped my fingers and pointed at the group of people. I heard a whoosh from behind me and a few crackling sounds as well. Icicles whizzed past our heads and Essence and I watched as they impaled the students and teachers. Satisfying screams rang through the halls. Blood poured onto the floor as snow accumulated. Essence sighed dreamily. I smirked. Soon, people were opening their doors to see what the noise was. I watched Essence as she pointed to the people peeking out of the classrooms and blasts of ice shot from her hand, turning them to statues right on the spot. People started screaming. Essence nodded at me and we broke apart. I broke open the door in the one classroom, shot a blast of frost and ice into it, and closed the door and listened to people begging for help. The crackle of ice. The desperate shrieks of teachers and students. The muffled cries. I was twitching. I had no control anymore. I felt giddy and light.
Essence and I took turns, shooting blast after blast of ice into classrooms. The temperature in the school dropped with every blast. I was twitching and feeling out of control. I had some sort of power. I felt it. Adrenaline rushed through my veins. Once the job was done, Essence strolled over to me, tromping through the snow on the hallway floor like it was no problem. I was still twitching and spazzing out. Essence got up on her tiptoes, touched my face, and planted a kiss on the end of my nose. I felt myself relaxing and slowly calming down. Essence brushed her fingers over my cheek and looked into my eyes lovingly.
"We did it." She smiles. "We did it, North." Her eyes brimmed with tears of joy. I hugged her up against me. We really did, didn't we? Essence looked up at me, eyes bright and shiny, gazing at me longingly. I want to kiss her now. Now. Now. I shouldn't. I want to wait. But I don't know if I can. I want to kiss Essence. I wanna taste her lips, the spearmint Chapstick she applies, the minty gum she chews when she's nervous. Everything. I want that. But I want to wait. It's better to wait. Damn it, but she looks so eager. Look at those eyes. Holy shit. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
"North?" Essence singsongs. "I think the others could use our help."
"What makes you say that?" I murmur, feeling flirtatious. Essence raises her eyebrows and points over to Alyssa, who is standing in the doorway. I clamp my mouth shut.
"Yeah." Alyssa says. "This is tough. Little help?" Essence nods and bounds over to her.
"You coming or not?" Essence calls over her shoulder. She holds out her hand to me and I grasp it and follow her and Alyssa. I run my thumb over her knuckles. The eighth grade hallway is all the way at the other side of the school. It's also the biggest hallway in the school. It has the most classrooms, the most students, and the most teachers. I can't blame Alyssa for wanting help. Essence stood at the end of the hallway, assessing the situation and sweeping her eyes over every classroom.
"Easy solution to the problem!" She says enthusiastically. She cups her hands, and with a gentle blue flash of light, she's cupping a sizable ball of frost and ice. On the inside, snow swirls around like a snow globe. One of the most dangerous Manipulator weapons ever created or conceived. The ice bomb. Essence looks at us nervously.
"You might wanna back up. I can tell I'll need to use more than one." Essence murmurs. I glance at her uneasily.
"Can I help?" Alyssa and I ask in unison. Essence shrugs, still cupping the bomb.
"If you want." She says firmly. "Let's do it all at once." Alyssa and I form our ice bombs and wait for Essence's orders.
"1… 2… 3… Now, guys!" Essence yells. She chucks her ice bomb down the hall at the same time Alyssa and I do. When they hit the ground, they split open and release a mixed blast of ice, snow, and frigid air. We listen to the sound of the windows on the classroom doors blowing out, and our fellow classmates and teachers screaming for help. The crackling of ice and frost is louder. Essence forms another ice bomb. A few sorta lucky ducky kids sped out of their classrooms, ice crawling up their ankles and rooting them to the floor. I recognized a few people. Andromeda, one of Myrah's friends. A few football buddies. Some of Essence's bullies. Essence sneered at them.
"Essence… North… Aly… Please don't do this to me!" One girl rasped. She had fallen on the floor and was becoming encased in ice. Alyssa snorted. I stood closer to Essence.
