-.:Twilight of Escaflowne:.-
Chapter 6
Surprises
The next day went fairly normal. My boring life seemed to flow through the daily routines of life. The only thing of interest was Biology, the only class I had with Van Fanel, of whom I sat right next to. And even that didn't go so great.
Even though Van had graciously apologized to me yesterday after school, he still continued to keep his distance. I mean, don't get me wrong; he was polite and all. It's just that he sat as far away from me as he possibly could without sitting in the middle of the aisle and without being too obvious.
He sat very rigidly, and I could see the blue of his veins as they popped out from the deathly pale skin on the backs of his tightly clenched hands. His jaw was clenched and I could tell that he was breathing through his mouth as his lips—oh those wondrously luscious lips—were ever so slightly parted.
And just like the day before, he was out of his seat and flying through the door before the bell had even finished ringing. I tried not to let it bother me, but there was something about me he definitely didn't like, and it didn't seem like he was trying very hard to conceal it without being rude.
The rest of the day seemed to drag on as slowly as biology had, if not slower. All during lunch, I tried to inconspicuously sneak glances over towards the Fanels; I think my attempt was fatal. But I just couldn't help it. I couldn't figure out what it was about me that bothered Van so much, and I didn't want to be a nuisance to him. I wanted him to like me, not hate me. But I sighed as my thoughts down lover's lane came to a crashing halt at the realization that it was highly improbable Van had a slither of interest for me judging by the way he acted around me. And who was I kidding? The only reason Van apologized to me and wanted to make it up to me was because he pitied me.
Well, at least I can dream, I thought.
When school ended, I showered and changed as quickly as I could, grabbed my bag, and dashed out of the girls locker room, power-walking in the direction of my car. I dug through my bag in search of my keys as I walked, so I didn't even notice him leaning against my car until I was practically at my door. When I found my keys and looked up, I wasn't even 15 feet from my car, and I abruptly halted.
My breath hitched in my throat. I hadn't even noticed that I'd been holding it until Van pushed himself off my car and began to walk towards me. The whole while, I found that I couldn't tear my eyes from his burning gaze. He seemed to be reading my very soul.
As he neared, my palms grew sweaty and my heartbeat quickened. Everything else was non-existent. All that I was aware of was him and me and that the tattoo of my heart was so loud that I was sure even he could hear it.
He was now just a step away from me, and I was positive that I would soon pass out from lack of oxygen. I noticed his perfect lips curl up into a tiny smirk as if he knew what I was thinking, then they parted slightly as if he were about to say something. This broke our gaze, bringing my current attention to those oh-so-perfect lips. They lacked color, but I was too astounded with the "Adonis" standing before me to take note of it. Being in such proximity with him, I could see that he had a perfectly straight chiseled nose and high cheekbones placed strategically below his defined brow. He had a strong jaw connected to a long graceful neck which descended below his collar and connected to what I could see where very broad shoulders. I watched his adam's apple bobble up and down as he swallowed.
This man should be a model. Christ! He was every artist's dream!! I thought.
Just when I was beginning to wish that I could catch him shirtless on a nice sunny day somewhere on some secluded beach, he spoke.
You would think that it would break the spell, but alas, it drew me deeper into the trance. That strong tenor voice spoke to me. It wasn't too deep, or too girlishly high, in fact, his voice was so perfect, that it even sent little chills racing down my spine. I tried to focus on what he was saying, but that only brought my attention back to those beautifully full lips of his, which were the nightmare of every girl's parents. I began to wonder what it'd be like to be kissed by those luscious lips of his.
"Tomi? Are you ok?" he asked as he reached out and lightly touched the back of my wrist. That did it. Even though there was fabric between his touch on my skin, there was still a spark of electricity which caused us both to jump apart, breaking the spell much to my relief, and at the same time, to my disappointment.
My cheeks reddened as I looked away. I took a step back, but he stepped closer. Gods didn't he know what that did to me? Once again, a war drum sounded in my chest. I was sure he could hear it then.
