Kisses Of A Criminal

Grief

 Song is Breathe Me by Sia.

I know it's been a long wait, but that's because I've been working on this chapter for a very long time. This thing is like, 3 chapters all in one. 

It took a long time to get just right. So please, make sure to comment, vote, follow. Enjoy :)

And also, you should probably not play the song until towards the end of the chapter. For dramatic effect, and all. 

"10 minutes," River murmured to me. I spared him a brief glance, half asleep. 

Save for a few stops for gas, food, and restrooms, we had been on the road all day...and now it was a few hours into the night. The dashboard clock read 8:50 PM.

Six hours into the drive, I had started to rethink the plan of making a beeline for our home city all in one night. It would have been much more comfortable splitting the trip through a few days.

Nonetheless, we were almost there. It was dark, but I still recognized the roads we snaked through, leaning my head on the window, eyes following the streetlights.

We were both trying not to get tense, but it wasn't really working. You could practically hear the stress in the atmosphere.

The familiar city lights soon surrounded us as we entered the center of town. I looked over at River, sitting up straight and pulling my hair behind my back. The dim light made his eyes glow when he looked back at me. His gaze was even, calm, and serious.

"Alright, we're about four blocks away from Presley's apartment. Do you have your gun?"

I nodded.

"Good. Keep a hand on that while we walk. You other hand stays in mine, the whole time, Viva. You need to stay close to me in case someone's there. Okay?"

I nodded again, expecting that. "Got it."

Satisfied, he tilted the corners of his lips up in a smile, before turning to look out of his window, worried. "Let's be quick. I doubt anyone is waiting to follow us, but you never know. Presley says his door is unlocked."

I snorted. "Does he always leave it unlocked?" I watched the street next to us, cars and people moving by.

To be honest, my nerves were on fire; very unlike me. But for years, in every situation, I was the one doing the hunting. This time, we were the hunted. And right now, we were in the hotspot. This whole city was crawling with gang members, out for our blood.

I felt eyes on me, and turned to River. He was staring at me. His hair looked black in the dark, and his eyes glinted from the streetlights outside. He was looking at me in a way that made my breath catch; soft-eyed, yet with a heart-racing heat.

Before I could ask him, 'what is it?' he leaned forward, making the words die in my throat. Lips an inch away from mine, he brought a hand to my face, running his thumb along my cheek.

He sighed gently, his cool breath fanning my lips. My heart pounded.  If I thought my nerves were on fire before, now they were burned out and in heaven.

For a second, he looked like he was going to say something. I held my breath, waiting. Then, without a words, he slowly- ever so slowly -brought his lips to mine.

All at once, my senses forgot everything around us except for him. His lips gently pressed against mine, feather light, like he was afraid to break me. The touch, though barely there, was enough to send my mind spinning.

River pulled away slightly, just enough to look at me. His eyes were soft, tender. My cheeks warmed; he was looking at me like he cared about me more than anything.