The Last 384 Hours

6

Song: Possibility (Soundtrack Album Version) by Lykke Li

~

I was still in the clothes I'd been wearing when I got struck and I'd never really considered changing them because well, I thought that any lifeless object that wasn't on my body when I got struck wouldn't take in my invisibility, therefore, if I carried it or in this case wore it, the normal human beings would see that the object was floating in the air and would most probably call an exorcist.

But then when I found myself in one of Old Navy's fitting rooms after breaking into three other stores at the local mall as part of Nicholas' midnight adventuring, I was baffled. Mostly because I never pegged Nicholas as the type of guy that-as beautiful as he was-dwells on appearance. The whole beauty thing seemed like a thing that just came to him naturally—he didn't need to put in any effort.

My fingers carefully trailed down the delicate dusty pink chiffon fabric of the dress Nicholas had forced me to try on. It wasn't that extravagant but I loved the way it tickled my fingertips. I slightly smiled at my reflection in the wall length mirror.

She mirrored my action, but surprised me when her smile reached her green eyes. She lifted her pale skinned hand and ran her fingers through her wavy jet black hair. I felt a little jealous of the girl staring back at me. Her smile looked so innocent; peaceful. Untroubled.

"I'm coming in," Nicholas calmly announced, cutting through my reverie and the silence that had grown thick in the air.

A second later, he appeared behind me. His hands were still in his pockets and a few strands of his chestnut brown hair had flopped onto his forehead.

"Told you it'd suit you," There was a tweeny weeny bit of triumph in his voice and I turned to him so he could see the scowl I had planted on my face.

"I still think people will notice." I deadpanned, crouching down to fold my regular clothing. It was highly likely that someone would notice me - or the dress I was wearing, rather - cruising down the street, which would then cause them to go berserk. But Nicholas believed that my invisibility worked on clothing, too. Which seemed highly absurd to me considering the fact that the only clothing that absorbed my invisibility was the clothing I'd gotten struck in.

"Okay. Fine. Let's take a walk outside." He challenged, and I looked up at him. His eyebrows were raised expectantly as he awaited my response.

I narrowed my eyes. "Fine, if I get caught, you're running back to fetch my clothes," I warned and I caught him suppressing a smile, like he was enjoying a private joke. Again. "What are you smiling about?" This private joke of his was beginning to get on my nerves.

His eyebrows perked. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Despite the eyebrow raise, his face lacked emotion. I'd been starting to think of him as a Greek marble statue. Except this Greek statue wasn't made of stone and had beguilingly alluring eyes.

"Nicholas," I avoided his gaze, "don't think that I can't see that there's some game you're playing at."

He stepped closer to me until his tall, lean body was towering over me. I could feel his enchanting eyes on me, waiting for me to look up, and the frost that radiated off of his inhumanly pale skin.

I gave in and felt the air getting caught up in my throat. His face was dangerously close to mine, but that was nothing compared to the trance his eyes were pulling me in. All sound seemed to be drifting away until only my heartbeat was audible and the rest of the room seemed to be drifting away, too, except for his eyes...