Love and Life

Falling and Feelings

Chapter 8

Liv's POV

The first two periods of the day passed in a blur. After being berated for tardiness by a cranky, middle aged maths teacher, the rest of period one had been spent doodling in my book and wondering where I was going to sleep tonight.

Last night had been a fluke. After rescuing Crawford from his own drunken ass, I returned home, utterly drained.

My father had left the house while I had been gone too, staying at a nearby motel for the night. While my mother stayed at home and nursed her wounds, tidying the house up as best as she could.

With one parent gone and my exhausted state, I figured that staying in my own house was the safest option, but only for the one night.

My duffel bag, that had been previously packed before I left, was now stored in my gym locker. After school ended today, I'd be crashing over at Aaron's until I could find a job and a place of my own to live.

I really did owe him. He was such an amazing friend.

Aaron's parents were always away on business so they gave him his own apartment to live in when they were gone, not trusting him to look after their three-storied house by himself.

Katie was staying over with our grandmother who lived in the town nearby. I felt a weight lift of my chest knowing that I didn't have to worry about my darling little sister for now.

During second period, in which I had Latin with Aaron, time seemed to pass even more quickly.

It had been a relaxed lesson since it was the first day and our teacher had just given us verb exercises to do in pairs.

Since Aaron did most of the work and refused to let me touch anything, I spent second period daydreaming.

Twice, I caught myself thinking about Sir Hawford but the thought was quickly wiped out of my memory before I could overanalyse the situation.

So I was dreaming about Crawford? So what?

All the girls in Bridgewater were doing the same thing. Plus, in my fantasy, we'd just (almost) kissed. It wasn't like I was having graphic dreams with the jerk.

I shuddered at even the suggestion of me being intimate with the douche.

Soon enough, the class ended and students rushed out of the door to break. Aaron had a Mathletes meeting and couldn't wait around to walk me to my locker like he did all the time.

He looked almost pained to leave me alone and it took me three times to reassure him that I'd be fine for the 10 minutes he'd be gone for.

"Okay, but just stay away from assholes, alright?" He joked but we both knew he was referring to Finn and was deadly serious.

As he ran towards the library where the Mathletes usually met up, I began to pack up my books at a leisurely pace.

It wasn't like I was actually going to eat or hang out with friends during break.

I strolled down the hallways towards my locker, keeping my head down to avoid awkward eye contact with strangers.

Then I spotted a cockroach scurrying across the floor. Bugs always freaked me out. It was one of my worst phobias.

Startled, I stepped back and slipped.

I could already imagine the sickening thud that would echo in my ears as my head would smack into the white tiles.

But the crash never happened. Two tanned, muscular arms had caught me and were now holding me against their chest.

My saviour smelt like a masculine mixture of smoke, expensive aftershave and clean linen. The smell was intoxicating and I found myself breathing in the heavy scent.

The warmth of his embrace enveloped my body as I snuggled my head into his hard chest, the feeling of safety settling over me. I wrapped my thin arms around his waist and drew myself closer to him, the jut of his strong chin resting upon the top of my head.

I could hear his racing heart thumping and imagined mine doing the same.

I felt my whole body relax once I was in the stranger's arms, as if his presence had a calming effect on me. I forgot all my troubles and worries and focused on the two of us, wrapped in each other's heat, our shallow breaths tickling each other's skin.

His long fingered hands began to draw circles on my back slowly and sensually as he bent his head down and murmured reassurances in my ear.

His voice, low and velvety, and his actions combined turned my weak legs to jelly.

Something clenched deep in the pits of my stomach; muscles that I never knew existed began to contract and tingle. My heated blood rushed through my veins, wanting to be closer to the man.

To do more.

Although I had never experienced this before, the sensation was welcome and felt somehow right, as if my body was attuned to this man's and this man's only. I had never felt this way before about a person, and I didn't want to feel it for anyone but this person.

I wanted to stay here forever, wrapped in our own world where only the two of us existed and mattered. A daydream that lasted forever.

Except that's why they called it daydreams. They never lasted long.

"Liv?" An enraged and disbelieving voice broke the serenity I had been feeling only a short while ago. The intimacy of the moment had been shattered. Our arms released each other as if we had both been woken up at the same time.

My eyes fluttered open, temporarily dazed by the fluorescent lights of the hallway.

I turn around and saw a furious Aaron, his fists clenched by his sides and his usually kind green eyes narrowed into menacing slits.

I turn back to the mystery man who had saved me.

And immediately felt my heart stop; my world stop. All my dreams, hope and thoughts crumbled beneath me, the dusty remains lost to the wind.

I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move or think.

It was Finn Crawford.

Why was it always Finn bloody Crawford?