Ice And Snow

Chapter 5

She felt something warm touching her eyelids. Her body tells her the room had become slightly less hot and she felt her heart beat slowed down. She wasn't asleep, but she wasn't awake either. She was simply tired.

She felt the weight of the bed shift. The edges of the blanket that was neatly tucked in are now loose. It was being dragged from below her. She stirred lightly. She felt something soft touching her lips. She knew what, but she could barely open her eyes, muchless respond.

Then there was a weight on top of her. It felt warm and she found herself shaking beneath it. Something was keeping her down, making sure she won't get up. After being in the mercy of that something, she opened her eyes slightly. There, she found the orange haired boy on top of her, their lips only an inch apart.

She felt his breath on her and gave in. The boy knew she was awake and he was shaking slightly as well.

"I hope you'll be able to forgive me for this..." He muttered quietly.

Slowly, he guided his lips towards hers. She felt a sense of thrill within the touch and kissed back. His hands went around her waist as hers found their way to his neck. They both stayed that way for quite a while, occasionaly parting for air.

The boy then pulled away and sat up, his cheeks tinted red. The girl stayed down and looked up at the boy with a flushed face.

The boy pulled his hair back and looked down. "I-I'm s-sorry..."

The gril then sat up and hugged him. "You don't have to be..." She blushed. "I actually... Sort of liked it..."

". . . So you accept me then?" The boy asked, suddenly filled with hope.

The girl smiled, but didn't let go. Her mouth went to his ear as she whispered. "I wouldn't have done that if I didn't." What she said filled the boy with joy. Something he hadn't truly felt since that incident.

"Thank you."

~~~~~

A week had passed since then. The two had went out on their first date. They had agreed that they would spend it as a bit of a tour around the outskirts of town. To make sure they don't grab any unwanted attention, they decided to use the hoverglider and fly through the falling snow.

At the same time, Shiren was teaching Haley to fly the hoverglider. You need to know how if you want to become a Gaist Crusher, or a soldier. A navigator too at some point. He reasoned.

Though, they both knew that he had just wanted to hold her close for this. She didn't mind. She was actually happy about this.

"And down there's GCG base, but you already know that." Shiren said with a smile.

"Yeah. It's where everything began." Haley muttered. "Though for some reason, it's all just a blur to me."

"Well, you did gone through a lot that day." Shiren replied. "The one thing I remember was the surprise I felt when you turned from being a shy girl to a completely carefree type."

"I remember when you played your piccolo in front of everyone." She smiled. "You've always played it with great harmony. And you still do."

"Thanks." He said. "So where do you want to go next?"

"What about that cave you told me about? The one filled with flowers, where you found one for my necklace." She said.

"Oh that place." He nodded. "Yeah, alright. You were always one to be around flowers." Haley smiled at that.

The two flew towards the cave and landed right in front of it. They went in and looked around. The blue and pink flowers sparkled like the crystals they are, the walls were so clear, you could see your own reflection and snow covered the floor.

"It's so beautiful..." Haley said, amazed at the sight.

"You can pick one if you like." Shiren said. "They could last for about a month after they've been picked out. The one for your necklace was laminated though."

"Well in that case..." She picked out one blue and one pink. She handed the blue one to Shiren. "You keep one, and I'll keep one."

Shiren took it with a smile. "Fair enough."

~~~~~

The rest of the day was filled with laughter for the two young teenagers. They had fun exploring the hidden caverns and ancient ruins. Now, dusk had finally settled in. The sun sinks below the horizon and stars began to appear in the sky. The shade of pink within the sky outlines the gold and purple. Riding on the hoverglider, the boy took the girl home.

"That was fun." Haley said with a smile.

Shiren nodded. "Let's do this again some time."

"Definately."

In front of the dorm, the two hopped off the hoverglider. Haley began walking up the steps with Shiren following close behind. After unlocking the door, she was about to grab hold of the knob, but then stopped herself in mid air. Shiren walked up to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"I have... A strange feeling..." She said slowly. "There's someone else in there..."

"How can you tell?" Shiren asked.

"The lights are on." She said. "I know I didn't left them on when we left."

Shiren gone quiet for a bit before asking. "Who else have access to your dorm?"

"Other than us, I registered my parents as well..." Haley trailled.

"Teachers?" Shiren asked.

"No. Teachers aren't supposed to be within the dorms without letting students know." She said.

"I was afraid you were going to say that." He said with a sigh. "Well, no point in turning back now. Open the door."

"But you..." Haley tried to protest but she couldn't find the right words to use. Her hand was already on the knob, but she was hesitant to open it.

Shiren placed his hand on hers and turned the door knob. They opened it together and he let Haley come in first. When they reached the living room, two adults appeared and smiled at her.

"Haley! Welcome back!" The woman smiled and waved at her.

"W-why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Haley asked, stuttering.

"Because that would ruin the whole point of a surprise visit!" The man stated with a smile. His gaze turn towards the boy and his smile dropped. His tone turned fron cheerful to serious. "Haley. What did I tell you about this boy?"

Haley's gaze dropped to the floor while Shiren kept a straight face the whole time.