15 | knight in love-1

1 5 k n i g h t   i n   l o v e The morning of the Durden dawned bright and clear, just like any other day in summer. The weather was perfect and warm, but I had never felt colder before. I was at a complete loss as to what to do. I wanted to curl up and lie in bed, willing the hours away until everything was over and Miles was safe. But no, I needed to see Miles before he left, needed to breathe in the scent of him more than I needed air, as a reminder that he was there, he was safe, just before he left. With a frustrated sigh, I covered my face with my hands before pushing myself out of bed altogether. "Deep breaths, Darcy," I murmured, because even though I hardly ever talked to myself, it seemed necessary in situations like these. Every fibre of my being felt wooden. "You can do this." Frankly, it wasn't even about me, it was about Miles. And I needed to gather my nerves together and be calm and collected for him. Harshly reminding myself to do just that, I strode purposefully into the bathroom. And my day began. When I headed downstairs for breakfast, I could practically sense the tension in the room as Ean and I met each other. I wondered if our parents could sense it, but clearly they couldn't, because Dad was soon greeting us cheerfully and Mom was smacking loud kisses on both our cheeks. "So, what are your plans for today?" Mom asked, as she spread butter on her toast. It was Saturday and the weekends were when my parents usually ran the shack. Now that the holidays were coming to an end, Ean and I no longer had weekend shifts. Ean flicked a brief glance at me before muttering, "probably jet-skiing with Kyle." "Remember your suntan lotion. If I see you coming home looking redder at a tomato, I will smack you and not be sorry about it," Mom said sternly, ignoring Ean when he let out a dismal groan. "And you, Darcy?" I thought of all the things I could say, the most truthful being oh, you know, I'm just going to go give Miles my support as he beats up some guy. I couldn't even think of that without my heart constricting. Instead, I said, "well, I'm just going to go over to Miles's." Mom nodded immediately, beaming as she thought about Miles and what a good influence he probably was on me. "Okay, then, you have fun." I almost snorted. Fun, right. If only she knew what we were up to. Ean stopped me by the doorway as I was about to leave, his fingers clutching onto my sleeve tight. "Tell Miles I said good luck," he whispered, keeping one eye on the living room to make sure our parents couldn't see or hear us. "And keep me updated." I promised him that I would before shutting the door firmly behind me, making my way to Miles's house as fast as I possibly could. Driving once again made me uneasy, but it had to be done. Riverton's campus was quiet in the early morning and I made my way past the different buildings before turning into the familiar driveway and parking in an empty spot. Then I got to the front door and knocked. To my greatest dismay, Miles's father answered the door. It was going to be so much harder to keep my emotions in check now that he was around. "Miss Evers," he didn't seem surprised to see me and was sufficiently cordial, "come on in." "Thank you," I murmured and brushed past him, only to see Miles standing several feet behind. He was dressed in a black shirt and a faded pair of jeans – hardly an outfit appropriate to participate in the Durden. The sight of him made my eyebrows shoot up high on my forehead. "What are you – " I caught myself just before I could let slip the truth about his initiation. "What's going on?" I settled for asking instead. Miles simply smiled faintly, but there was an unusual shade of calm in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. His father broke the silence by clearing his throat thinly, a sound that made the both of us glance over at him. "I believe you two have some talking to do," he said smoothly, going over to the counter to take his suitcase. "I'll leave you to it." He made his way out, pausing on the way to give Miles a semi-awkward pat on the back. The sight of that almost made me choke. Miles had not told me much about his father, but from what I'd gathered, he wasn't the most affectionate person around. He then swept past me, giving me a brief nod on the way out. "Have a good day, Miss Evers," he said, polite as always. But something in his eyes made me wonder if he'd heard me that afternoon when I had spoken to him, if he'd heard me loud and clear. "You too, sir," I murmured, with a small smile, feeling rather uneasy as I watched him leave, shutting the door behind him. It was probably going to take me a long time to feel comfortable in his presence. After all, we were two completely different people who could never and would never understand each other. We were simply linked by Miles, a familiar, warm constant in our lives that neither of us were willing to give up. And Miles was – Miles. I suddenly refocused on the matter at hand and stared up at the boy standing barely a few feet away from me. "Why're you wearing this? Don't you know – " "Hold that thought," he muttered and closed the distance between us within a few quick strides. I could barely manage my surprise before his lips crashed down on mine. Any coherent form of thought immediately dissipated as I kissed him back with equal fervour, matching his frenzied pace with quick nips and sucks. There was something different about this kiss. It wasn't gentle or slow, but firm and hot and heavy. It yielded a certain amount of passion that made my breath catch in my throat, my fingers latching onto his shirt as I gripped the fabric tightly, holding onto him like he was my only lifeline. His tongue explored my mouth deeply, his fingers gliding feverishly across my strip of skin where my shirt had ridden up. His fingers on me felt utterly numbing, staggering, and I whimpered shakily into his mouth. When he pulled away, I – no, we were breathless. "Hey," he murmured, when he had caught his breath. "I have something to tell you." "I figured," my tone was wry and light, even though some part of me was still terrified for his initiation. He smiled and said softly, slowly, "my Dad spoke to me this morning. He knocked on my door around five and he told me that he'd been asking around. He found out that Corvus held its final initiation today and he said that I didn't have to go through with it." I blinked. The words that fell from his lips seemed so surreal that for half a moment, I thought it was a dream. "What?" "He didn't really know what the initiations entailed – just that he knew I wasn't happy doing them, I wouldn't be happy after them, and I was better off not being a part of it altogether." Then the pieces fell into place, bit by bit, until it was a nothing but a new slate and everything seemed fine, everything was fine. Miles was safe. Feeling a surge of relief so overwhelming it nearly bowled me over, I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my lips to his neck. "So you dropped out?" I whispered, feeling his muscles clench as my breath ghosted across his skin.