CHAPTER SEVEN:

"Oh, Gabs, I have to see him again." I cried sinking into my bed five hours later, just happy to be back home in my bed.

The rest of the night had crawled by. Joe went through the crowd trying to root out any party crashers but the ones he'd discovered were all just people who wanted to get inside an A-list celebrity party. Not Teague's bent on causing problems. It seemed they'd all disappeared right after I had said goodbye to Taylor. (Thank God for that.)

Gabby shook her head as she brushed my hair back. "Alexie, are you naïve?" she asked. "It was one thing to sneak off with him tonight but you know you can't have any kind of relationship with him." She started plaiting my hair into a long braid. "There is just too much bad blood between Lett's and Teague's for it to be successful–and that was only even if it was allowed. If I had known who he was, I never would've pushed you to go."

Deep down I knew she was right but I didn't want cold, hard logic. What could logic tell me about how every part of my body from my soul to my heart was singing out his name?

"I guess," I muttered grumpily.

She finished the plait and started to tie it with a scrunchie. "Look, you're only seventeen, Cherie. And you're beautiful at that. Before you know it, guys will be throwing themselves at you left and right and–"

"But I don't want anyone else, Gabby," I whined, uncharacteristically. "I want him" I switched out of the voice of a 13 year old and acting more my age, before I said, "I swear this entire night with him, I've never felt so alive. It was like, hanging out with a Teague was normal from the moment I saw him."

Gabby's lips sent in a straight line. "Alexie, I thought you don't believe in love at first sight."

My head snapped up. "I don't!"

Mamma had taught me that. That there was lust at first sight or attraction but never love.

"It's just," Gabby paused and pressed her lips together before carefully choosing her next words. "Cherie, what you just described sounds just like that."

I shook my head. "Only its not, Gabby. Something draws me to him. Something more then just my feelings for him. It was almost as if…" my voice trailed off.

"As if what?" Gabby pressed.
I shook the thought out of my mind. No. That was impossible. "Nothing, it's stupid."

Gabby eyed my reflection in the mirror, her expression curious but I refused to divulge. "There. I'm done. Now, off to bed with you."

But I don't want anyone else, echoed inside as I climbed under the covers of my bed. I want him.

"Good night, Alexyne." Gabby called as she made her way to the door.

"Night, Gabs." I replied softly as she closed it after her.

I closed my eyes and tried to lull myself to sleep.

...But I couldn't.

In my mind, all I could think of was him—of Taylor. I was remembering the rumble of his laughter, his gorgeous smile, the sound of his voice, the feel of his lips against mine…my eyes flew wide open. Yeah, I am so not going to be able to fall asleep.

I got up and pulled on my booties before opening one of the doors leading out to the balcony.

I sighed as I set my elbows on the railing and sat my chin on top of my fist. I gazed up at the stars remembering all the stories my father once told me about the Gods and their roles in the constellations. There was one specifically my thoughts were laid upon because it reminded me of...well, its kind of obvious.


"Story time! Story time! It's STORY time!" I yelled grabbing my father by the hand and pulling him towards my room.

"Its also [i]bedtime, princessa," he reminded me, firm enough to get his point across but I knew he wasn't really upset with me.

My hand rushed to clap over my mouth and I made a face. "Sorry, Daddy." I said in my inside voice before I climbed into my bed. I climbed under the covers and before tucking me in, Daddy turned on the lamp and pulled the rocking chair up next to me. He held a thick white hardcover book of folktales which were my favorites.
The plastic covering it crinkled as Daddy opened the book to the well placed bookmarker, adjusted his glasses and began to read.

"Once upon a time in the land of Sky there was a talented goddess
named Penlani who was deemed the task of weaving clouds, the task deemed to her by celestial bigwigs-"

"Daddy," I interrupted.

His eyes were skimming ahead in the story, "Hmm?" he absentmindedly answered.

"What's a bigwig?"

