Your Heart Stays Cool

[Carter Chevalier]

For months now, things had been running smoothly. Carter frequently spent his days off with Karalie when he could. Despite the myriad of dates, he still hadn't taken her home. And for once, that was fine. Perhaps the older of the Chevalier twins was growing to match his age, or perhaps he'd finally learned how to accommodate the needs of others despite the needs of his own.

She had class on that particular day - being a weekday as it were - and so the blonde kept himself busy throughout the morning. Catching up on incoming assignments and the like; not that they were difficult. Carter Chevalier was raised in a business minded family. He had hands on experience that his classmates simply couldn't match. In short, he was still bored by every semester. But evidently degrees were important when working towards the inevitable life he'd step into.

That afternoon, Carter made his way back to Hammel. He knew when classes typically ended, and he was banking on the fact that she wasn't engrossed in any clubs or sports or activities.

Balling his hand into a fist, he knocked on the appropriate door.

[Karalie Heise]

No one was without their faults, Karalie knew that. She never expected perfection of anyone, certainly not a boy she was interested in, but Carter Chevalier was as close to flawless as she believed she might ever come.  In her young, naive mind there was no one better suited for her.  Carter was the one she wanted to take home to introduce to her father someday.  Where she had been uncertain of what his feelings would be towards Lucas when she'd been with him, there wasn't a single doubt in her mind now that her father would approve wholeheartedly of young Mr. Chevalier. Karalie was smitten, and had good reason to be.

Classes were over for the day and her schedule was clear.  She had homework that needed to be finished, and with a track meet that weekend she would probably find herself running sometime that evening.  For now she was on her bed with her laptop, Ed Sheeran playing softly through her speakers as she browsed tumblr.  Her mind shifted to Carter, a smile spreading instinctively across her lips.  She was happy. She was happier than she'd been in months and she knew part of that had to do with him.  A knock on the door pulled her attention away, dark eyes gazing at the wood as if she could see through it.  The look on her face faltered some as she pushed herself to her feet, abandoning the screen on her bed to see who could possibly be knocking.

cool blue eyes and platinum blond hair met her gaze.  Even now, after seeing him so often, the sight of him made butterflies form in her stomach.  A feeling of giddiness tensing her muscles as she instinctively nipped at the inside of her bottom lip. "Hey." She greeted, her eyes practically twinkling at him, pulling the door open further and silently inviting him.  "What're you doin' here?" She asked cheerfully leaning up to peck his lips.  He was a pleasant surprise indeed.

[Carter Chevalier]

The moment she opened the door, Carter couldn't help but smile. Truly, there was something magnetic about the way she looked at him upon his arrival. His gaze travelled the length of her face, down to her lips on instinct as if it were inevitable to press his own against them in due time. A bright gaze then flicked to the movement of the door, signalling that she was inviting him in.

A small kiss for the willing; his hand reached in to run across the curve of her waist before settling briefly at the small of her back. He reciprocated the notion willingly, and as short as it was supposed to be, he dragged it out for a few spare moments. Like it'd been too long since he'd last seen her.

Drawing back, he stepped into the room she claimed. "I was free, I thought you might be too, so I took the chance." He explained, blue eyes immediately glancing at the screen of her laptop as he stepped towards her bed. "Is this your homework?"

[Karalie Heise]

A chill crept down her spine at the touch of his hand.  Would she ever tire of his hands on her? She found with every passing day she craved it more, losing some of her own resolve to take things at a pace that was acceptable.  Still, things were different with him.  He was different. Special.

Carter lingered a moment before pulling away, her gaze following him as he made his way into her room. It felt smaller when he was there, like all she could see was him and nothing else existed.  The heat in the room seemed to turn up too.  Or maybe it was just her who warmed at his presence. "Yer very perceptive." She teased gently, shutting and locking her door.  She'd taken to locking it since no one bothered to lock the front door and one of her roommates had once found it acceptable to let herself in when Karalie failed to do so of her on volition.

"I was gonna work on some, but procrastination's th'devil.  Or at least tumblr is." She moved around him so he might look at her instead of her laptop.  Not that she minded if he played around on it, but she wasn't willing to share his attention with a piece of machinery when she'd just gotten him.  "It can wait." She suggested coyly, giving his shirt a gentle tug.  "Watchu wanna do?"

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter thought so little of how she locked the door. Privacy in a dorm situation was always difficult to achieve, locked door or no, but it was an appreciated gesture nonetheless.

Bright eyes were caught by the figure that crossed his gaze, cutting his connection to the laptop screen and forcing his eyes to trail up the length of her form instead. An easy interception on her part; perfect steps to draw his attention to where it evidently - rightfully - belonged. He might've teased her for her procrastination techniques if his mind hadn't been snagged. A small pull at the material of his shirt, but his eyes refused to waver.

