"Black-Dove January"
Chapter 9

          Raegan was in the car with Kevin on the way home from the mall.
They were both pretty tired from the full day of shopping. Raegan sat stiff
in her seat, not exactly sure how to act around Kevin now that she realized she
had feelings for him. She had never really had feelings like this for a guy
before. It left her confused as hell. He was about eight years older than
her! But he was so handsome, and very caring. Hell, he had taken her in from the
streets not knowing a damn thing about her. For a brief instant, she
wondered what it would be like to kiss him. 'He must be a great kisser', she thought
to herself with a sigh.
            Kevin heard her sigh and looked over. "What's wrong?", he
asked. She didn't dare look back over at him for fear of him being able to see she
had feelings for him. "Nothing", she replied, looking out the window.
"Something's wrong. You haven't said more than one word since we left
Victoria's Secret. And you seem to be avoiding having to look at me. What's
the matter? Do I have a booger coming out of my nose or something?", he
joked, hoping to get her to at least crack a smile. He hadn't seen her smile even
once. She didn't laugh. "No. Nothing is wrong. I guess I'm just tired."
Kevin knew that wasn't it but he accepted the answer anyways.
        Looking over at her, he noticed the way her thick blonde hair fell
to her shoulders. It looked so soft he had to resist the urge to reach out and
run his fingers through it. And her green eyes were so striking he wanted to
look into them forever. For a moment he imagined he was looking into her
eyes, running his fingers through her hair, and then kissing her softly on the
lips. But he quickly shook those thoughts away. She was seventeen...well, almost
eighteen. But still, that was eight years difference. He knew the idea of
him seeing someone eight years younger than him wouldn't be thought too highly
of by the guys, Donna and Johnny, and the fans, but screw them. This time he
was going to follow his heart. He had to find out if Raegan felt the same way
for him. But he knew he couldn't make a move until she was eighteen. He at least
had to keep it legal.
          Once they got home Kevin told her she could move into the guest
room, and that they were going to order pizza for dinner. "What do you want
on your pizza?", he asked. "Doesn't matter. I'll eat anything except
anchovies", she replied, rummaging through one of her many shopping bags. He nodded and
then walked out of the room, leaving her to get settled in.
        Late that night, Raegan finally finished putting all her things
away. Exhausted, she plopped down on her bed without even changing into pajamas
first. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out like a light. Kevin
came in to say goodnight to her and saw her sleeping, still dressed. He smiled
and quietly sat down next to her. He sat there for maybe twenty minutes,
watching her sleep and thinking of what to do about his feelings for her. He was
about to get up and go to bed himself when she stirred and murmured something with
a smile on her face. He wasn't sure he had heard her right. Did she  just say
his name? She murmured something again and the grin on her face got wider.
Kevin was shocked. She HAD said his name...with a huge smile on her face.
Did this mean she had feelings for him as well?