The Way You Look at Me [Kenzie]

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   The wide grin wouldn't give Jon's expression a moment of reprieve as he pulled into the Karter's driveway. Of course, he'd been smiling throughout most of the day, so what hope was there of it giving up now? Just the promise that he'd see Kenzie's beautiful face, that he'd hear her adorable voice, gave him those amazing butterflies in his stomach that he'd come to love. And the best part? She was his girlfriend. His girlfriend. That sound better every dang time! he cheered as he nearly skipped from the car and up to the front porch, giving the door a couple brisk knocks.

   Something about the front porch of the Karter house... Jon couldn't help but muse as he restrained his hands to his pockets. The first time he'd been here, he'd been more sad than he'd ever felt before. The next, he was the world's biggest ball of nerves as he went to meet Lucy. And now- now, happiness was nearly overwhelming, and there was no sign that the future would be any less bright.

[Kenzie Karter]

Kenzie had spent most of the afternoon getting ready. Jon was actually coming to pick her up for a date that night, the first one they had gone on in a while because both of them had been so busy. She had dance almost every night and Jon...well, he was busy down at the reservation quite a bit as of late. Kenzie, however, was very understanding because the reservation was part of his culture and who he was as a person. And she knew he understood that dancing was a part of who she was. Their relationship was ever blossoming into something Kenzie was happy to be a part of. Jon was the best boyfriend she had ever had.

As she stood in front of the mirror, turning around in her outfit...the third one she tried on, she finally decided that it was the right one. It was a light yellow dress with a flowered print, her gold heels, and a pair of dangling earrings. The weather was cold outside, but she knew she would take a coat with her and Jon was just naturally warm anyways. Her hair, she let fall in it's natural curls, pinning back just a few small pieces with a bobby pin. Once that was done, she got a few things together that she would need, including her cell phone, purse, and coat. By the time she was finally ready, she heard Jon's car door shut outside of her house. A wave of excitement rushed over her.

Quickly, she grabbed her things and ran down the stairs to the front door. When she opened it, the most amazing person in the world stood before her. A smile spread across her face. "Hey you," she said softly, standing in the doorway.

Kenzie's outfit: www.polyvore.com/kenzie/set?id=7736247

[Jonathan Whiteman]

((Jon's outfit - clickage!))

   Jonathan's emerald eyes widened with his smile as she opened the door. Always and forever, he'd found her impossibly beautiful, but he nearly had to pinch himself when he saw her. Why couldn't I have dressed better for her?! he groaned in his head, mentally smacking himself in the forehead.

   "Wow," he breathed, looking her up and down. "You look... wow, Kenzie." An overwhelmed smile brushed across his face. There wasn't an adjective nearly true enough for her; he settled for leaning down to her face and kissing her soft lips gently. As he straightened up, he couldn't help but glance at her once more, and a joking chuckle bumped its way from him. "You really should have told me you were going to put everyone everywhere to shame tonight," he explained, shaking his head gently. "I might have tried a little harder to not be such a blemish."

   Jon's hands sought hers, his hot hands sliding downwards from their landing points on her wrists to hold her palms gently while he grinned. "Well... if you don't find it too much of a shame to be seen with me," he teased, half truly believing the bit about being a blemish, "are ya ready to go?"

[Kenzie Karter]

Kenzie's face flushed a bright shade of crimson when Jon mentioned her appearance, but the moment his lips found hers...all was at ease with the world. His lips fit perfectly against her own without even trying. They were so right for each other that no one else could ever come between them. She smiled and said, "I could never be ashamed to be with you and you look great as well. I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have you as my boyfriend."

Without another word, she drew his lips into another soft kiss, placing her free hand on the side of his face. This time, when she broke their kiss, she looked into his emerald eyes and said, "I'm ready to go when you are."

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Jonathan could only smile warmly at her reply. "You know," he mused aloud, squeezing her palms, "you think you're lucky... I've got an utter angel for a girlfriend."

   He leaned in to the kiss as well, wrapping an arm around the small of her back as her hand lay gently against his cheek. When she broke it off, he knew what was to come- though he was no closer to being able to be prepared for it than ever. Seriously. Death of me, was his mental laugh. Sighing out a chuckle followed by a grin, he inhaled deeply as she replied, to which he responded, "Shall we, then?"

