Discoveries

Her eyes are liquid gold in the sunlight. She looks at me sideways, mouth open with excitement. Our shoulders touch. She leans closer, there is a laugh shimmering in her mind. Her smell is honey and moonlight and young moist leaves. I touch her face with my fingertips and the breath catches in my throat and there is a tightness in my chest, and her eyes widen and there is a different excitement in the air.

We will be mates when we are older. We have always known this but now, at this moment, in the tightness in my chest and throat, I know what that means.

She feels it too.

She puts her face close to mine, I let my hand slide through her hair and it is soft and thick and my heart pounds. Her lips touch my hair and my heart gives a lurch and she pulls back, mischief in her smell, amber eyes teasing.

She dances away, and I follow her, as I must, as she wants me to do. We don’t break silence but we are laughing as she leads me away from the others.

We are not allowed to be here. And never in daylight.

We are young.

She will never grow old.

Mike’s voice drifted into silence.