Page 16 of Falling For Alaska

My hand drops to my holster, flicks off the safety, and points it right at his skull.

“Step. Back. Now,” I growl. The crowd falls silent, the air crackling around us. Every pair of eyes is fixed on us. He’s armed and deranged; I wouldn’t put it past him to take out his gun, too. I’m seconds away from pulling the trigger when I hear it. The softest shift in the air, like the world has suddenly pivoted. Can you feel somebody’s presence without seeing them? Yes, you can. ’Cause I’m sensing it right now. So much, it’s palpable, physical. She’s there, I can feel it in every bone of my body as I keep my arms straight and aimed at the guy’s face, who’s fidgeting like a wild animal contained in a box. I still don’t see her, my gaze locked onto my target. The blood boiling under my skin is cooling down, my breathing getting back to normal. Each second that passes makes me see clearer. As if an angel had landed on my shoulder, telling me that I’ve got this. That I’m not going to lose it. A few seconds pass and Tory shakes his head, then spits on the ground. I drop my arm on my side.

“I’ll only talk to him,” he shouts, pointing at Jared, then stepping back. I exhale, realizing I’ve been holding my breath for a minute, and let Jared cuff him and walk him in the back of our patrol car. What the hell was that? I could almost hear her voice saying my name in the back of my mind.

“As you wish,” I mutter, not even thinking about this idiot anymore. The crowd disperses as fast as they arrive now that the show’s over.

Alaska’s here, behind me.

I can’t feel it.

Shooting holes in my skull with her big blue eyes.

If I turn, will I still be able to stay away? Will she be afraid of me now that she saw me threatening someone with a gun?

“Hey,” an angelic voice calls me out and I can’t resist it. So I turn and face the most beautiful sight I’ve ever got to witness. She’s wearing her navy blue raincoat with a skirt and black tights. Her cobalt gaze is wide and curious, watching me like I’m a subject to be studied, lingering a bit long on me, more than what’s socially acceptable. But I don’t mind, I don’t mind at all, actually. She can take all the minutes she wants.

“Hey.” I clear my throat, because I’m not sure if I frightened her. My shoulder relaxes and I sigh, like I’m coming home after a long day.

That’s what being around her feels like.

Like coming home.

We don’t even need to talk; her presence alone grounds me. Makes my anxiety disintegrate in a cloud of dust. As if her quiet nature was bleeding on me when I’m around her.

“Did I s-scare you?” I ask bluntly, because I don’t feel like walking around the bush with her. I put my gun back in my holster and flex my hand. She steps forward, her hands fidgeting as I fall silent, frozen in front of this angel who doesn’t seem afraid of the brute in me.

“I…” she starts.

“Would you…” we talk at the same time and I stop to let her finish her sentence, exchanging a light smile.

“Are you okay?” she asks, genuine worry painted on her face.

I run a hand on my chin. “Yeah,” I say, my voice out of breath now that I’m no longer high on adrenaline.

“It was, um, intense.”

“Right.” I clench my jaw, the idea of having potentially scared her unsettling me. “Just another day on the job.”

“You’re really brave. I could never do that.”

“Just doing my job, Alaska.” I shrug while I notice her shivering from my lips saying her name.

She looks down, fidgeting. “I…um, I wanted to ask you if you’d like to go for a hike,” she says, putting her hands in the front pocket of her raincoat, a deep pink blush blooming on her face, “to show you around, you know, the tour?” My jaw drops like a freaking teenager in front of his crush, and I bite the inside of my cheek for making a fool of myself.

“The tour?” remembering the offer Jared’s sister made during the Fall Festival. “Right, yeah, the tour,” I repeat like a broken record, the word sounding almost like an excuse for us to see each other under false pretenses.

“I… I’d like that very much.” She bites her lip, a faint lift at the corner.

This, right now, will be my downfall.

I’ll go under for good, all for a woman who’ll bolt when she’ll see how deep my issues run. When she’ll see I’m not as strong as I seem to be. That I could embarrass her with my words, my voice…me. She may have stayed for now but I’ve lived enough years on this earth to know that no woman will ever like me for who I am. But even knowing that, I can’t stay away. Not right now, as she looks at me like I could make all her dreams come true.

“Come by the shop next week and, um, we’ll choose the trail together,” she offers with her sweet voice, her tone faltering like she got hurt on the way.

What happened to you, Alaska? What made you the way that you are?

Jared shouts from the car, “Jack, let’s go, he’s pissing me off!” and I glance back at her.