As I watched Paris's dark form breathing steadily under my jacket, I felt the strongest urge to hold her close. Without realizing what I was doing, I followed the urge and pulled her into my lap. She awoke and stiffened, her heart pounding loudly.
"Shh, Paris, it's just me," I whispered into the night. With that said, she slowly fell back asleep, and allowed me to cradle her.
"GODS!" I nearly jumped out of my skin. I slipped sideways against the tree trunk I was leaning on and crack, my head smashed into the ground.
"DI ANGELO! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Paris was a few yards away, and even with my head still on the ground, I could see her rapidly reddening face. Either from embarrassment or anger I didn't know.
"I-I don't know," My eyes were wide as Paris went off. Holy Hera, this chick had a temper.
"I-YOU-UGH!" Paris clenched her hands into fists. Then, in a much calmer voice, "Why and when?"
"Because...because I...I don't know. And last night," I lifted myself from the ground.
"'I don't know?' You seriously don't know why you-you h-held me while I-I slept?" The words were hard fpr her to get out.
"I was just...caught in the moment, I guess! I don't know!" It was my turn to loose my cool. "I'm sorry! I...I don't know why I did that."
"It's...okay." For a while there was an awkward silence.
"Er, are you hungry?" I asked tentatively. "There's a McDonald's in that direction."
"Sure," Paris wouldn't meet my eye.
"Okay, let's pack up and get moving." I picked my jacket up from the forest floor and brushed off the sticking pine needles.
Paris pulled Dio from its sheathe, and, for a second, I thought she was going to use it on me. That is, until she examined her reflection in the Celestial Bronze blade. I chided myself silently. Obviously she wasn't going to kill me.
"Do I look presentable?" She eyed me as if to dare me to tell her what I really thought. Even though she'd slept on the forest floor she looked...never mind.
"To go to a fast food place? Yeah," I said. She examined my expression, as if to see if I was telling the truth.
She nodded to herself, then we began our hike. It was a short one because we were just on the edge of the woods; the edge with the restaurant.
"I'll have a Big Mac, large fry, and large Coke. Paris?" I asked her when we ordered.
"A small Frozen Strawberry Lemonade, thanks," Paris kept glancing over her shoulder.
Once we had the food, we took seats at a small square table in a deserted corner of the restaurant.
"What do you keep looking for?" I asked her in a hushed tone as she peered about the tables again.
"Monsters," Paris hissed back. She tucked a strand of wavy dark hair behind her ear that had escaped from her pony tail. "For all we know, that waitress could be a--"
"Paris!" I said urgently.
"What?!" She demanded in a panicky voice.
"Empousa!" I pointed at the waitress.
Paris slipped under the table, I could hear her rapid breathing.
"Just kidding," I grinned and began to devour my fries. Paris punched me and I bit my tongue. When she sat back down in her chair and saw the tears welling in my eyes, she smirked triumphantly.