"We'll do anything! Please, just let us go. Stop this!" A boy next to the girl on the floor begged. I recognized him from soccer.
"Suck my ass." Essence snapped as she threw the ice bomb she was holding onto the floor. It added to the chaos in the hallway, creating a large, invisible force and blast of nippy wind. It propelled her backwards and she hit the wall behind her. Essence let out a strangled, tortured yelp as her head hit the hard surface. I gasped and rushed over to her side. Essence was cursing and grabbing at the back of her head furiously.
"Sons of bitches…" She spat.
"Essence!" Alyssa cried.
"Essence! Essence, are you okay?" I asked her. Essence nodded and righted herself till she was standing on her feet again. Essence looked over at the hallway, satisfied by what she had done. I set my hand on her hip comfortingly.
"I'll be fine. Damned head'll be killing me for days now, though… Come on, we gotta find Myrah and Derek." Essence boomed, grasping my hand again. As we walked towards the seventh grade hall, gusts of cold air whipped into our faces. I noticed sheets of ice spreading across the floor in front of us. Drifts of snow piled in corners and icicles hung down from the ceiling. Essence looked a little worried. I squeezed her hand to get her attention.
"Are you doing okay? You seem a little tense." I murmur. Essence puffs out her cheeks and squeezes my hand.
"Just scared about getting caught. Jailed. Shipped off. Executed. That's all." Essence chuckles, brushing some hair out of her eyes. I can't help but notice how beautiful her white-blond and grey streaked hair looks paired up with her pale, crystalline eyes. I also couldn't help but hear a hint of her Boston accent showing through when she got stressed. I found it really fucking adorable for some reason. Snap out of it!
"We're all gonna be okay. Even if something goes wrong, I've got you. I'll keep you safe. That sound good?" I assure her. Essence nods and looks down the seventh grade hallway. Myrah's laying on the snow-covered floor, making a snow angel. Derek's kicking ice statues of frightened students in the privates. Well. Okay.
"What took you guys so long?" Myrah chuckled.
"Well, it's your fault for giving us the big hallways to work on." Essence rolled her eyes. "You gave yourself the small hallway."
"Guilty. Now, did you finish the job?" Myrah asks.
"Yes." Alyssa, Essence, and I said in unison.
"Good. Essence, did you get the stuff we talked about?" Essence nodded. I looked at her, puzzled.
"Whoa! Essence has weed?! Can I have some?!" Derek shrieked. Essence looked horrified.
"No, I don't have weed. Anymore." She teased. She winked at me. Essence reached into her pocket and pulled out car keys and a floral and paisley print wallet. It had a driver's license peeking out a clear plastic window.
"Yay! Good work!" Myrah squealed. "Let's get our bags, guys. Say goodbye to this rust bucket! Hello to a better place!" We all headed towards our lockers. Not surprisingly, it was easier to get my bags out of my locker than it was to put them in. Trés sigh.
Essence came up next to me, carrying her bags. Her eyes were kind and welcoming and friendly. She shuffled from foot to foot in her teal Converses.
"You did great today… I mean, like, you were awesome… You looked so…" Essence stammered, nervously fingering her hair.
"Looked so what?" I smirked. Essence's face flushed deep red. She straightened up a bit and gazed into my eyes.
"Smoking hot." Essence replied confidently. "Hotter than hell." I was surprised. I don't get that many compliments, especially not on how I look. Essence's smile was lustful. I felt my knees go weak just looking at her.
"Oh, and by the way, you should wear your jacket unzipped more often. Really shows off those killer abs." Essence coos, feeling over my stomach muscles. I close my eyes and groan softly. Essence bats her eyelashes at me innocently.
"Essence! North! Come on! We gotta go!" Myrah's voice called out.
"Coming!" Essence singsongs. She reaches out for my hand but I can't grab it because I have too many bags. Her face flushes red and she looks hurt and confused for a split second. I start to feel bad. We make our way to the entrance of the school, walking across sheets of ice that have formed along the floors. Essence smiles satisfyingly. She starts humming 'The Ballad of Mona Lisa' absentmindedly. Myrah, Derek, and Alyssa stood at the front door, waiting for us.
