INeverSawAnotherButterfly – Cliffhangers are the best, aren't they? Haha (:
RED0505 – Thanks! (:
The Significance Series belongs to Shelly Crane.
Chapter Seven
The only way for me to get away was out the window. I'd never done anything like this before. My head was spinning as I wedged my fingers underneath the window frame. The house was only one-story, so the drop wouldn't be far. I think my biggest fear was Royce or Nolan finding out and putting a stop to my actions right away. I needed to get away from here, away from people who didn't know and wouldn't understand. I held my breath as I pushed open the glass. It squeaked loudly, making me wince. I doubted my brothers heard it, though. It wouldn't really matter much, because my bedroom door was locked.
I dropped my purse – a new one, with straps that would actually hold together – onto the ground below. It thumped loudly. I held my breath for a moment longer, trying to figure out how to wedge myself out of the window. It wasn't exactly a big window, and I was trying to figure out how to land with my feet on the ground. Finally, I managed to throw one foot over the sill and slide out.
I managed to land safely. I stood there for a moment, my ankles hurting from the sudden impact. I swiped up my bag and started down the street. It was times like these that made me really want a car. I'd always wanted a vehicle, but we hadn't exactly been able to afford it. I guess it hadn't really been that bad, because Paul and Hanna had cars. They had been my sources of transportation for the last couple of years. But still, it would make it easier to get away.
Maggie had directed me to Caleb's house. It wasn't that far of a walk, but I was still feeling hot and a little gross by time I reached the big front gates of Caleb's house, where I'd met the entire family before. I hit the button in front of the gate, waiting impatiently for someone to come over the intercom.
"Who is it?" It was a deep voice. I thought it was Caleb's father, Peter, but I wasn't for sure.
I cleared my throat. "Elsie Gray, sir. I'm here to talk to Maggie."
"Elsie!" Peter exclaimed, like he was truly excited to have me at his house. It was a funny sort of feeling that washed over me. Someone was excited to have me around, even though I had no real relation to him. I guess that's not really how they saw it, though. The lot of them had called me family within two minutes of meeting them. "Come on in," he said, his voice accompanied by a low buzz. The gate started to open, and I waited until it looked like it wasn't going to snap closed before stepping past.
Maggie was standing at the front door, Caleb hovering behind her. He had his hand around the back of her neck, his thumb resting on the tattoo that I'd seen before. She smiled at me and reached out to take my hand, pulling me into the house. I followed closely behind, saying hello to Peter and Rachel. Maggie and Caleb led me through a labyrinth of hallways.
Finally, Maggie stopped in front of a room. She turned to Caleb, put a hand on his chest, and met his eyes. If I hadn't known better, I would think that they were just talking with their eyes. But I knew that they were actually talking to each other, sending words back in forth in their minds. I'd tried that with Nick, too, but we never managed to get more than a word or two across. Caleb sighed and leaned in to give Maggie a quick kiss before leaving us alone.
"Come on in," Maggie said, opening up the door. She led me into an immaculately clean bedroom. There were instruments all over the place, but other than that, it was pretty bare. Simple. Maggie sat down on the end of the bed and motioned for me to take a seat. I pulled out the bench in front of the little piano sitting in the corner.
"So tell me," Maggie said easily. She gave me a sweet smile, her eyes clear and honest. I'd never met someone who was so kind-hearted before. She looked like she honestly wanted to help me. But other than that, she looked happy. Even my parents, who had been together forever, weren't as outwardly happy all the time like Maggie was. And instead of feeling annoyed that this love was supposed to inevitable, I craved it. I wanted to have someone at my side that would make me smile like that, all the time.
"Can't you just read my mind?" I asked, but instead of being controlled, my voice was shaky. I sounded tired.
Maggie gave me another small smile. It was sort of sad, like she was reading my direct thoughts and somehow getting my emotions from them. "I can, but sometimes it's easier to hear it from you. Sometimes someone needs to say something out loud."
I took a deep breath. I'd thought about it for a long time when I was by myself. Those feelings that I'd felt when Paul had confronted me in the park were still there. After a moment of sitting there, I'd decided that there wasn't anything to regret by breaking up with Paul, because… well, I was starting to feel something for Nick. It was sort of like a crush feeling. Like I wanted to impress him whenever I knew he was going to be around, like I wanted to be flirty and funny and exactly who he wanted to be with.
"I think I need to break up with Paul," I said quietly. "But I don't want to regret it. I don't want this… this imprint to force me to fall for Nick. What if it's a mistake? Or what if it doesn't work out?" I felt tears prickling the back of my eyes, and I swallowed hard, trying to keep them back.
