I look and stare so deep in your eyes

-Beyoncé

"Are you enjoying yourself?" I turned my head around to find Tobias staring at me. He was sitting beside me, his hands kept on his thighs. Then he turned around to gaze at the fire, the erupting bonfire, the orange and yellowish glow spreading.

"Yeah." I nodded my head.

"How come I've never seen you around? Did you just recently come?"

"I thought you said you'd seen me somewhere?"

His mouth turned upward as his eyes found mine again, completely ignoring my question, "How did you and Theo become friends?"

"Through Bridget, I met him at her party. We've hung out a couple of times."

"He told me he'd taken you to the hill." He said, then chuckled. "He's never taken anybody to the hill."

I didn't say anything, I didn't know what to.

"I don't know if you know this," He paused. "But he cares about you. I know you've not known each other for a very long time, but he does."

"I care about him too." I replied quietly.

His eyes filled with a deep emotion, one that I couldn't comprehend, "I know you do."

No words were spoken after that. But the short conversation was enough for me to know how close Tobias and Theo were, even though they made fun of each other, they had each other's back always.

A deep loud music began to play, a while later I realized it was intentional. People were swarming inside the garden and beginning to dance. A laugh bubbled out of me when I saw Scott shaking his booty to the side, a pink garland around his neck. Bridget was laughing as Dean twirled her around. Anna and William were in the center of a huge circle as everyone was cheering.

"Come on." Tobias got up and gave me his hand. I looked at it, contemplating, then got up on my own. He pouted and I grinned at him, flashing him my tongue.

We went to the same circle, people who I didn't know were dancing with bottles of beer in their hands. I saw Savannah from the corner of my eye and she waved at me enthusiastically. I waved back and walked over to them.

Then the song changed.

I tapped my feet to the beat, letting myself adjust to the rhythm. For longer than I could remember, dancing had always been something I could do anytime and anywhere. I loved the feeling of getting lost in the music and moving to the beats. Savannah mimicked my moves, moving her body to the side when I moved mine, copying my actions. This made me bolder, so I swung my waist side to side, my hands moving up in my hair as I closed my eyes.

The atmosphere became electric after that. There was a deeper aura, a dangerous one, and I felt goosebumps on my skin. Strong arms wrapped around my waist and turned me around to that I came face to face with the forest green eyes I'd become so used to in these days.

I smiled at him, not saying a word. We stood there looking at each other, I could feel the electricity sizzling. My breathing was harsh and deep, I didn't know if it was because of the dancing or because of him. In those deep breaths I took, his musky aqua scent reached my nostrils. The added woodsy cologne intoxicated me.

It was making me hyperventilate.

Then he bent down, such that his green eyes were more prominently visible to me. A lock of his hair fell in his eyes, and just like the first day I'd met him, I wanted to push it back. The sound of the music faded when he whispered in my ear, "You wanna go for a ride?"

I blinked, trying to focus on anything but his voice, of what it was doing to me, "Right now? I don't- I don't really want to sit on-on-"

"We could walk." He whispered again.

"Okay." My voice came out squeaky. I remembered what had happened the first time we'd gone on a ride. I'd been drunk as fuck and had stolen a pair of heels. The second time, I'd stripped and jumped down a cliff. I didn't know what was going to happen this time.

And for the first time in my life, not knowing the consequence excited me.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, Theo made me feel alive. He made me want to do things I never would've thought I'd do. I don't think I'd have ever jumped down a cliff if Bridget had asked me to. Fuck it, she wouldn't have even asked me because she'd have known I wouldn't do it. Theo pushed me to my limits, and he made sure I enjoy coming out of my comfort zone.

That didn't mean I liked him, did it?

We'd already left the house and were on the streets right now. I glanced behind me at the mansion, halting my steps to completely turn around and admire its beauty. The lights were shining brighter than before.

"You like it?" Theo asked.

"It's beautiful." I replied in awe.

"It was a gift from the mayor." He said.

I turned around to look at him, my already surprised face showing shock, "The mayor?"

He nodded, "Dad's a cardiologist. The mayor suffered from a heart disease three years back. Dad conducted his operation. When he found out that we were planning to move here, he gifted us the house to show his gratitude to dad."

"That's, um, wonderful." I exclaimed.

Theo chuckled, "Come on."

We walked down the roads, the path empty but occasional blare of the horns could be heard.

"You know the last time we walked like this, you were complimenting me." He broke the silence after a while.

"Aha, you want me to compliment you?"

"Yes." He looked dead serious, and that made me laugh. He made me laugh, always.

"If I remember correctly, you complimented me as well."

"You want me to go first?" He asked, then continued without waiting for me. "Okay, you look beautiful."

