The beat up white van bumped along the cracked up side roads that led out of the city. The night had passed in a blur and I am left numb, the adrenaline long gone. The gunshots are still ringing in my ears and I can barely hear Rae's dad talking.
"What?"I ask. He looks at me in the rear view mirror, his brow lowering into a frown.
"Jess, you should get some sleep. You must be exhausted". I glance at myself in the mirror and notice how my eyes are starting to droop, which seems odd because I don't want to sleep, not yet anyway. I glance at the others. Rae is snoring loudly in the front seat, her head resting on the window, rocking lightly with each bump along the road. Beside me, Drake is sleeping soundlessly, his chest rising slightly with each slow and steady breath. The back of the van is in shadows, and I am unsure of Eric's state of consciousness. I look back to the front of the van and attempt to settle into my seat. I'm shivering from the strong chilly breeze coming from Rae's dad's window. I jump at the sound of Eric's voice.
"Come back here with me," he suggests. I look back at him and squint but I am still unable to see him. I unbuckle my seat and take a quick glance at Rae's dad, Ian, and notice that his eyes are glued to the road. I slip between Drake's seat and my own and take the corner of the bench, farthest to Eric, not wanting to disturb his space. The seat stretches from one side to the other smoothly so when Eric grabbed my wrist, gently, and tugged me to him, I glided right up against him. He put his arm around my shoulders hesitantly, as if asking if it was ok. I snuggled up against him and he took that as a positive and he slid me up and onto his lap, so close to him I could feel his heart beating madly against mine. I used the faint moonlight filtering in to look at his face, his scruffy boyish face. His ruffled brown hair was even more ruffled with the breeze blowing through it. His green eyes were livid with the brightness he always had in his expression. I placed my arms around his neck loosely, not wanting to push things too far by pulling him in like I wanted to so badly. He looked at me with an innocent puppy face, one he uses on me all the time. He used it to hide the wolf side of him, the hungry, greedy, desperate side he did not like. I loved his kindness but I also loved his passionate, overprotecting wolf side, the one I longed for him to free.
"I love you," he whispered it so softly and gently, the words a key that unlocked a whole Pandora's box of happiness in me.
"I love you. Every bit of you." I reply. It was a hint, a hint telling him that I loved that wolf inside him, that instinct of his to hold on to me and never let go. He looked doubtful so I pulled him closer to me and kissed him on the lips, softly and briefly, teasing him. He groaned, looking slightly irritated that the wolf was already eager to escape. I leaned in and we touched foreheads, our noses touching slightly. "It's OK," I say, looking deep into his eyes. He seemed to have pondered it a second. I kissed him again, lightly, inviting him to deepen it more. He let a groan escape his lips then he parted them and pulled me in roughly, my whole body set aflame. He kissed with need, and it seemed the more he kissed, the more he wanted. I needed to breathe but I didn't want him to stop, ever. He slid his hands up and down my back, grabbing my shirt and tightening it, trying to keep the wolf more at bay. I slid my hands in his hair and entwined my fingers with his loose locks. Eventually I broke away for a breath but he kept me as close as he dared, never once loosening his grip. My lips felt swollen and his were completely colourless, paler than his slightly tanned skin. I slipped my hands down his neck and dragged them to his chest, letting the feel of his heartbeat mesh with the pulsing of my skin. This is what love feels like. I almost felt like I was going to burst, I was so happy.