Maggie reached out and touched my arm. "Imprints are never a mistake. It's just two souls seeing each other, fully and completely, and deciding that the other person is the one person for them in the world. I'll be honest, I had the same feelings you are now. What if it was by accident? Or what if it's not meant to be? But it is, Elsie. Imprints always work out. They're meant to be there, or else there wouldn't be any reason for them."
"But what about Paul and Nick? I don't want this imprint to make me feel a certain way. I don't want to hate myself for it later."
Maggie shook her head. "The imprint is not getting in the way. Think about it. You liked Nick before you two imprinted. You were completely attracted to him. And then when you actually did imprint, you found out that you really did like the guy you were with. It has nothing to do with the imprint and everything to do with you."
I wiped at my tears, my heart beating erratically. Was this for real? Was I really going to break up with Paul, step out of an almost-three-year relationship, for another guy? I thought of Nick, his slightly curling brown hair and turquoise blue eyes, his quirky smile and his warm laugh. The answer was yes. I would always want Nick over anyone else.
And now that Maggie mentioned it, I had felt that attraction to Nick before we touched. And if watching her with Caleb was any proof, the imprints weren't jokes or lies. They were real. And that meant that what I felt for Nick had to be real.
I wasn't sure if it was love, but I was definitely crushing on him.
So that was it, then. That tied all my loose ends. It was time to say goodbye to Paul, time for me to move on to who I was theoretically meant to be with. My stomach was tight with nerves. But I also felt a bit of a release, my guilt and anxiety easing. I wiped at my eyes again, and Maggie patted my hand.
"Believe me, it's perfect. I know you have that thing about ignoring the flaws of someone you love… you'll find flaws in Nick, but you'll love them just like you love him. You don't have to settle for anyone. You shouldn't have to deal with someone who is not one hundred percent meant for you." She said.
I nodded. Maggie had just sealed the deal for me. Paul and I were over. Nick and his family would probably be ecstatic. As I thought about my impending breakup, my heart rate started to pick up. I'd broken up with guys before, but all of those relationships had only lasted months, and they'd been pretty mutual. I had a feeling that the same rules didn't apply to relationships that lasted years, and I wasn't sure that Paul was on the same page I was. I was scared about what would happen, scared about what Paul would say to me or what other people would think about me.
Maggie stood up and took my hand. "Have you made your decision, Elsie?"
I sat there for a moment longer, knowing that she already knew the answer to that, but she wanted to hear a verbal confirmation. I nodded slowly. "I'm breaking up with Paul." My breath caught in my throat, and Maggie smiled sadly at me.
"Come on." She led me out of the bedroom and down the hall. I couldn't even begin to wrap my brain around the hallways. I had no idea how she knew where she was going. It didn't help that I had no idea where I was. My heart was racing at the idea of saying goodbye to Paul. I was honestly scared about what my brothers would say to me when they found out Paul and I weren't together anymore. I was scared of what Paul would say to me.
We'd just sat down at an empty table in the kitchen. Caleb was there, pouring glasses of sweet tea. He handed one to me and carried the other two to the table. I'd just sat down when Peter breezed by, heading towards the front door. He opened it up, and I heard a voice say, "Where is she?"
The voice was so familiar, so warm and just what I wanted to hear, that I felt my heart rate spike. I stared at the empty archway. Nick came around the corner, into view. He had a hand to his chest, as if he was trying to hold my heartbeat there, to calm it down. He stepped to the table just as I stood up. His hands immediately went to my face, and we both sighed. I managed to glance at Maggie and Caleb, who were looking away, like they were trying to give us some sort of privacy. Peter stood in the archway, watching the two of us.
"Are you okay? What are you doing here?" Nick asked so quietly that it was almost like it was only the two of us in the entire world. His breath was hot on my cheek.
"I'm fine," I said. "I was just here talking to Maggie."
"Maggie?" Nick repeated. She raised a hand in hello, and Nick gave her an easy smile. "Thanks, I guess," he said to her. He took my hand in his. "If you don't mind, I would like to steal you away and talk to you. What do you say to dinner?" He asked.
"I say that'd be nice," I replied.
I paused as Maggie and Caleb stood up to tell us goodbye. Quickly, I gave Maggie a hug. "Thank you," I whispered in her ear.
Maggie patted my back. "Anytime, Elsie. I'm here for you." She patted Caleb's arm and added, "He is, too. We're your family now, and no matter what, we'll stand beside you."
I nodded, said goodbye to them, and followed Nick out the front door and down the steps. His car was sitting just outside the gate. I sighed and leaned against him as I walked.
I'd made my decision. And I wasn't going to change my mind.
