Flowers for Lilah (Seth Clearwater)

chapter seventeen

"Ahem," A loud, forced cough causes me to jump away from Seth like I'd been electrocuted. Seth jumps at my spastic response, and I look up to see Leah smirking with her arms crossed at the front of the room. How mortifying. There's no way I can play this off, my lips are tingling still where Seth just was. I reach up to fix my hair, remembering Seth's hands in it just seconds prior, my cheeks burn when I feel how mussed up my hair is.

"L-Leah," Seth chokes out, and I look to him to find him looking just as disheveled as I felt. His face was blushed red, his hair sticking up a bit in the back. "I was just..." He looks around, bewildered, scrambling for an excuse of why we were just passionately liplocking. "Warming Lilah up," He finishes lamely.

And because I am just as lame, I nod feverishly, "Yes, thanks Seth, I'm super.... warm." I cringe as it comes out of my mouth.

Leah snorts, and rolls her eyes. "So glad you're both warmed up." She holds up a pair of car keys, "Cmon, Lil. Your grandparents are waiting up for you, I figured they'd rather see me dropping you off than Seth put-his-foot-in-his-mouth Clearwater."

"Shut up Leah," Seth shoots at her, huffing out. "I've gotten a lot better."

"You've totally proved that," Leah snorted again, obviously referring to our flimsy excuse of warmth. "I'll be in the car, don't be long you two." She opens the door, a gust of frigid air hitting the two of us, and slams it behind her. We listen in silence at her loud footsteps crunching down the snow, until her car sputters to life.

"Drink up, love," My Nana cooed as she set a little cup of tea on my bedside table. I has woken up sick, unsurprisingly after my little outdoor escapade last night. I guess being outside in freezing snow for a few hours wasn't the smartest idea. I had already burned through a box of tissues, and my throat was killing me.

My grandparents had greeted me last night with a big hug, a mug of warm milk, and an understanding gleam in their eye. My grandparents, though they were the most positive and strong people, I knew they struggled with my parents deaths sometimes too. My grandma understood immediately when I told her where I had been, my grandpa didn't scold me much beyond a "let us know next time," which was his way of being sympathetic.

"Thanks Nan," I croaked, taking a sip. I set the teacup on my nightstand, next to a tiny blue pot containing one of my favorite plants; a Christmas cactus. Sinking a bit deeper under the covers of my bed, sighing at the blissful warmth. I crack open the book I was currently spending my day reading.

I was embarrassed at my outburst last night. How would I face Seth again? So many emotions had happened.... my bawling, my confessing my innermost emotions, Seth's and I rekindling, Seth and I's 'warming up." Lordy lordy, the thought of his hand running through my hair and pulling me close against his burning chest sent chills up and down my spine. I wondered if it was going to happen again, if it was; I hope to God it was soon.

Who am I and what are these thoughts I"m having? My face heats up and I pull my comforter over my head. I'll just hide under here for the next few years.

I haven't even realized I've dozed off until I awaken to my doors familiar creak, I gasp, shooting up in bed, my papa is standing in the doorway, an abnormal scowl on his graying face. "Lil sweetie, you have a visitor." My papa opens the door a bit wider, "If you don't want him here, I'll gladly ask him to leave." So slick papa.

"A visitor?" I'm dazed and still groggy from my nap, crane my head and lock eyes with the only eyes that can cause my whole body to turn to jelly.

Seth.

Was it my fever making red rush to my cheeks, or the fact that Seth was standing in front of me in my own bedroom? He looked like he belonged here, his grey hoodie matching my grey carpet perfectly, the shadows of La Push's sunset looking mesmerizing against the golden skin on his face.