The Genetic Code

Chapter 27

"Sterling." The word falls from my mouth and lingers in the charged air.

He looks at me with those light eyes, and smiles. "Did you just notice?"

The sides of his mouth suddenly fall as something dawns on him, and his eyes narrow. "Wait, so you didn't know it was me, but you followed me anyway? Into my car?"

"Well..."

"That's plain stupid, ally. You can't just get into any random guy's car!"

"No... I—" I try to explain, but he cuts me off.

"Do you know how dangerous that is? You need to have some common sense. I told you, always thinking the best of people isn't going to help you, it'll get you into trouble, and—"

"I didn't think you were a random guy." I'm the one to cut him off this time to clarify myself. "I... recognized your voice." He looks at me in confusion, not getting where I'm going with this. I continue slowly, "You're the voice in the dark."

He raises his eyebrows, then breaks out into a small smirk. "Ah, so you finally managed to put two and two together."

"Why didn't you just tell me earlier?"

"Well," he hesitates, "you were a lot more comfortable with me when you didn't know my face. You used to not want to talk to me face-to-face."

"Oh," is all I say. I sniff.

"Are you... okay?" he asks in that gentle voice of his that I hardly get to hear.

"I don't know," I reply.

"You can tell me what happened if you want to. Maybe not right now, you should calm down first. But if you don't feel like it, then don't feel pressured to. I'm here either way." I'm somehow so comforted by that simple statement. I nod silently.

We sit in a peaceful silence for a while. My tears have mostly dried and my sniffling stopped. I turn and look at him, to see him staring out the window, watching the buildings roll by as we get further away from the bustling heart of the city, to the quieter parts.

"Thank you," I say softly, just loud enough for him to hear. He turns his head and looks at me with a blank expression.

"We're going to the same neighborhood anyway, I'm not even the one driving. Why're you thanking me?" says the dark-haired boy as if not understanding my gratitude towards him.

"Just... for everything. For today, for yesterday, for camp... You keep helping me, but I can't do anything for you." My eyes are starting to well up with tears again, and I don't know why.

His eyes bear into mine, light grey orbs with a slight greenish tinge, holding such a consuming intensity. I'm so enraptured by his eyes that I don't notice his hand reach forward, until I feel his warm fingers on my cheek, as he uses his thumb to gently sweep away a fallen tear. My stomach flutters at his touch, and I can feel the blood rising to my cheeks.

"You don't even realise what you do to me, do you?" His voice is low and husky, and he gaze travel from my eyes, down to my mouth. I stop breathing. I suddenly feel scared, scared of what he may do. I'm trembling.

But he simply leans forward, closing the gap between us, his hand cradling the back of my head, and presses his lips gently to my forehead. He stays there for a few seconds, then slowly backs away inch by inch. With his hand on the back of my head, he eases my head into his chest.

"Can you hear it? The effect you have on me?"

I listen to his heart, beating rapidly like mine. My eyes are wide, but I have no words. All logical thought has been wiped from my brain, from the point where he kissed.