by Kelly Oram
“Is too,” Seth muttered.
“Whatever. My point is, don’t worry so much about being normal.”
Seth narrowed his eyes at me, unsure where I was going with this. Where I was going was probably the last place he ever expected, and it took me a minute to spit out my next words. “So long as you’re not scaring me senseless,” I said, blushing as I shrugged my shoulders, “I kind of like that you’re different.”
Once Seth got over his shock, something dangerous flashed in his eyes and for once it wasn’t anger. It was… it was… I don’t know. But it was scaring me in a really exciting way.
“Ellie,” Seth said, slipping off his stool. That’s all it took for him to be standing over me.
I knew what he wanted. And I knew that this time he wouldn’t stop himself. I could see it in his eyes. I could practically feel it. This was already a better kiss than Dave’s and Seth wasn’t even touching me yet.
Seth took my face in his hands. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he warned me, his whisper so smooth it gave me goose bumps. “You may not like it, but I’m afraid it has to be done.”
Uh, pretty sure I’m going to like it.
Seth grinned as he lowered his face to mine. “You’re thinking out loud again.”
I started to gasp in horror, but the instant my lips parted Seth threw his mouth on mine, literally stealing the breath from me. It made me want to gasp all over again from the sheer pleasure I was feeling.
His lips were light, but moved with such urgency it felt like he needed this kiss in order to stay alive. I lost all sense of anything but the feel and taste of his lips, except I’m pretty sure that at one point his hands were in my hair destroying my ponytail.
The whole experience left me feeling lightheaded, and when it was finally over I woke up to find that I was no longer sitting on my stool, but standing in Seth’s arms. It was a very good thing he was holding me up because my knees had given out.
We were both panting slightly as Seth leaned his forehead against mine. “That should have been your first kiss,” he said.
“Wasn’t it?” I asked, dazed. Whatever Dave did last week, it was nothing even remotely close to what I’d just experienced. Seth had just completely wrecked me.
There was a smile in Seth’s voice as he asked, “You okay?”
The fog wouldn’t lift from my brain entirely, but I managed to bring my eyes into focus. “Huh?”
Seth was watching me, more amused than I’d ever seen him. His whole countenance was different—like a weight I’d never known was there had suddenly been lifted from him.
“Do you need to sit down?” he asked me.
That sounded like an excellent plan. When I nodded, Seth dragged me back into the family room and pulled me down to the couch with him.
“My knees feel like jell-o,” I said. “Is that supposed to happen?”
The only answer I got from Seth was a laugh and him going, “Oh, Ellie,” with a happy sigh.
It looked as though he was content to just sit there with me tucked into his side for the rest of his life, but the fluttering in my stomach was quickly turning to nerves, so I interrupted the peace with another stupid question. “So, um, what happens now?”
“What do you mean?” Seth asked. He was busy winding his fingers in my hair.
“I don’t know. It just feels like we should be doing something.”
“We are. We’re babysitting.”
When I frowned, Seth laughed. “You’re just feeling restless because normally you’d be running away from me by now.”
This was true. “If I didn’t have Cameron to worry about, I still might.”
“Well, lucky we have Cameron then.”
Seth laughed so lightheartedly that I nearly forgot why I was supposed to be scared of him in the first place. He pulled me close long enough to kiss the side of my head, then let me go. He settled for holding my hand, which I think was another physical restraint on his part in an attempt to make me more comfortable. I was grateful for it.
“So, what are we watching?” he asked, turning his attention to the TV. When he saw what was playing he went, “Ellie, you are not watching old Chuck Norris movies.”
Seth stayed with me until the Haskins got home at twelve-thirty, and it never occurred to me that the Haskins might not like that until I heard the garage door go up. Of course, Seth had it all smoothed over with one sentence. “I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Haskins, but I didn’t think it was safe for Ellie to be all alone on a Saturday night with a serial killer on the loose.”
