Sitting alone with Tori's sister is kind of terrifying.
I'm not intimidated by Trina Vega, girl. I'm terrified of Trina Vega, sister of my girlfriend though. Sitting at their dining table, I lace my fingers together and tap my foot against the floor rhythmically. The only saving grace of having Trina glaring at me from across the table is that it takes me mind off the memory of Tori's lips fluttering against my neck this morning. At least it did before now.
Dammit. It's going to be a long wait.
"Ready to go?" Tori's voice rings through the room, snapping me out of my daze and finally drawing Trina's eyes away from me. Tori's brilliant smile shines through the room and it feels like the tension in the room instantly melts away. Before I can halt it, my gaze dips lower and as my breath catches in my throat, I notice Tori is wearing a singlet and a pair of tiny denim shorts. Her tanned legs seem to stretch on for days and I feel like I'm on the verge of hyperventilating. When did I turn into such a creep?
"Ready when you are." I choke out, the words flowing from my lips like molasses. Tori cocks an eyebrow and shakes her head slightly, I wonder if she realizes exactly what kind of an effect her wardrobe choice is having on her poor unsuspecting boyfriend.
With a nod, Tori reaches down and hauls her suitcase into the air. I fumble my way across the room, determined to be the gentleman and take it to my car for her, but she waves away my attempts. Throwing my hands up in mock frustration, I feel my heart flutter at the determined look on Tori's face. Her eyebrows and tightly screwed over her eyes as they blaze with determination.
"You two are going to give me diabetes." Trina states sourly, wrenching herself out of her seat and limping tenderly to the kitchen. I'd offer some sort of assistance to her, but my hand is still throbbing from when I tried to help her before Tori came down the stairs.
"Love you too sis. See you on Monday." Tori calls, as she rumbles towards the door. Before she can reach it, I finally make use of myself and charge ahead of her and open it. Motioning cordially to her and then towards the door, a soft giggle tumbles from her lips.
"So your parents are fine with this?" I question uncertainly as Tori rounds the car, a thin sheen of sweat gathering over her brow. With a final heave, the suitcase is in my back seat and Tori's eyes come to rest on me. Her shoulders rise and fall as she sucks oxygen into her lungs.
"Called 'em while the shower was heating up." Tori replies simply, the blaze of determination fading from her eyes as she glides effortlessly towards me. Her smile melts away and something more devious than I'm used to flashes through her eyes. The distance between us falls away, and before I know it, my hands rest on her hips and she's ensnared me again. I'm sure Beck's house can wait.
The feeling of Tori's fingers skating up and down my spine is like lightning igniting every cell that it comes in contact with. Her hand slides beneath my shirt and as her finger nails scrap against me, I feel as though I'm trapping the middle of a hurricane, flying through the air with no control of my body. When her lips find mine, every other thought is lost to me, swept away in a tsunami of sensation. The feeling of kissing Tori Vega, of holding her in your arms is like trying to control a force of nature.
"This is the best way to start a morning." I mumble through ragged breaths when our lips finally separate. Tori melts into my chest with a nod, looking up at me as wisps of her brown hair tumble over her face. Tori's left hand entwines through me and she's caressing my fingers in what I recognize as a state of nervousness. My eyebrows drag together, meeting in confusion, thought I don't question her just yet. We round the car and I open the door for her to get in. Tori's brilliant smile slides over her lips once again and my heart jumps around wildly in my chest as I walk towards the drivers side.
We pull out of the driveway and as we speed toward Beck's house, the memory of Tori's nervous fingers flickering over my hand mires my thoughts. The radio crackles in the background and I notice Tori's not humming along with it as she usually does. Drumming my fingers over the steering wheel and stifling my natural urge to leave well enough alone, I heave a deep breath into my lungs as though it's filled with courage.
"Tori, what are you worried about?" I keep my words soft and make sure to throw my gaze over at her between keeping an eye on the road. Tori's head whips towards me, her eyes wide open a she shivers ever so slightly, looking like deer caught in the headlights of a car. A long silence fills the air as Tori's eyes cloud and she drifts into her own thoughts.
"It's just, I want to room with you when we're camping, but I don't know if I want to…you know…" Her voice dies out, the remaining words falling silently from her lips. My lungs stutter feebly within me, failing to draw in any breath. I know exactly how she feels, trapped in that awkward purgatory that paralyses you between action and indecision. One of my hands strays from the steering wheel, skating across Tori's thigh in what I hope is reassuring motion.
"I know, I know. Trust me I've thought about…uh. What I mean is, whatever you're comfortable with, that's what we'll do. Well, unless you want me to sleep in Jade and Beck's room. That I will not do." My words shudder awkwardly through my lips, barely collecting in what could be considered coherent sentences. I eventually surrender my in my efforts to answer seriously and dive into a joke, which is rewarded with Tori's laughter.
