And so it begins

It was one of those days. Vanessa had been picked up early in the morning and the apartment just felt so quiet without her. However she knew that she wouldn't be alone for long. She couldn't really remember how her and Gareth had started fooling around like this, but it had been ongoing for maybe a month by now. Part of her felt bad, bad because this was her best friend's uncle, but another part of her couldn't deny what she felt for him. He had made her feel safe, like he understood her in a way no other seemed to. She was sitting cross legged on the couch, slouching a bit as she had put on some random tv channel, currently watching some weird documentary about hyenas, when she felt her phone buzz. The hybrid rarely smiled when she was alone, but this message just lit up her day. Moving a bit slowly, she decided not to answer his text, sneaking through the apartment before peaking through the small peek hole in the door. She chuckled, feeling almost childish, as she opened the door, her hand folded as if it was a gun, but only those who knew her knew just how scary of a weapon her hands could be. Only this time she was only doing it for fun. "Hand over the freeze-dried strawberry-mango strips or I'll blow your kneecaps out," she warned him, however there was a spark in her eyes. She quickly dropped the facade, shaking her head as she felt silly. "Come on in," she said, moving away from the door to let him in.
This was always a bit awkward for her; Him arriving and knowing what he meant to her, yet none of them really seemed to want to say the words. She liked these days, mostly because she rarely had an excuse to be alone with Gareth for more than ten seconds. By then either Ethan or Darren would jump in, speaking rubbish and non-sensical words that she had a hard time following. "Hey," she finally said, realizing she hadn't really greeted him. Her heart was normally beating rather fast, but sometimes it felt like Gareth seemed to make it increase. "Uhm, I was, uh, just watching some documentary ... But we can just watch something else?" she suggested. They usually watched a movie, one where she could sit beside him or snuggle up to him. Of course they often lost interest in the movie itself before having the focus on each other. She couldn't count how many movie plots she had missed because she was occupied with something else.

Gareth always seemed to know what to do, touching her hair lightly, yet it didn't make her feel self-conscious. Her green hair had always been a bit of a insecurity for her, it exposed so easily that she was someone different. But with him around she didn't feel like a freak, she just felt like a normal young woman. He greeted her, his words sweet and so different from how he was when others were around. Part of her thought that it was his true self he showed in these times where it was just them. He entangled their fingers so easily, making her smile, looking down as she felt quite happy. She took the bag, leading the way in to the living room before sitting down next to him. She pulled her legs up, sitting cross legged once more as she shrugged at his question. "I was kinda hoping you had an idea," she admitted, looking down at their hands. Ayalla was clearly in love, so much so that hiding this part of herself when they were around others were rather hard on her. However she was also way too proud to show anything when her friends were there. When the gang was around she tried to keep her distance from Gareth, mostly because she knew how he made her heart beat so fast. Whenever he said something she found funny she always had to hide her smile. "I mean, you know more movies than me, right?" she said, chuckling a bit before looking at his eyes. Gods, she was in over her head, but damn it it made her feel so good. She leaned closer to him, her eyes straying only to look at his lips. "Unless you have other plans?" she asked, mostly because she wasn't sure what he was actually in the mood for. Gareth was a bit of a mystery at times, holding his cards close to his chest, but she felt like once in a while he flashed her a card, letting her know exactly what he was thinking in the moment.

Ayalla felt a little rush of blood to her cheeks as she saw him smile that boyish smile at her. His mumble made her brows wiggle slightly, looking at how he leaned closer before closing the gap between their lips. She felt cheated at first, a simple peck? But then he leaned back again, his lips soft, she could feel her heart almost skip a beat, or at least it felt like it with her pulse going this crazy. She returned the kiss, being almost gentle as her hand moved to touch his arm. He leaned away, her breath felt a little heavy as her hand moved down his arm, placing her palm over the back of his hand. "I really like your plans," she whispered, smiling softly. She was usually rather stern, or maybe it was just her resting bitch face, but whenever he was around she seemed softer. Like she was letting down her guard, and it could be dangerous, however she trusted him. Sure, they hadn't defined anything, and he was free to be with whomever he wanted, but part of her hoped she was the only one.
"Oh, I almost forgot," she said, her eyes widening a little as she moved to her feet, letting go of his hand to skip over to her room. She went in, grabbing a small wrapped gift in brown paper before returning to him. She felt a little nervous, mostly because she hadn't ever really given him anything before. "I uh ... I know that you don't really celebrate things and such - And I know I'm being lame, but I just ... You know what, here," she said. Did she really have to justify getting him a gift? If he decided to open it, there would be a ring inside, one with the ace of diamonds. "It's made of titanium, so it shouldn't break as easily," she explained, sitting down next to him again. She didn't even know why, she had just seen it and thought of him.

