"You know I really should get back to bed." Her voice went tremulous, as his hand tightened around her ankle.
"Please, just stay," the words came out starker than he expected. "Tell me about your brother."
“So Hayley finally told you who he was?" She asked with a small hint of a smile.
"Yes, she wouldn't say anything about him. I thought he was your boyfriend." He replied unable to keep the edge out of his voice. She tilted her head to the side considering him, as she realised something important.
"You were jealous." She finally said, feeling absurdly flattered by even the thought of it.
"I guess I was." He admitted ruefully.
"You're just not used to the competition." She said with a small shrug.
Instead of answering, he danced his fingers up along her calf. Her eyes drifted shut, as she relaxed and enjoyed the sensation of his hands on her. This could be the only opportunity they would ever get together, so she decided to go with the flow.
"You have dancer’s legs." He raised his brow at her, and she reluctantly looked his way.
"I'm not sure how you would tell the difference, but you know I dance." She speared him with a look.
"Hmmm, and now I might turn up early on the chance of seeing you in some skimpy outfit." He winked at her, and she caught her breath.
"You've seen me there before, at least two or three times a week." She replied dryly.
"Maybe, but not to actually watch you dance." He feathered a finger over her anklebone and down over her heel. Her heartbeat soared at the intimate look he sent her.
"Um, why would you want to watch me?" She asked unable to drag her eyes from his deep blue ones.
"Because-" He stopped talking, as a key was heard turning in the front door.
He didn't move, as his parents walked into the room, but Kayla tried to tug her leg from his grip frantically. He pondered her sudden panic, as his parents turned on the light, and he blinked over at them. It wasn't as if they were doing anything wrong, but Kayla appeared scandalised.
"Hello, you two! Couldn't sleep?" Isaac's Dad asked jovially, as he hung his jacket on the peg by the door.
"I, uh, just came to get some water." Kayla babbled out, and Isaac grinned. She was acting as if they had been caught together doing something worse than just talking.
"That's okay, love. Don't let him keep you up all night." His Mum said, before heading towards the stairs.
"And you behave." His Dad ordered Isaac, who let out a long-winded sigh.
"What's with the panic?" Isaac asked with a cheeky grin, once his parents had disappeared.
"I... don’t know." She finally said, as the blush spread and deepened on her face.
"My parents don't really know about my reputation with girls." Isaac admitted with a small shrug, and she looked at him quizzically.
"Why would you bring that up?" She asked curiously.
"I thought you were worried about what they would think." He gestured up the stairs towards his parent’s room.
"I am, but it's just... I’ve never been in a situation like this before." She lowered her eyes, and looked away.
"What caught on a couch with a guy talking?" He asked, as he trailed his fingers higher along her still trapped leg.
Kayla tried to breathe through the sensation of his talented fingers caressing her skin. She was having trouble focusing on the conversation with tingles and warm fuzzy feelings engulfing her.
"Yeah, something like that. Have they ever... you know, caught you before?" She asked and then regretted blurting out the words, as he went still.
"I've never brought any girls home for them to meet." He told her, as he reached a finger out to tilt her chin up, so she would look at him.
"Okay." She said dubiously.
"You don't believe me." He stated simply.
"Well, you have had an awful lot of girlfriends." She said, as she fiddled with the edge of the blanket.
"And none of them have ever walked through that door." He gestured to the front door.
"But you've had parties here when your parents were away."
“Yeah, but then I use Hayley's room for my make out sessions." He teased, as her eyes went wide.
"I'm getting really tired. I think I'll go to bed now." She yanked her leg from his possession, and he realised that he said the wrong thing.
"Kayla, I was just joking. Wait a minute and listen." He stood up quickly, as she scurried off the couch.
"No, I just need to sleep." She stared hard at the ground, as he turned her to face him.
"That was the truth. I never have invited a girl here and parties don't count. Parties are different, but I've never used Hayley's room or mine for... well that." He told her earnestly, and she glanced quickly to his face to see if he was being truthful.
"Fine, where did you go then?" She had blurted out the words without realising. She quickly slapped her hands over her mouth. "You don't have to answer that." She mumbled through her fingers.
"You asked, so I'll answer. Come here," he gently removed a hand from her face, and led her over to the sliding door that looked into the moonlit backyard. "During parties, I use that." He pointed to the old treehouse hanging precariously in the limbs of an old gum tree. A laugh escaped through her embarrassment, as she tried to picture that.
"Seriously? How would those girls in their heels and short skirts ever climb up there?" She spluttered out.
"No climbing, then no making out." He winked at her devilishly, which only made her face feel redder.
"You are a very odd guy." She told him as she tilted her head to study him further.
"Hey, I just like girls with athletic ability. Wanna try climbing up with me?" He asked suggestively, and she shivered at the intent in his eyes.
"Ah, no, I think I'd rather sleep." She said on a yawn.
"Chicken." He accused lightly, and she just shrugged.
"I told you before; I'm not one of those girls." She replied simply, she then turned and walked away.
He rushed after her, grabbing her torch, as he turned off the kitchen light. Why was it that he could never say the right things to her? He caught up to her, as she tried to navigate the stairwell in the dark. He grasped hold of her arm, which she quickly tried to pull from his grip.
