Nightmare - Secret Identities Book 1

Chapter 8

Virgil's POV

I bit my lip, looking down at the rooftop I stood on.  "Hey, Prince."

I didn't need my powers to feel his nervousness, not that they'd work on him anyway.  "Hey."

It'd been almost a week since we'd last seen each other.  I couldn't help but relive the moment in my mind as I played with the edge of my cloak.

I pulled away.

Prince looked down, inching back on the couch. "I'm sorry."

I reached for his hand, but he stood up. "Prince, don't be sorry."

"I really shouldn't have."

I, too, stood.  "No; no, please, wait."

He left.

"We should talk about it, right?" he said.

I stepped forward a bit.  My hands shook despite myself.  "Or... not."  I hated talking; words could be so easily misunderstood.

His head tilted to the side in confusion.

I groaned and rolled my eyes.  "Look, I didn't...  I don't..."  Yep, stupid words.

"Can I kiss you again?"

I blinked.  Could he?  Did I want him to?  Why not?  Slowly—meekly—I nodded.

He met me in the middle of the roof, resting his hands on my waist and pulling me close.

When he pulled our lips together, there was a lot more emotion behind the kiss this time, and something told me we'd both needed it.

I pulled back, but not away this time.  "We shouldn't do this."

He kissed me again, this one harder for each of us to pull away from.  "You're probably right."

"We both have lives other than these."

Another kiss.

"I have plans tonight."  This time, I leaned back in.  It felt nice to have someone to hold me—that'd trust me, even after knowing all the bad.

"I do, too.  Five o'clock."

"6:30."  I smiled with a sudden idea.  I teleported us before he could even question me.

On the outskirts of the city, we could see the lake that it'd been founded on.  Now that it was a park, the natural beauty was preserved and isolated from society.

I sat on the grassy beach, leaning over and dipping my fingers into the water.

"This place is magnificent."

"Yeah, it is."

"Um..."  Prince tapped my shoulder.  "Did you just read my mind...?"

I turned around, no longer concerned with the view.  A small, shocked smile played on my lips.  How else was I supposed to react?

He backed away, his eyes wide, and my smile dropped.  "Please don't.  If it's one of those things you can help, please."

I watched him take another step back.  "Please don't go."

He was scared.

Jeez, my powers always mess everything up.  I stepped closer.

He backed away.

Shit.  I tried my best not to hear his thoughts.  "I can fix this; I can fix this.  Will you...  Will you let me fix this?"

He sighed.  "Okay."

The mood changed so quickly.  I approached him as though he were a wild animal—gently and carefully.  I touched my right hand to his temple.  "Before I do this, there are some things you should know.  Firstly, this is going to be jarring; I don't know how you'll react."

"Alright."  His emotions eased a bit.

"Second..."  I took a deep breath.  "Um, if I, uh...  If I do this—if I put up these walls—I-I c-can also take them down."  I hesitantly looked into his eyes.  "Prince, that means i-if I lose control around you again..."  I sighed, my hand slipping from his face and down to his chest.  I could no longer meet his gaze.

His hand cupped my chin, forcing me to look at him.  "I trust you."

"So you've said..."  I put my hand on his temple again, wrapping my other arm around his neck.  I kissed him, letting my powers kick in.

———

Clapping filled the auditorium as the lights turned back on.  Students in long, black robes filed off stage and out of the large room.

I grabbed my coat and headed up toward the stage, seeing Roman talking with a few parents.

Roman glanced my way, smiling.  "Thank you," he told a woman, "but you'll have to excuse me."  He slipped away, coming to stand in front of me.  "What are you doing here? I didn't peg you for a school choir kind of guys."

I scoffed.  "Neither did I, but they performed well."

He looked so proud.  "Those are my kids."

I looked around, seeing a few parents and students watching us.   "You're quite popular tonight.  I'll leave you to it."  I walked away, glancing back with a grin as he was quickly overwhelmed.

When I stepped out into the hallway, a girl called, "Mr Pearce!  You actually came!"

I turned to see a group of students from one of my psych classes.  Smiling, I stepped over to them.  "Well, of course; you all asked me to.  You guys did very well."

They grinned widely.

"Alright, you have a nice night."  I excused myself.  I turned, unconsciously listening to another conversation as I made my way toward the door.

"Didn't you see?  Mr Ross isn't here with anyone.  He never talks about his personal life, either," one student said.

Secretive, huh?  I can relate.

Another student spoke, "You know what other teacher is attending the concert alone and also happens to be rather secretive?"

I stopped walking and took out my phone, though I paid little attention to the device.  Where is this going?

"Who?"

"Mr Pearce," the second student explained.  "I saw the two talking earlier."

"They're probably just friends."

"Yeah, but it'd be so cute if they were more than that."

I sighed and kept walking.  Don't even think about it, Virge.  Getting involved with a co-worker is a bad idea.