I raised an eyebrow—something I’m pretty good at. “Maybe I’ll give Ava a call and see how she feels about it.”
Justin grinned at this, but looked resigned. “Ava and I—we’re not a couple or anything. It’s not like that.”
I began shuffling through paperwork, trying to appear indifferent. “Well, maybe it’s not like that to you, but I’ll bet it is to Ava.” Still studying my paperwork I added, “I bet it was to Sharon Andress, too.”
Justin wet his lips again, studying me. “Are you always like this?”
“Like what?”
“So direct.” He put his hands over my paperwork, forcing me to look up at him. “Because I like it.”
What he said—the way he said it—he had me ready to close my eyes and take a leap of faith. Trust him.
Don’t be stupid, my brain pleaded. This is Justin North. Justin North! He’s not going to hold hands with you and stroll through the school halls. He’s going to ram his tongue down your throat, then rip out your heart. He’s a player. A dog. You don’t need him. You don’t want him.
Only I kind of did. Sort of.
But it was dumb. I tried to focus on reality instead of his gaze. Just breathe, I told myself. Only I was having trouble remembering how to do that. Justin had that effect on me, even at school, from a long distance. His stare was electrifying.
I needed him to leave. Go away and never come back. So, finally I just told him, “I need you to leave.” But I didn’t add the never-come-back part. Instead I said, “I have other customers.”
“Yeah. Okay,” he said, taking a step back. “I’m going. But obviously I didn’t just notice you at school. You know about Sharon and Ava, and probably every other girl I’ve dated.” He grinned. “You noticed me too.”
Busted.
Only I walked away, acting as though I didn’t hear him, or didn’t care. Still, even then I could feel his eyes linger on me, but I listened to my brain. I kept going. I didn’t turn around.
***
When I got home from work it was late, and dark. I almost tripped over a box on our front doorstep. I had to switch on the porch light to see what it was: a box wrapped in fancy red foil. A gift. Probably for my sister, Summer. The thought that it might be for me didn’t even cross my mind, until I saw the card. Kali was scrawled across the front.
I snatched the card up and peeked inside, then squeezed my eyes shut. I read the card again: To Kali because it is so versatile (and I don’t have a sister).
I ripped off the foil of the box, threw open the lid, then gasped, staring at my gift: the dress.
***
After the dress-on-my-porch night, over a week went by without me talking to Justin. Over a week! But one night, when I was at the library he was there too, only he didn’t see me. He was at the non-fiction section with Ava, playfully holding a book from her as she tried to get it away. It was kind of a romantic-movie-type-scene. You know, where there is music playing to show the couple falling in love rather than actual dialog.
Only (yikes!) Justin felt my eyes on him or something. ‘Cause all of a sudden he saw me. A smile crept on his face. It got my heart going all twisty and wild and I wanted to look away. Only I couldn’t. Not until I got swatted in the head by my best friend, Maya.
“Are you even listening to me?” she asked, gazing up from her notes.
“Yeah. Well, no. Sort of,” I spurted out, wondering if Justin saw that, me getting bonked on the head for paying attention to him. I took a quick peek at him to see. He was still smiling at me. Yeah. He saw.
***
I vowed not to look at Justin for the rest of the night. And I didn’t. But I guess he kept looking at me. I guess. Maya seemed to think so anyway. She kept announcing it every five minutes.
“Justin is still staring at you,” she said for like, the hundredth time. “He has the hots for you, Kali. Big time.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that’s why he’s sitting over there with Ava Bower.”
“But he’s looking at you.”
“Maya, give it up. If you want a romance between Justin and me you’re going to have to write it yourself. There’s no book like that on the shelf—anywhere.”
“I don’t know why you deny it.” Maya put her hands over my book. “How can you deny it? You said he asked you out the other night at Posh. And since then I’ve noticed him staring at you all the time in school. And now—look—he can’t take his eyes off you.”
I moved her hand away. She was being a romantic pest. She was always on me about Justin, even before he bought me the dress, now she was impossible.
