New Girl In Town

Chapter 18

It wasn't until we reached Sunnyside that I realized how cold it was. I'd been so adrenaline filled the rest of the night that I hadn't even felt the freezing temperature, but now the bitter wind felt like a slap in the face. I couldn't wait to get some cover and restore my body heat, so I got excited as we approached a small, beat down trailer. Sweet Pea quickly ascended the stairs before me and opened the front door. I thanked him and hastily entered the new, warm environment. He followed closely, closing the door behind him and cutting off the icy wind.

I took a moment to fully absorb my surroundings. We were in a small living room with a worn leather couch and chair; the ground was covered with soft, brown carpeting. To my left, I noticed a makeshift dining area and a small kitchen. Pots and other dishes were piled high in the sink. Next to that, I saw a door that was slightly ajar, revealing a tiny, cramped bathroom. On my right was a narrow hallway that lead to what I assumed were the bedrooms. It was definitely small, but cozy nonetheless.

"Sorry for the mess," Sweet Pea apologized sheepishly, getting flustered as he quickly picked some dirty clothes off the couch and an empty pizza box from coffee table. I could tell he was slightly embarrassed about his living quarters, but I thought it was a cute space.

"It's alright," I giggled in reply, "if you want to see a mess, you should come to my house. Every time I clean it, my dad goes on a drunk rampage and destroys everything, so I just stopped picking up after him". He just gave me a sad, understanding smile in return.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked, taking my jacket from me and hanging it up on the coat rack alongside his leather Serpent jacket.

"No, I'm fine" I replied, staring longingly at the snake embellished garment.

"You know, Fangs was right," he said, causing me to look at him in confusion.

"Right about what?" I asked.

"You're one of us," he answered softly, "you're a Serpent".

"No I'm not. Not technically at least" I stated, turning away and making my way to the couch.

"You could be" he suggested. I whipped around and looked at him, surprised at what he had just implied. Me? As a Serpent?

"Look, I'm not trying to pressure you into anything," he explained, stepping closer to me, "but you're basically one already. Would it really be too crazy to do the initiation?" The initiation involved reciting the Serpent Laws, retrieving a knife from a snake cage, and basically getting the shit beat out of you by the other Serpents to gain their respect. Unless, of course, you were a girl; then you had to do the Serpent Dance instead of being beat. I've already seen one girl do the Serpent Dance, which was basically a completely sexist alternative for the female Serpents where the girl had to strip and pole dance in front of the rest of the gang.

"I don't know..." I replied nervously; just the thought it all made me feel sick.

"Think it over," he said, stepping past me and plopping down on the couch. He grabbed the TV remote, turned it on, and patted the open space next to him, inviting me to sit. I complied and sat down, sinking into the old leather couch and leaning into his side. He was warm, which I was thankful to find, for I was still chilled from the cold wind blowing outside of the trailer. Sweet Pea put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him, to which I instinctively cuddled closer.

In the two months that we've been dating, we have never done anything like this before. I mean, we've been on a few dates before, but we mostly just hung out at the Whyte Wyrm while I worked and he took part in Serpent business. We were also mutual in our decision to take things slow; he wasn't into mushy stuff, and I wasn't huge on PDA. He would usually just rest his hand on my hip or put his arm around my shoulder, but not much else other than that. The only times that we've kissed were either right before school when he'd pick me up, or the few make out sessions we'd had behind the Whyte Wyrm after my shift.

The position that we were in now, as mundane and simple as it may have seemed, was probably the most intimate and romantic we've ever been. Neither of us talked as we watched TV; we both sat comfortably in each other's silence, just listening to the one another's breath. I struggled to focus on what was on the TV as I slowly began to fall asleep; however, my attention was brought back when I heard Sweet Pea talk again.

"Thanks for helping us tonight," he cooed softly into my ears. I just hummed in response, too tired to give a proper answer.

"You're too good for me," Sweet Pea suddenly uttered. That woke me up almost instantly.

"What?" I questioned, sitting up more so that I could really look at him; he stared back with a smirk on his face.

"I said, 'you're too good for me'" he repeated.

"Yeah, I heard what you said," I replied, rolling my eyes with a small chuckle, "but don't talk like that. We're good for eachother. Think of us as equals".

"Me thinking of us as equals won't change the fact that you're still too good for me," he taunted, a mischievous grin growing on his face.

"Shut up," I retorted, playfully smacking his chest after realizing that he was messing with me now. He caught my hand as I did so and pulled me close to him. Our faces were inches apart, and he wouldn't stop looking at my lips. I was momentarily frozen, but melted instantly when he swiftly attached his lips to mine. I instinctively tangled my fingers into the shaggy hair at the nape of his neck, and his hands grabbed my waist, pulling me on top of him so that I straddled his lap. Our kiss began passionately, but quickly grew fiercier and hungrier as the minutes passed. In one swift movement, he wrapped his arm around me and spun us so that I was laying on my back and he was hovering over me. I wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling him closer to me as his lips began to wander, first to my jaw, and then to my neck, kissing it hungrily.

Suddenly, flashes of a dark hallway flooded my mind. My eyes opened wide as I heard Jax's voice echo through my head. Don't ruin this moment, I thought to myself, trying to push the haunting memory out of my brain. That happened months ago, why is it still freaking me out? However, he must have felt me stiffen under his touch because he stopped what he was doing and looked at me.

"Is everything alright?" he questioned, a concerned expression washing over his face.

"Yes, everything is perfect," I responded hastily, slightly breathless from what had just happened, "you're perfect, Sweets". I gave him a quick peck on the lips, and he smiled down at me before re-attaching himself to my neck. I forced out the rest of my thoughts about Jax and allowed myself to enjoy the moment. Our moment. A night that would, unknowingly to us now, change everything drastically.