Silly Chilly Willy! ((Henri))

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It was a whopping 47 degrees outside, but Kevin didn't mind. The cold air helped clear his mind. It was almost that the cold air brought clarity to any thoughts he may have been going back and forth on. And he knew there were a million things going through his head. Ever since he'd come to Blue Ridge, he had sworn off women and worked his hardest to keep his secret under wraps. But then he met Henri. A tiny smile tugged at his lips as he thought of the pretty girl, her bright blue eyes. Those bright blue eyes that always saw exactly what he needed when even he didn't know. Those bright blue eyes that begged for him to kiss her. His breath caught in his throat as he considered this thought, shaking his head unapprovingly at the desire to give her the kiss something in him knew she wanted.

Kevin tugged his leather jacket closer around his body, shivering slightly as the nippy wind caressed his face with icy fingers. He was beginning to realize why he was the only one at the Reserve, even if it was mid afternoon on a Saturday. But he needed that clarity he had convinced himself the cold brought him. He had almost let Henri know too much. She knew about his fall now. She knew he was in pain more often than not because of his rib that never set properly. It wasn't anything unbearable, but it certainly could get nasty at times. And now she knew. But she didn't know he hadn't jumped ever since, that he was terrified to even try. No one could know that. And keeping it a secret was proving harder and harder each day. Besides, soon Henri would want to ride with him and show him how well Roxy could jump. And he truly wanted to watch her. But he didn't want to explain why he couldn't join her...

And then there was the problem of his growing feelings for the gorgeous girl. He bit down on his lip, trying to bring his thoughts together. Yes, she was pretty. Yes, she was adorable. Yes, she was.. well, exactly what he wanted, what he needed. But heck, she'd probably get him killed someday. He was already completely dedicated to protecting the girl. And if her nativity got the best of her, she could probably get him tangled up in a bad situation. But he'd never let a thing happen to her. Even against his better judgement. Because he cared too deeply for her. 

Kevin let out a sigh, flopping himself onto the sandy ground, leaving about a foot between him and the lake. His fingers raked over the soft white sand, grabbing a small pebble that he had uncovered. He examined it carefully for no real reason, running his fingers over the shiny, dark surface, trying to figure out where it had even come from. Shrugging, the boy flicked his wrist, tossing the pebble towards the water, watching it as it skipped over the smooth surface of the lake.

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Indescribable thoughts fluttered restlessly through Henri’s mind as she paced around her room. Too many things had happened in the short duration she’d lived at BRRA, and she was feeling a bit overwhelmed. His smell, his look, his eyes, his… everything. Henri wasn’t quite sure how long she could take it. Still, she’d been learning a lot more about him than she’d ever expected him to tell her. An accident that seemed to have scarred him left a little hole in her heart as well, it made her sad to think Kevin had gone through that. He was perfect and he didn’t deserve it.

She figured there really was no way to stop random accidents. Henri frowned slightly as she realized she was putting his problems into her brain and trying to solve them. She knew she really only did that for people she really cared about, but caring about the boy that had saved her so many times and made her happy so many times was certainly a given by now. She smiled softly as she imagined those bright blue eyes teasing her about something or another. Brass meowed loudly in annoyance as Henri made her hundredth spin to pace to the other side of the bed.

She chuckled softly in response. “Sorry Brass, I think I’m just going to go for a walk. You can have your little kitty sleep then.” Henri pet her cat adoringly before slipping on a pair of boots and her keys. A walk to reserve didn’t sound as nearly a bad idea and she began to trudge out of the blue ribbon house straight into the cold. Henri shivered; immediately becoming cold. Perhaps she should have brought a jacket? Henri shook her head slightly; she wasn’t in the mood to go all the way back upstairs to go get one. Somewhat stupidly, she continued on, actually breaking into a slow jog as she reached the midpoint.