"Here, I just wanted to hand you this." Isaac passed the torch to her, as she climbed another step.
"Um, thank you." She replied softly, before switching the torch on and illuminating everything.
She kept walking up the stairs, and he wasn't sure what to say. He reached for her hand and hoped that she would accept his gesture. She stopped and glanced at him in surprise, but let him keep hold of her hand. They continued to climb the stairs in silence.
"Goodnight, Isaac." She said, as she stood outside of Hayley's bedroom.
"Do you want to come into my room? I promise that we'll just talk." God he sounded like some whiny child!
"I don't think that's such a good idea." She whispered, as she released his hand.
"One kiss?" He asked with desperate hope, and felt relieved when she smiled.
"I guess that couldn't hurt." She tilted her head to look up at him.
In the light of the torch, with her hair spilling over her shoulder, she appeared as an irresistible, ethereal angel. It didn't help him that she had left the blanket behind downstairs either. She resembled a seductive creature of the night luring him closer.
"So, that's where you've been." Hayley's voice disturbed the intimacy of the moment.
Kayla jumped back and turned to her friend. She bit her lip, and wondered how to explain the situation. The glint of amusement in her friend’s eyes helped her to realise that everything was perfectly fine.
"Goodnight, Isaac." She said again without looking at him.
Isaac watched in disbelief, as she left him standing there. He didn't even get his goodnight kiss. He wanted to throttle his sister for interrupting, but he didn't even get that chance, as the door shut in
his face. At least he had made some progress in getting to know Kayla. All he could hope for was that Kayla's mother had many more night shift jobs in the future.
Chapter 8 – Who knew homework could be this much fun?
Isaac sat at the kitchen bench when Kayla first made it down the stairs. He stared with a longing look, as she yawned and stretched. She hadn’t bothered changing from her cute pyjamas, so he saw the skin of her waist as her top lifted up. He knew he probably leered; but he couldn’t help himself, as she reached her hands towards the sky.
“Good morning.” His voice sounded deep and inviting, as she glanced at him with a horrified expression.
She stopped moving and clapped a hand over her mouth. No reply came from her; she turned and ran back upstairs. He bit down on his frustrations and awaited her return. It was a good ten minutes later, before she cautiously crept back down the stairs.
He wanted to let out a tortured groan at the old grey cardigan once again enveloping her whole body. Her glasses were on and smothering her face. This girl seriously needed some style, and he was surprised that his sister hadn’t already tried to convert her.
“I’m not going to bite you know, well unless you ask nicely,” Isaac wiggled his eyebrows at her.
“Isaac, mind your manners,” his mum, Dana, said sharply, as she walked into the room.
“Now, what would you like for breakfast? Where’s Hayley?”
“She wanted a shower,” Kayla piped up, and Isaac looked at her curiously. His sister was always one for an end of day shower, never in the morning. Had she given him an opportunity to talk to Kayla?
“I see, well, what would you two like then?” Dana smiled at them both.
“Uh, I actually should be heading home.” Kayla said quickly.
“Honey, your mum knows you’re here; don’t feel that you have to rush off.” Dana answered, and Isaac sent Kayla a look of challenge.
“I guess so. I’ll just have some cereal.”
“Nonsense, Kayla! How about some scrambled eggs?”
“With bacon?” Isaac injected hopefully.
“Sure, mister, with bacon for you.” She looked at her son fondly, and Kayla felt that she couldn’t refuse.
By the time Hayley arrived downstairs, the smell of bacon permeated the air, and plates filled the table. Isaac had convinced Kayla to sit next to him, where she nervously pushed food around on her plate, rather than eating anything.
“So, what are we all doing today?” Hayley asked. as she plonked her plate on the table.
“I’m going home,” Kayla replied with a shrug. “I’ve got a couple of assignments to finish,”
“That are due next month, I’m sure,” Hayley said sarcastically. “C'mon, and have some fun for a change. Leave those assignments for another day,”
“Actually, Kayla might be right,” Isaac stated, making his sister choke on her orange juice.
“I’m sorry Mr homework is overrated, but what did you just say?” Hayley managed to say between coughs.
“That maybe I should study more.” His voice rose, as though asking a question and his sister laughed uproariously.
“Have you started the English essay yet?” Kayla asked, once Hayley could breathe again.
“Ah, when’s that one due?” Isaac scratched his head.
“Next week, Isaac. How haven’t you worked on it before now?” Kayla berated him.
“I dunno. I’ve been busy.” He sent her a sheepish look, but Kayla continued to frown at him.
“That’s no excuse!” Kayla exclaimed. “See, Hayley, this is why I do my assignments early.”
“So, will you help me complete mine?” He asked earnestly, and she sighed.
“Fine, I have to go to the library, so you can meet me there in an hour.” Kayla said, as she stood up to return her plate to the kitchen.
Kayla had left the house quicker than the siblings expected her too. Isaac wasn’t sure if he was happy about seeing her later in the day, or depressed that she would only see him to help him study. Still, at least he could spend time with her, which was a bonus.
