I gave him another dirty look and he burst into laughter. Well at least he had found his sense of humor again.
“Glad to see you worked out all your frustration,” I growled bitterly. And even though I silenced him, I still couldn’t look him in the eye.
“Stella, I’m sorry.” My eyes flew to his when his voice turned from teasing to hauntingly serious. “You’re right, I was frustrated. But I was also hurt…. I felt like we had this big moment, I mean…. you mean everything to me and last night you were almost taken from- I went through hell last night, for those few moments you were gone that was utter hell. And then you came back to me and it was exactly the opposite of hell and it was great between us. We took this step forward and I actually felt like we were on the same page.” Seth paused for a long moment and I think he was waiting for me to say something, but I couldn’t even wrap my head around everything he had just said, or the raw emotion with which he said it. Finally, he sighed and continued. “Anyway, when he walked downstairs this morning and I realized where he came from…. I think I lost my mind for a little bit.” He smirked apologetically and my heart melted.
I couldn’t help it.
My heart was one, big, buttery puddle.
Still I was an independent woman after all.
Hear me roar….
“I get that we have this future together, Seth,” I started, smiling a little bit to ease his fears. I took a breath, knowing I had to stand my ground, even if the way his golden eyes watched me carefully, revealing how vulnerable he could be sometimes, made my chest constrict and my lungs completely forget to do their job. “But you can’t just spend a few weeks in my life and tell me what I’m allowed or not allowed to do. Granted, Tristan should never have slept over. I get that. And not just because of this thing between me and you…. He shouldn’t have slept in my bed because it was disrespectful to my parents and it’s not the kind of girl I am. And if I’m going to be honest, it won’t happen again. And only partly because my daddy would kill him. Seriously…. he would kill Tristan….” I thought about that for a moment and shuddered from the thought of what that would be like before continuing, “But you and me, we decided to let things happen naturally and slowly and even if there is kind of an expiration date on that mentality, I am still treating our relationship as if we have a choice. I need that; I need to have an actual choice in the matter. So you can be jealous or whatever, but I don’t want to hear about it. And I really don’t want to be told what I can and cannot do. At least until you are officially my boyfriend.”
“Or your fiancé,” Seth smiled that charming, disarming smile of his and I hoped he took me seriously.
“Whichever one comes first,” I mumbled, knowing that would get under his skin.
But he just laughed. “You’re right, Stella. It won’t happen again. Like I said, I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you,” I replied sincerely. “Now go home. You stink.”
“You don’t smell so good yourself,” he tussled my hair on his way out, and then I broke into a huge grin.
It died when he left though and my parents moved into the room like hawks waiting to prey on their next meal.
Shoot.
“Stella, you know Tristan is not allowed in your room anymore, right?” my mother asked and I could tell she was the calmer one of the two, even though both of them looked decidedly less angry than I expected them to look.
“Yes, I know,” I dipped my head, ashamed.
“You’re grounded this whole week, young lady,” my father continued, and I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes that I knew were boring into me. “And the weekend.”
“I figured.”
“Alright then,” my father announced stiffly and both of my parents made a move to leave the room.
“Wait, what?” I demanded. My head perked straight up and I met their eyes easily this time. “That’s it? That’s all I get? One week of being grounded?”
“Do you want more?” My mom laughed, it was outright and genuine and I loved the sound of it. I had been so afraid my parents were going to be completely and irrevocably disappointed in my behavior or at the very least extremely, incredibly, so scary I might pee my pants angry.
“No!” I gushed, trying to keep from smiling too. “I just thought there might be more….”
“We heard your conversation with Seth, honey,” my father explained and my cheeks brightened with an instant blush. “You’re more responsible and dedicated than your actions demonstrated last night. Don’t let it happen again.”
“Yes sir,” I replied respectfully.
My mother left the room, hiding her smile, but my father pulled her back against him before she could get too far. “Seriously Stella, don’t let that happen again,” my father warned, lifting one of his hands and pointing a long, strong finger at me. “Don’t make me have to talk to you like you’re an irresponsible child ever again, Stella-bean. You’re not one and I want you acting with all the manners and etiquette classes I paid for over the summer!”
I cracked a huge smile, my father had been threatening me with etiquette classes my whole life. He thought they would help us blend into humanity. He smiled back and then dipped his head to kiss my mother lovingly on the neck before leading her into the living room. I watched my parents retreating backs and couldn’t help but wonder if Seth and I would ever be that close…. if we would ever fall that much in love.
It was definitely hard at this point, especially when I had to keep trying to convince myself that Seth could actually like me for me and not because of some career obligation made by his dead parents. Or a Council of Elders that had never met either of us and paired us together before we were even born.
Yikes. Aliah was hardly the beginning of my problems….