The Dreamer

Chapter 16

Rose already left almost eight hours ago and Zeke and I are just sitting in the living room as night was falling. Eventually, Zeke and I turn to each other and I nudge him. "Wanna go for a swim?" He smiles at me which makes his whole face light up and my heart skips a beat again. "Sounds like a great idea."

We went to our rooms to change and I hurry into my swimsuit. It doesn't take long and I meet with Zeke right outside. I freeze in my tracks when I see him. Why does he do this to me? I glance back up to see him smirking and I quickly look away. And he likes what it does to me!

I sharply turn on my heels and hurry out of the hallway and towards the cave pool. It's already getting dark and I'm thankful that we didn't spend a lot of time at my parent's house. As I was just entering the beautiful cave, I'm suddenly stopped and picked up.

My head snaps towards Zeke's smiling face as he runs towards the pool. "Wait! Zeke no!" But he doesn't listen. He jumps and I quickly pinch my nose. The water's freezing cold and when I reach the surface, I start to shiver. Zeke starts laughing and I glare at him. "You. Are. A jerk," I say, trying to not shiver so much. "It would've been worse if you waited."

I roll my eyes, determining if I should freeze the air around him so he could feel it too. I decide not to though. I turn around after a second so he doesn't see my chattering teeth. After some time, I'm still shivering and Zeke sighs. "Are you really that cold?" I nod, not noticing him moving closer. I flinch when I feel warm arms wrap around me from behind. I look up to see Zeke once again smiling down at me. "Better?" I quickly look back down in embarrassment but I nod. Before I know it, I grow comfortable with his warmth and his arms around me. I even feel loved and wanted. "Why couldn't I have fire powers or something warm?"

"Maybe because it's my job to keep you warm," Zeke suggests. "You said you have powers right?" I look up and he nods. "Can I see it?" He looks up for a moment in thought and we both look up at the gaping hole in the rocky ceiling. The moon and stars shine brightly down at us as if smiling and accepting our very new relationship.

"Yeah." Then he looks back at me. I suddenly remember the weird dream I had with Zeke. I start comparing past Zeke, with this one, and I can't believe they're the same person. Past Zeke was so cold and distant, but this Zeke, my Zeke, is so warm and gentle. When I try and move, however, I found I couldn't. I can't even talk. What's going on?! I start panicking but Zeke steps around me so that he's in front of me instead. I remember him telling me about his power and how he can control people and move stuff with his mind sometimes. I became breathless when he moves closer to me. The warmth that left with him suddenly came back. Without him even touching me, I can feel it. "It could be a disadvantage while battling. I'll be concentrating too much on just one target and not my surroundings so I won't use it much during any battles. So far, I haven't had to fight anyone." I softly laugh and I almost nod in agreement only to find I'm still frozen.

He gently strokes my cheek before placing a delicate kiss on my cheek. "I really mean it when I say this Eira," he starts, kissing me again on my temple, "I love you." My heart fills with so much happiness that I could cry. It was clear in his notebooks that he does, but there's something about actually hearing it. It makes it real.

I'm able to move again and the first thing I do is hug him with a bright smile plastered on my face. "I love you too," I reply. I can hear his heart beating quickly and I notice that our hearts are actually beating in sync. The moment those words came out of his mouth, I knew they were true and that I felt exactly the same way about him.

"I never thought anything like this would happen to me," he whispers to me. I smile and look up at him. "Me neither. I always thought I'd be alone."