"So, Essence. Do you know which car it is?" Derek asked. Essence nodded and pulled out the keys. So from what I've picked up, Essence stole a teacher's wallet and keys so we won't have to walk twelve hours to our destination, rather just have to drive roughly forty minutes.
"You're genius, Essence." I gushed. Essence shrugged.
"Sometimes. Depends on the situation, I guess." She laughs. "Now come on, before everything becomes covered." We start to walk out the door and Essence takes a deep breath.
"You okay?" I ask her. She nods. Her smile is devilish. She forms an ice bomb in her hands and chucks it into the lobby. She quickly pushes me outside and follows, watching snow, ice, and cold winter air swirl around inside the door. It's been sealed shut. Ice crackles softly and Essence chuckles. She grabs onto my arm gently and leads me and the others to a minivan that's parked in the teacher's lot. She starts messing with the buttons on the keys and the trunk pops open, where we deposit our heavy bags. Derek sighs with relief and laughs. We all pile into the car, Essence in the driver's side, me in the passenger, and Derek and Myrah and Alyssa spread out along the back seats. The doors slam loudly and Essence jams the key into the ignition, starting the car up. We all start buckling up. Essence adjusts her seat to make her look taller and more visible to drivers.
"You know how to drive?" I ask her. Essence nods.
"Only because Delilah needed someone to drive her drunk ass home some nights." She replies, humor dotting the edges of her voice. I nod.
"Well, where are we going?" Alyssa asks curiously.
"To Delilah's friend's house up in Windham, New Hampshire. It's hidden in the forest, she always over-buys stuff at the store, and everyone can have their own room." I stiffen up and blush at that part. Essence looks over at me seductively, teasingly. She starts pulling out of the parking lot.
"Actually, I lied. There are three bedrooms. We can share them… Two in one, two in another, and someone sleeping alone… Works out perfectly!" I heaved a sigh of relief.
"So, you actually know where the house is? You don't even need GPS?" Derek asks. Essence shakes her head.
"I've memorized my way to this bitch's house. It's a piece of cake." Essence replies, easing onto the main road and away from our rapidly freezing school. "You pretty much just ride I-93 the whole time. A few turns here, a few lefts and rights, and bam. We're here." I don't know what it is that makes me find Essence driving so sexy. Maybe it's just the fact that she's in control, being all sassy, or maybe it's the fact that the sleeve and front of her shirt is falling down and exposing a bit of her bra strap and cup and nice cleavage. Snap out of it, Aster!
The word that sums up our forty minute drive? For me, it was awesome. I pretty much just watched Essence the whole time. Her hair was slung over her shoulder messily yet sexily, her shirt was slightly too big for her so it was like she was flashing me the whole time, and she was singing along to every song on the radio. When Panic! At The Disco came on, she freaked out and started singing like no one was watching. I love that. She already seems so free. So happy. I love that.
The house was even more amazing than Essence had said. It was perched on perfectly plush green grass, surrounded by fragrant pines, and was completely hidden from view. The house was log cabin-style, but it was pretty sizable, like a ranch-style. Essence insisted it was cooler on the inside. The windows were high up on the house, and a wraparound patio lined the whole thing perfectly. When Essence put the car in park, we all climbed out and marveled at the house.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Essence grins. "It's ours now." She opened the front door. There was a startled cry and scream from the inside and Essence blasted ice at the source like it was no big deal. "Now… Now, it's ours." She popped the trunk and we all grabbed our bags from the back, lugging and hauling them up the steps and into the front door. We plopped the bags on the hardwood floor and gazed at the warm, cozy-looking interior. It smelled like cinnamon and apples and pumpkin pie. Essence closed the trunk and locked the car door. When she came up the steps and into the front hall, she sighed.
"This is the only place I've really ever felt comfortable in." She chirps. She shuts the front door, deposits her bags, and takes off her shoes, padding into the kitchen.
"Guys…" Essence singsongs. "We got lucky today!" We walked into the kitchen. Grocery bags filled with food were spread out everywhere. My eyes widened.
