Avalee wandered the grounds, her heart beating nervously. A warm blush colored her cheeks, as the chill of autumn set in. She walked quite fast, slightly determined. She had no idea where she was going, but she was headed there, wherever it was. She needed to just get away. To be away, and be with someone. She was sick of being alone, execpt of course the company of her needy students.
She wanted to be around some people who weren't just asking for her help on planting things anymore. So she walked.
"Avalee. Hey, Avalee!" A voice called a distance away from the girl. It was Phoenix who was running after her. He saw her when he walked out of the castle. A grin had stretched across his face at the sight of her and he zipped up his jacket and followed after her. He finally caught up with her and slowed to her pace.
"Hey there." He said cheerfully, his hands reaching into his pockets.
Avalee smiled and looked back as soon as she heard his voice. She slowed down as he ran to meet her. She was so glad to see him, and her heart skipped a few beats. She liked him. She could admit that much to herself right now. Not that she would ever admit that to him. Avalee looked into his eyes, right behind his glasses, and showed him how happy she was to see him.
"Hey, yourself." Avalee said, beaming. "How are you?"
"I'm great!" He replied, with a smile in return. "And you?" Phoenix combed his fingers through his windblown hair. It had grown some and had a spikey look to it. He would deny it, but he was trying to impress Avalee by looking a little different. He even dressed down more often than usual. Like today, he had a navy blue zip up jacket, torn jeans, and old sneakers. Totally not his usual look. And the hair just really gave him a different appearance. Like a new guy.
"I got you something." Phoenix said softly. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a white stuffed teddy bear that held a little red heart and he held it out to her. "I know it's late but...happy er...Sweetest Day."
Avalee was surprised, yet happy about his enthusiasm. She brushed her long bangs out of her eyes so she could actually see. His grin made her grin wider. She was so happy that she had taken the time to put on makeup and lipstick this morning. Her lips were ruby red and her eyes shined. She wore a black knee-length dress and yellow tights underneath. A little odd-looking, but she liked it. On her feet were low-top regular converse all-stars. "I'm doing...okay."
As soon as he held out the bear, she blushed, and her heart raced. She smiled impossible wider and chuckled. It was adorable.
"Thank you so much." Then she sighed. "Aw, I feel so bad. I don't have anything for you." The bear was adorable, and she looked at it while she apologized.
"Your presence is a gift itself." Phoenix could smack himself for such a cheesy line, but it was the truth. He hadn't seen her in what felt like ages.
((Sorry, I can't think. I'm on the phone so I'm multi-tasking.))
Avalee gazed up at him, and pecked him on the cheek. She blushed as soon as she did it, and glanced down at the ground. She almost opened her mouth to apologize for it, but it sounded too silly.
Phoenix smiled from ear to ear and his cheeks flushed almost immediately. He looked up at the sky after hearing a faint roar of thunder. "Look's like a storm is coming. It's going to be a cold night." And then he had an idea.
"Say, would you like to maybe get together and have a butterbeer?"
"Sounds splendid." Avalee said, and smiled. The air smelled of rain and cold weather.
She blushed after what she had done, and couldn't wait for every moment with him. She intended to buy him a drink and stop embarrassing herself. She held the bear in her right hand, while she dangled her left hand at her side, just in case he wanted to hold it.
"I was thinking we could go to my dormitory, unless that would make you uncomfortable. That way, we won't get caught in the rain if we're in Hogsmead." He couldn't help but notice as he spoke, how pretty she looked, blush and all.
"Sounds..." Avalee looked into his blue eyes. Blue eyes. Avalee definitely had a thing for blue eyes. They were great eyes. Expressive. They complimented his face so well. He was a gorgeous boy. She had no idea why he was chasing after her. Avalee secretly loved his nerdy image. The glasses. The way he usually dressed. It was adorable.
"Great." She would try not to mess this up, she promised herself as they walked toward his home.
"Great." Phoenix echoed softly. He merely smiled and pushed a strand of blonde hair that fell in front of her eyes away. Then he started for the school, walking closely beside her.
Avalee felt how close they were as they walked back to his dorm. It was odd to be this close. She yearned to reach out and touch him. But after her little stunt with the kiss, she knew it was his move. For some people she hung out with, it was just awkward or uncomfortable. With Phoenix...well it was different. They just clicked.
Still, she felt that ache of Axel's absence was still there. He was gone. It was still fresh. She had just kissed someone. It was on the cheek, but that didn't change anything. Tears almost sprang to her eyes, but she just had to shake them off.
