Chapter Eight
He’s in love with me. It still takes me by surprise when he says that, even though he’s said it once before. I look over at him and get lost in those green eyes. Those green eyes have always held some hypnotic powers over me. I lean forward and kiss him lightly on the jaw. He sighs and wraps his arms around me, pulling me against him. When I’m firmly pressed into his side, I rest my head on his chest and tell him that I love him too.
I’m glad that I finally asked him. I was worried that he’d grow to resent this attraction between us, but he still wants to be with me despite everything going on.
“You know that day in the bookstore after I almost got hit by the car?” I arch my head back and wait for him to nod. “Well, I was very attracted to you. I remember thinking that I really wanted to touch your hair and how enticing your eyes were. When you were dusting the bookshelves, I saw a small patch of skin on your stomach…I couldn’t even think straight. Then you caught me staring which caused me to act like even more of a bumbling moron.”
“That’s why you were blushing?” he asks me with a slight smile in his tone. He starts tracing small circles into the sensitive skin on the underside of my arm.
“Yeah, I get really nervous around attractive people. I’m really awkward and then I get embarrassed by how awkward I am.”
“That’s cute,” he says while placing a small kiss on the top of my head.
“You’re lucky I’ve gotten used to all of you guys; otherwise it’d be very awkward around here.”
His chest rumbles as he speaks, “I hope you’re just talking about me.”
Oh, Colton. “Of course. You are the only attractive guy in this house.”
“Ha, I’m telling David.”
At that moment, a loud pang of thunder shakes the house, ruining the carefree moment between us. I jump and sit up slightly. Colton looks at me, silently asking if I'm the cause for the sudden weather change.
“It’s not me,” I tell him. The room brightens as lightning lights the night sky.
There’s a knock at the door. Colton gets out of bed and answers it. I sit up when Tom comes into the room, his eyes landing on me. “Is this you?”
“No, I’m not causing the storm.” I don’t think I can create anything this big. When I first came into my powers, I could manifest weather patterns, but now that I have more control on it, I only create elements of certain weather patterns. I haven’t caused a full-blown storm yet.
“Ok, well I want everyone to go downstairs. This storm could be dangerous,” he says. I crawl out of bed and walk over to Colton. He grabs onto my hand and pulls me out of the room after Tom. When Tom knocks on the door across the hall, a very sleepy Emma opens it and glares at Tom for disrupting her sleep. Olive darts out of the room and straight for my legs.
Scared.
Letting go of Colton, I reach down and pick Olive up. “It’s okay. I’ll keep you safe,” I tell her as I cradle her against my chest. Colton puts a hand on the small of my back and guides me downstairs. Liam, Logan, Bragden, David, Larkin, and Conner are already downstairs when we get there. In sync, they all turn to look at me. Goodness gracious, why does everyone think I am causing this? Before I came into my powers, natural disasters did occur. Storms do exist. “I’m not causing this storm, so don’t look at me like that.”
“Just checking,” David mumbles. I sit down on the couch next to Liam, and Colton sits down next to me. Harry Dillion from Channel 12 News is giving a live report of this evening’s weather.
“A large storm system is making its way through the state tonight, bringing heavy rain and wind gusting above sixty miles per hour. Expect severe pop-up thunderstorms and golf ball size hail with these storms. Some parts in the northernmost section of the state have experienced power outages. We’ll be back on with any new information regarding these storms. Onto other news, two more people have been reported missing in Huntington’s county…”
The lights flicker as loud thunder rolls outside. I’m not really afraid of storms, but I am very jumpy. I lean into Colton’s side, taking comfort in him. Olive moves onto my lap and curls up into a ball. Colton wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer. Emma, Natalie, and Tom descend the staircase. Emma and Natalie make their way into the living room while Tom remains at the bottom of the stairs. Emma walks over and sits with David in the chair, and Natalie goes to sit on the floor, but Liam and Logan both scoot over, creating space between the two of them. The couch is plenty big enough for all of us.