Page 48 of Whispers of the Water

The click of Rune shutting off the hair dryer sounded from beyond the door. My heart leapt, and I stood up straighter next to the bed. I wasn’t sure what Rune would think of the gifts I held behind my back, but I really hoped he’d like them.

He came out of the bathroom, hair dry, Fox Fae features on full display, and clothes in place. His honeyed eyes shone with affection as they met mine before traveling down to the red gift bag now in front of me. I glanced at the bag with a small, nervous smile. Meeting his eyes again, my grin grew wider and warm as I held the bag out toward him.

“Happy birthday again.”

Surprise lit up his eyes, and a tender smile kissed his lips. “You got me something? You didn’t have to do that. I told you my family doesn’t actually care about that kind of stuff. No one would look at you funny if you didn’t get me something.”

I shrugged. “I know. This isn’t for the charade or anything. I wanted to do something nice for you, even if it’s something small like this. Plus, it’s your birthday. How can I not get my ‘boyfriend’ something for his birthday?”

He smirked at my emphasis on boyfriend, and I returned the look. We still hadn’t talked about what exactly our relationship was; although, I felt positive we were more than friends, especially after Rune confessed that he wasn’t fooling around with anyone. I just wasn’t entirely sure if I could say we were a couple. Until that became clear, the charade and jokes about us dating were going to remain just that. Jokes.

Rune took the bag from my hands, and he sat on the edge of the bed with it. I sank down next to him, resting on my knees. I couldn’t help but fiddle my thumbs as I waited eagerly for him to open it.

Ripping the tape off the bag’s top, he revealed its contents. I swallowed hard as he pulled out the movie, flipping it over to look at the cover. His lips lifted at the corners, and he looked at me with an excited gleam to his eyes.

“You know me so well,” he laughed, looking back down at the horror movie.

Sitting up straighter, I leaned closer to him. “You like it? I wasn’t sure which movie to get since I don’t watch scary films.”

My mind went back to the day I’d bought the movie. I had felt so many emotions at that time. Blake, the guy who’d sold me the movie, was a bystander during the few human attacks against me. He’d gotten tied up with the wrong group of people, so he’d been a monster in my head up until that day when he’d revealed that he was Water Fae. I didn’t forgive him for his part in what happened, but it did become a bit easier to see him as less of a monster and more human. Or rather, Fae. It was a surreal feeling, thinking about it now. Compared to back then, I was a completely new person in an entirely different world.

Coming back to the present, I took in Rune’s bright eyes as he said, “I love it. I can’t wait to watch it together.”

He set the DVD to the side and gazed back down into the packaging. Holding my breath, I waited. I’d been unsure of what he’d think of the movie, but I was terribly nervous about what he’d think of the last gift. It was the coffee mug I’d made specifically for him during one of my art classes. It was supposed to represent him with the blue background and fox head carved into the surface. But what if he didn’t see it that way? What if he thought it was silly? The anticipation was driving me absolutely crazy.

Finally, he pulled out the mug. I forced myself to look at his face, searching for his thoughts in the tilt of his eyes and mouth. I had seen Rune smile before. It was something he did more often these days, but even all the times he’d given me a warm grin couldn’t hope to compare to the look he wore now.

He swallowed and looked sideways at me, the hint of some strong, blazing emotion touching the corners of his eyes. “Did you make this?”

I nodded slowly.

His eyes went back to the mug, and he carefully turned it over to take in its entirety. Pink splotches tinted his cheeks, and his mouth was tense as he tried to keep from revealing his smile. Despite him trying to contain his grin, his entire body gave away his joy. From the glow on his cheeks to the glimmer in his eye, the elation nearly bursted out of him.

“Do you like it?” I asked, watching him continue to turn it over in his hands.

The dam trying to hold back his emotion finally snapped down the middle, and the wave of glee rushed to the surface. He leaned toward me, resting his forehead against mine. My skin warmed, and I closed my eyes.

“I love it,” he whispered. A tender heat was laced into each word. “I absolutely love it.”

Tilting my head closer, I melted into him. The taste and feel of his mouth sent an excited shiver along my spine. My skin grew hot with desire, and my lips begged for more of him. He let the mug sink down on the mattress next to me before plunging his hands into my hair. The sensation of him drawing me closer, pulling my body roughly against him, drove my heart mad. I responded by climbing slowly onto his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck.

My heart pounded against his chest, and my body was ablaze with an intense need for him. Everywhere his hands touched electrified my skin. As his tongue reached for mine, he grabbed at my hips and pulled me down with him, falling back onto the mattress. I rested on top of him, not once breaking our kiss.

Hot, vivid memories from the night before flooded my head, and my stomach twirled with excited flurries. I could hardly contain my eagerness to feel his naked skin on mine. I ran my hands up underneath his shirt, letting the feel of his abdomen and broad chest send my heart soaring.

Just as I started to undo his hard work at dressing, a knock came at the door.

I gasped, breaking our kiss and rolling off him. He sat up next to me, glaring at the door as if it had just murdered his dog. “Someone better be dying out there. What is it?”

Akira’s melodic laugh came from the other side. “The only thing dying is whatever you two were doing in there. Come out! We all have something for you, birthday boy.”

I flashed Rune a smile, which he reluctantly returned. He leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek and lingered at my ear to whisper, “We’ll pick this back up later.”

I bit my lip at the promise. Later couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter Eighteen

RUNE AND I finished readjusting our clothes and made our way to the room next door. Rune went first after my insistence, and as soon as he opened the door to Akira and Bassel’s room, our entire group shot colored streamers at him and yelled, “Happy birthday!”

---