I grumbled incoherently as I made my way down the stairs, pulling my hair up into a messy pony and grabbing my purse. I had no intention of just sitting in this house all day. White light flooding through the windows, I threw a hand over my eyes just as the door opened, a mess of inky black hair appearing through the brightness. "Susannah." Uncle Barry called from the couch. "Who is it?"

Next came those brilliant sapphire blue eyes, intent on only my face as he come closer, shutting the door behind him.

"Nobody." I said back after a moment. "Uncle Barry?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Okay." His voice was vague, uninterested. There was definitely a football game on.

Paul took my arm, pulling me back outside. Still unused to the light, I pulled my giant tortoiseshell sunglasses out of my bag and slipped them on. Finally, I turned to Paul, furious. "Are you crazy?" I demanded, before I thought better of it. "No, actually, I already know the answer to that."

"You said for a few hours back there," He ignored my words, smiling crookedly, "What exactly were you thinking would take so long?"

I resisted the urge to smack that stupid smirk right off his face. "You are just a bullet point of a list of things I'm planning on-"

"Doing today?"

I snorted. "You wish."

"You're right," He leaned back on the column next to the door. "I do."

"Well you better wake up from your fantasy," I rolled my eyes, "Because you have been deluded for way too long."

"Fantasy," He pondered over the word, "You know, I think that its really quite closer to reality. That kiss…"

"Was a momentary act of stupidity."

"Of weakness." He whispered, coming closer to me. "And one of these days you're just going to give in."

"Paul Slater," I said, knowing what I was about to do was a little bit risky, taking his belt loops and pulling him closer so that my lips were a centimeter from his. What I was waiting for happened instantly- There it was- that flash in his eyes. Just as his lips came closer to mine, I said, "There is no way that this is in any way tempting to me."

And I let loose of him, but he grabbed me, so hard that I winced, and his eyes were so icily frigid a small shiver ran up my spine.

Sometimes I forgot the darkness in Paul.

"You lie so hard that you almost believe it." He said in a low, searingly murderous tone, "But I'm tired of your teasing." And with that he turned his back on me, striding out of the lot. I sighed, rubbing my arms, attempting to calm my goosebumps. But nothing could.

This is good, maybe he gave up finally, I reminded myself weakly, but as his car pulled out of the lot, all I could feel was the empty pit growing in my stomach.