A Gripping Touch

Chapter Twenty-Five: "I have little self-control."

Colton

For the entire drive home, I couldn't stop my mind from overthinking about seeing Aly's friend in the bushes outside of her house. It couldn't have been her, surely? It was dark outside. Besides, what reason could she have had for lingering outside her house?

Regardless of how many times I spoke to myself logically, I couldn't stop my inner-wolf from warning me.

Warning me to turn back and check again.

I pulled my bike up on the sidewalk and jogged over to the bush. There was nobody there, but I could smell something off. I was right to be suspicious. Even if it hadn't had been Ava, or whatever the hell her name was, someone had been here. I could feel it in the air.

The wind was tighter against my skin and I could feel the hairs on the backs of my arms tingling in suspicion.

That was it. I had decided. I would be staying here in case the person came back.

Even if it meant that I had to wait here all night.

Alyssa

I woke up the following morning with a blush already on my cheeks. Talking to Colton about my dad had taken a weight off of my chest. He had really seemed to understand me. He had comforted me, and he hadn't asked any intrusive questions.

It was almost as though he had prepared for the moment to come. Like he was just waiting for me to tell him.

The feeling felt amazing. To know that I could trust him with my deepest and darkest secret, and he hadn't looked at me differently. He hadn't sympathised with me, he had just captured my eyes with his and held me knowingly.

'Aly, I'm leaving now! Are you catching a ride?' Doug called from downstairs. I could hear his car-keys jangling and I knew that I only had a matter of minutes before he would have to dart off to work.

Mom had left early today, so Doug had offered to drop me into school, but it meant that with traffic he could be a little late to work. He didn't mind, but I could tell by the jangling of the keys that he was getting a little impatient.

I mean, I had spent double the normal time eating my toast this morning as every time I thought about Colton I seemed to stop chewing.

'I'm coming!' I threw my hair back up into a ponytail and rushed down the stairs, grabbing my backpack from the door. I'd left most of my books in my locker, so I didn't bother checking the bag.

'Let's go.' Doug said, taking my bag from me and chucking it in the back of the car.

The ride passed in a comfortable silence, with Doug listening to the traffic updates on the radio and me looking at the clock to count down the minutes until I would see Colton in class.

It was tragic, I know, but I felt like last night had unlocked something for us. We were no longer just bickering or dating, or studying together or even just making out, we were something slightly more than that now. This was becoming something real.

If Ben could hear my thoughts, he would mock me beyond belief.

'I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.' He would say.

I shook my head and turned the radio up. The traffic to school was nil, but Doug would definitely get caught in some once he hit the highway.

'Sorry.' I grimaced, offering him a sympathetic smile.

'No worries.' Doug said, smiling back at me, but I could tell it was slightly forced. This hadn't been the first time dropping me to school had made him late. I really needed to get myself a car. Dad had been teaching me to drive, but then...