Beyond Bloodline - Unbreakable Bonds

three

"What do you think you're doing?" Saxon was at least nine parts confused when Nigel cleanly made a horizontal divide in the shopping list they were meant to use and held it out to him.

"I'll handle this part," he simply informed before stuffing the other half in his twin's palm. "We'll finish quicker this way."

Saxon knew him well enough to know that could only be counted as a half-truth at best. "Is my presence that insufferable to you?" he finally couldn't help but ask. Any of the lighthearted manner that lingered since their departure had vaporized.

"Isn't it?" Nigel snorted as he pocketed his own half. "Let's just be quick. I'll meet you at the counter in another half hour."

Saxon just watched him pick a shopping basket then leave before sighing and looking down at his own list.

Making a quick scan of the first couple of items, Nigel headed to the appropriate aisles to pick them out. Done with it in no time at all, he headed to the next aisle over to pick some sweets since he was running out. With only so much of his allowance left to spare for one, he had just narrowed his debate down to pop tarts and gummy bears when a soft familiar voice piped up from behind him.

"I'd fancy gummy bears over any other any day," Stiffening, Nigel could only retract his fingers and slowly turn to the side to behold Hayley's smiling face, wishing he hadn't rushed out without at least changing. "There's just something comforting about its chewiness. Plus, they're rather flavorful, no?"

Heartbeat trudging upward, Nigel quietly averted his gaze back to the aisle the calmest he could. "It's just fruit and rock sugar," he murmured, biting on the inside of his cheek at how muffled it came out. Gathering whatever was left of his courage, he met her gaze once more.

"I'll take it," she smiled, reaching out and swiping a bag before returning her full attention to him. "Hey, Nigel."

Nigel managed to hold onto her gaze this time and curled his lips into what he hoped was an easy smile. "Hayley." Since it was really just a push he'd needed, he grabbed two packets of gummy bears and tossed it in his basket.

Recovering the slightest bit from how caught off guard he was by her sudden approach, especially in lieu of spilling a drunken confession the night prior, he began to stroll with her as they headed back to the counter, the silence between them hardly awkward and in fact even somewhat peaceable.

"Right," she suddenly said as though something suddenly occured to her and quickly whipped out her cell phone. "Can I have your number?"

Nigel was positive he'd have spilled if he had been drinking anything. Then again, was he thinking too much? Or was there actually the tiniest hope something could spark? "Sure," he accepted the pouched phone and keyed in his second number, just in case.

He couldn't deny that he was pretty hopeful now. Hayley was his ideal girlfriend and everything. He'd been crushing on her ever since junior high but never got the courage to just come out with it. He honestly couldn't stand getting rejected, especially not if it was her. She was his good friend, Cassie's best friend but despite that, they'd hardly had any interaction. Yesterday was the exception, influenced by booze and whatnot.

She gave him a cheerful smile that seemed to set her features alight before slowing to a stop and lowering her head to save the number with such serious concentration that made his own lip tug up slightly at the corner. She was endearing, both inside and out. He really thought her face surpassed any normal standard of beauty.

She maintained a wavy bob, bleached white with its ends fading to pastel pink and then lavendar. It seemed to perfectly frame her oval face that always seemed to be fighting for palor with her white hair. Her brows were finely arched, precedent to the prettiest speckled grey eyes he'd ever seen and guarded finely by dense lashes. Glancing past her pert nose, his gaze stopped on her lips.