# # #
Nick and I were sitting in his car. We'd thought about going somewhere good for dinner, somewhere where we sat down at a table, but we'd somehow unanimously decided against it. It didn't matter to me, because now that I had decided that I was going to attempt a relationship with Nick. I wanted to be around him. He had no idea what I'd decided, he had no idea that I'd officially chosen him over Paul. And it would be hard to tell him in a crowded restaurant.
I took a handful of fries and picked through them. Nick shoved a whole chicken nugget into his mouth. I tried not to laugh, but a girly giggle still leaked out. Nick gave me a quirky side smile and wiped his mouth with a bright yellow napkin.
Nick had parked in front of a little building that sold trinkets. It was the type of place that grandmothers shopped at to get those weird little gifts. I had taken off my seat belt and turned sideways to look at him. I'd watched his profile silently as I ate. I wasn't sure if he knew or not, since he continued to devour his food like it was about to grow legs and run away from him.
"Nick," I said quietly. He balled up his napkin and tossed it into the take-out bag. His eyes, glowing blue despite the dark, connected with mine. I paused for a second, the words sticking in my throat as I looked at him. Maggie was right. I couldn't separate the imprint and my feelings, because they were one in the same. I'd imprinted with him because of my feelings, even if I hadn't felt them at the time. "I'm breaking up with Paul." I said.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "So, what does that mean for us?"
"I think… I think I'm willing to try and date you."
He smiled, lighting up his eyes. His white teeth glowed a little bit from the light. "You want to date me?"
I laughed. "Don't be so cocky. And that's only if you want to date me."
Without missing a beat, he said, "I've wanted to date you from the moment our hands touched." His voice was low and warm, and it sent tingles down my spine. "And, as always, you set the pace. Don't forget that."
"Believe me, I didn't. I like to have a little power in a relationship." I said sarcastically.
Nick laughed, and I felt like I was smiling like an idiot.
# # #
When I woke up the next morning, I realized that this was it. This was the day that I was going to break up with Paul. I didn't want to drag this out any longer, because we both deserved to find someone we truly cared about. According to Nick's family, I'd already found mine.
Paul had called me last night when I'd been with Nick. He'd left me a message saying that he was sorry that he'd upset me, but he was annoyed that I hadn't answered the phone for him. My heart thumped in my chest at the idea of telling him that we were over. He would be livid. And it would back his ideas that I'd been cheating on him with Nick. Especially when I started showing up with Nick around town. I wasn't sure if I could hide from Paul forever.
There was a knock on my window. I glanced up, holding onto my phone a little tighter. Nick was standing at my window. He couldn't see through the curtains that I hung up, and I couldn't see him through them, but I knew it was him. Who else would be at my window this early in the morning?
I tossed my phone onto my bed and ran a hand through my hair. I was wearing sleep shorts and an old T-shirt. It wasn't the most flattering outfit, but it covered me. I pushed back the curtain and smiled at him. I wasn't really sure if he was my boyfriend or not, now. We'd never actually said that we were exclusive, but it was implied. A shiver shook through me at the idea of him being my boyfriend. I pushed open the window, and he reached in to touch my fingers.
"Hi," I said quietly. Royce hadn't left for the gym yet, which meant Nolan was still hanging around, too. He was working today, but he needed Royce to drive him to work since we only had the one car. Nick gave me a dazzling smile, and I was overcome with the urge to kiss him.
I'd decided that I wanted to try dating Nick, but that didn't mean that I was liable to kiss him right off the bat. While I'd decided that I liked him, I couldn't tell if it was just a distant crush phase or if it really meant something. And the thing I loved was that he understood that. He understood my confusion, and he was willing to wait for me. He'd told me as much with his constant reminders that I was the one that was given the gift of setting the pace. Maggie had told me that Caleb had told that to her. It made me smile just a little bit, because what Maggie and Caleb had was absolutely beautiful, and I wanted that for me one day.
"Royce and Nolan haven't left yet," I said.
Nick nodded. "I saw the car in the driveway. I'd ask to come in, but I don't think I'm going to fit into that window without making enough noise to call your brothers."
"Probably not," I said, leaning on the sill. My face was just a few inches above his. It was weird that he was looking up and me and I was looking down on him. I was even lying on my stomach on the sill, my arms crossed in front of me. "It took me ten minutes to figure out how to get out of here yesterday."
Nick laughed, and I smiled.
This was going to work. At least, I hoped it would.
Short chapter, but it's late. I hope you enjoyed it, and I PROMISE that I will be updating in the next few days. (I just love this series. I can't stay away.)
Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you for reading, and I want to remind you to leave me a review so I know what you guys think. Peace. (: