The Phoenix's Mark Book 1: Dogs of War

Chapter 8

Sarah wasn't very fond of the idea of taking the bus home. She stood, staring at the buses in front of her, contemplating whether or not she should get on. She could always purposely miss it and tell her mother it was an accident. Just as she decided to get on and took a step forward, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Are you ready?" the soft, quiet voice asked. She turned, taken aback by the way the sunlight reflected off of his golden eyes, as if a flame was burning just behind his iris. This had been the first time she had seen him outside.

"Ready for what?" she asked, still staring into his eyes. She couldn't get over the beauty of the color. The way the natural light bounced off of them was  phenomenal. It was almost as though they glowed. She studied the brustle along his chin and jawline. A scar started just under his right nostril, running to the left and downward until it reached his lip were it just ran straight down, across to his lower lip, jaw and a few centimeters onto his neck. It was the only scar that he carried on from life to the next, though she was unaware of this. Her eyes traced the scar back up. Her eyes lingered on his lips. For some reason she didn't know, she invisioned the pressure of his lips on hers. She wanted to feel his tongue dance around hers. She wanted him to press his body against hers and whisper into her ear that he would never leave her.

"Are you awake?" His voice snapped her back to reality. She looked around them. She didn't notice all of the kids had dissapeared along with the buses. She turned to look at Laurence. She also didn't notice how close to him she was. She backed off and collected her wits.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked, shaking her head, trying to clear it of the images she just created.

"I reminded you that you accepted my invitation of a ride home," he replied, Trying to mask the smile on his face. She blushed as she realized how much of a fool she must've looked.

"Yeah. Right, sorry. I'm just not feeling well," she lied, trying to fight back the pink on her cheeks.

"Okay, then we should really get you home," he suggested. "Let's go." He brought her to the student parking lot and pulled her to his vehicle. She stopped when she realized what he was trying to give her a ride on.

"I don't think so," she said, raising an eyebrow in a 'you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me' look.

"What, its just like riding a horse," he informed her, chuckling at his own inside joke. He offered her the helmet she didn't notice him carrying under his arm. She stared at it, wide-eyed, contimplating whether or not to get on. "You trust me, don't you?" he asked, smiling encouragingly, holding out his hand. Sarah raised an eyebrow at him. She couldn't explain why, but she did.

Reluctantly, she grabbed the helmet and pulled it over her head, before accepting his hand and allowing him to help her climb on the back of the bike. She clentched onto him as tight as she could. Her muscles tensed as the motor started and the bike lurched forward. She closed her eyes tight and pushed her head into his back as they sped down the street.

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes to see she was still on the road and in one piece. She sighed and her muscles relaxed as she watched the world around them move swiftly. She looked at the back of Laurence's head and smiled. She didn't know how, but being with him at this moment made her forget her fear and doubts. She allowed herself to relax as she wrapped her arms tighter around Laurence's waist.

As suddenly as it all began, the movement stopped. She looked up to realize they were at a red light. "Do you want something to drink?" She could barely hear his voice through the bulk of his helmet. Instead of answering verbally, she nodded her head.

A few moments later, she felt the bike jerk forward as they moved again and turned left. Suddenly, the bike halted again, but this time, the engine died. She released her grip from around his waist and climbed off of the bike. She looked up at the sign on the front of the store, which read Seven/11. She removed the helmet and handed it to Laurence, not sure what to do with it. He placed it under his arm and lead her inside the store. "What do you want?" he offered as he lead her to the back of the store by her hand, where the beverages are kept.