"No, you already told me that." I protested.

Theo shrugged, "We never decided we couldn't say something we haven't already said."

"Okay well then, you look good too."

"Good?" He raised an eyebrow, frowning. "I expected more than that."

I shrugged, just like he did, "We never decided what degree the compliments have to be."

"This is boring." He said. "Let's play 20 confessions."

"What if I don't have something to confess?" I asked.

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and gave me a soft smile, "Don't you?"

Something in his expression triggered something inside me, leaving me craving for more, for something deeper. "I loved your parents." I blurted out.

His soft smile widened, "I'm glad. They loved you too." Then he cleared his throat. "I didn't let you pay me for the heels not because I didn't want the money, but because I wanted to have coffee with you."

My lips parted, nothing but air leaving my mouth. I bit my lower lip, trying to make sense of his statement, "Oh."

"Your turn." He whispered. He wasn't looking at me, but I was.

He knew I was.

I knew he knew I was.

"Can I-can I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"How many girls have you slept with?"

Fuck.

My.

Mouth.

I mentally face palmed myself for my stupidity.

"What?" I detected a hint of amusement in his voice. But he still didn't look at me so I wasn't sure.

"I-I nothing. I'm sorry I asked that."

"A lot." He said, sighing. "I know Bridget must have told you stories about me, how I break every girl's heart, how I'm a man whore and sleep around. I'm not denying it, but I've never once slept with a girl who didn't know my intentions. I always make it clear to them that I'm not looking for a relationship. I know it doesn't make everything right, but it does lessen the degree."

I exhaled lowly, biting my lip. I felt him glance at me from the corner of my eye. "Your turn."

"I can't stop thinking about you." My head whipped to his side, to find him already looking at me.

"Ever since I saw you, you've been there in my mind constantly. I can't, fuck, I can't get you out of my head. I don't know what's happening to me." His palm rubbed his face, he almost seemed confused. We'd stopped walking and were facing each other.

"I wake up and I think about you. I sleep and I dream about you. Fuck, you don't know how much I've tried to think about other things, but it just makes me think of you more. You intrigue me," His hand lowered to his side, so that I could see his face. "I want to be close to you, it's all I can think about. I don't care what we do, or how we do it, I just want to be next to you. I've never been this fascinated with anybody in my life before, but you fascinate me, so much that I-" He paused, trying to find the right words, "That I think I'm going crazy."

His eyes were so raw, so green, so deep. I could see flashes of confusion, helplessness in them. But one emotion dominated, so strong that every other flash seemed dull.

Hunger.

Primal hunger.

"I want you. That's all I've been wanting ever since I saw you."

"Does that scare you Mia?" He walked closer to me as I took a step back. His voice had turned from the previous confused one to the deep and sexy one, the one which told me he wasn't nervous like before. It told me he was used to getting what he wanted.

"Ever since I saw you dancing in that club, I've wanted to make you mine. I want to mark you, I want to do everything that will make you mine. Does it scare you?"

My breath hitched when I realized my back was against the wall and he was inches away from me. I saw the ghost of a smile playing on his lips as he closed that distance as well. His eyes held a predatory look as he placed his hands on either side of my head, caging me, like a panther catching its prey.

"Does it?" He whispered.

I couldn't speak, I couldn't talk. My mouth parted as I breathed in.

His eyes dropped down to my parted lips. My own eyes dropped down to his. His face moved closer to mine as he bent down. I could feel his minty breath as his finger lightly traced my cheekbone. "What are you doing to me?"

Then he placed his lips on mine.

And transported me to a place of pure bliss.

I almost moaned at the sensation. My eyes fluttered close as his lips initially moved slowly against mine, then gained momentum. His lips were soft like his voice, teasing, taunting. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me closer, pushing our bodies together. My hand coiled around his neck as I pushed on my toes. My fingers played with the hair at his nape and his arms tightened. I tugged at his hair, he groaned against my mouth, and my toes curled at that sound. He licked my bottom lip, coaxing, then taking it between his teeth and biting softly.

"I've wanted to do that for a very long time." He whispered against my mouth.

"Theo-"

"Shh." His lips descended on mine again, his grip on my waist tightening as if he didn't want to let go, as if I would disappear if he did. My body was full of tingles, my heart was palpitating. His hand plunged into my hair as he tilted my head to get a better angle. I gently tugged on his lower lip as he groaned.

Nothing mattered right now, except him.

No, an alien invasion could've happened and I wouldn't have cared.

His hands cupped my face as we pulled apart, his green eyes meeting mine, the hunger in them not vanishing. He pushed a stray curl behind my ear and gently rubbed his finger on my cheek, "What are you doing to me angel?"

*