To her immediate happiness and surprise, her eyes quickly found the object of her mind for the majority of the day. Kevin. She grinned softly as she watched him toss a smooth rock into the lake. She’d never gotten the chance to learn how to do such a thing but she supposed she could try. Shivering in her sweater, Henri grabbed one of the smooth stones away from him and stepped behind him before trying to do the same, causing the stone to plop once into the water and sink. She chuckled, hoping at least she’d managed to scare him. “Erm, boo? Hi Kev!” Henri made a cute little wave before running over to him and grabbing him in hug. “Warrmmmtthh…”

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How had he even let things get this far? He wasn't supposed to feel this way about a girl. She was just a girl. There wasn't any reason to have her always on his mind. Kevin bit down on his lip, knowing darn well that it was a lie. She wasn't just a girl to him. She was everything to him. But he didn't want to let himself admit it. Not after what had happened last time. What kind of girlfriend that "loved" you so much would leave you when times got rough? His brow furrowed and his knuckles tensed, turning white, as the anger coursed through his veins. He was a pretty even tempered guy, rarely one to even raise his voice, but the memories could sometimes get the best of even him. And that was really saying something. That girl had been bad news. Deep down, he was pretty sure he'd known that all along. But he'd let her in anyways. And then he'd been hurt. Destroyed. Ruined.

And now here he was, thinking about letting another girl in. And even though something in him knew she'd never purposefully use him or hurt him, there really weren't any guarantees. And not having a sense of certainty terrified him even more than the last time. Last time around, he hadn't been heartbroken before. Last time around, he hadn't thought such a bad fall would ever happen to him. And look where that had landed him. In the hospital, broken, and alone. He could feel the tension in his shoulders, his muscles bunching into knots only a message therapist would be able to work out. Not that he'd ever really accept a professional stranger touching his body.

The sound of a rock plunking into the crystal water sent him jumping, only to jump again as he heard his name. His head snapped around, eyes falling on the object of his affection. He grinned, waving back at the adorable girl as she bounded over like a puppy who hadn't seen its owner all day. He chuckled, grunting as the force behind her hug pushed him back. He let himself fall, using his abs to control the speed his back hit the ground, grabbing the small girl in his arms and bringing her down with him, lying her on top of him. He looked up at her, grinning up at her now rather close face looming over his. "Where on earth is your jacket, Missy?" he asked, his voice crying out in concern and wrapping his arms tighter around the small girl.

He removed his arms momentarily, fidgeting with the jacket he was wearing, now grateful it was a bit too large. He unzipped it then pulled the edges over Henri, covering her sides with the warm material. The last thing he wanted was for the poor girl to freeze. "You know, you don't have enough body fat to use as insulation, young lady!"

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Henri was rather surprised when Kevin jumped, finding her attempt at scaring him quite victorious. With those things, she was quite sure she’d never really be able to catch him off guard. Immediately, the brunette snorted in laugher. “Ha, I scared you!” she laughed again and tackled slash hugged him as she dove for the heat. Well, Kevin was definitely hot, but she was more appealed to the other version at the moment in the cold weather. She clung to the boy tightly as he fell over, exhaling and a gasp before she fell on top of him. Softly, Henri let her hands muss his hair around a bit before freezing.

Face turning white in realization, Henri searched quickly for any signs of pain coming from him. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been in some pain around his ribs and she certainly wasn’t helping with the whole tackling thing and sitting on thing. To her immediate relief, Kevin looked normal, though slightly shocked at her appearance and lack of a jacket. She made a bit of a guilty face, glancing down at her red hands; bitten from the wind in the winter. Her knuckles always got rough in this weather. 

She snuggled into his strong arms and pulled her own against her chest. “I think it’s in Timbuktu?” she teased softly; now in the process of warming up pressed against a very warm body. Henri frowned slightly as he unzipped his own jacket. He couldn’t give it to her; that wouldn’t be fair – it was far too cold. When she figured out what he was doing however, the brunette grinned. Kevin and his strategies seemed to have that effect on her. 

Her grin evolved into an outright laugh as Kevin went on to scold her about… body fat? She cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe if you bring me a bunch of glazed donuts, I’ll be good.” her eyes twinkled as she thought about such a sight. Yes, donuts were really good. With as much as she ate, Henri was surprised she wasn’t super fat yet. She snuggled in deeper and looked up at Kevin’s jaw, before she got curious about little things she’d been thinking about. “So Kev, whatcha do over winter break?” she asked in a very un-small talk like way. She was actually very curious, despite all the other things she’d learnt about the other day, though Henri was definitely saving that up for a time she figured he was ready to talk about it more with her. It still felt as if there was something he wasn’t telling her and she didn’t like it.

