Overture (Rain Dance, Book 1) (Rain Dance Series) (15 page)

     
When I entered
my bedroom, I found him looking at the paintings on my desk. "Whose are
these?" he asked, referring to the two other eyes I had done.

     
"After I
finished yours, I felt like I should capture the actual people in my life. You
know, so I wouldn't feel like a total creeper for obsessing over yours. That's
Coops and Jillybean. My roommate and our best friend. The three of us go way
back."

     
"I
see." He paused for a moment. "Can you do your own?"

     
"...My
eyes, you mean? I did consider it. But it would be too boring."

     
"To
paint?"

     
I shrugged.
"Mostly as a painting itself. There's not really anything special about
them. Just one shade of brown."

     
"Hm."
He began tapping his finger on the desk. "Your eyes aren't actually brown,
though. They're amber."

     
I blinked at
him. "Um…I'm pretty sure they're brown."

     
He shook his
head.

     
Quickly, I
turned around and headed back into the bathroom to check the mirror.

     
"They're
brown," I called after inspection.

     
"No, they
aren't," he spoke from behind me, his forehead lined in confusion.

     
I turned to
face him, leaning against the counter. "Well, obviously one of us is
colorblind."

     
He arched a
brow. "The artist, apparently."

     
I scoffed.
"So they're light brown. No need for some fancy name."

     
He shook his
head again and came up to me. Taking my chin in his hand, he inspected them
himself. I felt my face heat up by his closeness.

     
"There are
three eye color categories, yes? Amber falls into the second which includes
the
 
light-mixed colors, such as
green," he explained. "They might look light brown indoors, but
they're actually more of a yellowish blend. You can see it clearly in the
light. And in direct sunlight, they're almost golden. Glowing. Less like a wolf
and more like a lion - or perhaps a kitten in your case." He paused for a
few seconds, unmoving. "When you ran into me that first day, underneath
the fluorescent lights, your eyes were like rings of fire. And I do mean that
literally. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. And in that single
moment, among a few other things, I felt…pure creation. I felt an overwhelming
passion. I felt the heat as they burned right into me." He tucked some of
my hair behind my ear. "I'd like to have a memory of it, like you have
with mine. I'll give you anything in return. Of course, if you need to finish
the mural first, that's fine."

     
I was
speechless. "…Amber?"

   
  
He gently flicked my head. "Look it up."

     
"I think I
will," I said as I began to walk out. "Hurry up and take your shower.
I need to kiss you after all that."

     
And so I did,
in fact, look it up. The internet said it was a real and rarer color, but with
all the people admitting to having them, I doubted it was that uncommon. Well,
the more you know, right? I didn't know what the hell hazel eyes were until I
was fifteen. Blame my teachers. They only covered blue and brown when we went
over the genetics chart.

     
I shut down my
laptop, grabbed a pack of mints, some pillows from my bed, and pulled out a
large comforter from the hallway closet.

     
I was settled
onto the couch, lying down, when Ethan exited the bathroom. He wore only a pair
of black drawstring pajama pants. I tried not to gawk, but now that I finally
had a chance to take a look at his bare chest, I only wanted to study it. Ethan
had a very lean build, but it was obvious that he worked out. Unconsciously, I
licked my lips, longing to trace every single line, every contour, and every
shadow.

     
When he found
me in my cocoon of comfort, he smiled. "…Cozy?"

     
"Very."

     
"And the
kiss?"

     
Shit. I had
completely forgotten about that. Suddenly, I was nervous. Blushing, I turned my
head back to the TV and began chewing on my mouth again. His smile turned into
a smirk.

     
"What are
we watching now?" he asked as he lifted the comforter and crawled onto the
couch behind me. We both fit together easily, and with my body pressed up
against his, I felt multiple things. The first was the comforting warmth of
being that close to another human. It wasn't the first time I'd been in that
position, but it was the first time I could actually enjoy it. The second thing
I felt was the hardness of his body, which was not at all unpleasant. As for
the third thing…It was some unnamed emotion. Safety, perhaps? Peace? Somehow,
those words just weren't enough. But if I had to describe it in the simplest
terms: being in his arms felt like home.
 

     
He tightened
his hold on me, his breath a soft caress on my skin. "You really like this
show, don't you?" he asked as the eerie whistle of the intro theme started
to play.

     
"It's a
comfort thing, mostly."

     
"Aliens
and monsters are comforting?" His tone was ironic.

     
"You can
change it if you like. What kind of shows are you into?"

     
"I don't
watch TV."

     
"…At
all?"
Of course not. Unlike you, he has a life.

     
"Not for a
couple of years."

     
"What do
you do when you aren't working?"

     
"Reading,
usually, if I'm not sleeping."

