Magic

I. Love. You.

Three simple words, so insignificant on their own. Yet, when placed together in the correct sequence, they could be magical. I never thought I'd hear him say those words, at least... not in that order. It never even crossed my mind that the word "love" could be uttered from his lips... lips that were always set in a cool, calculated, and hard line. It was one part of many that made up his usual expression- an expression that gave nothing away to his inner thoughts.

And his eyes... oh, his eyes.

They were hard as rock in his face, just golden-brown gems set with the same emotionless mask he had perfected throughout the years. They were the color of warmth and yet always seemed to be made of ice. Of course... they could be warm when they wanted to be. Those icy topaz crystals could melt into a flowing honey stream and just the very color of them could warm your insides like a good cup of hot chocolate.

It wasn't often that anyone got to see the honey in his eyes, though, because they were usually the ice shards that could chill you to the core. In fact, I think I'm the only one who has ever seen the other side of Kai. I've seen glimpses of his real nature, of who he is inside the stone fortress he's built to protect himself from society. I know pieces of what makes him tick.

Maybe it's because I'm more observant than most, or obsessed... depending on your perspective.

A smirk here, a sneer there... I pay attention to what he smiles at (which isn't much), what he frowns at, what catches his eyes, and then what makes them twinkle with curiosity, fascination, or just suspicion. I'm usually so in tune with him, but every once in a while, he manages to surprise me.

Which brings us back to those three unimportant, yet magical little words.

I. Love. You.

They had never meant much to me. I didn't remember my parents well enough to recall them ever saying the phrase to me. Simon constantly said it to me when he was drunk, and that usually led to trying to convince me to sleep with him... so the words, "I love you", never meant much. It didn't even phase me when everyone began teasing me about love. Sure, I had a crush on Kai, but who else didn't have a crush on someone? Besides, Kai had made it clear many times with his actions alone that he wasn't interested, so why'd they make such a big deal out of nothing?

Then Xander had to go and make things even more awkward with his little message on our tree- er... rather, the place Kai and I had first been introduced. I secretly enjoyed it, but I would die before admitting it to anyone. I often returned to that same tree again and again. Sometimes, he would be there... which would make me even happier.

Our friendship, if that's what you'd call it, grew as we got to know each other better. Although, Kai never revealed much about himself. That's when I learned to read him so well. His lips were careful about what they allowed me to hear- just small, unimportant facts. He got straight A's, he lived by himself, he liked the forest. Little facts that shouldn't mean anything, but were so fantastically important to me. I learned more about him by watching him rather than listening to him. He wasn't very verbose anyway. He never said kind or caring words. For a long while, I was sure he didn't care about me at all. Then I learned the language of Kai. Things he said could never be taken at face-value. Kai was too deep for that. I quickly became a good analyzer....

That's why I never expected such a simple phrase from Kai.

I. Love. You.

I should probably thank Xander now. The tree with his message had somehow, guided by an unspoken rule, become our tree. I saw Kai there a lot. Sometimes, Xander would give me a "friendly" notice that Kai would be there. Outwardly, I loathed him for it. Inwardly, I was eternally greatful.

On one particular evening, I received one of Xander's teasing messages. Just like always, I ran to the forest. Just like always, Kai had already arrived, and, just like always, I made up a phony excuse about why I was there. We sat in our tree, watching the forest settle down for the day and wake up for the night, and the sun set over the horizon. I was about to leave when he asked me to stay a little longer, he needed to say something important. Instinctively, I read his body movements to give me some hint as to why he would request this of me. He wasn't facing me. That was never a good sign. Tentatively, trying to think of what I might be in trouble for, I sat back down on my branch quietly.

He was silent for a very long time, never turning toward me once. I waited. I had learned to be patient with him.

"I've been thinking," he finally whispered in a voice so low that, even with my acute senses, I had to strain to hear him. I felt nervous. Whenever an average person started with that phrase, it was never good. But, then again, Kai was not the average person.

I waited silently again. When he said nothing, but shifted uncomfortably where he was perched, I whispered back, "About?"

"Us," he admitted in a small voice that almost made him sound weak. Almost. I wasn't sure what he meant, so I waited for him to speak again.

"A.J., I..." he trailed off and fell silent. After a few long moments, he turned his face to me. That was the first time I had ever seen the honey flowing in his eyes. It captivated me and I couldn't look away. It felt like I stared into his eyes forever before I was conscious of my gawking. Before I had time to look away, his lips parted.

"I... love you."

I. Love. You.

Three simple words, so insignificant on their own. Yet, when placed together in the correct sequence, they could be magical. I never thought I'd hear him say those words... especially to me. How could such magic belong to me, especially uttered from his lips? How could these words be any deeper?

I. Love. You.

They truly are magical, and so is he.

Author's Note

This involves my character, A.J., and my friend's character, Kai. I wrote it at 2 AM because I couldn't sleep. xP Xander is my friend's other character.

Reviews

[WildRose]

I liked it, a little sappy in parts but overall it was good. One and a half thumbs up!