"Well ..." she said, shrugging at his question. It wasn't a romantic one at least. "It's been four years since I met you," she said, frowning as she didn't know if it was weird. She hadn't gotten anything for Ethan or Darren, so maybe it was also an excuse to be giving him something. He opened the gift and she felt like her whole stomach turned in to knots. She was nervous, afraid that he was going to think this was stupid and that she needed to keep their boundaries, but she just hadn't been able to help herself. Titanium wasn't exactly expensive in regards to jewelry, she was sure he had more expensive things at home, but this was what she had wanted to give him. Ayalla nodded as he made the small remark, feeling like her heart was going crazy. Did he like it? Or was he just pretending to like it? He took the ring and slipped it on his finger, before he finally smiled. If was like a real relief that rushed through her body, because it showed her that he actually did like it. He kissed her knuckles lightly, having thanked her made her chuckle, shaking her head a little to let him know she didn't need a thank you.
His admittance made her widen her eyes. Fuck. She hadn't thought how it would make him feel like he had to give her something as well. "You don't have to give me anything," she said, shaking her head no as she felt a little surprised. She knew money wasn't a problem for him, but she was not the type of girl to collect pretty things. "I just saw it and I knew that it belonged on your finger," she said, sending him a smile, her green eyes showing just how happy she actually was in the moment. "Do you actually like it though, and it's not too big or too small? I tried figuring out your size, but it was kinda hard since I didn't really have something to go from," she asked, looking at the ring that now sat proudly on his finger. She felt a sense of security in that. As if her mind told her that as long as he wore it, he would still care for her.
"I guess I just really wanted to give you something in return ... Everything you've done for me since I got out ... I honestly don't know where I would be if it hadn't been for you," she admitted, looking down as she hated showing vulnerability like this.

She smiled at his words. She knew he wasn't great at showing it, and she probably wasn't either, only difference was that she had never really just gotten anything in life. The way he reminded her of staying in the moment made her nod. He had a way of calming her, making her understand that even though she worried, he was going to be there for her.
As he went on to talk about the thing between them being one-sided, she quickly shook her head no. Of course it wasn't one-sided, she cared for him, she actually felt something when he was around. He made her feel giddy and as if there were butterflies in her chest. He promised to never take the ring of, making her chuckle as she found him a little silly. Then he went on to explain the ring he usually wore, making her frown, but the neck thing he said made her blush again. "I could just wear it on days like these, or hide it under my shirts," she argued, but she knew what he meant. If Vanessa found out, whatever they had would crumble. She frowned, shaking her head as she leaned closer to him. "I thought you said no what-ifs; I'll wear it," she said, her nose touching his as she smiled. "I want to wear something that reminds me of you ... Please?" she whispered, knowing he rarely could withstand her pleading tone. She didn't use a baby voice, but it was a little more high pitched than her usual one.
Her eyes lit up a bit. "How about we go to a hotel? I mean, Vanessa's gonna be home before evening hits anyways, and -" she said, feeling like she was admitting something that felt a little embarrassed. "I've missed it just being the two of us, you know - Like when was the last time we had a proper night together?" she asked.

Maybe it was risky, but then again it always was when they decided to hang out like this. Ayalla was not one who wanted to betray other's trust, but she didn't think of it like that when Gareth was wrapping his arms around her, holding her close as he kissed her temple. "I know the risk," she whispered, resting her body against his as he kept holding her. She looked up at him, feeling like this was where she had been meant to be all this time.
The suggestion of the hotel might've been sparked more by the fact that she wanted an excuse to be with him more. However he frowned, and she knew that meant he had plans even before he said it. The mention of Ethan and Darren made her nod, she couldn't just pull him away from his friends. "I see," she mumbled, at least she would get to hang out with the others tonight then. However his next words made her look rather surprised. She had been at his place before, but never really slept over, unless it was all five of them getting pass out drunk. His next suggestion made her hum, leaning up to kiss his neck gently. "It wouldn't really be a lie," she smiled against his skin, breathing in his scent of cigarettes. Ayalla smoked mostly when she was out drinking, but other than that she wasn't much of a smoker. Kissing his neck again, she crawled up, sitting on his lap as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "My stomach always hurt a little when I'm not with you," she admitted in a sweet whisper, kissing him down his neck in soft pecks. Gods she was a goner, she had fallen for him hard. "But until then we have to find something to do ... Do you feel for a movie? Or would you rather play a game? Ethan left some of his stupid party games last time you guys were over," she suggested, leaning away from his neck to look at him.

