POWERS OF NATURE Book 1 - Into the Storm

Chapter 10

"Thank you for dinner, Sue." Matt hugged Sue as they stood by the front door. The three of them had sat at the table long after their meal was finished, and talked about anything and everything, Sue sharing embarrassing childhood stories that had made Stephanie cringe while Matt laughed, teasing her.

Sue smiled warmly at him. "You are a fine young man, Matthew. A bit older than I would have preferred," Stephanie gasped in embarrassment, "but that's a discussion for another time."

"Mom!" Stephanie groaned as Matt blushed. "Really? Just go to bed please." She turned to playfully push her mom away. Sue laughed but looked at them with a hint of concern from the foot of the stairs. "I don't want to spoil the fun, but if you two are serious about spending time together, we do need to talk. Matt, Stephanie needs to be inside by 11. Stephanie, you have school in the morning." She gave them one more stern look before disappearing up the stairs.

Stephanie turned to Matt, mortified. "I am so sorry, Matt."

"Don't apologise." He smiled as he pushed the hair away from her face. The touch was so gentle, so Matt. "I think it's sweet. She loves you very much, Steph. Don't ever be embarrassed about that."

The hard tone of his voice made Stephanie look up at him. There was a hard look in his eyes, a frown on his face as he spoke. Tentatively, she reached a finger up and smoothed the frown lines away. He relaxed under her touch, closing his eyes slightly.

"Come on, we have two hours." He murmured, his voice low and intense, and she shivered. "Are you planning something wicked, Mr Leuco?" She smirked and he smiled wickedly, taking her breath away.

"Unlike you, Miss Bruin, I only have wicked intentions on the third date, not the first. Besides, I did say I wanted to get to know you."

She raised an eyebrow at him as they stepped out into the cool night air. "You call this a first date?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "I cooked, didn't I?"

"For me and my mom." She pointed out.

"I got lucky. Got to make dinner for two pretty ladies." He laughed as she smacked him on the arm.

They walked into the garden, following the stone path her mom had had put in. Sue had used her contacts at work to have their garden done and it looked like a small forest haven.

Tall trees lined the property, giving them privacy from the neighbours, the long branches from the trees on the right creating a slight canopy over the outdoor patio set. It was kept under control, so the stars could still be seen, and fairy lights ran around most of the branches, twinkling in the night.

The patio set was made from wicker, big seats with fluffy cushions set around a square table that had glass in the middle. A barbecue set was on one side, and a bonfire pit was set towards the back of the house with makeshift log seats around it. It was Stephanie's favourite places, outside of her mom's room.

They sat at the table, Matt dragging his heavy chair closer to Stephanie and angling both that they could face each other. Stephanie wrapped her legs under her, and lent her head against the back of the large chair to look at the night sky.

The clouds from earlier had gone, leaving the sky clear and sparkling with stars. It was one of the amazing things about living in their small town, away from the smog of the city. Stephanie breathed in deeply and smiled, feeling Matt's eyes on her.

"You're staring, stalker." She said, teasing. She heard his soft chuckle and blushed as his hand fell onto her knee. "I can't not stare, you have no idea how beautiful you look." Her heart leaped into her throat.