Mr. And Mrs. Haskins actually thanked Seth for being so thoughtful, then went off about how much all the dead girls look like me. “This is a fascinating conversation and all,” I said, interrupting them. “But I’d rather not have nightmares tonight. So do you mind if I go home now and don’t talk about the fact that there’s a creep out there who would slice me up if he had the chance?”
“Oh, goodness. I’m sorry, Ellie. I never thought of it like that. I’ll just take you home now,” Mr. Haskins said as he grabbed his keys again and headed back toward the garage.
“Mr. H. I live eight houses down the street. You don’t need to drive me.”
“Ellie, Seth is right. There is a serial killer out there.”
“I can get her home safe, Mr. Haskins,” Seth offered. “I don’t mind. I’m going that way anyway.”
The next thing I knew, I was walking down a deserted street in the middle of the night with my extremely hot neighbor who is an extremely good kisser. The storm had settled to just a light drizzle and we walked down the middle of the street to avoid the downed tree branches and flooded gutters.
Even though we’d just spent the last couple hours alone together, the TV had been on, and the storm had been noisy. Now it was really quite. Too quiet. “Did you know our street was originally called Chuck Norris Drive?” I asked just to break the silence.
Seth gave me a look. He’d watched the end of the movie with me, but he’d laughed all the way through it.
“It’s true,” I went on. “But they had to change the name because nobody crosses Chuck Norris and lives.”
Seth tried not to laugh, but he failed. “I can’t believe you’ve never had to fight off admirers before,” he said. “There’s no way that at least half of the guys you hang out with aren’t madly in love with you.”
“Believe it,” I said, trying to avoid the awkwardness of his statement. “Until you came along, no guy ever even called me by my first name. Well, I guess you and Travis. But you were first, and he doesn’t count because when he met me I was wearing Angela’s stupid bikini.”
Seth frowned when I mentioned Travis’s name. We’d reached the street between our houses and as I headed for mine, Seth grabbed my hand. “Come home with me tonight.”
“Excuse me?” I was shocked and had to work to control my sudden anger.
“I don’t mean it like that,” Seth said. Lucky for him, he looked sincere. I’ve punched guys’ lights out for asking a lot less. “Just tonight—Saturday night. Just so I can keep an eye on you.”
“You weren’t lying to Mr. H. earlier,” I said, astonished. “You really did come over tonight because you were worried, didn’t you?”
“Ellie, you have no idea what Saturday nights have become for me. I have to go find ways to distract myself every weekend in order to keep from breaking down your door.”
“Okay, am I supposed to be pointing out the times you do or say something creepy? Because now would be one of those times.”
Seth ignored me. “Stay with me tonight,” he said again.
“Seth, I’ll be fine. Come over in the morning and check on me if you must, but I cannot go home with you. End of story.”
Seth didn’t look thrilled, but he didn’t argue with me. “Fine,” he said and walked me up to my house. He quieted his voice to a whisper as he walked me to the door, probably thinking the same thing I was—that my overprotective father was no doubt waiting up for me
and wouldn’t like Seth bringing me home instead of Mr. Haskins.
“Goodnight, Ellie,” Seth whispered, then surprised me by leaning down to press his lips quickly to mine. All that did was make me want to grab him and try to recreate our kiss from earlier. I wondered if he could read my mind, because he flashed me a wide grin. “See you in the morning.”
I rolled my eyes. “And I promise I’ll be very much alive.”
“Dad, I’m home,” I said, shaking my father. He’d fallen asleep in front of the TV. I guess Mom was able to calm him down a little after I left this evening. I figured I’d find him pacing the kitchen when I got home. Hopefully that meant both he and my mom would be in better moods from now on.
Dad wiped the sleep from his eyes and smiled at me. “Good,” he said. Then he kissed the top of my head, double-checked to see if the front door was locked, and disappeared up to bed.
I was exhausted, too, but the emotional roller coaster I’d been on tonight had my mind reeling. There would be no sleeping for Ellie Westley tonight.