He managed to snap out of his daze. "It is someone of extreme importance. Like a king such as the ruler of Mount Olympus and the Greek Gods, Zeus." he answered.

I nodded expressively. "Oh. Okay."

He began to start reading again. "-by celestial big wigs. But though she was very skilled, Penlani was very shy and extremely quiet. One day, her father, Idan, (who happened to be the god of time ) decided that he wanted Penlani to have a chance at love and happiness rather then to be alone all her life. And so he began to search for a husband for her to marry." He turned the pages of the book. "Idan soon heard of a man named Tauros who was in charge of herding the cattle of the heavens. It was said that Tauros was as hard of a worker as Penlani was. And so Idan had Tauros invited to his house and introduced him to his daughter."

I kicked my feet back and forth as I bit on my hand, waiting for the next part.

"Almost immediately Tauros and Penlani fell in love."

"Oooo," I gushed wistfully.

Daddy shot me a stern look over his glasses. "Alessia.." he said warningly, calling me by my mother and his Italian name for me.

My hands rushed to slap over my mouth once more and I shot him a sheepish look. "Sorry."

After shooting me another look, Daddy returned to the pages. "But soon Tauros and Penlani began to spend all of their time together. And in so, Penlani's cloud weavings stopped being made. Tauros stopped herding the cattle so they were free to roam and ravage all over the heavens. Soon people began to worry and the other gods grew angry and demanded Idan do something about Penlani and Tauros' neglected work-"

"Neglected?"

"Uh...forgotten work." He answered before continuing on, "Idan searched for answers to his probelm but there only was one. To make sure the two-" Dad coughed, "ahem-lovers-continued to do their work and weren't distracted by each other, Idan had Tauros relocated on other side of the river Milky Way, separating them. At at first it seemed to work. Unable to see Tauros, Penlani returned to her weaving. Only now instead of quiet and shy, she was miserable and heartbroken. This in turn made Penlani’s weavings drenched with her tears. And when hung in the sky heavily rained down on the earth below creating massive floods."

"That's stew-pod," I blurted before I could stop.

Daddy looked up from the book. "What is, Alessia?"

I shot him a exact copy of the "Duh!" look Joe had perfected years ago. "Making Penlani and Tauros not be together anymore."

He pushed up his glasses, his expression thoughtful and filled with (what I now understood as) dismissal. "But they were both too distracted by each other to contend to their responsibilities-or rather, to do their jobs."

"But now they're sad too." I protested. "Working is stew-pod."

Daddy didn't say anything though his dismissal was plain upon his face, "Well, let's see what happens next. Idan knew he had to find a way so that both his daughter and Tauros could be together but also do their work without becoming too distracted. And so a compromise was made. Idan finally allowed Tauros to marry his daughter with one condition."

"What's a condition?" I asked, completely letting go of my promise to not interrupt.

"It can similar to a term." At my puzzled look Daddy rephrased himself, "It’s a request, such as when Nicholas lets Kevin use his guitar as long as he drives him to the library."

Understanding I nodded and we turned back to the book.

"So both Penlani and Tauros agreed that only on the seventh day of the seventh month when doves from the world below Sky would create a crossing across the river Milky Way they would be allowed to be together. And for the rest of their days both Penlani and Tauros did exactly that. And when they died, Penlani became the star Vega while Tauros became Altair. And still to this day, on the seventh day of the seventh month Tauros and Penlani cross over the Milky Way for one day together." Daddy closed the book as he finished, "The end."[/i]

I sighed, shivering back to reality. I knew that my memory of the story of Penlani and Tauros had been pulled out of my mind's memory archive because of the separation of Taylor and me. And not just because of this stupid feud between old, dead and gone, corporal tycoons! I wasn't sure if we weren't only seeing each other for a small while but not seeing or talking to him for a year? Is it too clichéd of me to rather die then have that? It wasn't love at first sight but somehow I recognized (in a short time) Taylor had come integrated into my life. Like, this was supposed to happen. But if that wasn't true then how could I make sure I did see him again?

