Fluorescence: The Complete Tetralogy (24 page)

Jane started her car and backed out, stopping in the driveway to wave briefly. She pointed at me and gave me a quick tilt of her head as if to reiterate the fact that she wanted me to go.
Soon.

The tail lights faded into the distance as the car disappeared down the street, swallowed up by the night.

I turned back toward Alice and my heartbeat quickened.

I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want her to be alone. Not for even a minute.

“No,” she said, cupping my hand in hers. As if she knew
what I was thinking. “You have to go home, Brian. I’m sorry.
Mom said so.”

“Do you want me to go?”

“Well, no, but…”

“It’s okay. I know. I’m sorry. Just being difficult. You know my mom drives me nuts.”

“Yeah. I know. Sorry.”

I shrugged. “Can I see you tomorrow? After work?”

“Sure.” She bit her lip and looked down. “I’ll be thinking of you.”

“I know.” I smiled and tipped her face up toward mine so I could kiss her.

“Goodnight, Brian,” she murmured, as our lips parted.

“Bye, Alice. Have a good night.”

My mouth was barely able to say goodbye.

My eyes simply couldn’t.

Chapter 5

I
punched a code into the number pad and then headed back down the driveway. The automatic garage door opened and I walked my motorcycle up to park it inside. I set my helmet onto the seat and slid my black satin work vest off, draping it over my arm.

“Alice?” I entered through the door that led from the garage to the house and passed through the empty kitchen. My pulse quickened when she didn’t respond.

Stepping into the family room, I peered up to find her sitting in the middle of the staircase, staring off at nothing.

“Hey.” I stopped at the foot of the stairs. “What’s going on?”

She jerked her head toward me. “Oh, hey! I’m so sorry.”
She stood, took a few steps down and leaned on the banister.
“I was… thinking. I didn’t even hear you come in.”

“I noticed. Good thing it was only me, huh?” I jogged up the steps and reached out to embrace her. She hugged me tightly. “You look really beautiful tonight,” I said, admiring the way her sapphire tank top made her eyes appear even bluer than usual. “Is this new?” The silky smooth fabric was
cool to the touch and clung to her curves like satin. My fingers
drifted up her waist; the softness of her shirt reminded me of the softness of her skin.

“Yes. I’ve never had a chance to wear it.” She looped her fingers around my belt and nuzzled against me. “I missed you so much today.”

“I missed you, too.” I leaned down and kissed her.

She pulled away, sooner than usual, with an anxious shudder.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She looked down at her feet. “I’m fine. I just…”

The staircase wasn’t the best place to stand and talk.

I took her hand and walked with her up to the second floor. We sat on the top step and I wrapped my arm around her. “Are you
sure
you’re okay?”

She nodded, her smiling eyes gazing into mine.

“Good.” My thumb drifted over the strap of her tank, across the milky-white flesh of her bare shoulder. Then I pulled her in and gave her a little peck on the forehead.

She giggled quietly and entwined her fingers with mine.

“I love you, Brian,” she said, resting her head against me.

“Wh-what?”

“I said, I love you.” She squeezed my hand and looked up, the subtle sheen of her lip-gloss captivating me. “I’m sorry it took me so long to say but…”

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her again.

She melted into me.

Fingertips coiled in my hair.

I dragged a hand down her back, holding her firmly but gently. Savoring the sweetness of her mouth. Hesitant to let her lips abandon mine. The warm scent of her skin drew me in and kept me close until a groan welled in her throat.

“I love you, too,” I replied, barely breaking away to say it. I
combed a hand through her hair and stared into her eyes
.
She stared back, piercing my heart with her eager, consenting
gaze.

A faint whimper escaped her lips and she shrunk back.

“What is it?”

“My heart,” she said, reaching up to touch her chest. “It’s beating so fast. Like it’s gonna burst right out of me.”

“Mine, too.” I took her hand and flattened it over my heart, slipping her fingers in between the shirt buttons so they made contact with my skin.

“I need you, Alice,” I whispered, tracing my thumb over her blushing cheek. “Only you.”