I've thought of a way to make up for my behavior from the day before.
Oh, is that the only reason he's here before me? I thought somewhat dejected.
"Really?" I asked genuinely. "And what did you have in mind?"
"Well, since it appears that there isn't much to do here in Fanelia, my options were limited. I thought a nice cup of coffee before school started would be nice or perhaps dinner in Austuria?"
I was still kinda hurt from his enmity displayed earlier, so I didn't answer right away. Apart of me wanted to reject him as payback, but that naturally female side of me was giddy at the thought of going out on a date with this gorgeous man before me, and canceled out any rational thinking.
"I don't drink coffee," I suddenly realized and blurted out.
"Hot cocoa or tea perhaps?"
Now we were getting somewhere! "Ok, I'll think about it."
I didn't want to seem too eager so I decided to play hard-to-get even though the hormone-crazy teenaged girl inside me was screaming YES!
"Perfect. I'll let you know of the time and date later as I won't be going to school tomorrow, and I don't know how long I'll be out for."
"Why won't you be at school tomorrow?" I was curious.
He flashed a very pearly-white, toothy grin as if he were enjoying the irony of some inside joke or something. "The forecast tomorrow is bright and sunny…" I interrupted him with a snort at the possibility.
"Sunny? Fanelia? The most dreary place on Gaea?" I was being sarcastic.
"No, I'm certain the weather outlook is going to be accurate. You'll see. Anyway, when the weather is nice—which is rare in Fanelia as you know—my brother, Emmett, and I like to go camping in the woods. When I return from my trip, we can discuss the details and finalize the decision. In the meantime, we can get to know each other better as I realized that I don't know much about you other than your name." He flashed a dazzling smile at me, and I felt me knees go weak. Much to my embarrassment, they gave out, and I collapsed. Expecting to meet ground, I found two arms and a very solid body supporting me and I looked into two very dangerous eyes that belonged to none other than Van, himself. He helped me stand and hurriedly put distance between us as though he'd been burned.
"Are you ok," he asked me after I had gained my composure.
"Yes," I answered, disappointed and confused by his reluctance to be near me. "I, uh, have weak knees, sorry."
Despite the awkward situation, he maintained his suavity and held my car door for me as I slid in. Once I was safely buckled in, I turned to Van. "Well, I guess…I'll uh… see later."
"Adieu mademoiselle. Be safe, the roads are slippery," I caught my breath at his parting as he delivered it with a flawless French accent. It sent chills of delight cascading down my back. He backed away as I shifted into reverse and pulled out. I felt my foot shaking on the gas as I pulled out of the drive and onto the road. I looked in my rear-view mirror to see him still standing in the same place, watching me as I drove away. Once I had turned the bend, I felt a smile turn up the corners of my lips and I felt a giggle forming in my chest.
Yes, today had turned out to be quite the experience…
VvvV
AN: Ok, for those of you who are wondering, here's Van's and Hitomi's class schedules.
Hitomi:
Japanese
English
Pre-Calculus
Biology
Lunch
Government
Gym
Van:
Calculus
Japanese
English
Biology
Lunch
Gym
Government
Also, the reason's behind Van's absence from school will be revealed soon; I promise. For those of you who have read Twilight, you can probably guess why, but I'm doing it a little different than Stephenie Meyer did it. You'll just have to wait and see what I mean by this, but I decided that I didn't want to completely follow Twilight anyway, and that I'm just going to throw in a few plot similarities. Besides, if I decided to follow Twilight, this story would never be finished, and it wouldn't work with Everlast and Escaflowne.
As you may notice, the changes to this chapter are few. I just added a little segment at the beginning to help the transition from chapter 5 to 6.
Next chapter isn't expected to change much either, just a few little cosmetic issues, as well as chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10. So from here on out, expect the updates to be quick, and I hope to have chapter 11 posted by July 1st; lets see if I can do it ;)
Ja Ne
TEE