My mind drew a blank as my gaze returned to the shimmering of stars. Maybe a wish upon a star would help, I thought.

Softly I began to chant, "Star light,
star bright,
First star
I've seen tonight.
I wish I may,
I wish I might,
have the wish
I wish tonight."

I closed my eyes and crossed my fingers before chanting it silently three times. Then I opened my eyes and exhaled, re-staring at the stars.

"So? What'd you wish for?" Someone from behind asked.

I turned to glance over my right shoulder and saw a figure in all black, hovering in the shadows of my balcony. "Ahhhhhh!" I screamed running for the doors.

Someone grabbed me from behind and fingers covered my mouth and the intruder bent down to whisper in my ear. "Alexie, calm down, it's me."

I stopped fighting. "Me who?" I demanded cautiously.

The intruder spun me around and pulled off their black ski mask revealing a set of features that I knew better then my own now.

"It's me" Taylor repeated, rolling his eyes.

My smile lit up quickly replacing my fear as I glanced up at him under the moonlight. "Taylor, what are you doing here?" I cried, my heart beating rapidly. I couldn't tell if that was because he was here or because I'd been scared.

"I told you I would see you again." He reminded me, his face serious.

He remembered! My heart swooned for the second time tonight.

Then I glared at him. "And you had to scare me, huh?" I snapped, backing away to the doors and crossing my arms over my chest.

Taylor smirked at me, his hands in his pockets and his head at a slight angle. And I felt my heart leap in my chest as I took in all the laugh lines he had about his face. "No, Alexie," he began coming to tower over me. His voice low, deep and making my knees shake he whispered, i]"That was just a bonus."[/i]

I wanted to be angry again but then he reached down and kissed me. Suddenly every thought in my mind at that moment was going in one ear and out the other and floating out with the night wind. I stood on my toes and pressed my body against his, wrapping my arms around his neck as my fingers were winding themselves in his hair. He picked me up with one arm and crushed me against him as his bottom lip moved in between my own. Impassioned, I bit down on his lip making him moan against me, the sound reverberating in his chest and against me. He walked backwards until my back was against the cool stone of the castle mansion. My fingers started on a trek downward, slipping up his shirt and exploring the bumps and burning hot ridges there. Gasping, he pulled away from me. Trying to hide my disappointment and relief, I tried to catch my breath and slow the rapid beating of my heart.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded.

My cheeks hot I pulled my fingers away from his skin. "Sorry, I'm cold," I apologized.

"I wonder why?" He muttered. Tugging the bottom of my shirt back down before moving past me and inside, Taylor smirked. "Nice pj's," he said over his shoulder.

I glanced down at my grey oversized SNOWED IN t-shirt and red snowflake booties I was wearing, wondering if he could tell I was only wearing underwear underneath. I blushed once I realized how obvious it really was before crossing my arms over my chest and going to close the balcony doors. "Um, thanks?"

I turned around and went to sit cross-legged in the middle of my bed with a pillow in my lap. "How'd you get all the way up here, anyways?" I wanted to know, watching as he checked out my room.

"I hopped the fence and used a tree to climb up the wall." Taylor answered checking out my wall of posters from Leonardo DiCaprio, Chicago, Hairspray and so on.

"Wow," I grinned, thinking of the first Twilight movie I ever saw, (the first Dakota was in) New Moon, "very Jacob Black."

Taylor turned around and grinned back, only for an different reason. "You have a poster of Curious George…" he glanced back at the poster before grinning back at me, "…the Movie?"

"What?" I asked defensively. "It's a good movie. I love that movie. Curious George is so cute and funny and everything bad always happens to Will Farrell. You can't help but feel bad for him."

"Will Farrell's in this movie?" Taylor asked, skimming over the poster.

I nodded as he started moving on to my bookshelf. "Yep. He plays the Man in the Yellow Hat. Even Drew Barrymore's in it as his love interest."

