Cloaked Beauty

Chapter Twenty - Six & Seven

:( I should have posted faster, so I decided you guys get two chapters instead of one. Please enjoy!

Total Eclipse of the Heart

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Once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say... a total eclipse of the heart

And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you'll only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
Cause we'll never be wrong together

Chapter Twenty – Six – Celeste

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I placed my fingers lightly onto my mouth, the sensation of his lips on mine still lingering. They felt warm to the touch. That had been my first kiss, my first.

I was still wondering if it had been real, if last night had in fact was genuine, and not a dream. But it couldn't have been fake, because we were both still semi wet, and we were still in the clearing.

The sun hovered in the sky, sending rays of warmth along the grass and trees. Celestial was still fast asleep. I admired her for being able to stay standing up while sleeping, as if she was ready for anything.

For some reason, I felt comfortable and safe. But how could you feel safe or comfortable falling asleep in the grass? I glanced down and then realized why. My cheeks turned bright red. I had fallen asleep in Derek's arms.

My eyes quickly glanced back at Derek, who seemed to still be asleep. So last night really had happened. We had kissed, it wasn't a dream. Some part of me was so ecstatic, but the other part of me which never seemed to take a break kept on worrying. What was I doing? We had kissed, and only like a day before, I had said I didn't love him. Maybe it wouldn't have been a problem if he had only kissed me, but I had kissed him back. What did he think now?

Carefully and silently, I slipped out of his embrace and numbly stood up. Walking over to Celestial, I softly combed her back to wake her up. Celestial grunted, and then slowly opened her eyes, giving me a look that seemed to mean, “Did you really have to wake me up?”

I began saddling her up, so we'd be prepared when we left.

“Celeste,” Derek murmured.

I tossed a glance in his direction, which was under the tree where we had both fallen asleep, and found Derek still laying there, his eyes closed. Narrowing my eyes in confusion, I noticed he was still asleep, but he had spoken.

“Celeste.”

“Yes,” I answered absentmindedly, then closed my mouth when I realized he wasn't actually speaking to me.

“I love you,” he said. Even though his words were indirect, I still felt my heart start to beat faster. Derek was dreaming of me, and was even saying he loved me in his sleep.

“I love you too,” I whispered back. A smile appeared on his face, and added to the way he looked when he was asleep, it made my heart melt and my legs feel weak. Suddenly, his eyes sprang open.

Derek moaned softly as he sat up, blinking rapidly against the sunlight. Running a hand through his hair and stifling a small yawn, he glanced around. Confusion immediately entered his features, especially when he spotted me.