Chapter Four: The Awkward Encounter

There is only fears,

there is no love between us,

there is only tears,

there is no love anywhere,

all the crying,

and lying,

there is no love here.

    "I think we're going to like it here," Dex scanned over the faded blue walls of their small apartment, then looked at the chipped white patio doors.

    In each corner of the living room was the plant of Life, which made the air breathable in a foreign lifestyle.

    "I suppose so. Its going to be different though." Since University finished for Pandora, things were going to be a little lonely. 

    Soon she would have to go to the Council to get assigned a job that she would be doing for the rest of her life. 
    Dex moved closer to her for comfort, although the intention didn't really fulfill its purpose, she just felt awkward. "Change is good." 

    She fought back a growl. She knew that Dex was just trying to make this bearable for the both of them, but she just didn't want this. At all.

    Would you rather the guy standing next to you be Haylan?

    Her soul knew exactly what she wanted, and analyzed her with every movement she took. There was a denigrate and analytical side to her soul, but then there was a gregarious and sanguine side to it. 

    Pandora sighed heavily. "Yeah. Even if you really liked the way things were before." 

    Dex looked at her, his eyes filled with hurt. 

    "I..." Pandora looked away from him, starring at the white carpet that had old stains in it. "You know I didn't mean it like that." 

    Dex grunted and removed his arm from her waist, moving to the series of boxes piled near the doorway.

    "Shall you do the honors, or shall I?" Dex asked her lightly, trying to fill the air with a halcyon atmosphere.

    "You can," she replied.

    Dex nodded and closed his eyes, putting his index fingers on both hands up to his temples, concentrating hard.

    Suddenly the boxes bursted open, and each item was placed the way Dex imagined them going.

    The cupboard opened automatically when he gave a command.

    When the last boxes were the personal items of Pandora, she blushed in embarrassment.

    Dex's fingers came away from his temples, and opened his eyes. "Do you want to place these on your own? Privacy is key to a successful relationship. Although..." He walked up to her, his hand moving to the side of her face, removing a strand that fell to the side of her face, and putting it behind her ear. "I'll probably see you wearing it sooner or later."

    Pandora pushed him away, her cheeks flaming. She laughed nervously and looked away from him.

    "Oh, Pandora. You're so cute," he chuckled a few times before walking up to her again, bending down to reach her eye level. "You know that I'm not going to pressure you, right?"

    "What do you mean?" She raised an eyebrow as well as her head and starred at him.

    "Well...if you don't want to...pull the goalie with me, then I'll wait." Pandora could tell that he was trying to fight the urge to burst out laughing.

    "You think I'm a virgin?" She roared with laughter. 

    Dex looked completely unamused as Pandora's laughter came to a halt. "You aren't?"

    "No," her confession was going to cost her some trouble. But she trusted Dex enough to share this with him, even if in the end it turned out ugly.

    "Who..." his voice wandered off, "Haylan." Once he said his name, it was followed by a disappointed sigh.

    Pandora knew that almost everybody was aware of how close Haylan and Pandora were. Everyone assumed that they would get picked to be together once the Ceremony of Mating came around.

    Look how useful their judgments were now.

    "How did it happen?" Jealousy was written all over his face, but Pandora said nothing.

    Instead, she closed her eyes and remembered the blissful and carefree moment Haylan and her shared. 

    "Okay, what about now, did I get it right?" Haylan asked her while he was pressed up behind her.

    "Ow! Haylan ow! Stop it!" Pandora laughed a little, but her tone was serious. 

    Haylan removed his hands from her back and looked down at it, wondering what could possibly be building all this tension and tenderness in her back. "Well, I'm not very good at massages."

    "I noticed!" 

    "Don't think I'm not good with with my hands, because I am." He looked over at her, and Pandora turned around so her knees were touching his, their faces starring deeply into one another. 

    "Oh yeah, I'm sure. Mr. right hand and cleaning supplies." Her humor sent a flicker of fake anguish in his eyes.

    "I wonder if you'll be Eicon's next meal." The name of the dragon rolled off Haylan's tongue and his dry humor didn't come across to Pandora. Her face was serious.

    "You would wish death upon me?"

    Haylan removed the grin off his face and replaced it with pressing his lips together. "I would never wish death upon you, Pandora." 

    "But if you had the choice to, would you?" 

    "No, never." 

    "You promise?" 

    "Yes." 

    "Because you know, if you ever did, my reincarnated self would tear you to bits." She smiled innocently, her teeth peaking out of her parted lips.

    Haylan reached over until his lips touched hers softly, then moved into a full kiss. The warmth of his breath invaded Pandora's mouth, but she allowed it.

    She kissed him back, feeling their souls intertwine. Her heart was beating at the same rhythm of his, and their feelings were the same. They felt joy, but a little skeptical.

    Pandora moved her legs apart, allowing Haylan to get closer to her. 

    He got her intentions, and moved his body so that he was able to touch her stomach with his.

    The kiss turned into a dozen more kisses, each with a slow but steady pace. Their heartbeats sped up in the moment, getting lost in each others thoughts.

