Love Bites

LOVE BITES Chapter 31 : Crystal Skies

A/N: the picture above ^^ is more or less what I picture Nikki's hair looking like right now

Chapter 31 : Crystal Skies

My mind was wandering again.

Chin cupped in the palm of my hand, I absently rolled the BIC pen across my bottom lip, drawing it between my teeth as I watched through my mind's eyes, childhood memories play out in front of me like an old picture on a screen.

But then it timed out. I shook myself out of my thoughts and pulled my eyes downwards, settling my focus on the open books strewn across the wooden desk in front of my elbows. As my eyes drank in the multitude of text across the pages, my eyebrows slowly began to knit together out of intimidation. Half these words were too fancy to even pronounce.

"Why do you always leave studying to the last minute!?" I ran my hands down my face in frustration, groaning loudly. Peeping through my fingers at the text books, I exhaled deeply and pushed my hair away from my face. "Nikki you got this," I self-encouraged. "You've already learnt all this, you just have to try and remember it." With conviction, I picked up my trusty pen again and brought it down a mere centimetre from my notebook before hesitating, chest rising and falling dramatically in panic. "But when did I learn about DNA polymerisation?!" Hollering in self-misery, I rolled my head back over my shoulders before face-planting the desk. "I've accepted defeat."

After everything that had changed in my life these last couple months, it was amazing that the only thing that hadn't changed was my work ethic. Still terrible and remotely there.

At least good ol' Shakey wasn't taking the full plunge of my frustrations anymore.

I couldn't seem to retain any of this useless crap. My mind was just too busy. Besides, it wasn't like school really mattered, right? I could always finish high school next year or even a hundred years from now.

No, I thought sensibly. You'll do it just like everyone else. Like every other human.

Deciding that, I picked my head up from the table and went back to work. Or I would have had the gentle click of the front door downstairs not crept its way into my ears.

Alastair's back!

Tossing my pen to the side I pushed my chair back roughly, the legs scraping against the floorboards. I want to see him. My toes barely touched the ground as I ran down the stairs.

It was funny. More years than I could count on my fingers had already passed and yet the surge of excitement and desire that flared to life deep within me whenever I imagined seeing Alastair never ceased to burn out. Is that what I'd always feel? The need to seek his company?

I'd never get enough of him. And to be perfectly honest, I didn't mind that one bit.

At the second last step I stopped, one hand on the railing and another tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. Alastair was in the process of removing his scarf and black trench coat when he turned his face to me, the glow of chandelier overhead reflecting off his eyes and making their immaculate colour twinkle. Although small, his smile was heart stopping and I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Where have you been?" I breathed, taking another step down the grand staircase.

My own blue eyes swept over him, admiring the way his casual black button down shirt stretched nicely across his tall and lean frame. The top was left undone, revealing a portion of his chest in the shape of a V. Paired with it he wore cream pants which, when I narrowed my eyes, I could make out the residue of a blood stain. My eyes returned to his face, past his collar that was turned up and hidden by the loose black hair that fell past his ears.