I threw on my pajamas, turned on my TV, and had just settled into bed when I heard the tiniest knock on my bedroom window. At first I thought I’d imagined it, but then I heard it again. I muted the TV and crept quietly along the wall to the edge of the window, listening hard for evidence that I wasn’t crazy.
“Ellie!” someone whispered from the other side. “It’s me.”
If the voice hadn’t been so familiar, I would have screamed loud enough to wake the dead. “Seth?”
“Yeah. Open up.”
Angela would have been disappointed in me on multiple levels if she’d seen how quickly I obliged him. I cracked the window open, but before I could finish saying, “What are you doing here?” he let himself in and locked the window.
“Seth!” I hissed. “If my parents find you in here, my dad will kill me before the Saturday Night Slasher ever gets a chance. And he’ll kill you first!”
“Then stop making so much racket,” Seth whispered.
“What are you doing in here?”
Seth made himself comfy on my bed and smiled up at me. “It’s morning,” he offered, as if that should explain everything. When it clearly didn’t, he elaborated. “You said I could come check on you in the morning.” He glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was nearly one. “Technically, it’s morning.”
“Cute.”
“Look. You said you couldn’t come over to my house, so I’m staying here tonight. With you.”
Something about the way he tacked on that “with you” made me thank the stars that I didn’t listen to Angela on the subject of sleepwear. My big flannel Simpsons pj’s were extremely comforting at the moment.
“You are not spending the night with me, Seth.”
“Oh, yes I am. Even if I have to tie you up and gag you ‘till morning to keep you from waking everyone in the house.”
A small tinge of fear pricked my chest, but I swallowed it back. “You wouldn’t.”
Seth cocked one of his eyebrows. “Don’t think so?”
He’s bluffing. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.
I decided I’d really rather not know. When I sighed my defeat Seth held out a hand to me. “Come here, Ellie.”
I eyed him dubiously as he lay propped up against my pillows. “No, thank you.”
Instead of lying down with him, I climbed down to the foot of my bed and sat with my back against the wall. When Seth decided that I really wasn’t going to join him, he crawled over next to me. “How are we ever supposed to get any sleep sitting up like this?” he asked.
“Newsflash, Seth. There is no way I’m getting any sleep with you in here, no matter what position I’m in.”
“Would it help if I take the floor?”
“It would definitely make me feel better, but it wouldn’t help me sleep.”
“Well, if you’re going to lose sleep no matter what, then I’m not moving to the hard floor.”
It got awkwardly quiet all the sudden and when Seth reached over to take my hand in his I was already tense. I flinched just enough to make Seth frown. He pulled his hand back to his own lap and closed his eyes. “I’m confused,” he admitted, trying very hard to control whatever emotion was escaping him at the moment. “I thought we had a nice time tonight.”
“We did,” I agreed cautiously.
“I kissed you goodnight on your front porch less than fifteen minutes ago.”
“You did,” I agreed again.
“And you weren’t scared of me then.”
“I wasn’t.”
“But I’m making you uneasy now?”
“Yes.” After everything we’d been through tonight, I found it easier to be straight with him. “It’s hard not to be scared of you.”
Seth reached for my hand again. This time he took it. “I really don’t want you to be scared of me. Ellie, I swear I could never—”
“No. No. I know. It helps to know a little more about you now, but it’s not just that. It’s the things you say, and the way you look at me.” I felt the weight of his body perched next to mine, and the warmth of his hand and added, “And how you’re always finding ways to touch me.”
I looked down at my lap, expecting Seth to laugh at my naivety, but he surprised me with a grave seriousness. “I’ve never wanted someone so bad in all my life,” he admitted, pulling my chin up so that I was forced to look at him.
Oh, great. Honesty. That was a brilliant idea. Now he was touching me, and looking at me, and saying things all at the same time. I couldn’t breathe. Or I was breathing too fast. I didn’t know. But I couldn’t really think at the moment.
