It's a residential area, but I spot a little convenience store. I walk in, looking for something for my injury, and mostly, to be sheltered from this cold rain.
"Mara!"
I stop and turn around. Don't tell me that idiot walked in naked?
He's naked indeed, but only from his waist up. I frown, completely confused. When and where did he find a pair of jeans to put on? Liam follows my glance down to his pants and sighs.
"Werewolves shape-shift at the border all the time, we have several hideouts with clothes... just in case."
No wonder. I guess that would be the most convenient for a city inhabited by thousands of werewolves. There are probably hundreds of pairs of jeans hidden in random spots in the forest. It's a bit weird to think about, but it does make sense. Anyway, I am a bit more upset that he can now follow me without getting glared at by the lady at the counter. I take a deep breath and walk away anyway, still looking for the pharmacy aisle or something like that.
I finally find it, but they only have band-aids... I keep looking up and down. Damn it. Should I drop by the hospital and ask Bonnie? Crap, she's probably still at Nora's. I bite my thumb, at a loss for what to do.
I can hear Liam walking up to me, but I pretend I don't.
"Mara..."
"What?" I retort, a bit annoyed.
"I'm really sorry... about the bite. Okay?"
I finally look at him.
He's dangerously close, and with that sad puppy look again. His eye is bluer under the convenience store's light, throwing me off guard for a second. I am not sure what to do or say anymore... Is he doing this on purpose? My angry heart is at a loss. I don't wanna stay mad at this face, but the pain is still there. Not the one aching from my hand, the one in my heart. Did that idiot realize the damage he's done?
Being so close, I can see the drops running down his skin, the shades of his wet hair, and hear his breathing. It's a bit... confusing. His smell is driving me crazy too. That, mixed with the leather of his jacket I'm still wearing. We must be one weird duo, standing alone in this convenience store, him half-naked and me with my oversized biker jacket and a white tube top. I swallow my saliva, trying to focus.
"F-... fine," I mutter.
I don't want to look at him, he's confusing me. The sparks are back again, and it's worse, it's a whole firework in my stomach. I feel hot, more than even a Fire Witch should be. I glance back at the shelves, wondering why those aisles have to be so damn narrow all of a sudden...
"I just... reacted out of surprise. We are not entirely in control, sometimes, when we shape-shift into our wolf form."
Is he trying to justify himself? I'm not sure he's making his case better. I slowly nod, still unable to look at him, and holding my hand with no idea what to do with the injury. I feel a bit helpless. I feel like I'm going to melt if I look at him, but I don't want my anger to go away so simply. It hurts and he should regret it some more, I think. I just don't feel like letting that idiot off the hook so easily.
"Come," he whispers.
That whisper sends shivers down my spine, and before I can react, he gently takes my hand.
Oh, crap, he's making those eyes again. There are some fleeting seconds between us, we stare at each other like two idiots waiting for the other to react. Maybe I should whack him or something, but I can't, and I don't. He gently pulls on my non-injured hand and takes me to another aisle of the convenience store. He grabs something from the shelves, but even when we get to the cashier, I can't take my eyes off him. Damn it, he's a bit more handsome than I can handle. The rain and sweat combo is damn dangerous.
We leave the store, still hand in hand, and we find ourselves against the wall, the downpour a step away. I glare at the gray skies. Is there only that kind of weather in this city? I feel like Silver City is mocking me, getting so damn dark every time I am in a bad mood or confused. Right now, it doesn't quite match my emotions, though. Liam's large hand is still on mine, and the heat and size difference is perturbing. His fingers are cold, yet they still manage to send shivers down my spine. I'm probably blushing too, but I can't take my eyes off our joined hands, like an idiot.
"Okay... Wait for me. I'll go get the bike."
"Okay."
With a feeling of déjà vu, I watch him run away under the rain to get his bike. I let out a long sigh as soon as he's gone. You should get your feelings in check, Mara, before you really regret it. Yeah, as if I could hold them back. I can't stop my feelings any more than I can stop the rain from falling. I look up at the skies, a bit at a loss.
The worst thing is that little, tiny bit of hope that Liam is actually feeling the same. It's confusing, the way he looks at me sometimes. As if he's scared, but still cares more. I can't quite name it. I get this itch that I'm eager to follow, yet I feel like it's on the crazy and dangerous side. I'm barely pulling the few pieces of my life I have back together, yet Liam is like a headlight right in my field of vision, distracting me from everything else when he's there. Moreover, I'm even questioning my attraction to that guy. It was so sudden yet so intense, how is that even possible?
I hear the sound of the bike's familiar engine.
Liam is riding his bike, half-naked in the rain, and I'm on the verge of collapse from that vision. That is not something any male-attracted being can ever forget. ...Damn, is it even legal to be that sexy? I have to force myself to look elsewhere before this gets any more embarrassing.
Strangely, I've never felt more self-conscious than I am now. I'm waiting for him on the side, not looking like anything decent or attractive. I don't even want to imagine the mess my hair must be in with all that rain, plus my clothes are drenched, muddy, and bloody. I kind of wish I had put on something a bit more attractive or learned the first thing about makeup.
He stops the engine, but somehow, my feet can't seem to get me there.
