We Were Blue // Completed

40//

"He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking."

-Leo Tolstoy

* * *

Twinkling lights dance upon my vision, spots of red and green cloud my sight. The fireplace cascades an ethereal warmth our direction as we all pause to stare up at the now finished tree. "I love it." I whisper as Grams comes up and wraps an arm around me.

I breathe in, she smells like sugar and cinnamon and a hint of something else that reminds me of Christmas. "Merry Christmas darling." Turning into her embrace, I return the gesture by wrapping my arms around her thin structure. 

"Thank you," I say. "For everything."

Her smile is warm, like the way the sun feels on your cheek after a long winter with nothing but clouds. "Oh shush child, that's what family's for." My heart aches at the mention of family, she's the only real family I've got left, and before I know it I'll be thousands of miles away again. "Well," She drawls with that southern twang of hers. "I'm going to call it a night.' 

She takes short strides over to the steps, pausing to pick up a lone piece of trash. "Night Grams." I call out behind her.

Fire, running up and down my bones. Heat racing through my veins, burning every inch of my body like I'm standing in the middle of a forest fire. His eyes are red hot on me, following every movement with no regrets. I inhale deeply, desperately trying to calm my racing nerves. How is it possible for one person to make me feel so much without even trying?

Twirling around, I meet his gaze straight on, my heart pounding like when you go down the first hill on a rollercoaster. "Come on." He firmly but gently grabs ahold of my wrist, his soft fingers sending shivers down my spine. 

I allow him to drag me into the cold night. "Where are we going?" I question as I climb into the safety of the passengers seat, away from the bitter air. 

Rubbing my arms does little to warm my shivering body, but it's better than nothing. Roman starts up the engine, his dimples peeking through as he gives just a hint of a smile. "It's a secret."

A groan escapes my lips. "Roman don't you think I've had enough surprises this week? Come on just tell me." 

He shakes his head as he puts the car in reverse before turning onto the dark street. "Sorry but no can do babydoll." His grin is brilliant, so contagious that I find myself smiling over at him like a goddamn fool. 

Snapping the grin off my lips I grumble a response, earning a chuckle from Roman. I remember when Damon's laugh was my favorite sound in the whole world, but now I'm thinking that maybe that spot has been replaced by a certain icy eyed boy's chuckle instead. All I want to do is make him laugh more, to see him smile, but more importantly to be the one to put that grin on his lips. 

We drive up a long winding road, traveling deep into the forest. "Roman if you've brought me all this way to murder me, I swear to god I will come back as a ghost and haunt the hell out of you."  He raises a lone eyebrow.

"Felicity darling if I was going to murder you I would've done it a long time ago."

I tilt my head to the side and mummer a response. "Good to know, I think." The woods seem to become darker as we divulge further into their depths. The moon is out of side, somewhere hidden behind the canopy of tree tops.

The car jumbles unsteadily over the rocky terrain causing me to grip the seat to keep myself in place. Every inch of our surroundings appears to be identical, just a vast area of darkness and trees. "How do you know where you're going?"