Chapter 2: Rhydian
He couldn't take his eyes off of her. His Maddy was back and by the way that she was clutching his hand just as tightly as he was, it didn't look like she would be going anywhere just yet.
When he, Tom and Shannon had first received news of Maddy's return they had been over the moon, but that was dampened somewhat by the fact that Segolia could not say how or when the Smith's were returning. However, that changed once Shannon got on the case, wrangling as much information out of Dacia as possible, and then working out the rest by looking at ferry times.
They had been camped at Dover all weekend, but it had all been worth it when he caught that first whiff of her on the wind. It felt like a breath of fresh air. He had been unable to stay seated with his friends at their encampment and must have looked bizarre to suddenly just up and run off after sniffing the air, but he had been beyond caring. He was a bloodhound with his first hint at his prize.
Compared to that first trace on the wind, he now felt like he was drowning in her scent with the way that the enclosed car just rebuffed it back into his face. He may have kept a stunned look on his face throughout the journey at this overwhelming smell of her, but it was beyond his capability at the present moment to control anything that was happening at the moment.
Rhydian purely just sat and marinated in her presence, so sure that he would have elsewise not seen her for a very long time indeed. He watched as her face lit up, frowned and then changed more with whatever Shannon and Tom were telling her, and all Rhydian could think of was how beautiful the sun streaming through the window looked caressing her cheekbones.
As time passed and he still hadn't taken in whatever their friends were talking about, he slowly became very aware of how their thighs were pressed together. Rhydian hummed quietly to himself at the deep feeling of rightness that seemed through him to feel her warm skin against his own once again.
They were being driven back to home in the back seat of the Smith's minivan that Tom had driven down. Rhydian couldn't help but grin once he finally managed to tune back into the conversation to hear the tale of how Tom had been the only one to pass his driving test yet. Shannon had failed once already and he hadn't even tried at all, let's just say that his thoughts had been slightly preoccupied.
During the long drive back to Stoneybridge, Rhydian continued to find himself oddly silent as Tom and Shannon caught Maddy up with everything that had happened whilst she had been gone. Instead, he tuned mostly out as he studied her face for any changes, absentmindedly stroking his thumb across the back of her hand, still clasped together between them.
He couldn't pinpoint why but he felt this compelling urge to just hold her in his arms and survey every inch of her body to make sure that she was okay. Instead he settled on keeping a hold of her and chuckling at the way she would occasionally look at him oddly regarding his weird behaviour.
Both teenagers failed to notice the knowing but shocked looks that her parents shared.