"Nice." Derek murmured. Essence smiled.
"Come on guys. We can start unpacking now." Myrah says. Essence walks over to an ice statue of a girl she no doubt just froze. She reached into one of her bags, pulled out a hammer, and started smashing the sculpture to bits. I watched only because it was the most surprising thing ever. Sudden burst of rage. She drops the hammer on the floor and looks at me.
"You wanna share the master's bedroom with me?" She purrs innocently. I nod, dragging my bags down the long hallway. Essence follows behind me, kicking the door open with her heel. The bed has lots of pillows, cozy blankets, and nightstands and dressers that match the headboard and footboard. She opens another door inside the bedroom, and right there is a bathroom. Our own private bathroom. I shake my head in disbelief
"Incredible." I whisper.
"I know, right?" Essence chuckles. She starts unpacking her bags and placing her folded clothes into the empty drawers. I puzzle for a second.
"She used this as a guest room. Can you believe it? That's why there's no clothing or anything in the drawers." Essence calls over her shoulder, as if reading my mind. That's when I start unpacking my clothing into the other dresser. Essence had about five bags that were filled with perishables and medical supplies and such. I had maybe six. After everyone had unpacked their clothing and shoes and toiletries and such, everyone had to put food away. It took a while, but it was worth it. Afterwards, Essence used the landline to call a pizza place and ordered a few pizzas, some-cheddar bacon fries, and bread sticks. When I asked her how we were going to pay for all that, she just laughed and winked at me. I saw what she meant a few minutes later.
Needless to say, she had crushed one more ice statue to bits before dinner. The pizza was delicious and the slices were bigger than my head. Essence says that Suppa's is really the only pizza she actually likes. And the cheddar-bacon fries? Forget it! They were to die for. They had the weirdest name—snotty fries. Don't ask why because I don't know—but they were so delicious. After dinner, I kept flicking my eyes over Derek, signaling to him to get the others and go. I wanted to be alone with Essence. Derek took the hint.
"We should go get some wood for the fireplace, that'd be cool!" Derek says. Myrah, Alyssa, and Essence nod their heads.
"Think there was some firewood at that convenience store we passed on the way here!" Myrah added. Essence passed her the teacher's wallet and stretched out on the couch.
"I'll go with you! Bye Essence! Bye North! We'll be back!" Alyssa cheered as the others went out the door. Derek winked at me as he shut the door behind them. Finally. We're alone. I glanced over at Essence. She moved in real close to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. Now.
"Can I talk to you?" I ask Essence softly. Essence looks at me and nods. I take a deep breath. Pour your heart out. Make it cutesy.
"Essence, I… I… I love you." I murmur. Essence's eyes widen. "You make me feel like I can really be myself. You're so carefree and fun-loving. You're absolutely incredible. You're so… So sexy and the subject of my constant fantasies. I mean, you're amazing. You're perfect. I love everything about you. I… Oh god… You leave me at a loss for words. I'm speechless. There are just no words to describe how beautiful and amazing and lovely you are. I love you, Essence Eirwen-Aurora. I want you." I gaze into her eyes. Essence looks so touched.
"North, that's so sweet." Essence says,
"Well, I mean it all." I say kindly. Essence's eyes are getting bluer by the second. She looks like she wants me in the same way I want her. Big moment. Big moment. Big moment. Don't fuck this up. I start moving closer to her side, closing the space between us. I'm towering over her, she looks so shy and vulnerable. My eyes sweep over her body from head to toe. Essence is squirming and shifting in her seat. I know what I'm doing to her. I look at her confidently and Essence breathes out heavily.
"N-north?" Essence whispers. I place my hand on her jaw and wrap my fingers across my back of her neck. I start leaning in real close. I tilt Essence's face up to meet mine.
"Essence…" I murmur. I place my free hand on Essence's hip and start pulling her up against me. Essence's breathing is shallow. My heart is trying to break out of my ribcage. Essence keeps moving in closer. Closer, closer, closer. Till her breath is brushing against my skin. I close my eyes and pull her in all the way.