I glanced over to where Justin had been sitting. He was gone. “Yeah, he can’t take his eyes off me,” I muttered.
“Well—”
“Look, Maya I really want you to drop it. Seriously. He’s a flirt. That’s all. And he hasn’t even talked to me since that night.”
“Well … maybe he’s shy.”
I gave her my furrowed brow look. “Trust me, he’s not shy.”
Maya seemed to agree, but she didn’t give up. “Well, he is showing a lot of interest in you.”
I couldn’t argue with that. So I didn’t even try. Instead, I went back to working on my paper. It was late and I was tired. I wanted to go home, but of course I’d put off the assignment until the last moment. At this rate, I was going to be working on it all night. And I couldn’t just get the information off the Internet like I usually do. Mr. Bradshaw insisted we do the work the old fashioned way, gleaning at least a fourth of our work from an actual encyclopedia.
“I need to go upstairs and use the copier,” I told Maya. “I’ll be right back.”
I got on the elevator, shuffling through my notes. I yawned, checking my watch. I had forty-five minutes to write three more pages—but I was running out of research.
I went through my notes again. The elevator stopped on level three, letting someone on, but I was too involved in my notes to notice who it was—until the person pushed a button, stopping the elevator between floors.
“What the—?!”
I looked up to discover the maniac was Justin. He pushed the button. Now he was standing over me. “You get really absorbed in your work,” he murmured, his face so close to mine it seemed as though we were going to kiss.
My heart was suddenly pounding. It was embarrassing. I was certain he could hear it—probably the whole library could.
I tried to come up with a clever answer, something sharp and brittle. But nothing came to mind. I might have said a clever, “Uh … ” But I’m not sure.
All I could concentrate on was his lips. They looked so soft and pink. I wondered what they would feel like pressed against mine. Like my ex-boyfriend, Nick’s? No, surely better than Nick’s. Better than … anybody’s.
“It’s an English assignment,” I murmured.
Justin wet his lips, making them even more appealing.
His face was even closer now, his lips practically touching mine. “Do you know I have a crush on you?”
The question was basically a kiss, his lips lightly touching mine, sending tingles through my body. My knees went weak and my mind went blank. I was putty … for a second.
But as he drew me into his arms, filling me with enough passion to ignite the elevator, I couldn’t help remembering this week. All this week. The gift on my doorstep had been amazing, of course. Every time I thought about the dress, I would get goose bumps. It was romantic. But Justin was still Justin. Mr. Player. Apparently rich players can afford to buy expensive gifts without it meaning too much. Apparently. Because after getting the gift, nothing had changed.
Our conversation at Posh was it. We never had another one, ever. I would see him at school. He would stare. That was about it. Everything went back to normal … until tonight.
But suddenly, I was doused with reality. It smacked me in the face, yelled, “Come on, Kali! Get a grip!”
I jumped away from him as though he was on fire. What was I doing?! Wha
t was he doing? Only moments earlier he had been sitting with Ava, toying with her, the same way Nick had toyed with me. Well … okay, maybe it wasn’t the same. What Nick had done was malicious and mean. Purposely hurtful. But still, Justin was being wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Justin eyed the distance I’d created between us. He tilted his head, seeming frustrated that I managed to break his spell, and break out of his arms.
He cleared his throat, racking his fingers through his hair. “Do you want to go get something to eat?”
I backed away from him even further. “What about Ava?” I said. “She coming?”
He cocked his head. “Ava? No. We didn’t come together.”
“Well, you looked pretty together.”
“I was just helping her with a paper—she asked for my help.” He wet his lips again. “Listen, I really want to talk with you—get to know you. Won’t you at least give me a chance, get to know me before you write me off?”
I shook my head, pushing buttons to get the elevator moving. “I feel like I already know you.”
“But you’re wrong,” he said in frustration. “Whatever you’re thinking—it’s wrong. I’m a good guy. Seriously. Ask … my mom.”
I sputtered a laugh.
