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same time.
    Maybe I judged him too soon and he wasn’t a
‘bad boy’ although he definitely wasn’t like the other ‘nice boys’
at my school. He radiated a maturity I craved but never found
before. And there was something more – a feeling of déjà vu.
    ‘ You can trust him ,’ my heart said
while my head screamed no.
    It was a relief when we neared the corner
where I lived and approached my house because I needed this turmoil
to stop – to think rationally about things. Nicholas carried me up
the stairs to my front porch and sat me on the swing that hung
there. I breathed a sigh of relief.
    “Is anyone home?” he asked.
    As he stepped away, I felt the serenity of
his aura leave and I wanted to catch his hand and bring him back to
me. Like a moth to a flame, I craved his touch even though that
meant the risk of being burned.
    “You okay?”
    My heart dropped as concern spread across his
beautiful face. I’d been late to cover up my struggle. I gave him
the first excuse that came to mind.
    “I’m just… dizzy,” I choked out.
    He pursed his lips; the concern still there,
I could feel it right under the surface.
    I put my hand up to my forehead to try to get
my bearings. Why was this happening to me?
    “Is anyone home, Julia?” His worry now
expressed in the tone of his voice.
    “My brother or my dad should be,” I squeaked
out.
    He walked over and knocked on the door
keeping one eye on me. I gave a weak smile, trying to reassure him
I was all right, but still confused how we had this mysterious
electric connection.
    “My dad’s going to freak when he sees me like
this. How bad do I look?”
    A smile appeared on his face. “You’re a
little banged up, but I think you’ll survive.”
    As he stood on the porch waiting for an
answer to his knock, I took the first real opportunity I had to
look at him. His chiseled face with dark brown hair and olive-toned
skin perfectly framed his dazzling green eyes. He wore a long,
brown floor-length leather trench coat over a dark-colored,
button-up shirt, faded blue jeans and some mean-looking boots. His
face had a certain youthful yet rugged appearance. A shimmering
emerald green stone peeked out from under his shirt hanging from a
gold chain around his neck.
    Nicholas noticed the focus of my gaze and
tucked the medallion back under his shirt out of view.
    Looking up at his beautiful face made all the
pain fade away and I blushed as the butterflies flew around in my
stomach. I knew my eyes must be red from crying and dirt covered me
from head to toe, not to mention my clothes were torn, but he acted
as if he didn’t see any of that.
    Nicholas bent forward and looked directly at
me. Seriousness crossed his face. “Promise me you won’t wander
alone in the woods again. Promise me,” he quietly demanded.
    “I promise.”
    “And no mention the mountain lion, okay?”
    “Okay, but...”
    Luke opened the door. His eyes went from
Nicholas then to me. When he saw my disheveled appearance, he gaped
in horror.
    “What the hell?” Luke said.
    I clenched my teeth preparing for a barrage
of questions. I must’ve looked pretty bad.
    Luke rushed to me.
    “What happened?” he demanded, glaring at
Nicholas.
    “I fell and twisted my ankle and Nicholas
kindly helped me home,” I said calmly, trying to reassure him that
Nicholas was indeed a friend and not a foe.
    “You what?” Luke snapped, his eyes squinting
into slits. “Where?”
    “The trail,” I cringed, choosing my words
carefully. “I ran out of gas and my cell phone died. I thought
taking a shortcut through the woods would be better than walking
around.”
    “You took the trail?” His faced screwed up
like he’d just smelled something rotten. “In the woods? In the
dark? Alone!”
    Luke acted angry, but I felt a wave of
frustration and powerlessness come over him; I instantly felt
guilty.
    He took a deep breath and swore. “Julia!” he
growled.
    “It’s okay Luke. I’ll be fine. I just twisted
my