When Darkness Dawns

Feelings

"You wear glasses, Pookie?" Sean asks once Raven finally sets me down. I have to grab his big muscled arm to balance myself so I don't fall over from all the spinning.

Giggling with a blush once I've finally stabilized myself, I reply, "Um, yeah, but if I had it my way, you guys would never know. I'm only wearing them today because I dropped my contacts down the drain this morning. Not one of my finer moments."

Now turned away from Raven, I look up at the closest guy to me, finding Axel standing there, so I kind of feel like I'm craning my neck back 'cause he's so damn tall. He makes me feel absolutely tiny, while also making me feel safe and protected at the same time. It's a welcomed, comforting feeling.

"Why wouldn't you want us to see them?" he asks, a brow lifted as he looks upon me with so much fondness.

My blush only grows as I answer, "I feel like I look childish with them. Plus, everyone tells me that I look better without them; that they look ridiculous on me." My black-rimmed glasses look the same as Owen's, in that typical nerdy style. Somehow, though, his make him look even more immaculate.

I try not to think about how I'm saying I look dumb in glasses when the man I'm speaking to is wearing some himself. He just chuckles, his hand coming up to brush some of the hair in my face behind my ears, as he gently cups my chin in his grasp. Smiling, he says, "Well, that's just ludicrous. You could wear a paper bag and still look absolutely gorgeous. Besides, your glasses only make you look more adorable."

Me teeth clamp down on my bottom lip as my skin turns red. "Really?" my voice is soft.

"Definitely," he responds, almond eyes darkening as he looks at my mouth.

"Yeah, I totally fucking agree, Trouble. You look as good as ever," Meanie shouts, making me giggle again as I turn to look over at him.

My heart feels like it's bursting in happiness right now, so overjoyed that I'm with all of them, here, together. I knew they just had to all know each other. Rarely am I ever wrong. I mean, not to brag...

"So," I spin around, making sure I smile at each of them, "I was told there was going to be food?" I grin. They all chuckle.

"Yes. Actually," North starts, "We just finished because we started cooking it earlier than usual."

"Come on, Cupcake! Follow me!" Luke shouts, grabbing my arm and pulling me with him, but not roughly. But I do squeak when pain suddenly rushes through my arm, as he clutched the part with the bruise. I snatch my hand away, not trying to be rude, but mostly because it just scared me more than anything.

He spins around instantly at hearing the sound and feeling my arm jerk away from his grasp, looking at me as one would a wounded animal.

"Peanut, are you okay?!" Nathan shouts, his mingling in with everyone else's.

With a shy smile, I nod at him, then the rest of them. When my eyes land on Luke's, he looks torn apart, like he was the one to cause me all the world's pain and suffering, when in reality, it didn't even really hurt that much. I mostly just reacted like that because it surprised me, and I'm not too good with surprises.

It tears my heart in two to see him looking so sad, so I hastily reassure, "Hey, Muffin, it wasn't you, okay? It didn't really hurt me as much as it just shocked me. Please, don't feel guilty. I'm all right." I reach up my hands, resting them on either side of his face, rubbing his cheeks soothingly with the pads of my thumbs.

Looking into his eyes to convey my utmost sincerity, I give him a soft smile before letting my hands drop from his face, only to wrap around his body. And as I hug him, I press the side of my head against his chest--the top of it reaches to about his collarbones. And I breathe in his amazing scent of vanilla and sugar and all things sweet.