“I know.” The breathy words poured from her mouth as her hands rose toward my collar. She started to unbutton my shirt.

My throat tightened and I swallowed hard.

The second button came free. Then the third. The final button came undone and I shrugged the shirt down off my shoulders, dropping it onto a step below.

I stood and helped pull her to her feet. We took a step back from the stairs and she stumbled into me, an anxious grin stretching across her lips.

“Come with me.” Hearing her wanton request made a breath catch in my throat. She pulled me past the threshold of her room, a devious look in her eyes.

A sudden, dizzying rush of nerves hit me. My whole body
trembled in anticipation.

Alice shut the door and pressed her weight against me, slamming my back against the wall beside her desk. She slung her arms around my neck and pulled me down into another kiss.

The heat of her body overwhelmed me, evoking primal desires.
I wrinkled the hem of her shirt and slipped
my fingers
beneath it.

Her lips parted from mine, but our eyes remained locked
, those pale blue irises casting their spell.

I clung to her hand.

She led me toward her bed.

Our breaths quickened.

Fluorescence sparked to life in our veins, the vibrant colors glinting brighter than ever. Ethereal green swept up over her shoulder toward her collar bone, enchanting me with its intense glow.

Coils of wild dark locks framed her face. I weaved my fingers through her hair and kissed her again, our weight sinking into the softness around us.

A kiss to the side of her neck. Tasting the salt on her skin. Then my lips slid to the hollow of her throat, her head fell back and she gasped.

A rush of heat washed over me. Vivid blue light flickered in the darkness and tiny bursts of color danced through the veins in my hand.

Every nerve felt electrified. Alive.

Restless fingernails pressed into my back and she whispered
my name.

The word was tangled up in a heated exhalation.

And—for a fleeting moment—all of the fear and all of the uncertainty complicating my life faded away.

. . .

A soothing buzz settled my body and I closed my eyes, inhaling a deep breath. The comforting warmth of her bare skin pressed against mine calmed every anxious thought flitting through me. I felt at peace—invincible. It was a thrilling sensation of insecurities being stripped away, just like our clothing had been. Exposing vulnerabilities in an ultimate exchange of trust.

She came up onto her elbows over me and stared into my eyes, a smile twisting her lips. Splashes of blush colored
her skin. Moonlight filtered through the window blinds,
accentuating the sweat on her body, making her shimmer.

“You’re amazing, Alice. You know that?” I brushed her hair behind her ear and cupped her warm, glistening cheek.

“Really?” She laughed. “
Amazing?
” Her eyes closed and she nuzzled my hand. “Then, why do guys make so much fun of girls like me? Girls who haven’t…”

“First of all, I’m not one of those guys. And secondly, don’t believe what anybody else says.” I smirked. “Besides, it seemed like you enjoyed that.” I tangled my fingers into the disheveled coils of her hair.

“I… did.” She bit her lip.

“Good. That’s what matters to me.”

She cuddled up close.

Maybe things hadn’t gone exactly as we might have
imagined they would, but it didn’t make it any less meaningful
. Anyone who claims their first time wasn’t a little clumsy is probably
either lying or had been with someone with far too much experience. I liked the awkwardness of it all. Every second of it was ours and ours alone. Unforgettable. Real.

A mess alright.

A
perfect
mess.

I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

“Do you… think we should have waited?” Alice said, breaking the silence. She threaded her fingers through my hair, absentmindedly.

Hearing those words made my heart sink.

“Are you regretting it? Already?”

She exhaled. Slowly. Fingernails dragged lightly down the side of my neck.

“No.” She nudged her cheek against my chest. I felt her lips stretch into a smile. “No. Not at all.”

“Good.” I embraced her tightly. “I don’t want you to regret anything that happens between us.”

She closed her eyes, her fingers settling near the scar above my heart. I kissed her forehead and inhaled a deep breath. Her warmth on my chest made me feel complete. I lived only for her, and she for me, and we were meant to be together despite decisions the Saviors had forced upon us.