Taylor starting laughing like crazy. "The monkeys?" He choked out.

I rolled my eyes and chunked a pillow at him which he grinningly ducked. "No, Taylor. Of course not the monkey's. Isn't that against the law?"

He shrugged as he ran his fingers over the spines of my Nicholas Sparks collection. "It happened on Planet of the Apes, right?"

I thought about it then wrinkled my nose. "Ew, that's weird."

"Alexie?" I heard someone yell and then there was a loud thundering that I instantly recognized as-

My heart froze as did Taylor. “Is that-?" He began.

Slowly I nodded, my eyes wide. "Footsteps."

Taylor snatched his fingers from the row of books as if he'd just been scalded and swore. "Son of a-"

"Lautner!" I cried lunging to jump on top of him so I could slap a hand over his mouth.

"What?" He demanded pushing me off of him

"That's not going to help!" I finished, even though that was only half of the reason. Glancing around the room, trying to find a hiding spot for Taylor. I spotted my wardrobe doors and instantly grabbed Taylor's hand as I stood up and pulled him along. Rushing toward them I cried, "C'mon, in here!"

I managed to pull the doors open and without question Taylor folded himself inside so that I could make sure he'd properly fit. He shut the door behind him and I started running back to the bed. I had just had time to leap onto my bed before the door opened.

"Alexie, what's wrong?" Joe cried as he, and Demi burst through the doorway into my room.

Keeping my eyes away from the wardrobe, I shot him a look of genuine confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"We heard you scream and something break-we thought you were in trouble!" Dems explained.

"Oh." I blinked. Crud. I glanced around the room and noticed a small rubber spider that Frankie tried to scare me with the other day laying on the floor by the balcony doors. "There's a spider!" I cried in a voice that sounded unconvincing to me.

Joe pulled off his shoe and slowly made his way to the spider, eyeing the still spider with perfect concentration. Then with a instantaneous smack, he swooped down and smacked the spider with his shoe. Slowly he lifted the shoe, his face serious before he suddenly stood up, rolling his eyes as he came towards me with the spider in his hand.

"Ew! Joe, get that away from me!" I cried scooting away from him.

"It's fake, Princessa. Just another one of those rubber ones Frankie's been carting around since last Halloween." Joe exasperatedly snapped.

I tried to make an opps face but it came out like a cross between a smile and a grimace. "I guess I'm so tired my eyes confused me for a moment."

Joe sighed. "Teenage girls, I swear."

I grinned and called after him, "Love you, Joey."

He came back around and sheepishly smiled at me. "Love you too, Lex." Then he disappeared down the hall, leaving me behind with Dem.

She smiled at me. "Hey, I know that your date had to leave early."

My mouth dropped open. "How did you-"

She shook her head. "Joe and Sel told me."

I rolled my eyes. "Joe. Of course. I bet half the things wrong with the world right now, just using his name would explain them all!"

She laughed at that.

"Let me guess," I went on, "he celebrated at my expense."

Somber now, Demi crossed the room and came to sit at the edge of my bed. "I never had a brother," she began quietly, "I just had my two younger sisters and Selena, but I do understand Joe."

I gazed at her curiously, "And what does that mean?

She sighed, "It means that he's not laughing at your expense. I know your brother, he loves you. He would do anything for any of you...but/i] he doesn't want to see you hurt."

"And he thinks Zac would hurt me?" I assumed. I shook my head, "But Zac is his [i]friend. He wouldn't be friends with a guy like that-" I paused and bit my lip. "-at least I hope not."

"You do understand we owe you, right?"

With a laugh Demi spun around to face me, "You owe me? Whatever for?"

My eyebrows raised as my mouth dropped. "What for?" Incrediously I repeated. "[bYou[/b] were the one who was there when Joe stopped that investigation into-" I stumbled over my next words. "-into our parents death."