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Kevin just chuckled at her pleasure to have scared her, debating whether or not to try to convince her that he hadn't been afraid. But she had an adorably happy look on her face upon scaring him, so he let it be, content to see that gorgeous grin on her face even if it was at his loss of pride and manliness. After seeing that forlorn, miserable look on her face after her father had tried to sell Roxy for meat, he was even more determined than before to keep that smile on her face. He wouldn't let anyone take away that smile on her face. His arms tightened a bit around her waist at the thought, knowing she was safe when she was with him. He just hoped she also knew that. As much as it terrified him, she was so very special to him. He let out a soft sigh, enjoying the feeling of having her cuddled against him.

He scoffed in mock disgust as she told him where her jacket was, shaking his head in disapproval. "What's it doing there, young lady?" he asked, raising his eye brows and pushing up his head as much as possible to get a good look at the trouble making girl. The trouble maker who was clearly freezing. He felt a pang in his heart as he realized, pulling his jacket tighter around them both, knowing it would help trap in the body heat they were generating. The last thing he wanted was for Henri to catch a cold. The school semester was finally picking up, and between school work and her two horses, he was certain she didn't have time to be sick. Not that he did, either. But he'd rather be the one getting sick if anything were to happen.

His fingers ran up and down her sides as she mentioned eating a lot of donuts would bump up her body mass index. He raised a brow, laughing deeply. Something told him the girl wasn't skinny because of a super healthy diet to begin with. Kevin was the same way, although his sensitive stomach did cause for his diet to be a bit healthier than he'd prefer sometimes. "I think you just want donuts," he teased, gently tickling her sides. He grinned with triumph, finally surprising her with a tickle attack instead of her surprising him.

He settled back down after a moment of tickling her, returning to his position of her body pillow, wrapping his arms around her again. He knew exactly how it looked, but he didn't honestly care even if someone were to pass by. They were close friends. They could cuddle... He felt the corners of his mouth tug down slightly, knowing darn well that it wasn't true. And he also knew they were, in reality, probably more than friends... He let her question keep him from continuing that scary thought, letting out a deep sigh as he considered his answer. Usually, something like that was a light question. But something about the way she asked it made him feel as though this question wasn't just for small talk. "Not much, really. I just went home for a bit to see my parents and all the horses back home. What about you?" He was perfectly happy to quickly deflect the question back to her, moving one of his arms up her back to let his fingers run through her hair.

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Henri couldn’t help it as she leaned into the boy’s arms as if she was meant to be there since the forever of time. They wrapped around her as a protective barrier, bound to keep her safe from anything that was in harm’s way. She inhaled softly, the scent of Kevin always managing to leave a tint of a promising shade of red on her cheeks. It scared Henri a bit to realize that she actually didn’t want to leave his arms ever; she wanted to remain there, snuggled up and safe. Only because I was cold… The brunette wanted to scowl at her near grade school excuses for guys, but then again, she’d never really gotten the chance to have that experience before.

Perhaps it was a way catching up all those years? Henri didn’t know, but she knew she was feeling things that weren’t the usual reactions she had to most guys. A small, undeniable giggle met Kevin’s question as she shrugged before producing a mock jealous look “Probably sunbathing… Maybe we should go get it one day.” She looked up at the sky, “Oh sun, where haveth you disappeared to?” She chuckled at her failed attempt at “olden-day” speech before looking straight into Kev’s deep blue orbs. “And hah, young lady? Who do you think you’re speaking to Mr. Oldie?” She grinned up at him, poking his cheek teasingly “Jeez, Kev, you’re getting wrinkles.” 

Henri’s eyes widened however as she felt the boy’s gentle fingers run up and down her sides teasingly. She knew what was going to happen in an instant, but she valued Kev’s tickling to the cold and when he tickled her, the brunette let out a little squeal of protest. She squirmed, nearly falling out of the boy’s lap, but the jacket stopped her before she attempted to latch onto his wrist when he spoke “Gee, you caught me!” she looked at him mock indignantly before huffing in a near silent whisper “But when I get them, the tickler isn’t getting any…” she grinned at him, her face red from all the tickling.