     
"Is that
really all?"

     
"For the
most part. Were you expecting something else?"

     
"Not
really," I yawned. "I'd be surprised by whatever you told me you did
on your free time. I can't imagine you doing anything other than work, and I
already have a difficult time imagining that. I'm still having trouble
believing that you're even here with me right now."

     
"…Ditto," he replied quietly.

     
I must have
drifted off to sleep just a few minutes after that because the rest of the
night was nonexistent.

     
At some point,
colors in various shapes overtook my mind. None of them made sense, but somehow
I floated among them as though it were completely natural. In the distance, I
could make out familiar forms. They were small, but clear. Angels with wings
were coasting along just as I was. If I listened closely, I could almost hear music
coming from somewhere. It was a familiar humming sound.

     
Oh.
Was
it coming from me?

     
Slowly, the
colors faded and the sound began to break off until there was nothing but
darkness. I lied still, thinking that I had woken up. But I soon realized
 
that I was still dreaming. Even in the
dark, I knew that the arms around me did not belong to Ethan. I breathed in,
hoping that his scent from the real world would carry on into this one. It
didn't, and instead I got a huge whiff of a distinct and familiar scent from a
long time ago. Pheromones and perfume flooded my nostrils while guilt flooded
every part of my being. I needed to hide - from myself and from Ethan. I needed
to disappear. And for a moment, I almost did.

     
There was a
familiar breath of air on my skin and a very different scent that wrapped
around me, followed by a soft whisper in my ear that, try as I might, I
couldn't make out. But I knew I had returned. As awareness spread throughout my
entire body, I could feel Ethan's lips trailing down my neck. They were
feather-soft, causing a small hum in my throat. I opened my eyes, squinting
slightly as the early grey of morning made itself known. Ethan pulled away and
looked down at me. He was already dressed in a new suit. It, too, was grey.

     
"Good
morning," he said to me in a quiet voice.

     
"Morning," I mumbled. "What time is it?"

     
"Eight-oh-three." When I scrunched my face in disgust, he
chuckled. "I take it you don't do mornings. Sorry to wake you…" He
paused to kiss my forehead. "..But I wanted to say goodbye."

     
Sighing
heavily, I reached behind me towards the end table where I had conveniently
left the pack of mints.
One must be prepared for everything, after all.
I popped one into my mouth and rubbed at my eyes with both hands. When I looked
up, Ethan was smiling down at me almost endearingly, causing my insides to feel
like jelly.

     
"Okay," I said. "You can say goodbye."

     
He chuckled
again and pulled me towards him, taking my mouth with his. He wasn't as gentle
as he had been the day before, and within a few seconds I was already feeling
heady.

     
"It's
going to be harder to be apart from you, now," he said as he leaned his
forehead against mine.

   
  
He might be right.
"Well, maybe I'll leave
a few minutes earlier than usual." It was the most I could offer.
"Then we'll at least be in the same building for a little longer."

     
"How do
you get there?"

     
"I walk,
usually."

     
"Douglas
can drive you."

     
Ah, the
perks of being kissing-buds with a man of means.
"I'm very fond of
walking."

     
"Yes...I
know."
Holy shit, déjà vu.
He smiled. "But I worry something
might happen to you."

     
Oh?
I
didn't know how to feel about that.
"…I'm a little past the age for
kidnapping."

     
He raised a
brow and I gave him a bright smile.

     
"Get to
work," I laughed, attempting to shove him away.

     
He kissed me
one last time before he stood and walked away. "By the way, I entered my
cell and home number onto your phone. Hope you don't mind." He pulled his
coat on and grabbed the garment bag from the chair. "Also, I left some
things under your sink. It will be more convenient that way."

    
 
Yes…Escalation level: 'it's still
going.'

     
"Right," I answered slowly. "And will I get to leave my
stuff in your bathroom, as well?"

     
"Tonight." He looked at me with eyes full of promise before
turning away. "Oh, and make sure you don't skip breakfast," he called
out as he exited the living room.

  
   
Once I heard the front door close, I fell back
onto my pillow with a loud thump.

     
What had
just happened?

     
As concerned as
I felt I
should
have been, I couldn't stop the large goofy grin that
spread across my face. It was so big my cheeks started hurting.

     
But then came
the questions. What were we now? Boyfriend and girlfriend? A couple? Those
terms included dating though, didn't they? And I didn't date. Could we hold
hands in public? He held my hand yesterday for a while. Then again, there was
no one around. Wait, was it even safe for me to be seen with him? I guess all I
could do was wait it out and see what happened. For now, it was enough that we
were simply together. There was no use in asking the big questions.
I should
just enjoy what we have while we have it, right?