“I want to marry you someday, Alice. You know? When all of this crazy stuff is said and done, I want you in my life. I want to wake up to you every day and… make love to you every night.” I massaged the back of her neck and a sigh of pleasure slid from her mouth.

A
warm
tingle
started in my
fingertips and flushed through
my arm. I lifted my hand and watched
the neon veins twinkle and fade, pulsing and moving through me. Soft indigo-teal burning with flecks of white and neon green. The same glow tinted the fair skin of Alice’s shoulder.

I smiled, the sight of our blended colors further satisfying the visceral need I’d had to make her mine.
But now it would be even harder for us. Tonight, we’d had a taste of each other and there could be no going back.

Chapter 6

“
I
’m just glad the whole ordeal is over with and I won’t have to worry about it next year. It’s nice to see the house still intact, too,” Jane said with a smirk, getting up to take our plates off the table. She had returned home Monday while we’d been in school. I’d dropped Alice off earlier in the afternoon and had been invited to stay for dinner. We’d been sitting at the table for a while, listening to her talk about all the craziness she’d endured during her short trip.

“You’re sure your mom’s okay with you being over this much? I don’t want her getting upset with me.”

I tried not to scoff. “She doesn’t have a problem with it at all.”

Truth was, Mom didn’t give a shit where I was. She was probably glad I’d up and left. Probably hoping someday I’d leave and never come home. “Thank you, Jane, for being so nice to me. Alice is lucky to have you.”

Jane came up and gave me a hug. A big, tight bear hug
like I was one of her own. It caught me by surprise.
Awkward and nice at the same time. My mom never hugged me anymore. I couldn’t even remember the last time she had.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Alice beaming.

Jane released me. “I’ll be in the kitchen cleaning up. Take care, Brian. Be safe going home.”

“Thanks, Jane.”

She headed back over to the sink and Alice and I went into the garage.

I didn’t want to say goodbye, though I had to. I’d fallen asleep beside Alice and woken up with her still there, within arm’s reach. It had been a perfect weekend. Exactly how I wished every day of the rest of my life could be.

“I don’t know how I’m going to sleep now,” I said, looping
my arms around Alice and resting them at her waist.

“You will,” she said with a smile. “But it’s definitely going
to be a little harder now. You just… felt so right, and for once I wasn’t worrying about anything else. Not school. Not the future. Not…” She looked down at her belly.

“Don’t. Don’t ruin a good thing, Alice.” I lifted her chin with my fingertips. “We’ll be fine. You’ll be okay. I’ll see you every day. Somehow. I don’t care if I have to break some rules to do it, I’ll be here for you no matter what happens.”

“Thank you.” She lifted herself up to kiss me. “I love you. Thanks for caring about me so much. For giving me the time I needed to make up my mind. Although…”

“Alice, I want our relationship to last,” I said, sweeping
a stray lock of her hair back over her ear. “
I know things started
off a little bumpy, but I feel like we understand eac
h other
better now. I’d never want to do anything to hurt you or push
you away.”

“Be careful going home.” She took my hand and heaved a sigh. Her eyes started to glisten. A hint of turquoise light shone through her shirt at her shoulder, the color appearing
slightly greener than it had been last night. “I know it’s stupid
to say this, but I feel like I’m letting a part of me go. It’s only for a little while, but—”

I kissed her mid-sentence.

“No,” I whispered, our lips almost touching. “No, Alice, it’s not a stupid thing to say. But you know I can’t leave if you don’t want me to.” I gazed sternly into her eyes.

“I know.” She sucked in a breath and nodded. “I’ll be alright. I’m okay now.”

It was hard on me, too, but I finally managed to get onto
my bike and back on the street. I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t
want to let her fingers slip from mine.

A few seconds.

Minutes.

Hours.

Any amount of time we spent apart felt like too much.

. . .

I left my bike in the garage beside my mom’s car and rummaged through my pocket for the house key. No point knocking. She wouldn’t come to let me in anyway. I went inside and headed for my room.