When everything finally settled down, Henri pushed herself into his arms again, taking comfort in being wrapped up in warmth. The brunette smiled softly as Kev began to answer her question. She raised a brow slightly at his answer, she’d imagined him going into some kind of adventure at least. Henri looked upward in though at the boy relayed the question back to her. “Er… we had our annual, stupid Christmas party – which was boring of course and then I said hi to the horses and hi to my old instructor.” She paused slightly before continuing “And you know the whole Roxy issue; there was a bit toughness with Dad and he left on a business trip after the party, so I didn’t have to deal with him.” she grinned before hugging the boy. “But I missed everyone here – well except for this annoying, wise oldie named Kevin guy of course.” she giggled teasingly before sticking her tongue out at him. She leaned into his touch however when he ran his fingers through her hair; Henri for some reason; loved to have her hair touched.

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A soft smile was unshakable and inevitable as the boy kept her close in his arms. Something about her just made him feel all warm and tingly inside, no matter how cliche it sounded. She was special to him, someone to be cherished and protected. And unless it was his arms she was in, she wasn't safe in his mind. And she, above all else, would always need to be protected. If he could have it his way, he'd be the one to always protect her. It was the only way to ensure she was never hurt, misused, or taken advantage of. The world was a cruel place; he knew that well. He knew she understood that, too, in some ways. In the ways of fathers and family situations. But in the ways of men, it seemed all she knew was that some were sleeze bags. It didn't seem apparent, however, that she could always pick out the good ones versus the bad ones. Such as Jackson. That was a bad guy, but Henri had been so willing to befriend the ticking time bomb of a man.

His arms squeezed tighter around the girl at the thought, letting himself be reminded that she was safe and with him now. Jackson was no where to be found. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen the two together since their run in at the Rec Room. Perhaps Kev had scared him off. That thought made him grin. And his grin turned into a laugh as she answered his question, shaking his head and reached up to mess up her hair playfully. "Well it's not doing you any good there!" He laughed again, his blue eyes gazing at her affectionately. There was no denying that the girl held a special place in his heart. She was so funny, smart, beautiful, and adorable. She could do no wrong in his eyes. And that's exactly how he knew he was in trouble with this one. He was already so attached to her and unwilling to admit any wrongs she may do in the future. That was not a good match.

He chuckled again as she tried to imitate a Shakespearean language. "My fair lady, doth though needeth a new sun? I, Sir Kevin Ride-A-Lot shall goeth to the end of the universe, which won't be-eth hard as everyone knoweths that the earth is flat, to retrieveth you a sun of your liking1" He thrust up his free arm, pointer finger sticking out straight ahead in a warlike gesture he imagined many a knight before him had made. He grinned triumphantly, ready to be praised as a noble and worthy knight for such a fine lady as Henri. It was a funny thought, to imagine what life would be like if they were living in the Medieval times. But on the bright side, they'd ride everywhere by horseback or wagon. And he could be a knight. That would impress his fair lady. Wait, no, she wasn't his. No woman was, nor would a woman ever be. Jeez, what was he doing to himself? She was his friend... nothing else...

His eyes widened as she poked at his "wrinkles," putting on a face of mock horror. "I'm not old!" he shrieked, throwing his hands up to his young face and rubbing his cheeks this way and that. "You just don't appreciate the more mature things in life! Why, in my time, mature things were valuable! Yes siree, wine, cheese, er... wine, cheese... Yep! That's right you whipper snapper, you," he droned on in a shaky, old sounding voice. He poked at her soft, rosy cheeks playfully, then pinched her cheeks between his pointer finger and thumb as one would do to a baby. He grinned at her, raising a brow challengingly. That's what she got for making fun of him! Though it got him wondering, was he older than she? Probably, he decided.

Although the tickling was all in good fun, he couldn't help but feel his skin heat up as his fingers ran up and down her lean sides. Every inch of her was attractive. And now she was on top of him, and his fingers her feeling her... He tried to shake the thought, realizing what would happen if he didn't. Don't think about it...[/b] As if that was enough to keep his thoughts off of her. Instead, he put all his focus on what she was saying, letting himself laugh before putting on his best puppy dog face. His bottom lip stuck out, quivering slightly in his mock upset. "Not one single donut to spare?" he whimpered, letting his eyes drop away from her to convince her of just how sad he was. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled loudly as if to let her know how hungry he would be.