Just then the elevator opened and I quickly hopped off. “I think a better person to ask would be Ava.”
***
That night, I dreamed of Justin. Of our kiss. I woke to find him in my room, watching me sleep.
I gasped, then rubbed my eyes, thinking I must be dreaming. But he was still there, beside me, straddled on my desk chair. Seeing him filled me with a strange combination, a little frightened, a little excited, both at the same time.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, not sure I was really awake. Was I awake?
Pulling my sweaty blanket up around me, I waited for his answer, not breathing.
“You called me. In your sleep.”
I swallowed, then tilted my head. “What are you talking about?”
He was silent a moment, just watching me in the dark, watching me wait for his response. “You called me, so I came.”
I reddened, remembering my dream. My heart sped up. “You heard me in my sleep? How?”
He smiled. “I’m a faerie—of sorts. We have good ears—especially at night.”
Faerie? Faerie! Okay, I’m definitely dreaming.
Justin bit his lip. It was a long time before he went on, but I waited, my heart pounding in my ears as well as my chest, the word faerie playing in my head over and over.
Finally, Justin went on, seeming unsure how I would react. “You’re why I came to your school in the first place, Kali. You would cry at night, about that guy, Nick—I heard you, from the woods behind your house. Every night.” He hesitated, then went on. “But … you would always wish too—wish for true love.” He paused, then let out a breath. “So, I watched you at school, watched you try to get over Nick, waited for you to get over him.” He paused, then smiled. “Finally, you have.” His smile grew. “Tonight you dreamed of me.”
He took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. The gesture was gentle and comforting, but at the same time, electrifying, his touch filling me with tingles and sparks of warmth. “Since I found you—when you started wishing for true love—I’ve been dreaming about you, Kali. Every night.” He looked away a moment, then gazed back at me, his sparkling green eyes caressing me in the moonlight. “Only, I’m not human. I never dreamed before—ever—not until I dreamed of you. You’re my dream, Kali. You’re the one.”
Hearing him say that made my heart flutter, and feel as though it was going to explode. Only I couldn’t say anything. I stared at him, wanting to believe him. I wanted to believe him so bad. But … I couldn’t.
Nick had destroyed my trust. I had none.
I tried pulling my hand away, but Justin held it tighter, watching me. Slowly, something magical began to happen. I could read his thoughts! Those other girls were practice for him. He had never dated a human before. He yearned to get this right, us right—to be my wish come true.
Because he dreamed of me.
I was the one.
Note from Melanie:
“The One” is a short story that I turned into a novel called, A Demon’s Kiss. Parts of “The One” are in the novel as the novel originated from that short story—however, the ending is completely different and everything. I just used “what if” a lot … like, “what if this happened instead of that?” and came up with a completely different plot. But so, if you liked the story, then check out my novel, A Demon’s Kiss. It’s only a dollar!
Also, if you like teen paranormal with romance you might like my new novel, When Kyle Came Back. I love it, but I might be a little bias. :)
Thanks!
Melanie
NOVELS By Melanie Marks:
The Dating Deal
When Kyle Came Back
A Demon’s Kiss
His Kiss
Coming February 2012: The Stranger Inside
Author Bio:
Melanie Marks was born and raised in California. She is married to a naval nuclear submarine officer and blessed with three amazingly terrific kids.
Melanie has had over sixty short stories published in magazines such as Highlights, Woman’s World, and Teen Magazine as well as in various anthologies, many being Chicken Soup for the Soul books. She’s had six children’s books published and four teen novels, THE DATING DEAL; WHEN KYLE CAME BACK; HIS KISS; and A DEMON’S KISS. More teen novels are forthcoming in early 2012, such as THE STRANGER INSIDE and more.
Melanie enjoys reading in the bathtub, writing in bed, and living in a house longer than two years. Visit her website at http://www.byMelanieMarks.com or email her: [email protected].
Table of Contents
The Wish
Death’s Escort
The One
So Hot For You Page 5