"So...what have you been up to lately?" Avalee asked, clearing her voice mid-sentence, shaking away the sadness.
Phoenix felt his hand just barely rub against hers and stepped just a little bit away. Darn nerves. He almost went to take her hand, but he still couldn't help but feel that it was too soon.
"I've been teaching. And we had a big Astrology field trip at the end of Summer around the mountains. That's where the stars are the best to gaze at. What about you?"
"Fun!" Avalee said in response to his comment on the field trip. They stars looked so pretty up around the mountains. She didn't remember the last time she was out there, but she remembered it was beautiful. Maybe one day she could go up there with Phoenix. When their hands bumped, she felt her body react. Her heart jumped in her chest. It was his move, she reminded herself.
"Just teaching, lots of planting. Lots of ash and belladonna planted this year." Then Avalee realized how dorky she sounded as she talked about her plants. She realized that most people wouldn't care. "And...some other plants..." Avalee finished.
"You have the right personality for a herbologist." Phoenix said with a crooked smile. "You've got that patient, loving nature." He got closer to her again, pretended to look away at something, and took a deep breath. Then he carefully took her hand in his, a certain warmth traveling through his hand and into his stomach. His heart thumped a little faster at her touch, but he felt unusually comfortable.
Avalee smiled as he held her hand. She felt her heart beat faster while her hands got warm, touching his warm, soft hands. She looked to him, but he was looking away, blushing. Holding his hand was so simple. It was so natural. Avalee looked at him again, wondering to herself, is this really happening? She hoped it was.
((Fast forwaaaaard to the dorm. Woot.))
"Do you like your butterbeer served hot or cold?" Phoenix asked as he set two wine glasses on down the table in front of the couch, a tall thick clear bottle in his hand full of a caramel colored liquid. He pulled a cork out of it and began pouring the liquid into the glasses. There was just dim lighting in the room from the lit fire in the fireplace. That's usually all Phoenix used in here to see. "Is it too dark? I can light some candles."
"However you take it." Avalee said. She liked Butterbeer both ways, and in his moment, she really didn't care. She had been up here before, but it was the same. It smelled quite nice for a boy's dorm. It was dark, but inviting. Seemed quite....homey. "It's fine," She said in response to the lighting.
"I think I'm going to take it the way it is." He said. Phoenix shoved the cork back in and set the bottle carefully on the table before retreating beside Avalee on the couch. But he wasn't even thinking about taking a sip.
"So...here we are..." Avalee said. They were sitting on his couch. In his apartment. She could feel inside that it was wrong to be here, but at the same time it felt right. She felt that the former was all that mattered in this moment, so she would act on it. She gently set her head on his warm shoulder. It sends sparks across her skin.
"Again." She finished.
"Again." Phoenix breathed. He smiled as her head fell gracefully to his shoulder, and he layed his own against hers.
Tell her. He kept thinking. Just tell her.
Avalee just sat there, And breathed. She had no words for this moment. She was falling again. And this time it felt so true. She felt like Phoenix might actually like her back. He actually madE her happy, in a time when she thought no one could. She smiled gently.
"Has anyone ever...er...told you..." Phoenix started, but he was having a hard time getting words to come out. He closed his eyes and breathed silently then took her hand, looking at their hands.
"How beautiful you are? Especially with the fire's glow."
Avalee smiled, and picked her head up and looked into his eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a really handsome and amazing guy?" Avalee, with slight hesitation, leaned forward, almost letting her lips touch his.
Phoenix looked into her eyes for a short moment and then lowered his gaze.
"I'm afraid you're the first." He said softly, a smile forming on his lips. He could feel her so close to him and he brought his eyes up to hers again.
"I am really surprised" Avalee said, looking him directly in the eyes. She wanted to kiss him, so bad. Meanwhile she had lyrics running through her head.
Now's your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Boy you better do it soon
No time will be better
She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you kiss the girl
Her smile faded, but her heart soared.
I can't.
I can't do this.
Her heart belonged to him.
Phoenix found his hand had left Avalee's and was now traveling through her soft blonde locks, curling them ever so gently around his fingers. Why was this so hard?
"Phoenix?" She asked. What was going on in his mind?
Did I do something wrong?
Did I say something wrong?
Is he not really into me?
She had no idea what she had done, so she backed up.
Phoenix swore mentally.
Don't blow it. "No...no. You didn't do anything. You're perfect." He said the words before he could think, and he leaned over and kissed her before she could say anything back.