Demi's smile began to fade as I went on. "You were the one who brought him back to us after he started drinking." She was starting to shake her head so urgently I insistently pressed on. "Dems, you saved him. And in doing so you saved us all-our entire family."

"Not completely," Demi whispered glancing out the window almost to herself. Her eyes were gazed over with the look of the haunted.

She meant his anger issues. I shook my head. "Everyone has their demons-including him. But that doesn't matter to me. Not as much as something else..."

Demi turned around to face me, her back against the window, hands gripping the window sill. "Yes?"

"You love him, don't you?" I pressed solemnly, watching her face.

Demi's fingers gripped her wrist in one hand but her smile was illuminating "Yes," came her answer, short, sweet but not too articifial.

I nodded, "Good. Then that's all that matters. Broken or not, you brought my brother back. And despite his many faults-you manage to love him. As far as I'm concerned all the lying you did all those years ago to integrate yourselves into our lives-I'll admit it broke Joey to lose you but-"

"But?" Curiously, Demi repeated, gazing over at me.

With a shrug I finished, "Well, you got that witchout of our lives for one thing!"

She laughed, "And?"

"Without you I can't even imagine where my brothers and I would be right now." I shuddered at the thought. "So thank you."

There was a quiet silence for a moment before Joe bellowed up the stairs, "DEM-I?" Almost in the way those people yell, SUE-Y!

Demi shook her head. "I didn't even mean to stay this long. I just wanted you say how sorry I am that Zac had to leave early."

My eyebrows raised at that. I hadn't expected that. I had all but forgotten that I'd arrived with Zac but (in my heart) left with Taylor.

"But don't worry," Demi went on, straightening up and heading towards the door. "Today was your debut into the Young Hollywood, you'll find someone in no time." Her lips tilted into a smile almost as if to hint like I found Joe.

And so I couldn't resist. "Someone like Joe?" I teased her.

Demi laughed and grinned over at me, "Maybe."

I wanted to giggle right then and there at just how wrong and at the same time how right she was. And deep down in side some part of me whispered, Don't worry, I already have. But I managed to keep a straight face as I nodded. "I guess you could be right, Dems," I told her trying to hide my chagrin.

She shot me another warm smile before making her way to the doorway and flicking off the light. "Good bye," she called, closing the door after her.

As soon as I heard the door click shut, I sat up, I turned to the door, counted to 90 before getting up and locking my door, leaning an iron board it for extra measures before hurrying to the my closet.

He was leaning the wall with one arm raised in that cocky school-boy-who-defies-the-school-administration pose.

I burst into laughter. "Smooth moves."

"I know right," he answered, his voice low as he reached down and raised my chin before bending down and pressed his lips to mine.

Sighing in content, I wrapped my arms around his neck and let my body melt against him. He grabbed me mid-thigh and wrapped my legs around his waist. Making me accidentally bite his lip again, he groaned in pleasure as he held me up with one arm and threaded his fingers in my hair, beginning the unraveling of Gabby's plait. All the while he was kissing me with heat as he backed up until he hit the bed and fell backwards into the middle of it.

I laughed and pulled away from him from a moment. "Whoa," I breathed. "That was impressive navigating, sailor."

Looking aggravated that I'd pulled away, he grabbed me again. "C'mere, you." He growled and with a laugh, I set my lips against him. His hands started roaming; first he gripped my upper thighs and picked me up so that he could set me, straddling his waist, on the lower half of his torso. I pressed my body against him, my back arching in the air as I flattened myself against his chest. Then his hands starred roaming up my thighs and up my shirt, his skin sending electric currents all over my body.

"Wait-" I said breathlessly, pulling away. "Taylor, we can't do this."

"You sure?" He murmured, his voice at my throat as he kissed along my jawline, my collarbone and down to-

Fighting back my urge to melt and give into him I climbed out of his lap. Trying to catch his breath, he sat up slightly. "You're right," he agreed, though I could hear the disappointment and something else that was close but wasn't anger, in his voice.

