Demons From the Past novel Chapter 22

"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the dark."

************

|Edited|

As soon as our eyes met everything else seemed to disappear into the background.

He slowly made his way through the crowd towards me, his eyes not straying from mine. My heart was beating erratically against my chest.

I took in his whole appearance for the first time and my eyes widened.

Oh My God.

Is looking this good even legal?

Deep breaths Verena, deep breaths.

He was the only guy here who wasn't wearing a suit, he wore a black leather jacket with a white V-neck shirt underneath which showed off his muscular build perfectly. His hair was slicked back a little untidily with a few rebellious strands falling loose. He had a light stubble around his jaw which made his already sharp jawline seem impossibly sharper. Even in his casual demeanor he was by far the most good-looking guy in the room.

I noticed a few other girls eyeing him appreciatively and I felt a pang annoyance but it disappeared as soon as our eyes met again.

He finally reached me after what seemed like an eternity.

"Hey." His voice was barely audible, his eyes boring into mine with such intensity that I suddenly felt light-headed.

"Hi." I breathed.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of Aiden clearing his throat. I'd completely forgotten that he was there. I suddenly had the urge to tell him to leave.

"I thought you weren't coming." Aiden asked Nate coolly.

"I changed my mind." Nate's response was curt.

Aiden's attention was directed back at me, "C'mon Ver let's dance." He offered me his hand.

I looked up at Nate and found him looking at Aiden with a hard expression on his face.

"No I'm good. I'll just stay here with Nate." I answered politely, my eyes not straying from Nate's.

Aiden looked kind of offended but he didn't argue. He gave me a final nod before disappearing into the crowd.

"I don't dance." Nate's voice broke in. I found him looking at me seriously.

The image of Nate actually dancing amidst all those college students made me giggle.

"I know." I reassured him.

His lips lifted up into a small smile but it quickly disappeared.

"Maybe you should dance with Aiden. I don't want to hold you back." He suggested, his voice tight.

I studied him before speaking, "Do you want me to dance with Aiden?"

His eyes cut to mine and he exhaled sharply.

"No. I don't." He finally answered.

I couldn't help but smile at that.

I noticed that he looked really uneasy.

He hadn't been kidding when he'd said that it wasn't his thing.

The thought that he'd come here because of me despite his discomfort made my insides feel warm.

"Do you want to maybe go outside? Get away from all this noise?" I suggested.

"Yes." He answered quickly, relief lacing his voice.

I took his hand and started guiding him towards the exit. We made our way to the football field, it was the only place which wasn't crawling with half drunk, noisy teenagers. The only other people besides us where a couple sitting on the bleachers, and they were too absorbed with each other to take any notice of us.

I could still hear the music blaring but it sounded softer here.

Nate cleared his throat behind me and I turned to look at him.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you this before but you look . . . stunning." He finished softly, his Adams apple bobbed as he gulped.

I smiled, "Thank you."

We stayed quiet, enveloped by a tense silence.

Finally, I sighed. "Why did you come here Nate? What made you change your mind?"

He didn't look at me, he'd been expecting me to ask him.

"I don't know." He said finally, giving me a shrug.

"You just can't stay away from me can you?" I asked jokingly.

But he look he gave me in response made my light mood disappear.

"No Verena, I don't think I can."