Avalee's eyebrows pushed together, and she looked down. 'I'm pretty f*ck!ng far from perfect.' She thought. The warmness of the room crept up on her. She felt so comfortable and safe here. Especially when he was here. She didn't want that to go away. Not ever. She felt that it was now or never. Either he liked her, or he didn't. Now was the moment.
The next thing she knew, he was kissing her. She was surprised. And naturally, she kissed him back. It felt so right.
Phoenix carefully leaned back, putting a little bit of distance between them. But he was smiling, his hands back to her hair, then her cheek, carefully caressing it with the back of his fingers. He didn't say anything. He simply just stared.
"Hi....?" Avalee whispered in a slightly questioning tone. She smiled gently. She was happy. He made her happy. She leaned forward again, and kissed him, pulling back right away. Looking into his eyes for a reaction.
Phoenix laughed softly and replied with a "hello" of his own. He felt her lips push against his for just a second and then she had gone back, looking into his eyes.
"Wow." He whispered.
"Ditto" Avalee said. She felt like a moron as soon as she said it. It was less than eloquent. A warm blush colored her cheeks. She changed her position. She moved so her whole body was faced towards him. It would be so much easier to kiss him this way.
She looked into his eyes again. She was just trying to tell if he felt the same way.
He kissed her again, a bit longer than hers, but it was still short. Phoenix only pulled back far enough to admire her beautiful face. He traced the blushing areas around her cheeks with his finger. He was so caught up in the moment, he wasn't even thinking about how their relationship wouldn't work. Co-workers, teachers, dating? No, it wasn't allowed.
After he pulled back, she looked into his eyes. Something was wrong. But it didn't matter...right? What could get in the way? It had just started for christ's sake. She really had wanted this to work. She leaned forward and kissed his warm neck.
Phoenix's eyes closed as he felt her warm lips on his neck. What was she doing? It wasn't a bad thing, but was she really ready for this sort of thing? After things with her previous relationship?
He was thinking too much. He was nervous. And it was probably really obvious too. He wasn't used to being this close with girls. He didn't know how to act or what to do. Gosh, they were confusing.
Avalee leaned back quickly. Her eyebrows pushed together and she frowned slightly. If he didn't like her, he needed to say something, now. She knew that if she got involved with him any more it would hurt too much if he ended things. She wanted to be with him. She liked him, a lot. Would he have gotten that bear, the one that sat on the coffee table in front of her, if he didn't like her? Had she done something wrong?
"Phoenix?" She asked quietly, tilting her head to one side slightly. "What did I do?"
Phoenix frowned too, his eyes falling to the bear on the table.
"It's not...it's nothing you did. I was just thinking...." He pushed the edge of his palm into his forehead as he tried to think. "Avalee, I really like you. But we can't have a relationship as long we're in teachers. At least, not a public one. We could be fired." He brought his eyes to hers. "It's against school policy."
Avalee leaned back. She had been avoiding this topic on purpose. She leaned back further. "I know..." She mumbled quietly, looked down at her hands. 'But how can that get in our way?' She thought. She frowned. Nothing ever worked out for her. Something always got in her way. Always. And she knew she couldn't just stop liking him. It didn't work that way.
She frowned.
Phoenix cupped his hands gently around Avalee's face and pressed his lips against hers. They could do this. They could pull it off. Couldn't they?
Avalee closed her eyes, not knowing if what he was doing was a hello or a goodbye. He was right though. This wasn't going to end well. She felt her stomach jump when he touched her though. It showed Avalee that she really did like him.
"We can try." Phoenix whispered. "I don't want to let someone as beautiful as you be taken by somebody else."
((Ehhhh.))
Avalee smiled. She knew how to take a compliment when it mattered. She leaned forward and gently kissed him on the lips, pulling back right after. "How are we gonna do this?" Avalee asked, shaking her head. She wouldn't let him go. She had just gotten him, and he was so wonderful.
He shrugged but had a smile on his face.
"We'll make it work." Phoenix whispered, taking her hand in his and giving it a little squeeze. "It'll be our little secret." He said after she kissed him. "We'll make it work." He repeated.
"I'm not let you go." Avalee said. "I'm far too suborn." Then she smiled lightly. She reached for the butterbeer and two glasses.
Phoenix leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.
This would work, right? Nobody would find out.
He didn't want their relationship to be a secret. He wanted everyone to know how lucky he was.
Avalee smiled and set her head on his chest.
(this is sorta....dead?)
((Yepp....))
((Where new thread?))