THESE HIDDEN WINGS

[128] TIMIDLY CONFIDENT

•|•|•

Confidence is key.

•|•|•

I FELT THE bones and the joints in my body freeze for a second as I came into eye contact with Harvest.

He stood there, amused eyes narrowed on me, whilst for some reason my heart was thundering inside me like a drum.

I figured it was because I was dreading seeing him again after we left things off, and with everything my mother had planted into my mind, I simply did not know what to think anymore.

Him, standing before me now made me realize I would have to act in some way, someway I hadn't given much thought about just yet as all I wanted to do now was get something to eat and then drown under my covers, and wait for the new week and its challenges...but I guess this would have to be done tonight.

"Well?' he asked, taking a step closer, startling me from my thoughts and I involuntarily took a step back, as if it was some sort of defense mechanism so that we would never have to be as close as we were that night.

His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, seemingly still amused but this time with a hint of confusion taking another step forward, hands in his coat pocket whilst I cautiously stepped back.

"Stop doing that," he grunted, eyes trailing up to mine.

I wouldn't say he sounded angry or even frustrated when he said that, but it had some kind of warning to it.

My eyebrows furrowed at this as he looked up at me, raising an eyebrow warningly, then suddenly walking toward me so unexpectedly I couldn't react in time, his hand reaching out to pull me back before I could move until we were close again.

His blue eyes trapped mine in place like I feared they would, as he stared directly down at me, a smirk playing against his lips.

"I asked you to walk away and you chose to stay, Talanda. So that ship has sailed," he breathed lowly, eyes searching mine.

I didn't know how to react when he was this close, or when I could feel my skin sizzle at the feel of his warmth.

An image of our interlocked hands raced through my mind. his frame blocking the gentle breeze around us, as he stared down at me.

"So were you?" he asked, folding his arms and standing straighter which gave me a little bit of breathing space, somehow feeling attacked.

My breathing was low as I tried to focus on his question and nothing else, and yet even when he had given me some space, I still found it hard to breathe.

Was I what?

Avoiding him?

I had been with Mom the whole day, but even so, somewhere deep within me, I hoped I wouldn't see him today.

"Where's your little book?" he suddenly asked causing me to snap up to look at him.

His eyebrows were furrowed as he glanced down at my empty hands and I did the same, eventually recapturing my gaze, to which I found myself dumbfounded.

My mouth slightly opened in trickery as if I had planned to say something when there was no way I could have.

"Tell me," he huffed, "how are we supposed to communicate now?"

He sounded annoyed, yet his tone was not too harsh.

His shoulders fell as he waited for an answer from my pursed lips. An answer that evidently would not have been coming out.