"I'm not that sadistic." She retorts, the melancholy timbre lifting from her voice. I fix my eyes on the road ahead, smiling as Tori's fingers creep over my hand, my skin tingling in their wake. Within moments, the sound of Tori humming along to the radio fills the air and I feel my heart swell, knowing that she's fine, at least for the moment.
Beck's house veers into view, a large unfamiliar vehicle looming in the driveway. Tori and I share a quick glance, each of us disbelieving that such a large truck could be Beck's. My mind settles on the logical conclusion that his parents must have visitors. Pulling up in front of Beck's RV and jamming the car into park, my eyes slide around the front lawn of the Oliver home and I notice three familiar cars alongside Beck's own car. With start, I realize we're the last ones to arrive. Hurtling out of my car, I notice Tori's echoing my actions only a split second later.
"Sorry we're late." I mumble, throwing the door to Beck's RV open. Tori joins me in the doorway a half step later, the sun clinging to her hair and almost making her glow. I force my eyes back to our friends, all of whom are watching us intently. I pregnant pause envelops the room until a flash of red crosses the room and I feel two tiny arms crushing my ribcage and dragging Tori and I into a smothering hug.
"Cat you're crushing my spleen." Tori wheezes out, caught between choking and coughing. As Cat's arms retract, I jostle her shoulder affectionately. If it wasn't for the light that constantly seems to emanate from her, I'd probably still be lurking in the darkness of my room.
"Nobody cares Vega." Jade grumbles from her place next to Beck. Rolling my eyes, I notice her insult doesn't carry the same vigor it usually would. Her eyes are dulled and it's as though she's just playing a part, going through the motions.
"Who's truck?" I ask after returning Andre and Beck's greetings. Cat flops down at Andre's feet and leans against him. They've been growing closer since they left the hospital together. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that Andre finally admitted how he feels about her. I make a mental note to ask him about it when Cat's not around.
"Ours for the weekend. I figured we can all ride in it together." Beck answers, his voice carrying a tone of finality. I nod slowly, realizing that trying to get blood from a stone would be easier than drawing anything further from Beck. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jade dragging herself out of Beck's arms and to her feet.
"Lets go. Vega already made us late enough as it is." I feel a twinge of anger towards Jade as she pushes past Tori and I before stomping towards the massive truck that I guess we're all going to be riding in. Rolling his shoulders in a shrug, Beck trails behind her like a faithful dog. Andre and Cat aren't far behind, though they each bustle through us with a lot more finesse than Jade.
I finally get my chance to be a gentleman, racing away from the RV, I round my car and reach into it. Gripping Tori's luggage tightly, I drag it from the depths of my backseat using all of my strength. As I'm huffing and puffing and stumbling toward the open back of the truck, the dilemma of whether Tori's really strong or if I'm just really weak flutters through my mind. With a final mighty heave, I throw the suitcase in alongside everybody else. Dabbing my forehead and wiping away the sweat, I decide Tori must just be freakishly strong. From the corner of my eye, I see her whistling contentedly and pulling my carry bag along with little effort.
Yeah, she's freakishly strong. That's gotta be it.
I trail behind Tori, my heart smashing against my ribs as I watch her limber frame climb into the back seat of the truck. Shaking away the thoughts playing at my mind, I follow the trail previously blazed by my girlfriend. I slide onto the seat, filling the remaining space between Tori and the door. Her eyes flitter towards me, and it feels as though time comes to a stand still. Her fingers skitter over my thigh, skate down my arm and entwine with mine.
"Buckle up, lets blow this Popsicle stand!" Beck twists in his seat, his eyes flickering between us and making sure the road is open. I feel Tori's grip tighten around my fingers, both of us bracing ourselves for take off. We've both driven with Beck before and to say his driving technique is controlled would be a lie, while calling it manic would be an understatement.
"This one time my brother blew-" Beck chooses this specific moment to hurtle out of the driveway, throwing Cat out of her seat and ending her story with a loud shriek instead of whatever disturbing memory she was about to describe. I'd offer her a sympathetic smile, but I can see Andre is all over that task. He's wrapped an arm around her shoulder and is cooing softly.
Our hearts are only just ceasing their assault on our ribs when Jade decides to begin her assault on our ears. With the press of a button, the sound of machine gun drumming, razor sharp guitar riffs and anguished screams swirls through the air. Beside me, three pairs of eyes screw shut and three separate brains begin to throb. Truthfully, this kind of music doesn't bother me. I listen to it once in a while after a really bad day, there's something strangely soothing about finding yourself in the center of that kind of audible chaos.
"Can you turn it down?" Tori's voice filters through the sound, just barely rising above Jade's music. Raven hair whips around in front of us and we're confronted by Jade's piercing grey eyes and her tense lips. The fury written on her face reducing Tori's angry glare to nothing more than a whimper.
"Please?" She mumbles, eyebrows upturned and a worried crease forming on her brow. I bite down on a smile, Tori's yellow streak proving to be a mile wide when it comes to Jade. My heart skips a beat as her bottom lip juts out into an adorable pout. Jade shakes her head slowly and turns back towards the road, her arm shooting out and lowering the volume of the radio.