Ayalla heard the concern in his voice, but she hoped he didn't take it as a bad thing. Truth was she wasn't really hurting when he wasn't there, it was more like she was missing something. His conclusion made her nod as she kept kissing his neck softly. She looked at him, feeling his hand move up, closing her eyes as he ran a finger over her lower lip, making them separate carefully. His suggestion made her open her eyes slightly, looking at him with half lidded eyes as he slowly pushed her back against the seat of the sofa. He crawled over her, making her chuckle, looking in to his grey eyes that always seemed so calming to her. "No objections here," she said, feeling a shiver run down her back as she reached up to grab his face, pulling him down and closer to her as she placed her lips against his.
She felt rather surprised, a small moan escaping her lips, but it was mostly from the fact that she had missed the closeness. Ayalla could remember very little of her time before getting out, most things just were in bits and pieces, but it was like it didn't matter. To him it didn't matter that she could be considered a freak, it didn't matter that she had green hair and strange eyes, no all he cared about was making her feel good. Sighing against his lips, she continued to make her own move against his, her hands running from his face and down his chest, caressing it as they went. Even though this was just making out, it felt much more than that, and for some reason she wasn't too afraid to feel those emotions in the moment. One thing she couldn't deny was also how his body made her own body react so strongly, moving against his carefully as their lips were connected.

Ayalla felt safe. He had his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close and the way he was hovering over her was making her feel protected. She didn't see herself as weak, or someone that needed protection, but it felt good to have someone shield her from the world around them. Things like this could always escalate, but right now the comfort and closeness she experienced was far more interesting than sex. Perhaps because sex was easy, but this form of intimacy was harder to come by. Goosebumps started rising wherever he seemed to touch, and as he broke off the kiss, she gasped softly for air, looking up at him with a smile on her lips. The way he whispered her name made her hum, feeling like she would never get tired of hearing his voice like this. Sure it was still raspy, but the way he sort of gave in to her, to the feeling of them being together. His compliment made her giggle, but it got cut short as he leaned in again.
For the life of her she didn't know how she had ever felt good before Gareth. Truth be told, when they had kissed for the first time, a month ago, she had felt such a rush. It had mostly been because they had been fooling around, she had showed him some dating app and the messages some guys were sending her. That was when he had said that he could do better, and of course she had taken him up on the dare. Little did they both know that when they had kissed everything would change. She moved her kisses down to his neck, sucking on it sweetly, wanting to leave a mark. If she was able to she would smile a bit to herself, licking the small hickey she had managed to plant against his neck. "You're not too bad yourself," she whispered, looking up at him. Her right hand moved slowly back up his chest, touching the small hickey before moving up to his messy hair. "When are we going to meet up with the others?" she asked, kinda wanting to know how much time they had before they needed to pretend to just be friends.

"I might be," she mumbled, looking at the small hickey. It was strange. It made her happy to see, even though she knew he would heal quickly, she could at least look at it for a while. Moving slightly to let him check his watch, she sighed softly at his reply, returning the brief kiss he planted on her. "It's alright, I mean it's not that weird if we go together, right?" she asked. She couldn't really tell, however, because sometimes it felt like something completely normal could just as easily be a way for others to figure out what they were doing. "I mean, Vanessa often comes here before going out anywhere else," she remarked. They could just excuse it as Gareth wanting to pick up Vanessa, and then Ayalla just deciding to tag along instead? Breathing out she closed her eyes, laying her head back against a pillow.
She wasn't really mad or frustrated, it was more the fact that she couldn't really tell her best friend what she was doing. Vanessa of course had a hint that she was seeing someone, but it would never cross the daemon's mind that it was in fact her uncle. "I guess we could just get going? I mean walking to Northern from here can take a while," she thought out loud. At least they could just walk together, but she couldn't hold his hand or stop to kiss him. Looking up at him however she didn't feel completely ready to leave just yet, but what was keeping them here? "I guess I'll need to find a chain as well ... For the ring," she chuckled, leaning up to kiss him once more.