“I’m sorry if that scares you,” Seth said. “But I can’t help it. When I’m with you I feel so much, it’s overwhelming.”
I gasped and tried to scoot away from Seth, but he pulled me all the way into his arms. “Not a chance,” he said lightly, his embrace turning to iron around me. “You’ll never get used to it if you keep running away.”
Holy hyperventilation. “Seth, you’re scaring me again.”
“Relax, Ellie. Trust me.” His lips were suddenly at me ear. “Close your eyes,” he demanded in a calm whisper. A shudder ran through my body and my eyes fell shut like they were under a spell. “Take a deep breath.”
I felt Seth’s chest rise and matched the action. We took a couple of relaxing breaths together and then my body basically melted against his.
“Good girl,” Seth said, relaxing his grip. He shifted me in his arms so that I was essentially cradled against his chest, and began winding his fingers in my hair. He laughed when I sighed with utter content. “You see? This isn’t so bad. Now we’re going to sit here until you realize that the only thing you’re really scared of is how much you actually enjoy what you’re feeling.”
“What am I feeling?” Besides exhaustion and extreme comfort.
“You tell me. I know you feel more for me than just fear. You kissed me like you meant it.”
“I did?” I blurted.
Seth laughed again. “You did.”
“Oh.”
We fell into a big, fat, awkward silence. I mean, what was I supposed to say to that? Probably not what I said next, which was, “Have you ever noticed the similarities between you and the Saturday Night Slasher?”
It was just what came out of my mouth when I glanced at the muted TV and saw the news reporting something about the new curfews being implemented around the metro area. I felt really bad when Seth let go of me and turned slightly pale. “I’m sorry,” I said through the hand I’d slapped over my mouth. “Forget I said that. I just blurt out random crap when I’m nervous.”
“What did you mean? What similarities?”
“Nothing. I didn’t mean it. I was just thinking of something Angela and I were talking about earlier.”
Seth seriously looked appalled. It was worse than him getting angry. “You and Angela were comparing me to a serial killer?”
I cringed. “Um, no.” We were acc
using you of being a serial killer.
“Liar.”
“I’m sorry! It’s just that you and the Slasher both showed up in my life at the exact same time, haunting my every move. It was kind of hard not to notice when you both scared me so much. Plus, you both have a disturbing thing for knives. You’re sort of a crime enthusiast, and he’s… really enthusiastic about committing crimes.”
“That’s not exactly the same thing,” Seth argued.
I countered with, “You both have an obsession with redheads.”
That finally made Seth smile. “Not anymore,” he said. “I don’t have an obsession with all redheads anymore, just you.”
I blanched, which I think is what Seth was aiming for because he laughed and then held out his arms for me to climb into again. I vigorously shook my head, so Seth reached over and pulled me to him. When I put up less of a fight than Angela being dragged to a shoe sale, and even snuggled up against him, I sighed, annoyed with myself.
Seth pushed my hair out of my face. “What’s the matter?” he asked. He sounded completely serene now that he was holding me again.
“Angela and I were also wondering earlier how girls can be stupid enough to go home with creepy guys like the Slasher, who only end up killing them.”
“And sitting here with me just now reminded you of that?”
I sighed again. “I just figured out how it happens.” Okay, you’re not making things any better, you idiot.
Seth frowned. “Because I’m creepy and I scare you?” he asked dryly.
I smiled sheepishly. “And yet I still opened the door for you tonight. And let you kiss me. And let you in my room. Then I had the gall to be surprised when you scared me again. And now here I am again. Back in your arms.”
Seth must have liked hearing me say I was in his arms, because he promptly squeezed me and kissed the side of my head.
I resisted the urge to shudder. “I am one of those stupid girls. I wonder if the Saturday Night Slasher ever did find me, would I let him in, too?”
“Of course you wouldn’t.”