He settled back down, getting comfortable in the grass beneath him, moving his arms slightly to wrap her as tightly as possible in his arms to keep her warm and secure. He breathed in, taking in the scent of her light perfume, probably mixed with the smell of whatever she was using to shampoo her hair. It was a pretty, comforting smell. His fingers playing through her soft hair as she recounted her winter break excitement to him. Something about the tone in her voice while she described the events made him grin and snuggle closer to her. Maybe it was just hearing about her life that made him feel closer to her. He realized she was beginning to let him know far more about her than he let her know about himself. And as much as he liked that, he knew she wouldn't be pleased with it for long. "What does one do at an annual Christmas party?" he questioned, brows furrowing as he thought about the possibilities, deciding that it must be like the fancy parties in movies.

He chuckled again as she stuck out her tongue, raising a brow and giving her a fake stern look. He reached over, grabbing her tongue gently with his icy cold fingers. "Do that again, and this annoying, wise oldie will have a tongue souvenir," he teased, grinning and letting her tongue go.

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Henri couldn’t deny the sweet feeling of safety and warmth whenever she was in Kevin’s arms. It seemed to her, in the few months she’d joined the school, his two arms were the things holding her tight and close and keeping her away from harm. It scared her bit to depend on someone so much, but she’d never really had a bad experience with anyone. She knew she was vulnerable to an extent, but Henri was afraid sometimes. Hell, she’d been terrified when she’d first come to the boarding school. Everyone was so different, and she was just weird. She still was weird. But Henri knew Kevin didn’t mind.

She’d met a few other people when she’d first come, including Jackosn – a boy that Kevin for some reason really didn’t like. Despite this, Henri didn’t really seem to think there was anything wrong with him other than that he’d had a hard life and she’d wanted to make him feel better. Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen him once since she’d come back from winter break. She’d been a bit worried about him and there was no doubt she’d worry more and finally have to figure out what happened to him later on.

Her thoughts flashed back to a gorgeous set of wide blue eyes and Henri figured she was so used to them by now, she could probably do a detailed drawing of them. She cocked her head at his reply before grinning in reply “Technically speaking, maybe it is… You never know, it could be sort of like bait to make me go over there and get it, then stay there in the sun forever and never freeze to death.” Henri stared off in the space at the thought before chuckling at her weirdness. Sometimes, she didn’t even know what she was saying. Check that, the majority of the time she didn’t know what she was talking about.

Her eyes widened as she turned her face to his and focused her vision on his lips. For a split second, Henri imagined what it would be like to kiss him. She bit her lips slightly at the thought, growing a bit nervous. She’d never done such a thing, though with Kev, the girl was finding it harder and harder to deny the fact maybe she really did want to kiss him and hold his hand and do all the things she saw other people doing.

Henri snapped out of her teenage girl thoughts as the boy went onto speak in Shakespearean language before letting out a giggle. Yes, Kevin was certainly some kind of Romeo. She shook her head in a mock matter o’factly way “Oh kind sir, I beg you not. You will burn your hands on the sun no doubteth.” The brunette grinned after this, imagining Kevin as a knight. For some reason, the image of him in armor struck her funny – just the whole clanking and metal part, though Henri realized he looked quite proud like that. “Besides, dear Sir Kevin Ride-A-Lot, you need not to bring me a sun. I haveth a big, warm, snuggly Kevin instead.” she smiled and snuggled more into his arms. A big, warm, snuggly, attractive Kevin no doubt…

She nearly burst out laughing at the boy’s reaction to her calling him old. Henri raised a brow at his mock old voice, nodding sarcastically as she thought of some kind of comeback to one up him. When he grabbed her cheek, the brunette turned her head and as fast as lightning licked his hand. That was payback for when he’d licked her. “Ah yes, appreciate the old things in life - like your old man diapers that need to be renewed.” she giggled at this, knowing she sounded like a five year old.

Henri frowned at him sternly as he pulled on his puppy face for not getting donuts. That was not fair! She shook her head determinedly however, until his stomach shouted in his defensive. “Fine, fine, I’ll give you a crumb.” Henri made herself comfortable on Kevin as he made himself comfortable before raising her eyes to answer his question. “Ah, just appreciate the good old things in life – wine and cheese, then brag about how much you have and then dance.” she chuckled slightly. “Except it’s not fun dancing when you have to dance with stupid idiots my father’s friend’s sons are.” she nodded at that, remembering she was quite ready to throw her first punch at one of them. So full of themselves… Henri shook the thoughts out of her head and widened her eyes as Kevin’s ever so sweetly put threat reached her ears. She grinned after this and softly bit his finger. “Or this pretty, young thing will get a finger souvenir.” she arched a brow at him challengingly.