It was always hard letting go and returning to the way that other's expected them to behave, but she knew it had to be done. She couldn't risk it, and hurting Vanessa was the last thing she wanted to do. Sometimes she found herself in a dilemma with her feelings and her boundaries that it could keep her up at night, often just going up to the roof and staring at the city. Maybe it would consume her eventually or she would just outright say it, but why did she owe it to anyone to let them know of her business? He cupped her cheek, making her feel warm inside and out, but she knew they had to leave now before they got lost in each other. His words made a small giggle fall from her lips as she got to her feet, turning off the tv before heading out in to the hallway.
"What's the plan for tonight anyways? Seeing as we are all getting together is there a specific reason or just to hang out?" she asked, mostly because with Ethan there it could go two ways; Either they went out to drink or they hung around Gareth's place until someone decided to head home. Neither things was something she disliked, she just wanted to know what kind of mood she had to be in, although she always found herself restricting her emotions when around others. Perhaps because she was afraid of hurting them. After getting her shoes on, she straightened her back, looking up at him with a warm smile. "One more kiss," she said with a small apologetic smile. Sometimes she wondered if she was too needy, if he would get annoyed when she wanted something like that from him, but he always seemed to oblige to whatever she needed in the moment. She stood up on her toes, kissing his lips softly, almost as if it was a see-you-later kiss, and it kinda was. When they walked out that door, they were friends and nothing more.

Ayalla couldn't help herself from chuckle as Gareth mocked how their other two male friends seemed to speak. Even though the hybrid had grown up in Churchill, her accent was very American, much like Vanessa's, but sometimes she would use english slang as well. Perhaps it was just a fact of life that the two would meet in a strange way when she had the accents around her. She liked going out clubbing, mostly because it was dark and people didn't seem to notice her green hair. Nodding she moved out with him as they got on their shoes. Although the kiss was bittersweet, she knew that they would have some time together later. It was just how it was going to be.
Outside the weather was quite nice, the sun a little low on the sky. "Is that a new brand?" Ayalla asked, frowning as she didn't seem to recognize the smell of the tobacco he usually had. Perhaps the store had ran out of his usual? She locked the door, popping the key in her jeans. She only really had one key and that was for the apartment. Walking beside him felt normal, but there would always be a part of her that wanted to just let their hands entangle. However she didn't, that would be a step over the line and she just had to keep it in her pants so to speak. The streets were filled with people, but not more than usual. The summer holidays were still in full effect, and it was so easy to spot school students even without their usual backpacks. "There should be a small pawn shop around here - That might be my best option to find a good necklace chain," she mumbled, mostly to herself. She didn't like jewelry stores, mostly because of the cheap metal most of them seemed to use and it always seemed to bother her. "There," she said, pointing at a pawn shop across the street.
Looking both ways she crossed the street easily, not really bothered if someone honked at her. She was used to attention, but walking with Gareth at least kept the catcalls at bay. Looking through the store window, she furrowed her brow, looking at the different chains. She wanted one that wouldn't be too long but not too short. "I can just go in myself?" she suggested, not knowing if he even found it interesting at this point. She stepped in, a small bell ringing above her, brass was her first guess of metal and she was usually right. An elderly man came out, looking at Ayalla with a warm smile. "Hello there, sweetheart, what are you looking for today?" he asked, his voice raspy from what sounded like years of smoking cigarettes. The hybrid pulled a faint smile, although she always seemed more in control when she was out in the real world. She explained that she needed a chain for a necklace and the old man proceeded to show her a couple of different ones. Humming she turned to Gareth if he had gone in with her. "Which one do you think is better?" she asked, holding up the two chains she was liking the most.

Ayalla didn't mind how absent minded he sometimes were, she guessed it came with age. Frankly she didn't know how old Gareth was, but she knew he was a fair bit older, even though he didn't look like it. Sometimes it felt like she was hanging out with a teenager, especially when they were alone and out of sight, but as soon as they went out in to public space he became an unbothered elderly. The man in the store noticed how the hybrid asked for help in choosing and got a curious look in his eyes. "Wait here, I might have something you'd like more in the back; I can see your boyfriend has an eye for good quality," he noted, making Ayalla look away, mumbling something incoherent about him not being her boyfriend. She knew they could never define themselves like that, they had to stay hidden if they wanted to be together, and she had accepted that. The man left briefly, and Ayalla scoffed softly. Part of her was upset that the man seemed to have picked up on something, and now she was wringing her head to see what it was. Had she slipped up? Had she looked at him differently? She couldn't afford to let herself just forget when they were out like this, especially as they were heading towards their friends.
The man returned, holding a small box, pulling Gareth aside to show him first. "I got this in the other day, just finished polishing it last night - White gold all the way around, no closure, just continuous chain," the man explained opening the box to show the nice necklace. Ayalla came over, standing beside the tall daemon as she looked at the man unveil the chain. Her face didn't change much, but Gareth would be able to pick up on the faint way her upper lip curled. It only did so when she was seeing something she wanted or liked. "I think that is quite out of my price range," she said, shaking her head. "The other one is just as good," she said, walking over to the other chains. The hybrid had a small allowance set in place, mostly because she couldn't hold a regular job with her abilities being unstable at times. The man looked at Gareth, shrugging and was about to pack it away.