Beautiful Voices

Chapter 15

Smiling I see bits of popcorn between his straight white teeth, I think he realized this because he quickly closes his mouth while covering it with his hand at the same time. I can hear the smacking of his tongue as he tried to quickly clear his teeth before answering.
"Yeah I would I'm starving."

"I can see that."
I relpy, chuckling when I see a blush crawl up his face because of his embarrassing excuse of table manners. Walking over to the bed I reach my hand into the bag in his hand eating some of the skittles that I just realized he was hiding from us. When I go for a second helping of the colorful goodness he pulls it out my reach laughing as I clutch for air. Reaching farther my fingers graze the bag before he pulls it even farther back. In a last ditch effort to take them I jump forward snatching them from his grip but in the process I lose my balance and knock into him sending us to my floor.
My body screams at me for relief when I end up on the bottom of his 180 pound frame. Playfully shoving his chest he moves back just enough to look at me. Warmth spreads through me starting at my abdomen, loosening my muscles and making my skin ten times more sensitive. Lifting is hand he moves as if he's going to caress my face but stops himself with a pained expression.

"I was so worried when you went missing, when I showed up to the party Chloe was frantic running from person to person asking if they'd seen a blonde dwarve that likes to go by plant names, it was quit funny actually."
Alaric tells me. Laughing at the image of it I reply.
"She's a sweetheart but her calling spinach or whatever is getting on my nerves!"

"I think it's kind of cute."
Alaric says twirling a strand of my hair around one of his fingers. I'm about to answer him when he brings the golden lock to his nose inhaling my still slightly damp hair. My insides go to mush and my breathing become noticeably heavier. Alaric gives me a sexy half smile that shows over major dimples and leans forward bring his lips a breaths span away from mine. Gazing deeply into his eyes I break the distance between us gently brushing my lips against his. I feel his hand graze my leg and a flashback to Ben's bruising grip on my thigh comes forth in my mind with a gasp I shove him off of me but when he goes flying into the ceiling I am throughly surprised. Siren don't have extra strength, we're really a very weak species with our only self defense being a sirens scream.
Alaric body strikes the roof with a giant boom then he falls back onto the floor an oomph sound escapes his lips. I hear clattering coming from downstairs then the shuffling of mom's long legs running up the stairs. Bursting through my door she has a wild look in her eyes, scanning the room she sees me lying on the ground my clothes disheveled and Alaric next to me knocked out.

"What. In. The. Hell! Ivy what happened!?"
Mom screams. I sit up my body is shaking and images of my time in those woods comes flooding through my memories consuming me to where no one else mattered. Only the monster that was trying to kill me all over again. I'm roughly shaken I look at my mom about to tell her to piss off when I see the frantic look on her face.
"Hey baby girl what's wrong? Talk to me,,, oh please don't shut me out again."
Snapping her fingers in front of my eyes I blink coming back down from my panic attack.

"I pushed him."
I say my voice monotone. Looking at me in confusion she asked.
"You pushed him? How is he out cold on your floor? Did he fall and hit his head?"

Shaking my head no I continue.
"We fell and I tried to push him off of me and he flew and hit the ceiling. I didn't mean too."

Sputtering she stands up and walks over to Alaric's prone form. She looks around the room I can tell she gets an idea because she always gets a look on her face like a light bulb popped up hovering above her head. Grabbing Alaric by his feet she drags him closer to the wall next to my dresser. Picking up my rug she crumbles it and shoves it under his foot. Walking over to my closet she pulls out an old book from the top shelf bringing it over to Alaric she opens it up and places it over his head which was face down in the floor. Stepping over him she grabs my lamp off my dresser looks at it for a moment the throws it to the ground next to Alaric's head.

"Woah mom, seriously! Chloe got me that!"
I yell as I start picking up the shards. She shrugs picking up the book from Alaric's face shaking off the glass she throws it back into my closet. Nudging him with her foot she says.
"Alaric are you okay? That was some nasty fall."

He slowly pushes himself off the ground into a sitting position, grabbing his head he says.
"Ow what happened? I feel like I just tried to play tackle football with a Boulder."

Realizing what mom's set up was for I sat before she can.
"You slipped on my throw rug and knocked my lamp off my dresser and it hit you in the head as you fell."

"That isn't embarrassing at all."
Alaric said still rubbing the back of his head. Mom steps in front of him and makes him follow her finger with his eyes. When she's satisfied that he doesn't have an concussion she asks.
"Do you still want dinner or did you knock the appetite out of you?"

He looks at me for permission when I nod my head he gives me a small smile then says.
"Yes I'd love to."