Essence's lips are soft and smooth. I taste her Chapstick. Nothing's ever tasted better. I sigh into her mouth and stroke her hair. When I pull away, Essence looks at me shyly. She shifts in her seat, like she's uncomfortable.
"Was that your… First?" I ask her. Essence chews her lip and nods.
"Was it good?"
"Yes…" Essence sighs dreamily. She closes her eyes and flops back on the couch. She gazes up at the ceiling and giggles. Goddamn… So beautiful… I can't take it anymore! I pounce on her. Essence gasps and I start devouring her with kisses. She pushes me off her, so I'm sitting in front of her and she crawls over to me, straddling my lap. Her face flushes red and she smiles. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me slowly, deliciously, torturously. I set my hand in the small of her back as we make out. I set my other hand in her hair and grasp it in my fist. Essence's kisses become slower and more passionate. I relish in the taste of her lips. Essence rakes her hands through my scruffy, shaggy blond hair and presses her body up against mine completely. I start leaning back down onto the couch cushions and Essence follows me down, her lips never leaving mine. I flip us over, so she's underneath me. Essence gasps and then chuckles and shakes her head. She covers her face with her hands for a moment.
"You're wearing my lip balm more than I am." She grins. I knew it was true. I just didn't care. I smiled and leaned in and started kissing her again. Essence's legs wrapped around my waist. Her kisses are amazing. I never want this to end. That's when I heard the front door open. I grabbed Essence's hair and kissed her ravenously. She moaned at my sudden burst of energy. Good. She grasps handfuls of my shirt in her hands. I nibble her lower lip gently and she groans.
"Oh my god!" Alyssa gasped when she saw us. I just kept kissing Essence. I ignored the others. Essence stroked my hair gently and sighed.
"What is it, Aly?" Myrah asked. When she saw us, she gasped. "Holy shit!"
"Derek!" Alyssa called out. "Derek, look!"
"What?" Derek murmured. "Oh, goddamn!" Essence pulled away from me for a second to yell at them.
"Go! Go away! Leave us alone… Leave us..." Essence gasped. I kissed her again. This time, I grasped her jaw gently and held her in place,
"Oh my god, get a room!" Myrah cried. I pulled away again and glared at her.
"This is a room. It's the living room. Get out… Go. We're busy… Just leave us alone… Please…" Essence grasps my hair and pulls me into another kiss. With every kiss, all my pent-up sexual tension was getting released. I only got hornier, hungrier, and only wanted Essence in another dirty way. I grabbed her legs and held them in place around my waist. Essence groans.
"Guys, come on. Let's leave them alone. We should be happy for them." Derek says. I hear footsteps as Aly, Myrah, and Derek leave the room. Essence tightens her legs around my waist.
"Hey… You never kiss me like that!" I hear Aly say from the other room. Essence sighs and lets her hands explore my body. She pushes my shirt up a little and feels over my abs and back. I moan softly and run my hands over her back and hips and ass. I run my fingers through her hair and she sighs. I kiss Essence one more time, making it last and then I pull away. Essence lays there, panting and gazing into my eyes.
"That was… Whoa…" Essence giggles. I smirk and kiss her quickly. That's when we start to get up from the couch and walk into the kitchen. The others just stare at us when we enter the room. Essence shrugs and I sit down on a barstool. She sits in my lap and hums 'Crazy=Genius'.
"Deal with it." Essence snaps at the others. "Grow up." Derek covers his mouth.
"Ick." Alyssa mutters. Essence stares daggers at her.
"So are you two a thing now?" Myrah asks after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Yes." I say firmly. "Yes, we are." Essence smiles and fingers a strand of hair that's hanging in front of her face. Myrah grins from ear to ear. Alyssa's eyes widen. Derek's face said, yeah, I knew it.
The rest of our night consisted of sitting in front of the fireplace, being jokesters, and staying up late. Before Essence went to get ready for bed, she threw an ice bomb out the window and it shattered in the street.