"I won?" Tori murmurs, her eyes widening the harsh sounds fade from our ears. Cat makes a comment that I don't hear in the background, before
"I'm pretty sure this is another sign of the apocalypse…" I murmur, my voice creeping just above a whisper. The quizzical look on Tori's face melts away and her eyebrows twitch downwards, meeting above her nose in annoyance. The fingers that had previously filled the gaps between mine jerk away and Tori's knuckles bounce off my shoulder.
"I…win arguments with Jade sometimes." Tori retorts indignantly, arms falling heavily over her chest. My eyebrows shoot upward and chew on the inside of my lip, stifling my laughter at that statement. As if on cue, Jade looks up from the book she had been reading. She doesn't turn around this time, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what's coming next.
"Oh right, sure you do sweet Sally Peaches." A voice that's not quite hers drifts behind Jade, it's higher by a few octaves and the words are laced with a southern twang that's been imported from the 1940's. In a matter of speaking, it's the way Jade hears Tori's voice. From the corner of my eye, I see Andre and Cat's posture tightens as mine does, we're all suspecting the same reaction from Tori.
"I don't talk like that!" She shrieks, shooting forward and glaring at Jade. Her shoulders rise and fall dramatically and her nostrils are flared. In a word she looks feral. Hesitantly, I reach out and snake an arm behind the cascade of brown hair rolling down her back wary of her elevated defenses. To my surprise, at the contact between us, her breathing slows and she slowly scoots back into her seat and back into my embrace.
"Do I talk like that?" Tori asks, twisting towards me and brushing against my torso and sending sparks all the way through me. Her eyes flicker over me, wide and inquisitive. She sinks further into my embrace and I bristle in my seat, slightly uncomfortable with being so close to her in public. I feel like she'll realize who she's dating, realize that her social status is plummeting with every passing second.
"Nah, your voice is much higher." I reply, stitching a smile to my lips and ignoring the nagging voice in the back of my head. Since I bounded through her door and woke her up, Tori's been attached to my side. She's been freely holding onto me and sprinkling affectionate comments throughout the day without a care about who is around us. I'm caught in a limbo between my doubts and the feeling of absolute confidence that having Tori Vega by my side provides.
"You're mean." She grumbles, her bottom lip jutting out as she forces a pout across her face. There's a twinkle in her eyes though, and I can tell she's not truly upset. Impulsively I lean over and kiss the top of her head, the scent of vanilla filling my senses. The vibrations her laughter rumbles against my side, before her chocolate orbs drift away from the front of the car and towards me.
"Better?" I choke out, lost in the depths of her eyes, enraptured by the smile playing at her lips. She nods slightly, drifting closer still and grinning at me like I'm something more than nothing. I've never allowed myself to be anything more than a pessimist, but the look in her eyes is enough to hold those feelings at bay.
"Yeah." She murmurs, tendrils of her hair blanketing my shoulder as she rests her head against me. My heart skips a beat as Tori's arms creep around my waist and lock at my side. Her breathing softens as she drifts away from the conscious world, chasing the sleep that she told me had eluded her last night.
The miles fly past us and the buildings slowly drift apart, the scenery becoming more picturesque as we depart the urban clutter of the city. Next to me, the gentle rise and fall of Tori's chest reminds me that she's been asleep for almost the whole trip, waking only to reposition herself and further tangle our limbs. Unsurprisingly, since Tori fell asleep, the drive has been essentially conflict free, the low rumble of our idle chatter filling the air.
With the sun beginning to hang low in the sky, Beck tells us that his uncle's cabin is just around the bend. Staring into the distance I see a structure, it's no cabin though. My eyes blow open as the mansion that Beck had been trying to pass of as a cabin comes into view. Kind of explains why Jade's mood has lifted the further away from the city we've gotten. I nudge Tori gently, wanting her to see what's before our eyes.
"No Mom, I don't wanna wake up. There's a trig test…" She mumbles twisting into my shoulder and shying away from the waking world. Shaking my head slowly as Andre and Cat disintegrate into fits of laughter, I gently try nudge her once again. This time Tori's eyelids begin to flutter, the realization that she's not in her bed and it's not a school day sinking in.
"Oh my god! Is that where we're staying?" She shrieks, leaping forward and landing on the edge of the seat. Tori's head is whipping in all directions as we each offer a nod of confirmation, or a snort of derision in Jade's case. Swiveling back towards me, Tori's eyes are positively alight with excitement and her smile is shining just as brightly. We move ever closer to our final destination, the girl next to me bouncing in her seat, reminding me more of Cat than herself right now. Eying the lodge rapidly expanding in front of us, I know is this is going to be an amazing weekend.
Maybe the weekend of a lifetime.
Ok, so it's on the way. The next few chapters is building up to that dreaded M rating. 20 and 21 will be the first M rated chapters, so yeah. Be on the lookout for that.
Reviiiiiiews please? :)