Catching the Klutz

Chapter 6: Six Years

I felt lost and found as I peered into those grey eyes. Lost because you could fit an entire ocean in their depths, you could lose yourself so easily in the stormy grey of Falcon Avery's eyes, and found because despite how desperately I wanted to run, they were more home to me than any place I'd found in the last six years... And it was that feeling, the feeling of "home" of "safe" that terrified me, because safe was not a word that would ever be used to describe Falcon.

He was a whirlwind, a force of nature, something that couldn't be tamed or kept, he just was. And there was no way in hell that I'd be dragged into the storm again, I'd barely got out alive last time. I could never go back there, it wasn't just terrifying it was excruciating to be so vulnerable, and I hated it. Hated the vulnerability, so I found myself hardening my stare and tipping my chin up for good measure. Sure I was dressed in paint spattered overalls and my hair hung in wild curls around my face but there would never be any vulnerability in my eyes, never again, not with him. 

"Falcon." I said sizing him up. He had changed in the last six years, lost some of the mirth in his eyes, gained plenty of muscle, and Gods save me, he'd somehow become more magnetic than ever. 

"Blaire." He answered smiling down at me. "You've changed." 

"Well it has been six years, people tend to do that." 

He snorted and a large grin lit up his face, "I'm glad that hasn't changed, I did always love your wit." 

I sighed and ran a hand through my curls self consciously. " What do you want Falcon? Its been six years, why are you telling Blue these things, why are you carrying me off of bikes and looking at me like I hang the moon in my spare time?" 

His expression changed, became more pensive, and then his eyes began to burn. "I want what I've always wanted, what I wanted six years ago, what I've wanted every damn day since." He laughed a short humorless laugh. "God Blaire, six years! I thought I'd just about die every day, and yet, here we are. Yet you still ask me why I look at you this way?" 

"Falcon-"

"No, don't do that. Don't look at me and say what I know is going though your pretty little mind. You've had six years to explain us away, to convince yourself that that night was a one time fluke and that we were just a part of your life that's over. But you can't, you can't explain this away, for the exact same reason that you can't look me in the eyes and tell me that this is a mistake." 

I felt like screaming, I couldn't do this now! Since when did Falcon Avery become the guy to openly discuss his feelings? The only way we managed to stay out of a relationship at the Academy was through poor timing and our inability to discuss the feelings that had begun to form between us.  I found myself stabbing my finger at his chest and advancing on him.

" We could never be a mistake Falcon, because there was no us! We never dated, we never held hands or did anything remotely couple like! We fought and argued and went to war with each other!" I was close enough now that I could see the tiny flecks of silvery blue in his eyes. "You don't get to do this. You can't come here and say all this now. It's not fair." 

He laughed then and pulled me into a hug, both his hands wrapping around me protectively. I could feel his heart beat through my clothes and his, and I sighed and relaxed further into his arms like they hypocrite I was. 

"Home" 

There was that irksome little word again. If only my brain could tell my heart to get with the program. We stood there for a few seconds before he lowered his lips to my ear and whispered. 

"Life's not fair, loves not fair. Don't mistake me sweetheart, we never did get to holding hands or whispering sweet nothings. But we will, and I promise you the same passion that we went to war with, that's the passion we'll bring to this relationship."  My body went rigid as he smiled next to my ear and I could almost see the slow, lazy smirk in my minds eye. "I've waited six years for you darling, that's a long time, but I'm tired. This running you love to do, is adorable, but its time you retired it." 

I started to protest but he placed a finger on my lips and released me just enough that I could once again stare into the startling grey of his eyes. "Six years Blaire, that's how long I've loved you for, that's how long I've waited because I love you, but enough is enough, its time you come home, to me, to us, to what you've been running from." 

I stared in shock as he let go of me, I couldn't move, could barely think straight...

"Good bye love, don't worry, I'll be seeing you again very soon." With that he placed a warm kiss at my temple and then marched back down the corridor he had so unceremoniously carted me down what felt like a lifetime ago. He walked with the ease of a man who hadn't just shattered my reality in three little words. 

"I love you..."