"What?" She asked. "We didn't take care of everything else." I sat next to her at the bay window and watched ice spread across the street. Frost started to cloud up the windows. Snow started falling from the sky. I put my arm around Essence's waist and pulled her into a kiss. Essence cuddles up into me and smiles.
"Come on, let's go to bed." I whisper in her ear. She grasps my hand and we walk off to bed. She sets herself on the edge of the bed and pulls off her pants and bra. She's walking around in nothing but a shirt and her pink panties. I can't take my eyes off her.
"What?" Essence teases. "Is it something on my face?" I'm at a loss for words, standing there staring at her like an idiot and a perv. She strolls up to me, and I shit you not, lifts up her shirt fully, flashing her boobs to me. My knees go weak and I lean up against the wall for support. Whoa. She giggles and pushes by me to go brush her teeth. She's that kind of girl, huh? I lean in the doorway, watching her brush her teeth.
She looks up at me funny. "You have a toothbrush fetish or something? Pearly whites turn you on?" I shake my head and leave her alone. I was feeling lazy and exhausted, so I just decided to sleep in my underwear. I didn't feel like putting on pajamas. Besides, I was sleeping next to my tasty, brand-new girlfriend. Maybe I wanted to look decent. I went back into the bathroom and when Essence met my gaze in the mirror, her eyes boggled and she sized me up and down. Her eyes stayed down for a moment, the after effects of her flashing me still noticeable. She held the toothbrush in her mouth as she looked at me. I smirked and crossed my arms. She spat into the sink and washed herself up, still staring at me as she left the bathroom.
"What? Do you have a toothbrush fetish now, Miss Eirwen?" I teased her. Essence rolled her eyes and headed toward the bed. Why did I fucking call her that? Now she's gonna think I'm a creep or something. What the hell?! Great. All of the sudden, I felt seriously self-conscious and freaked out. I mean, could you blame me?! I'm just about to get into bed with the girl I've liked since Pre-K, and I'm going over a mental checklist. I'm trying to tell myself to calm down, but it's seriously impossible. Does my hair look all weird? Am I still all crazy-looking from earlier? Is her lip balm still smeared all over my face? Is that a zit? Wait. Damn it! Am I hotter than that guy from Panic! she's always gushing over?! No way. He's got tattoos. That's hot. Fuck. Damn it, Brendon Urie. Can I compete with him?! Do I need a red tux or something?! Do I need to sing about closing goddamn doors to win her over?! No, I don't need any of that. She loves me for me. Calm down. Breathe. You're gonna blow a fuse. I walked out of the bathroom, shutting off the light on the way out and feeling super-awkward as I did so. Essence looked at me again, eyes filled with lust and hunger. She looked so cuddly, cozy, sweet, and sleepy lounging amongst the huge pile of plush pillows and velvety blankets. I slid under the blankets beside her and wrapped my arms around her.
"I'll never let anything bad happen to you." I promise Essence. She looks up at me, eyes far away and trance-like.
"I like that." Essence murmurs. She reaches out and brushes her thumb along my bottom lip. I close my eyes and pucker my lips, kissing the pad of her thumb. She grins and snuggles up to me.
"You were really good earlier." I murmur. Essence sighs and runs her hand through my hair.
"When? At school or on the couch?" Essence whispers.
"Both." I reply.
"Oh. Well, so were you." Essence says quietly. She yawns and rests her head on my chest, eyes closing.
"You tired?" I ask her. Essence chuckles.
"No. Can't you see I have so much energy and I'm jumping up and down all over the place?" Essence groans sarcastically. I stroke her hair and she literally dozes off in no time. I look at her while she sleeps. She looks so adorable. Her face gets all pink and her breathing is all quiet and cute. I kiss her forehead and shut off the lamp on the nightstand, shrouding the room in darkness.
"Don't worry, Essence." I whisper. "You're safe with me. I'm here for you. Nothing bad is ever gonna happen to you now that I'm here." Essence sighed in her sleep and nuzzled my chest. I melted into the pillows, dreaming of Essence kissing me on the couch earlier.