“I'm scared, all right?" I said. I could feel my stomach churn as my gaze rested on the wooden trunk.Nathan turned my chin, looking at me with an expression of utter sincerity. "You don't have to be. I'm here.”

“My Zora senses are tingling," I said.Nathan looked at me blankly."Right, you don't know anything about Spiderman," I remembered."Spider who?" he asked.”

“I was all too aware of his hands resting on my lower back, their imprints like sweet flames that seemed to go through the thin fabric of my dress and onto my skin.”

“Drop something?" he asked, trying to suppress a smile but failing miserably at the act.I nodded and smiled back at him sheepishly, unable to find my voice to respond in any other way."Interested in locks, I see," he commented.I nodded again."Well, here you go," he said, and he handed the book to me.I nodded. Oh crap, why did I just nod? Take the book! I screamed inside my head. Take it! I took it slowly. He kept looking at me, smiling.”

“So you aren’t going to tell me what just happened?” I deduced. The fact was clearly readable across his face.He looked me over again and sighed. “Just be careful in the future,” he said.“How can I be careful when I have no idea why this just happened? Water grabbed me!” I cried, gesturing with my hands toward the side of the bridge where I once lay. “How is that possible?”When he didn’t respond to my questions, I probed him further, trying to get him to answer me. “What about you, with the mud and the rock and the crazy out-of-thin-air thing? What was that?” I demanded to know.“It was saving your life,” he said, a hint of petulance creeping into his tone. “Be careful in the future, Ramsey.”Then he took off running, and after a few seconds, he was gone from my sight...”

“I'm sorry I ruined your homecoming."He kissed me once more and then shook his head. "The only thing that could ruin this is not being with you.”

“The heat intensified. My emotions were spinning out of control. The euphoria was maddening. Out of pure instinct, I pulled away and leaned against the wall, unable to find enough air to breathe. The more I pulled away, the strong the raw ache inside of me became, causing me more pain than the lack of oxygen in the room. Then I realized the source of my pain. It dawned on me with a shocking certainty. I hadn't wanted to pull away from Nathan. I needed him closer in order to feel safe. I needed his touch, his feel. I needed him now more than I ever had.”