    Do you want this? Haylan's voice said to her without speaking. His thoughts entered her brain, allowing the kiss to continue without breaking their connection.

    Yes. She replied.

    Haylan's hands rubbed the sides of her arms, making her more relaxed and comfortable. Although he was new at this too, he knew that pleasuring a woman first was an invitation to their whole heart.

    But Pandora was more to him than just pleasure. And they both knew that.

    He moved his hand lower to the button of her shirt, removing the first button carefully, not wanting to go too fast.

    Pandora moved her arms so they were draped over his neck, moving him lower so that they were closer. 

    I give you everything of me. Pandora said through her mind gently, giving him the permission for what was needed to be given.

    Dex lowered his gaze from Pandora. "You seem to remember all the details like it happened yesterday." 

    "Or that moment just meant a lot to me." She retorted a little too defensively.

    "Maybe," he sighed and shook his head as if to banish the thoughts entering his mind. 

    "But its done now. The past is in the past. I'm with you, and not Haylan. Although a piece of me will always be with him. I stay true to you." She gave him words of reassurance, but it didn't seem to help.

    "Actions speak louder than words."

    "Yeah, they do." 

    "I think you should go see him." Dex's words sent a sudden jolt to her heartbeat. 

    "What?" She asked, shocked and surprised.

    "I don't want you to think that I'll tell you never to speak to him again. Because hes your best friend and past lover. I'm not that kind of person. Although this feeling of jealousy isn't feeling right with me, I trust you. Well, from what I've known so far, I trust you. You don't seem like the vindictive and perilous type of girl. Thats what I respect in you. Anyways, go ahead. I'll be here when you get back." Dex turned around and headed for the bedroom, admiring his work of magic.

    "Haylan?" Pandora peeked her head in his parent's house.

    Footsteps became audible to her ears, and her heart hammered, expecting Haylan to walk from around the corner.

    Instead she was faced with a cheerful face of his mother. 

    "Gesette, hi!" She jogged over to her and gave her a warm hug.

    Her emaciated figure made Pandora step back to study her appearance.

    Her face was pallid and colorless, and her body looked sick. She was all skin and bones, and thats what worried Pandora the most. 

    With old age comes an older soul. Sometimes it works in your favor, and sometimes it doesn't. "Panny, its so nice to see you again." She smiled, her two front teeth chipped. 

    "Its so nice to see you again as well." She returned the smile.

    "Are you looking for Haylan?"

    "In fact, yes. Yes I am."

    "Hes upstairs with Hayley."

    "Hayley...? Oh! Right, the girl he got paired up with at the Ceremony." Her true smile faded into a fake one.

    "And I must say, I was surprised. I always thought the two of you would end up together." Gesette's looked down to the floor, lost in thought.

    Pandora coughed, trying to get rid of the need to cry.  "I should go see him."

    "Oh, yes, yes you should. I'll be down here if you need anything." 

    "Thank you, Gesette. This time, instead of waiting months to see you again, I'll make it weeks. Maybe Dex and I will stop by later this week once things get settled down." 

    "That would be lovely. I'm looking forward to it." Gesette gave a light squeeze of Pandora's arm and walked back where she came from. There was a loud clang of pots, then silence. 

    She turned around and walked up the creaking steps of Haylan's house.

    Subconsciously, she turned around the corner and came face to face with the white door of Haylan's room. 

    A couple of giggles were easily audible through the door. It was an annoying, girly giggle that she assumed belonged to Hayley.

    She knocked softly, then opened it to see Hayley and Haylan sitting on the bed, looking through old photos.

    "Pandora!" He exclaimed and got up, walking over to her to give her a big hug.

    She was entombed under the umbra of his shaving cream and strong cologne.

    "Its so nice to see you. Oh! This is Hayley. Hayley, this is my best friend, Pandora." 

    Hayley looked at her without enthusiasm in her eyes. "Hi."

    "Hey," she replied. She turned to look at Haylan, "listen, can I talk to you for a minute?" 

    "Sure. Hayley was just about to go to her parents place to get the rest of her things and bring them over." 

    "You guys are living here?" She raised an eyebrow curiously.

    "Yep." 

    "I thought the Council gave new couples an apartment." 

    "We rejected the offer. We thought that this house meant a lot to me, and Hayley was up to making the sacrifice." He averted his gaze to Hayley, his face filling with gratitude. 

    "It wasn't a sacrifice at all." She got up, the bed squeaking a little, and kissed Haylan on the cheek. "I'll be back soon." 

    She turned to Pandora and gave a smile, obviously fake. "It was nice meeting you."

    Can't say the same to you, she thought. "Yes. It really was." 

Author's Note

Maybe I should of described the sex scene in more graphic details. But I don't really want the experience to be through memories. So, anyways, tell me what you thought about this chapter! :D

(Next chapter I'm going to be continuing with the conversation between Haylan and Pandora, so don't you worry. :D)

Reviews

[rae52]

it was cool i loved it send me a read request for the next chapter please