"I mean, we don't even know each other," I continued, trying to fix my shirt. "I don't know your favorite color-"

"-Baby blue, baby!" he interrupted with a recovering grin, his hands on my thighs.

My stomach flipped nervously as I continued, "-or your favorite movie-"

"-Accepted," he went on, pulling me closer to him.

I shivered against his touch as I struggled to focus. "And-and-and what religion you were raised as-"

Taylor grinned, "Roman Catholic. See? I got your answers right here." He tapped his temple with a smirk.

I sighed. "I don't even know if you like McDonald's or not and that is a major deal breaker with me!" Taylor threw his head back and laughed but I shook my head. "You think I'm joking but I'm so not."

"This is really important to you?" Taylor wanted to know, his expression becoming more serious.

I looked down at the end of my braid and slowly nodded. "Yeah," I answered, my voice low.

"Okay, then meet me tomorrow," he decided, keeping his arms locked around my waist, his finger tips lightly brushing against my skin and making me shiver.

"Are you serious?" I cried dropping my hair and staring at him, my eyes wide.

He nodded. "You made a valid point; we don't know each other," Taylor pointed out. "And it’s kind of necessary that we do."

My eyebrows knit together in confusion about his remark about how important it was that we did get to know each other. "But what about…" I paused and tried to shot him a meaningful look. At his inquiring gaze I clarified. "…the whole issue of you being a Teague and my being a Lett?"

He paused for a moment. "Alexie," he finally began, gazing down at me, "you said it yourself that there's obviously something between us and I–for one–would like to know what it is."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Us?" I asked meekly, pushing a few stray strands of hair out of my eyes.

"Yes. Us." He said quickly moving on, much to my disappointment to find out just what "us" was or entailed.

I shook myself back to reality. "But still, even if we tried, if people saw us together-it wouldn't end well. I'm sure you're...well known and I am, only slightly due to my brothers. And after what happened at Italiana earlier, this would be the wrong time to test out tensions between our two…" I paused wondering how to describe them. The Teagues and Letts weren't necessarily our families. Maybe more like- "…companies." I finished.

He nodded as I spoke. "If I found a way for us to be together without giving the entire town a collanary, what would you say?"

"I'd say yes," I answered immediately. There was no question about it. "Of course."

Taylor nodded. "Then it's done." He answered.

"Done?" I cried.

"Yes, baby. Done." He reached up and gently pushed my head forward so he could kiss me again.

Pulling away I blinked down at him doubtfully. "That fast?"

Sighing, Taylor nodded. "Yes. Its a long story and I have to go." He wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. "Unless I stayed the night…" he hinted.

And send my parents rolling around in their graves? I sighed. "You probably shouldn't." I had broken so many rules tonight from my parents, Brendan and Kevin's Rulebooks alike. I probably shouldn't break anymore. Or put myself in the way of temptation. This boy had a habit of getting me to say yes to things I would've usually said no to.

Taylor nodded as if he'd been expecting that to be my answer. "Then I'll tell you everything tomorrow."

I sighed. "Okay."

He stood up and I slipped off the bed. He reached out and grabbed my hand, and hand and hand we walked back outside to the balcony. Once we reached the railing we turned to face each other. And the moment I looked up into his face I felt like I couldn't breath as my chest tightened. My old fear had returned; I wasn't sure if I'd see him again.

His eyebrows came together and he cupped my face in one of his hands. "What's wrong?"

My eyesight blurring, I shook my head, not entirely sure myself. "It's nothing." I answered forcing a smile.

"Good. So I'll see you tomorrow," Taylor smiled before bending down and kissing me. "…baby." He added as he pulled away with a smirk.

My stomach lurched at my newly dubbed nickname and I smiled softly up at him. "Tomorrow," I repeated firmly.

He let do of my hand as he went to the edge of the balcony, swinging both legs over the side.

Tomorrow, I repeated with a slight smile as I watched him disappear over the railing and into the night.