1st Pathway Continued

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?" I asked as soon as we were inside the house. RJ turned to me then and held my hand. After that, he led me to the room that was apparently his. I had thought it would be near mine but it was in fact on the opposite side of the house. His room had minimal decor, wooden furniture, and tan-colored bedding. There was also a pile of clothes in the corner and multiple empty soda and beer bottles on the dresser and under his bed. It's actually not as bad as I was expecting. At least the bed was neatly made and clean. RJ laid down first and I laid on top of him. I didn't need any blankets because the heat coming off of him was so intense! "I didn't know you drank so much..." I mumbled, noticing the trashcan in the corner was full of more empty bottles.

"The spirit of Fire that chose me loves alcohol more than food. I get sick if I don't drink some every day... I can't get drunk, even with Bane in my system." That's quite a drawback.

"Oh... um... I can't get cold." I replied, trying to relate. "But the water element didn't choose me... I just keep my core cold at all times..." He patted my head and closed his eyes. "Thank you, RJ... you're the first person to do something for me with no ulterior motives."

"That's... not true..." He answered.

"What do you mean?" I asked while sitting up just enough to see his face he didn't seem to want to answer, "RJ... tell me." I whispered

"I... rather not tell you because I don't want you to hate me." I giggled and replied,

"There's no way I could hate you."

"You're wrong..." RJ corrected, "Now sleep... you've had a long day." I wanted to talk to him more but after crying all day and with how comforting it felt to have him hold me, stroking my back, I did as told. I woke up, with him still holding me, but his eyes were locked on the ceiling, as if he was deep in thought.

"Good morning." I greeted,

"Your breath stinks..." Then he rolled me off of him and left the room... the heck?! After brushing my shame away I found RJ still in his room typing on his desktop computer.

"You're in a bad mood," I commented from the door,

"I can't sleep, and since I couldn't move the entire night, all I could do was think... so yeah I'm in a bad mood." I approached him, and he turned off his monitor. "What do you want for breakfast today?" He asked, giving me his full attention.

"I... think I just want an orange this morning." He then turned from me and turned his computer back on, I saw that he was currently scrolling through emails, they all looked urgent.

"Then I'll see you when you're done with your fruit." So I left to eat alone and sat in the dining room, staring at the wall. I'm not exactly over what I found out yesterday... I was hoping I could let myself get caught up with RJ to distract myself... but obviously, that's not going to work. "I realize..." I heard his voice and turned to see him entering the room. "I am a bad person." He stated completing his sentence as he came into view.

"Oh... are you ready to eat now?" He didn't bother replying, but he kissed me as if he wanted to devour me and began tearing away at my clothes. "RJ... RJ! Wait." I shouted, then he regained his senses and pulled away from me.

"Sorry... " He didn't bother explaining and rushed from the room. I changed out of my ripped clothes before finding RJ sitting in the corner of his room, drinking. He had dark circles under his eyes...

"Hey you," I called from the doorway... and knocked before stepping inside.

"Leave." He commanded, refusing to look at me. I didn't listen and sat down beside him,

"I know you wouldn't hurt me," I assured and he scoffed and said,

"Yes, I would." Right before tossing aside his now empty bottle and opening up a new one. I decided not to believe him and move on.

"Did something happen?" I asked and I touched his shoulder to comfort him. He'd do the same for me...

"I just... wanted a distraction. There's a lot going on, that I don't want to talk about with you. I'm tired of thinking about it. My excuse is a bad one." He chugged the rest of his drink down and hung his head,

"I... If you wanted to be intimate... you could have at any moment." I clarified, and then he countered with

"I wanted to use you. No intimacy necessary." I've been so focused on my issues, but something has obviously been wrong with him for days now... and I ignored it... I held his hand and closed my eyes before kissing him and smiling,

"I know I am important to you at least... no matter how you're feeling you wouldn't force yourself on me."

"... That's true."

"I asked to sleep together for a reason you know. I guess my hint was too subtle." He smiled softly 

"I'm not sure why, myself... but when I see you I feel happy, having you around helps me feel at peace. I think that's why I want to be with you." I took a deep breath then pulled off my shirt and got on my knees in front of him. His eyes got so wide in shock I couldn't help but laugh,

"I feel the same way." his eyes went up to my face,

"Are you saying... you're also in love with me?" His question sent my mind spinning. I hadn't even considered the L word... that he could be in love with me... I didn't know how to reply but my silence didn't deter him from removing more of my clothing and gluing his lips to mine. That night we made love for the first time.

The next day Zai was back and I was the one who opened the door. Whatever was repelling me from him was gone and for some reason seeing him again impacted me so greatly my heart ached.

"Hey... Where's Rai?" He asked while brushing past me and looking around the living room.

"He's in the shower," I answered then he spun around and squinted at me.

"Did you... just talk to me?" I nodded "Oh are you finally warming up to me? Wonderful." He asked while approaching me I flinched then he closed the front door that was behind me and walked away to sit on the couch. "Okay, then I'll wait for him. How have you been, Snowe? Since you're finally talking to me." The way he says my name makes me feel weak... It feels wrong just staying in the same room as him but... RJ will be back soon so there's no harm.

"I've been okay... Finally got all my documents in order, thinking of getting a job nearby." I replied. Zai slouched in his seat,

"Why? You haven't even been on Earth long, you don't need the money, you should be traveling and enjoying your time here, not working at some minimum wage job." His comment threw me off,

"I haven't worked before... it'll be a new experience for me too." He sighed,

"You're pretty boring, huh?" His choice of adjectives hurt my feelings but then he said, "You're cute, though so I'll help you out." With a huge smile on his face, it was about that time RJ came downstairs, his hair was still damp. Zai rushed to him and hugged him, first asking about a game, then the topic became more business and I couldn't understand it entirely, the only thing I understood was that RJ was behind on his portion of the work.

"I'll have it finished in 2 days... been slacking off lately, I'm sorry." Zai patted his shoulder,

"It's okay, it's just that Valin is stressed about the deadline we promised... I understand you've been... distracted." He glanced in my direction and smirked. RJ's expression only changed slightly but I know him well enough to know by now that he was blushing.

"Let's talk more in my room. I'll be back soon, Snowe." RJ said while waving and heading upstairs with his brother. What's wrong with me? RJ gave me a place to stay, took care of me this whole time, and even told me he loved me, yet my heart moved more when another man said my name. Did I jump into this relationship too soon? I turned on the TV and frantically flipped through channels, trying to stop my mind from spinning. I just need to make sure I'm not alone with Zai and everything will be fine... plus I'm sure RJ told him that we're together... he'd never cross that line, right? After all, they're not just brothers, they're best friends who know everything about one another... Wait... Now that I think about it; when RJ was deliberating about a relationship with me, he mentioned Zai... maybe before he lost the ability to read my mind, he sensed my attraction?... I hope not, I can't even remember what I was thinking when I first laid eyes on Zai... I'll just keep my distance.