Wolf at Heart

Chapter Sixty: Heated Moments

. : Ash : .

Melody looked up at me, the uncertainty vanishing from her expression and desire replacing it. My breath hitched in my chest and I laughed softly, bringing up a hand to her cheek.

Does she know what she does to me?

One of her hands tangled in my messy hair. She looked up with her blue and silver eyes that always made my heart stop.

Her lips touched mine, unsure at first. I pulled her closer to me, pausing to let her decide what she wished to do. She closed her eyes and kissed me, surprising me slightly. Her mouth was warm and soft under mine, and I could practically feel the heat radiating from her blush.

I broke the kiss, brushing my lips across her cheek and smiling against her skin.

Her quiet voice carried. "Ash...wait."

Melody pulled away and I looked down at her. She was blushing red from head to toe, the look in her eyes shocked and affectionate and bewildered all at the same time. One hand was raised to cover her mouth while the other wound my shirt around it.

She stood abruptly, releasing her hold on me and backing up. There was a mess of emotions tumbling across her face.

"I -- I have to -- " She broke off her stuttering and turned on her heel, running down the tunnel. Her ebony hair swayed side to side and she disappeared from view.

I chuckled, messing with my hair. True, I was slightly annoyed, but I wasn't that offended. I'd give Melody all the time she needed to figure things out.

I'll stand by her side no matter how many times it takes her to realize that I'm there for her.

And if she forgets, I'll remind her over and over.

I'll tell her as many times as I need to.

That I'm here.

That you're not alone.

That you can lean on me.

That I love you.

. : Melody : .

My face was burning hot as I dashed down the hall. My mind was a complete hurricane of thoughts and feelings that'd I'd just begun to sort out.

Why did I just do that? Why did I just make a complete fool of myself? Why did Ash let me?!

Yes, I liked Ash...very much in fact, but this was so sudden. This was so fast. I'd only realized what he was to me and I had yet to really take a look at myself. At us.

Oh, how was I going to face him tomorrow?

I ran past Jinx and Sora still walking back.

"Oh hey, Melody!" Jinx called after me. "What -- "

Not responding, I opened my door in a hurry and shut it, his smug whistle following me in.

After washing my face and changing, I still felt adrenaline warming me all over. My mind kept flashing back to Ash, back to what just happened, back to how I reacted.

I groaned and turned over in my bed, burying my face in my pillow. I heard a click from Jinx's door, then Sora's.  while later I heard footsteps pause in front of my door as if deciding whether they should knock or not. The person retreated to their own room, leaving me hoping and dreading that it was Ash.

I didn't dwell on it for long though, as my aching body desperately needed sleep. Dreams pull me down and fluttered behind my mind. I closed my eyes, letting sleep take me.

Later the next day, I searched Ash for any sign of last night's events, but he seemed normal. He greeted me the usual way and didn't even bat an eye when I looked at him.

Am I the only one who's confused and wondering what's going on with the two of us?

Jinx kept winking at me as if he knew what was occurring, to which I responded with a glare. I did not need his cheeky input on this.

I sighed and stared down at my dried meat with disdain. Another day of training had begun.

"Melody! Pay attention!" Alastar barked out.

We were training in element control. My partner was Jinx and he'd just shot a couple of rocks my way. I was supposed to block it but I'd been so busy watching Ash that I'd completely missed. Jinx had stopped the rocks before they hit me and they hung, spinning, before me.

Jinx gave me a strange look and I shook my head. On the other side of the cave, Sora and Ash halted their practice.

"Sorry, sir."

"Keep your game up! I did not offer to train you just to have you ignore me!" He waved a hand at Jinx. "Again!"

My slip-up had cost us our free time for the night but the others hadn't held it against me, not even Sora. One month of training flew by, heated looks passed between Ash and I but rarely ever explained. Another month spent with palatable tension in the air between us. My relationship with Sora was steadily growing more eased, though I was still suspicious of her. Jinx and I traded jokes every now and then, learning from each other and honing our skills.

We were in the final few days of our training when Alastar announced something that surprised us all.

(Side Note: Just noticed how short the chapters is. Don't worry, the next one is the usual length.)