Sugar, Spice and a pinch of Fantasy

Chapter 35

---------- Chapter 35 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haden pulls away from me, his pretty grey eyes staring at me intently. And I still don’t know how to react.

               “I’m making you uncomfortable, aren’t I?” he asks after a moment.

               “A little,” I admit. “Haden...I do love you. But-”

               “I get it,” he mumbles, cutting me off. He stands up and walks back into the hall, his shoulders hunched slightly. He’s really upset over this, isn’t he?

What do I do?

You love Haden. If you allow yourself, you could easily fall in love with him

But he’s like your brother! How sick are you?!

               “Shut up,” I whisper to myself hoping the little voice would just disappear. I need to think.

I chug down the rest of the vile concoction Haden passed to me. Courage. That’s what I need. I keep repeating that to myself as I head into the hall, after Haden.

The dance is still in full swing. Everyone’s dancing or snapping photos or just hanging around with friends. I can see Alex on the dance floor with a pretty red head clinging onto him. He looks bored though.

Shaking my head to stop all the distractions, I scan through the crowd, trying to spot Haden. And then I finally find him. He’s at the far end of the hall, talking intently to Matt.

I take a deep breath and manoeuvre around the crowd till I get to where they’re standing. With another deep breath, I tap Haden on his shoulder. He whirls around to face me. His curiosity turns to  surprise when he sees me.

               “You haven’t danced with me yet,” I murmur.

Haden grins, and takes my hand. He leads me over to the centre of the dance floor and rests his arms on the small of my back. I lock my wrists behind his neck and stare up at him uncertainly. I’m intensely aware of how close we are. I can even smell his sweet breath.

               “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. Can we pretend it didn’t happen?” he asks, as he leads me in the dance.

               “What if I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen?” I ask.

               “I don’t get it. You were completely appalled at what I did. I know you were,” he mumbles.

               “I wasn’t,” I contradict. “I’m just not sure, Haden. I don’t want to lead you on. You mean too much to me. I just need some time to think. Is that okay with you?” I ask softly.

               “Jessica, I’ve waited seven years. I can wait some more. Take all the time you need. And even if you don’t feel the same way...don’t feel bad. I am, first and foremost, your guardian,” he whispers, leaning his cheek against the top of my head. I smile contentedly against his chest.

               “Look at Haden and Jessica!”

               “Aren’t they siblings?”

The whispering gets louder and louder, but Haden just ignores it. My cheeks are burning though. Of course this would look weird! Everyone thinks he’s my older brother. Somehow I don’t think brothers and sisters dance quite like this.