“Hey, when you two are done studying, I’m going down the creek if you want to come join me,” Hayley said, as she breezed into his room.
“I’m not sure that Kayla would come,” Isaac sighed, as he shoved his books into a backpack.
“I already told her to pack her swimmers.” Hayley grinned cheekily, before turning to the door.
“You can be quite evil, you know that right?” Isaac beamed at his sister.
“Just like you.” Hayley winked, as she popped her head back into the room.
With more enthusiasm than he had ever had for homework before, he headed to the public library. Seeing her car in the car park had excitement coursing through his veins. He had wondered whether she would chicken out again. Finding her seemed his biggest hurdle. She wasn't at any of the library desks anywhere, which managed to restart his frustrations.
“You finally got here,” her soft voice from behind him had an instant grin on his face. “Come on, I’m sitting back here.” She pointed to a secluded spot that he had never noticed on any previous visit to the library. Not that he spent much time there to begin with.
Books filled the table, only leaving a gap on either side for their notebooks. He stared at the many piled books with trepidation; it seemed that she had planned her whole day for studying. His heart sank, knowing that she wouldn’t want to go with him to the creek in the afternoon.
“It looks like you’ve got a lot to do,” he observed, as he sat down opposite to where she did.
“Oh, I’m borrowing most of these. I just wanted to check that they had the information that I needed,” she nodded at the array of books.
“So what are you working on today?” He tapped a pen against her notebook.
“Um, I thought I would catch up on some physics today.” Her eyes gleamed behind her glasses.
He took a moment to study her. Her baggy grey cardigan still swallowed her in its depths, but the floral top underneath brightened things up. Her jeans had seemed well worn and comfortable, as he had watched her sashay over to the desk. A hat once again threatened to cover the whole of her face, as much as the cardigan covered her curves.
“You know you’re inside, right?” He asked into the silence, as she went straight to work and ignored him.
“Huh? What?” She looked over at him in confusion.
“Why do you always wear a hat?” He asked outright, as someone in the library made a shush noise.
She scrambled for an answer, as her hands went subconsciously to her head. There was no way she was telling him the truth. He might finally notice the massive amount of forehead that she had on display. As a distraction, she looked back down at the complicated formulations she had been working on.
“Seriously, Kayla, why?” He wouldn’t let her forget the topic, and she felt frustrated with him because of it.
“I happen to like hats, okay.” she snapped at him, before returning to her work.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he reached a hand across to her, and she leaned away avoiding touching him at any cost.
“You need to get that essay done.” She pointed at him firmly, as another shush noise sounded.
He turned to his work, and decided to leave her alone for a while. He found his ability to concentrate on his essay difficult, as his eyes kept drifting over to her. Kayla didn’t once look his away, but the blush that filled her face made him realise that she knew he was watching her.
“Are you going to the creek with Hayley?” He asked, as he waited for her reaction.
“Uh, I don’t know yet.” She replied, as she pushed her glasses up on her nose.
“If I finish this essay would you let me drive you out there?” He glanced over to her when she didn’t answer.
He decided that getting a response from her was more important than his dumb essay. He shifted his legs, so one of his brushed against hers. She quickly adjuste
d her position, so she wouldn’t touch him, but he simply moved with her. She finally looked up at him a little flustered and he grinned.
“What’s your answer?”
“To what?” She asked with a shrug, trying to appear casual.
“Whether you’ll let me drive you out to the creek,”
“I’ve got my own car,” she said, before looking back down at her work.
“C’mon Kayla,” he coaxed, as he leaned across the table towards her. “You know you want to.” He lured with teasing deep blue eyes.
“No, I’ll be fine, thanks.” She told him shortly.
“What if I promise to be on my best behaviour?” He sent her a pleading look, and she sighed.
“It’s not a date, and you have to finish that essay.” She replied pointedly, as she stared at the blank paper in front of him.
“God, you're so bossy,” he said with a wicked little grin that turned her insides to mush. Just when she was about to answer him with a smart remark, he took the words straight from her mouth. “But I am seriously staring to like it.”
He reached for her hand, and she was too flabbergasted to refuse him. He heard someone shush them again from somewhere in the library, but he decided to ignore them.
“So, are you going to come with me?” He asked determinedly.
“I… uh.”
“That’s them! They keep disturbing my reading.” A new voice disturbed the moment, and Isaac bit back a curse. Two women appeared next to their table, one very grumpy; whom Isaac guessed to be the person constantly shushing them.
“Kayla, who’s your friend?” The librarian sent a bemused expression to Kayla, who rolled her eyes.
“We’ll be quieter, I promise,” Kayla said in a bare whisper.
“One more complaint, honey, and I will have to send you and your boyfriend out,” the librarian warned, making Kayla turn a frown his way.
“Okay, already.” He loudly whispered, and the librarian tried to hide her smile, as Kayla protested the boyfriend comment.
“You are impossible! Now, get back to work.” Kayla whispered, as the two women left. Isaac simply smirked, surprised that he wasn’t the one protesting the boyfriend label.
“Bossy!’ Isaac pointed to her with a superior grin, before returning to his papers.
How We Began Page 8