A/N: I hope you enjoy this sweet chapter~
Chapter 33
(Evangeline POV)
Leading me by the hand, Simon pulled me into his living room and twirled me around before catching me in his arms. I giggled despite myself, delighting in the feeling of Simon's skinny but nonetheless solid arms around me and his breath against my exposed neck. I shivered and turned around in his grasp, pressing my lips against his in a brief kiss.
"I know that my house isn't much," Simon whispered self-consciously, "but…"
I cut him off with a smile, barely able to take my eyes off his. "I think it's cute." And it was, from what I could tell, with cozy old furniture and the big fluffy rug on the living room floor.
"Well, good. Mi casa es su casa and all that. Or… whatever that would be in French." That made us both laugh. I noted, as I had before, that Simon was very handsome when he laughed—all white teeth and crinkly eyes. "You really think it's cute?"
"Of course!" I assured him, still reveling in our close proximity. I didn't know what was coming over me, but I was tempted to kiss him again and keep his arms around me. Before, this had only happened with Jace… No, you're not allowed to think of Jace, I told myself, and focused again on Simon. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, but there was something else there, too… That desire again.
Simon was looking at me intently. "So… what do you want to do now? Are you hungry or anything?"
As much as I wanted to remain in Simon's embrace, there were other pressing matters. "Yes, actually."
"What do you want to eat?"
"Cookies," I decided. "Do you have any?"
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
I smiled, alight with a new idea. "We'll have to change that."
Baking with Simon was so much fun. He was really haphazard and inexperienced about the whole ordeal, which allowed me to instruct him and pass on some of my culinary knowledge. That was easier said than done, and we both got covered in flour (as well as the rest of the room). But strangely, I found that I didn't care. My face wouldn't stop smiling, no matter how much of a mess we made.
Now the cookies were in the oven, and Simon and I were cleaning up all the white powder everywhere. But as I was washing a counter, Simon came up next to me with a handful of flour and smeared some of it on my cheek, his expression mischievous. I giggled and put some on his nose. "This isn't going to help us clean any faster," I pointed out, grinning.
"Who needs to clean?" Simon asked rhetorically. Then he pulled me into a kiss that left me almost delirious with happiness.
"You're right," I said. "Cleaning is unnecessary."
He grinned hugely and suddenly hefted me onto the flour-covered counter I was about to wipe clean, so that my legs were dangling off the edge and his hands were on my waist. As if dazed, our lips found each other's and I felt awakened. Something inside me was stirring for the first time, and I could definitely feel it.
It was like I was in one of my Young Adult books. Never in a million years would I have expected to be in such a situation, especially with a vampire, but that made it even better. We just kept kissing and soon our kisses became deeper, more intimate. On one level, I knew that I should be nervous and going back to the Institute or something—Mama had warned me about temptation arising when alone with young men. At least, I should have been cleaning up all the floury mess. And yet… I found that I didn't care. I didn't care that white powder was everywhere, including all over me, and I didn't care that I was alone with Simon and that our kisses were growing more fevered. I was positive that I loved him. In fact, I wanted to pursue this situation to wherever it would take me, no matter what.
We only stopped to take the cookies out of the oven, and by then I was no longer hungry for something as normal as food. Rather, an entirely different kind of hunger had just begun, which thrilled me. I had felt it with Jace, too, but in short bursts because we were never together for long. But here, with Simon, completely alone and everything… I was alive.
Eventually, we ended up in his bedroom. My heart was pounding so much that I was sure he could hear it, but at the same time I knew that he wouldn't judge me. As we migrated to the bed, I wondered if it was obvious I had never done this before. Could he tell? Between kisses, he kept sneaking me shy but elated smiles that I returned without even having to think about it.
The springy mattress of Simon's bed seemed to rise up to meet my shoulder blades, creaking under the weight of both of us. I glanced up, almost surprised in a way to see Simon's face so close to mine and to feel his body pressing down on me, and he seemed to notice. "Are you okay?" he whispered, lovingly caressing my cheek. "If you want, we can stop now."
My heart overflowed with love for him, soaring through the heavens. I was in bliss, appreciating him even more so for saying what he just had. "I don't want to stop," I said, my voice shaky from all the kisses and desire and love and escalating nerves. "I'm so happy that… I can't even put it into words. I love you."
"Oh, Evangeline," said Simon. "I love you too. But… really, we can stop at any time. If you feel uncomfortable at all, just tell me, okay? I don't want you to feel pressured or anything. Because I'm not trying to pressure you. If you wanted, we could wait for ten years, or even more than that. Okay?"
I loved it when he babbled. It was once of his more endearing habits, and the words he was saying made it all better. I was happy that I was with Simon now, in such a pivotal moment, rather than Jace or someone similar. I knew that Simon would make sure I was happy and comfortable and wouldn't judge me for my inexperience. He really was wonderful. "I want this, Simon. I want you."
That brought a huge smile to his face. "I was kind of hoping you'd say that."
It really had been the perfect date: perfect food, perfect entertainment, perfect messing around in the kitchen, perfect kissing, perfect Simon. And now I found myself "taking the plunge", as it were, from Innocence to Knowledge, complete with blushes and misplaced elbows and logistical errors and puffs of flour and laughter. And I was so profoundly happy that my first time was with Simon. Despite how awkward everything was on the surface, I wouldn't have changed a single thing.
And so, our faces flushed and flour sticking to our hair, I drifted off to peaceful sleep in the arms of the man I loved with no regrets.
A/N: What do you think? :D Thanks for sticking with the story, everyone! xoxoxoxoxoxo