Children of the Elements: Prey to Him

Chapter Sixteen: I Am Yours

Chapter Sixteen: I Am Yours

Ash stared up at the stars through the hole in the barn’s roof, daydreaming a little. Once they’d reached the village, a kindly old man had let the four of them sleep in his barn. It was surprisingly warm for a building made out of rotting wood, and the hay made for comfortable bedding. Still, she didn’t want to stay here for too long. She began to get goose pimples even as she thought about Craig tracking her.

There was a rustling of hay from down on the ground. Ash had bagsied the rafters, preferring to have a view of the surrounding meadows and the sky through the small window, whilst the other three had thought her weird for wanting to be up here. Still, she felt safer, and that was all that mattered to her.

As the rustle continued, Ash lifted her head off of her hands and glanced towards the ladder. A creak told her that someone was coming up, though she didn’t panic yet. The moonlight was bright enough that she would be able to see who was there before they attacked her. When Nathan’s bouncing curls came into view, she relaxed onto her back again, supporting her head with her hands. Ash expected him to say something, but instead he settled himself against the bundle of hay adjacent to her.

“I’ve always loved the stars,” Ash breathed quietly, taking in the white, gold and red glowing dots nestled randomly amongst a palet of deep purples and luxurious blues. “For a while now, I never thought I’d see them again.” She saw Nathan turn to look at her in her peripheral vision, but never took her eyes off of the sky. “They’re just so peaceful.” When Nathan didn’t make a snarky comment, she looked over to him. He was staring at his hands, picking a nail nervously. He looked almost sad. “What?” she said as softly as she could.

“I…” he drifted off quietly. “I should explain earlier.”

Ash immediately knew he was talking about the kiss, and felt her heart jump anxiously and her cheeks heat up in a blush. Fortunately, it was too dark for him to see her discomfort. “I don’t think you do -”

“I can’t be with you” he suddenly exclaimed. Ash blinked at him a few times. As her eyes narrowed, he turned back to staring at his hands. “I… can’t be with you.”

“Am I allowed to ask why?”

Nathan exhaled sharply, and then sighed. “I’m not good for you. I can’t buy you presents or chocolate or anything, and I’ll probably end up hurting you like I have with every other girl I’ve dated.”

Ash chuckled and pushed herself to her feet, causing Nathan to snap his gaze onto her, confused and marginally annoyed. “Jesus, Nancy,” she said sarcastically as she stopped in front of him, looking down at him. “I didn’t realise you were making this so serious so quickly.” She smiled gently. “I don’t need or want your money or presents. Could you try and believe for once that I want you for you?”

His eyebrows furrowed lightly, before he smirked, returning to his old self. “To be honest, who wouldn’t?”

Ash smiled as she bent down, pressing her lips against his. Just as he was getting into it, Ash pulled away a centimetre, still grinning like a fool. “You sure you don’t mind dating instead of one of your precious one night stands?”

He shrugged, standing up to look down at her with eyes which reflected the silver moonlight. “I’m sure I’ll cope.”

Ash's hands gripped Nathan's jacket gently. “How gracious of you.” She had barely finished her sentence before his lips were back on hers, his tongue brushing her bottom lip cautiously, his hands on her hips. And as the two of them fell gently into the hay, Ash could think of no greater distraction from the real world than the friend she realised she had started to fall for.