JillxSkye: To Catch A Thief 26

Chapter 26 – Misunderstandings

I wasn't sure how long we were just there together. Overtime, I stopped shivering and my uneven breathes became more controlled. That is, until Skye lightly ran his hand up and down the length of my back. A shiver of pleasure quickly traveled from my head to my toes, and I gasped in surprise.

Skye immediately stopped and tightened his grip around me. "Are you okay?" came his worried voice.

I pulled my head back to look into his emerald eyes, which were conveying as much concern as his voice had. I smiled and said, "I'm fine! You just… just surprised me a little, that's all…"

He looked down at me, confusion etched on his perfect face. "What do you mean?"

"When you… your hand it…" I tried to explain awkwardly, my loose brown curls falling across my face. I failed at the explaining part, but succeeded fabulously at the awkward part. Before I said anything else stupid, I busied myself by sweeping back the misplaced hair.

He continued to look confused, but it was only a moment before realization dawned on his face. He grinned somewhat mischievously, his eyes holding a playful glint. "Oh, you mean when I…" he began, swiftly running his hand along my back again. I let out a squeak in surprise and he chuckled. "You're so cute, especially when you blush like that."

"Sh-shut up!" I stuttered, embarrassed. He only chuckled again in response. I realized that most of my skin was absolutely burning from my proximity to him. At least I'm not freezing anymore… I thought. But I refused to let him make me feel so embarrassed! I just didn't know how to get back at him… Then I thought of it.

Originally, I had held my hands in tight firsts, clenched from the cold, and towards my collarbone. My hands had warmed up for the most part, and I slowly unclenched them. I took a deep breath and flipped my hands over, quickly trailing my palms down his lean, bare chest.

Skye gasped, and his hands flew to grab mine. I knew that I was probably blushing a little from the bold stunt I had just pulled, but it was absolutely nothing compared to the expression on his face. His usual ivory skin was flushed bright red, and his emerald eyes were slightly wider than usual. I giggled a little at his mouth, which was still hanging open in surprise. It quickly morphed into a smirk, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Gotcha," I said with a coy smile.

"You sneaky, beautiful maiden," he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I never know what to expect from you next." He shook his head, laughing a little.

I slid my hands up his back, hugging him around his shoulders. "I'm the one that should be saying that to you, Phantom Thief," I pointed out. He laughed, pulling me close to him. Silence followed, and I continued to just enjoy how it felt to be with Skye. I wasn't sure how long I would get to stay like this, so I tried to enjoy every second I could.

Suddenly, Skye's voice broke the silence, saying with some hesitation, "So, can I ask you something, Jill?" His previously teasing voice was now somewhat nervous.

I sighed. "It was either hearts or leopard print! Is it so bad that I wanted some fun underwear?" I paused for a moment before, adding, "And could you please stop thinking about my underwear?!"

"I wasn't going to ask you about that!" Skye defended quickly. "Why do you assume such harsh things?" he continued, frowning slightly, "It hurts my feelings."

I couldn't help but giggle a little at his face. He was gorgeous, even when he was pouting like a child. "I'm sorry, Skye. What were you going to say?"

"Well, I wanted to know why you went out in this storm," he whispered.

"…oh," was all I said. I couldn't think of anything else to say. I certainly wasn't expecting that, to say the least, nor did I want to discuss the topic, especially not now; it would surely ruin this perfect moment. "I just… I was…" I started and stopped making excuses. I fell silent, shaking my head slightly. Biting my lower lip, I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my hands. "I…"

I tried to pull away from Skye, but he only held my now shaking body tighter. "Jill," came his deep voice. His hands cupped my face gently, tilting my head up so I was gazing into his beautiful emerald eyes. "Jill, I want you to tell me. Please, Jill, I… I want to help. I don't like seeing you upset. I only ever want to see your lovely smile gracing your beautiful face. Please, Jill. Please tell me. Let me in," he whispered the last words, not breaking his intense emerald gaze from mine.

I continued to stare into his eyes, and I was reminded of the night in the forest only weeks ago. After I had run from town because of Rock, and all I wanted to do was lock up my feelings, but then Skye came. Somehow, I had found myself telling him what had happened. And somehow, he made me go from feeling like I was absolutely worthless, to feeling like the most beautiful girl in the world.

"I…" I began hesitantly, trying to sit up. Skye immediately pushed himself upright and pulled me into his lap, wrapping the blankets around us. He ran a gentle hand up and down my arm slowly, silently urging me to open up to him. "I was… I went out in the storm to… to visit my father," I said slowly, voice cracking on the last word.

Skye paused, seeming to be taking that in, before saying, "So he's…"

I nodded, averting my eyes. "Yeah, he, uh… he's passed on."

"Jill, I'm sorry." He held me a little tighter, pressing his cheek against my head. "But, surely you could have gone out on a safer night! This is one of the worst storms the Valley has seen in years!" I cringed when he said that, and tears gathered threateningly in the corners of my eyes. "Oh, Jill, please don't cry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he said, worried. His hands delicately brushed the forming tears from my eyes. "Please don't cry, Jill. I'm sorry, I'm just… I don't understand. I'm sorry."

"No, no, Skye. It's okay," I replied, reaching my hands up to his. "It really doesn't make sense," I laughed bitterly, causing Skye to frown. "It doesn't make sense… but I just had to do it. I…" I dropped my head.

"But why, Jill? Why would you do something so dangerous? So reckless? Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought that I was going to have to carry your lifeless body back to town when I was digging you out of that snow!" Skye exclaimed, tightening his hands around my forearms. I felt myself on the verge of tears again as Skye continued, "Do you understand how I felt? I thought I was never going to see you again! I was so afraid of losing you, Jill! I care about you. I…" Skye released his grip on my arms abruptly. He ran his fingers through his hair anxiously, not finishing his sentence.

"Then why," I began, causing Skye to snap his focus back to me. "Skye," I continued, voice shaky, "If you felt so strongly about me… If you cared about me so much…"

"Why are you saying 'if,' Jill?" Skye asked, sadness entwined with his words.

"Because I don't understand," I replied, looking into his eyes again.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't understand how I feel?"

"No… I mean, yes. No, wait. That's not it. I don't understand…" I hesitated again.

"What? What is it?" Skye asked, eyes pleading with mine.

My voice caught in my throat as old emotions and worries caught up with me. I had been so surprised and delighted from seeing Skye again that I had forgotten all the pain I had gone through. He had left for weeks, and I searched for him night after night to no avail. I thought that I had realized what we had really was something special. I thought it was love. But then he never came back for me. I was sure that he had left me for good, and I practically gave up all hope of ever seeing him again. But now, he's telling me how much he cares about me.

I stared at Skye, unsure of how to express my whirlwind of confusion and emotions. I stared, afraid of how things had ended the last time I had expressed my conflicting feelings. I stared, and his eyes never left mine, anticipation and worry filling his features. "Jill?" he asked quietly. I just stared.