Anonymous

The first time she saw him she was a young sixteen and fresh out of the shower. Her hair still wet and dripping and a towel clutched around her body as she stepped out of the steam from the bathroom and came face to face with his piercing blue eyes. Surprised. Hers was a face he had never seen before and she had caught him off guard being there. He composed himself quickly, fluidly; the change was so subtle that she wondered if she had only imagined the startled look in his eyes. He excused himself and stepped around her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

 

She shook herself, as if she were trying to shake him off, his presence something sticky that clung to her skin and hung in the air around her, a slight shiver tingled up her spine. Stepping away she headed for her room, the unknown man leaving her mind as she dried and brushed her hair and got dressed. Tasteful house shorts and a tank top were donned and her still damp hair pulled into a messy bun with loose strands tickling her neck in a familiar way as she made her way through the house to sit with her family. 

 

She found them in the kitchen, some cooking but mostly they were gathered around as always, laughing and talking. She had the pleasure to come upon them unnoticed, giving her the time to watch them as they carried on with conversation, looking in on them as an outsider, because that's what she was. 

 

She had been an orphan all her life, passed around from home to home, always unwanted until a year ago when she had been placed here. In the loving home. There were three kids, four counting herself, but no matter how chaotic keeping up with their own kids got they always included her. She finally had a place to call home and mean it, finally had a family that loved and excepted her, finally happy. She smiled as she was noticed and stepped into the kitchen to join them.

 

Introductions were made between her and the unknown man, something flashed in his eyes as they met hers and he waved a hello. He was an old family friend they told her, and he lived right down the road. She wonder for a second why she had never seen him before this if he lived so close, but her thoughts were quickly washed away as everyone started talking and she joined in the conversation.  She caught herself looking at him from time to time though and she was unsure as to why. But when she let her gaze linger on him longer she saw it; saw his gaze pass over the others in the circle where they stood, and then pause when he looked to her. His eyes met hers, and then they moved on to pass over the others again. It was a quick look, but that split second felt like minuets when his eyes landed on her. He held such intensity in his gaze that she was...intimidated. He was tall, and strong, his hands were worn and his skin tanned by long days at work under the sun. Although he could be she didn't see him and physically imposing, it was the shadowed light in his piercing blue eyes that caught her like a rabbit in headlights.

 

They were filled with things she couldn't understand, maybe because she didn't yet understand him. But she found herself wanting to, even though she was unsettled, maybe even frightened by him. She wanted the walk the halls of that secret library and translate the words in his eyes.  Wanted to speak his unspoken language even though she didn't know the meaning yet, nor did she know where to start.

 

A year went by and she lived her life like any other teenager, school, boys, getting into not so serious trouble and all in all enjoying herself. She saw him more often now, compared to his nonexistence the year before, and just as he was a friend of the family he was now friends with her as well. She found he was years older than her, but he was light heated in a way that made her forget, made everyone forget. He was also rough, and liked to wrestle, play fight in a way that it was not so much play fighting, though he was more gentle when it came to fighting with the girls. Even so she found it interesting when they fought, how he would hold her closer, tighter, so much so that she couldn't breath but she kept fighting anyways. He also smiled a lot, it was a nice smile, but one that conflicted with the shadows in his eyes.  Shadows she still couldn't communicate with, but she got her first taste the summer she turned seventeen.

 

She hit her rebellious stage. Never causing too much trouble and always being careful she would sneak out most nights, drinking with her friends. Even with her older siblings when their parents were away, which they were often.  He would even join sometimes as they played their games and drank cheap beer, throwing their inhibitions to the wind and she watched as his eyes grew darker still. He lit a cigarette, and she found herself wanting one as she watched the smoke trail from his lips, and if she was going to be reckless why not do it all. She stood looking up at him and brought his attention to her, those eyes staring down at her, trapping her as she asked for what she wanted.  His lips curved with the slightest smile and for once his eyes almost gave a matching shine.

 

He denied her, but she smiled sweetly and sarcastically pleaded knowing he would give in. He didn't care, he was an enabler,  and reveled in the corruption of others, all in the name of a good time. He bargained for a kiss upon his cheek, laughing as if it were a silly joke and her laugh echoed his. She stood on her toes with her palms resting against his chest to steady herself and leaned forward to comply. An inch from his cheek he turned his head and his lips caressed hers, surprised she stumbled and he caught her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist holding her there. She made no effort to move away, trapped in a tornado of fear and excitement her heart pounding and every sensory overflowing with him. She breathed and his sent filled her, their bodies connected from lips to thigh, every small movement causing friction between them. For a brief moment his arms tightened around her, pressed his mouth harder against hers before stepping away and releasing her.

 

It was the first time she didn't meet his gaze, but stared at his chest instead as she let out a ragged breath, her lips somewhat cold without his to warm them. She felt him move and finally looked up to see him pulling out a cigarette, placing the end against her lips till she opened them for him; inhaling as the end burned red from his lighter, feeling the smoke sink down her throat. She didn't even cough as she blew it away, finally meeting his eyes with her own, thinking that nothing could be harder to chock down than his essence. They had been lucky the others hadn't been around, lucky no one had seen; but as he stepped away with a smile she realized they hadn't been lucky at all, because that's exactly how he had planned it. 

Author's Note

Trying something new, not my best work but this is more of an exercise than anything. More to come later.

Reviews

[Roberta Emmanuelle Leig..]

Good so far. Looking forward to seeing how it develops.