Saving Nicole

Chapter 8: The First Vision

Nicole's POV
--

It's been weeks, months, since that encounter. School has ended and Dallas and I have become very close. He always stuck up for me at school until Ruby and Chloe just stopped altogether. It's almost like a routine now.

When I go to his house, I see Carly, and she always welcomes me. She always hugs me. And then later, she always invites me for dinner.

I still haven't met his father. That makes me wonder. Is there one?

Whenever I ask about his dad, he just answers vaguely. His expression is always even and his eyes are always guarded. And man.

I've only fallen in love with his eyes a thousand times. Every time I see him, I fall in love with them again. They always change and the thing that makes me happy? The way they always light up when they see me.

Yeah.

I have a problem.

The feelings for him that I felt when I first met him...

They haven't gone away. They've only intensified so much that I have to physically restrain myself from... I don't even know, to be honest.

They have intensified so much that my gut aches whenever I'm around him. It fills me with a need; a hunger. I don't know what for. And that scares me. Whenever he touches me or I touch him, which is not often because I am very uncomfortable with touching, a weird sensation travels up my arm and throughout me. It warms me and makes me want to touch him MORE. To make any physical contact I can; brush arms, hug, poke. All of that. I've never felt that before.

And I know what it means.

I have feelings for him.

My only friend, and of course, I have feelings for him. I have never told him. And I never will.

But I just can't seem to stop thinking about him. Whenever I'm doing, well, ANYTHING, my mind wanders to him; what he's doing, how he is, when I can see him again.

Oh! I guess you're wondering what happened after the wolf attack. Well, I saw him the next day at school and he explained that there were more, but he tried to separate them. He ended up managing to get a dumpster to fall on them.

Don't ask.

--

"You cheated!" Dallas jumps to his feet, staring at me indignantly. His dirty blond hair can't seem to make up its mind if it wants to be a light brown or a blond. His accent makes his words like music to my ears. He told me a while ago that his family used to live in Australia. Apparently, he's a single child, too.

"I did not!" I retort smugly. I actually did. But it's fun to watch him get all flustered. He just throws his hands up in the air and falls back on the soft, blue beanbags. His controller lands on the one next to him as he crosses his arms and pouts.

"Then I'm not playing anymore!" He declares, only making me roll my eyes at his immaturity. Seriously, he acts like a four-year-old who didn't get some candy.

"Fine." I grin and toss my own controller into the bean bag and then lean back with my arms above my head.

"Hey Nic..." He suddenly sits with his arms on either side of him. His muscles are tense as if he's ready to spring. "Guess what time it is..." My eyes widen. Oh no.

I shoot up, but it's too late.

"TICKLE TIME!"

His hand catches my arm, sending tingles shooting though me. He pulls me back to the beanbag with me tugging at his grip and fighting. Of course, his grip is like steel.