The silent treatment. Always with the silent treatment. Never in his life had he met a girl -woman,now- that could drive him so crazy by being so quiet. He hadn’t heard the sweet melody of her voice in four years, that last thing he wanted was for her to be was quiet. He could remember the first time he’d heard that voice -truly heard her voice- like it was yesterday.
They were still kids. Wes hadn’t yet finished the final sprint of puberty, and Juliette…well, she’d been flat as a board and about as annoying as anyone could get. She’d been awkward, noisy, and he couldn’t get her to leave him alone. At the time, he hadn’t wanted anything to do with her; she and her brother were just some orphans who his parents had invited into their home. Record, he’d gotten used to her after a couple times, but still. They’d been grooming Wes’ horse the day it’d happened.
I ain’t scared of kissin’ nobody, Wesley Creek! She’d insisted, her cheeks puffed out in aggravation as she slid the curry comb across the horse’s coat.
Why ain’t you kissed anyone, then? If you ain’t scared? He’d shot back, a smirk pulling at his lips at the sight of how red her face was getting.
’Coz, She’d bit the inside of her cheek.
’Coz you’re nothin’ but a chicken. He finished for her, letting out a bark of laughter. She looked furious, all of a sudden, throwing her comb down onto the dirt of the barn. Her golden curls seemed to swirl angrily around her heart shaped face.
I ain’t a chicken! She shouted, turning to look at him with eyes that seemed like they wanted to burn a hole through the middle of his forehead.
And then she’d kissed him. And just like that, his world started to revolve around the sound of that voice. Wesley knew she probably didn’t remember that kiss, but he did. They hadn’t kissed again until the summer before she started highschool, and didn’t stop until the day he packed up and left in the middle of the night.
His demeanor seemed to wilt as she didn’t respond to his teasing. He had wanted to say it, but damnit, he was a coward. Wesley leaned back slowly, his eyes staying locked on her face as he swallowed heavily. He’d apologize to her, he swore it, but his mouth never seemed to obey his mind. For now, he’d do what she told him to do, and he’d say what he could manage without breaking down himself.
He had to hold back a small groan as her hair neared his face, the sent curling into his nose like his own personal drug. He had to resist burying his face in it and breathing all of her in. Just the touch of her hands on his skin was enough to send a volley of sparks throughout his body and deep within his veins. "It ain’t your fault, pretty girl. Was only down there a few hours the first time you found me.”
“They don’t like back talk,” He explained, knowing good and well that was his specialty. “The guards like to rough you up if you don’t do what they tell you. One kinda had a thing for whips and some strange lookin’ things.” He cringed at the sting of the rubbing alcohol. “One liked to throw a bucket of wolfsbane at me for no damn reason, knowin’ that burns like a-” He sucked in a breath through his teeth again, not at all noticing that he’d uttered the word wolfsbane; if she didn’t know before, she at least had a clue now.
His gaze hardened as she furiously threatened to go show the guards and slave breakers a piece of her mind. Quick as lightning, Wesley grabbed her wrist, moving his face so that she didn’t have a choice but to look at him.
“You’re not gonna do anythin’ about them. I mean it, Juliette. They ain’t ones for playin’ games, and you’re human. They don’t like humans here. You ain’t gonna put yourself in danger on purpose, you hear?” He demanded, the fear obvious in his eyes despite the seriousness of his features. “Promise me.”