Gifted (on hold)

Chapter 7

    I opened my eyes to see bright pink and orange coming up over the line of the mountains in the distance. I was lying on something warm, and my ankle was sore.

    "Christian?" I whispered.

"Hailey? You're awake this time?" He asked hesitantly.

  "Yeah... have I woken up before?" I asked.

   "Well, I thought so. But then I realized you were talking in your sleep," He chuckled.

"What was I saying?" I asked, embarrased.

"My name."

 I blushed deep red.

    "Don't be ashamed, I was dreaming of you, too," He admitted.

I sat up and threw my arms around him.

   "How's the ankle feel?" he asked after a moment.

 Still hugging him, I answered, "Sore. But it's fine." I lied. It wasn't exactly fine. He pulled back.

  He saw my expression, and sat up too, reaching for his back pack.

   "Last night, when you were sleeping, I realized I had brought the First Aid kit that I had stolen from the med building."

 He pulled out a white box, with a red cross on it.

   Opening it up, he pulled out a roll of tan bandaging.

"Give me your ankle," He instructed. I pushed my foot towards him. He pulled off my shoe.

   When he finished wrapping, he patted my foot, slid my shoe on, and said, "All done. I think it was just a bad twist."

     "Ok, that's good though, right?"

"Yeah, better than a sprain. For sure," He smiled.

  "Are you alright to walk?" He asked a moment later.

  "Yeah. Lets go!" He helped my to stand up, handing me my pack to hang over my shoulder.

  I could walk on it, painfully, but i was limping a bit.

   Christian threw his arm around my waist, with a worried expression on his face.

 A few hours later, I needed a break. We were at a a break in the trees, with a small country road cutting through it.

    "Christian. Can we please sit down for a minute," I pleaded, tears of pain threatening to spill over.

I usually had a very high tolerance for pain. But this... This hurt so bad. Especially after walking on it for hours.

     "Of course. Are you in a lot of pain?" He already knew the answer. He saw my red face, and my eyes welling up with tears.

    I didn't answer him either.

 He pulled me to the ground, and brought me to his chest, setting me on his lap.

   He pulled out the med pack.

"I have a cold compress," He said, pulling out a small bag of blue liquid, that looked like an ice pack.

  "How does it get cold?" I asked.

"It's an Instant Cold Pack, you just break the inner seel, and it get's cold right away," He forced a smile through his concern.

   He squeezed the middle of the bag and I heard a little 'pop'.

 He draped it over my injured ankle.

He kissed my cheek.

  "Hailey? Can I tell you something?" He asked, looking down.

   "Anything," I replied.

"Look, I really really like you. I know this is going all too fast. We can slow down if you'd like. It's only been a few days since we've kissed, but, to me, it feels like an eternity. Last time I said what I'm about say now, It wasn't exactly officially right. I'm going to do this correctly. I love you, and I never want to be with anyone other than you. Ever," I was speechless. It was weird. No one has ever said that to me before. This WAS different. It DID feel more official now.

      Sitting in the middle of the forest, with an ice pack on my injured ankle. Oddly, it was a calm. A calm like you wouldn't believe. Almost unbelievable if you must. When he said that, My heart skipped a beat. My palms got sweaty. I could hardly breathe. All because of him. I had always had a crush on him, but now that he was my boyfriend, it was all to different. I loved him way too much for my own good. He knew it. I knew it. But were either of us going to aknowledge that outloud? Of course not.      

     I threw myself at him, locking my arms around him, and forcing our lips together. He didn't seem to hesitate one bit. He had forced himself to me equally as hard. I began to sob.

       "I love you too," I blubbred between sobs.

 "What's the matter hunny? Why are you crying?" He asked, alarmed.

       "B-because!! I-I'm s-so hap-ppy!" I wailed.

He laughed once at my logic, but i could feel worry in his arms. The arms wrapped tightly around my body. Assuring me that nothing could ever come between us. Nothing at all.

    "It's ok," He hushed me gentlly.