Hands reached towards her again, carefully pressed to her waist at either side, applying a small hit of pressure to ease her in closer.

"Anything you'd like." He reasoned, eyebrows raising to a single twitch, "I'm here for you."

[Karalie Heise]

No one looked at her the way he did.  It was as though she were the center of all his attention, and in that moment she most certainly was.  She felt his hands sliding to her waist, holding it just firm enough to draw her closer, and like that she was intoxicated by him all over again.

Karalie had made great progress in the past couple of months with her retrocognition.  She didn't have complete control, but she had far more than she once did.  Still, knowing she could see into his life in a moments notice, she still refused to touch as often as she liked.  Not directly, anyway.  A boy like Carter was sure to have gotten around before her, and she didn't want to know about any of it.  Ignorance was bliss.

Her hands crept up his chest, hands palled into loose fists as they paused at his chest.  She leaned her body in closer to his, tilting her head just barely to the side.  "My favorite place for you tuh be." She cooed, Her smile creeping up as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

[Carter Chevalier]

Like clockwork, Carter could feel the way she responded to the nature behind his movements. How she eased herself in with little necessary draw. It was the type of thing people fell into eventually; an understanding always sprung from so much time being spent together over a decent period of time.

"I could always help you study." Carter reasoned, deciding that now wasn't the time to tell her he'd only been out of high school for a year. He wasn't stupid, he was just difficult to motivate when it came to work. A slight tilt of his chin and he breached the distance between them, lips brushing against hers lightly for a spare set of moments. Anything to drag the contact out further.

Beneath her arms, he shrugged his shoulders, an intrigued grin catching the corner of his mouth; "Or provide ample procrastination."

[Karalie Heise]

An offer to study seemed equally beneficial and distracting.  She had no doubt he was brilliant, but that could be her own bias in action.  She knew she gave Carter more credit than he deserved, but she liked the idea that he was essentially a demigod.  Of course there was no such thing, but in her mind she liked to believe he was as close as one could be.

She hummed softly in playful contemplation, her eyes narrowed as if she were considering it all when he leaned back in to her.  Karalie wondered if those butterflies would ever quit when she felt his lips press to hers.  It was all she could do not to run her fingers over his torso, if only just to feel him.  She'd never craved someone like she did him, a dangerous realization she knew to keep in mind.

"Yer far too distractin' tuh be any use tuh me." She teased, her eyes suddenly widening as she pulled back a tick, pushing her closed fists to his shoulders.  A look of excitement crossed her face and she smiled, bouncing.  "Oh, I almost forgot!" She gushed, nipping her bottom lip as her eyes sparkled with delight.  "I have a birthday present for you!"  

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter felt the buzz of her hum close enough to his lips for him to steal. It was the briefest of moments where he wondered if she'd been wondering the same thing; just how much could they get away with in the space of time provided? His overarching offer always hung high in the air, and he'd never been one to pluck it from the extended branch. Neither had she. Not yet, anyway.

He offered an unmistakably feigned frown at her response, like he might be remotely hurt over the idea that he wasn't and couldn't be of any use. He tried to follow as she drew back, but fists against his shoulders advised him otherwise.

"You remembered my birthday?" Carter asked, well aware that there was only one other person who ever thought to do so apart from those in his family. Raising his hands, he withdrew them from her completely in order to hold them up, as if he was daring enough to surrender his hold on her for as long as she needed, "I've got no idea. You know I didn't expect anything from you." After all, it prompted the most difficult puzzle; what does one get the man who can easily have everything?

[Karalie Heise]

She offered a shy smile as she pulled herself away from him, stepping away though her eyes remained locked on the cool blue of his.  She nodded and gave her shoulders a gentle roll.  "Well, yeah.." Was it so unthinkable she might remember his birthday? She liked Carter and paid attention to the details he provided.  How could she ignore such an important day in his life?

She turned and went to her dresser, opening her underwear drawer.  Wasn't that the best place to keep something hidden, after all?  "It's not much.." She insisted, though she hoped it was.  Karalie wasn't the most creative girl in the world, but she'd put some amount of thought into a gift for the boy who'd momentarily won her heart.  She pulled out a small box, wrapped in a vibrant blue and green paper, holding it tight to her as she turned around suddenly feeling a little silly.  What if he hated it? What if it wasn't his style at all?  Would the thought matter at all?

She handed the box over, The present she'd chosen tucked inside, and bit her lower lip, pulling her hands back and folding them tightly in front of her.  A card was taped to the front of the box, her loopy handwriting inside with a quote she'd found, one she thought to be fitting:  The clock won't stop. Not for me. Not for you. When that final tick tocks and you are forever silenced, what will be most important is how loud that silence be.  "Happy birthday." She wished him softly.