   Before she could begin the walk to his car, he swept an arm underneath her with the most care that he could manage, picking her up and turning for the Civic with a sly grin. "Dang," he laughed, stepping carefully to avoid tripping under her light weight, giving her a quick, excited kiss on the cheek, "I freaking missed you, baby. Screw La Push- I am not letting us stay away from each other for this long anymore. It's bad for my health."

   Still laughing lightly, he reached the car, crouching slightly to curl a free finger under the handle to pull the passenger's door open. Tenderly, he sat her on the darkly upholstered seat, giving her another quick kiss on the lips as he reached behind, pulling the seatbelt around and buckling it with a terse snap. "Dang, I missed you," he laughed once more, shaking his head.

[Kenzie Karter]

A shy smile swept across her face as he called her an 'angel'; Jon certainly had a way with his words that made her blush like no one's business. Kenzie let out a excited squeal as Jon swept her off her feet. He had such the sweetest actions that surprised her, so she never knew what to expect. Jon was the sweetest boyfriend she had ever had and she was fortunate to have found him.

As he put her inside the car, he kissed her on the lips and buckled her seatbelt. She was somewhat glad Jon was as strong as he was. He had held her with ease and no problems. In her mind, Kenzie slyly thought of if he could do lifts for her in dance, but pushed that thought away as something silly. When she heard what he said about missing her, she eagerly agreed, "I've missed you so much! The only thing keeping me sane these last few weeks has been dance and Lucy, of course." On that note, Kenzie then remembered something she had not told Jon yet. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that my other best friend Katelyn moved here. It totally took me and Lucy by surprise."

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Jon grinned widely as she told him how much she'd missed him, and the excitement that he was around her overwhelmed him again, sending his lips to her cheek once more.

   "Whoa, really?" he asked with sincere curiosity and a grin at the news about Katelyn, vague glimpses of conversations had weeks ago concerning how she was the level-headed of the trio flashing briefly through his mind. Hopefully a tad less sarcastic than Lucy...? he wished, realizing with an unpleasant tinge how selfish a request that was a moment after making it. Geez, Jon, he critiqued himself. Besides, the whole Lucy thing turned not too bad in the end... it was just getting there that was tough, that's all. "So when do I get to meet her? I'm not letting it be any longer than a week from today," he commanded teasingly with a sly grin. "If it is, we inevitably must go out again before then. You wouldn't like that at all, would you...?" The inevitable Jon-eyebrow reaction kicked in, sending it skyward as he chuckled lightly.

   With one more quick kiss, he slid his arms out from beneath her, shutting her door with the utmost of care before nearly skipping in his walk around the car. Sliding in quickly, he clicked his own seatbelt on while shutting his door, turning the key as the car rumbled to life. Putting the car into reverse, he backed carefully out of the driveway, inevitably smiling each time his face passed Kenzie's. With a push of the gearshift to "Drive", they were off towards La Push, and his hand absentmindedly found hers, twining their fingers together while steering carefully with his left hand.

[Kenzie Karter]

Kenzie giggled as Jon kissed her lips one last time before he got in on his side of the car. When he got in, she got an chance to answer his question. "Well, I'm actually going to let her get settled in first before I drop that bomb on her that I'm dating someone. Katelyn's a little sensitive when it comes to those things," she explained. "However, she is much less sarcastic than Lucy, so you don't have to worry about that." At the last comment, she giggled. Anyone was less sarcastic than Lucy.

As they took off toward La Push, Kenzie settled into her seat contently. Being anywhere with Jon was something she enjoyed, no matter if they were in the car or if they were on the beach...one of Kenzie's favorite places. His fingers intertwining with hers made her smile even more. Looking over toward Jon, she asked, "So, where exactly are we going for this date?" A sly smile spread across her face.

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Jon couldn't help but lean his head back and give a real, deep laugh as she mentioned Lucy. "Ahahaha!" he chortled loudly. "Was it that painfully obvious...?" he coughed out amidst outbursts. Each new day together seemed to be teaching them more and more about each other, he realized with a warm internal glow from somewhere deep inside. Kenzie was certainly one subject he'd never, ever, ever get tired of.

   "Hmm..." he pondered sneakily, pulling their hands up to tap his chin in mock mystery. "That would ruin the surprise, though," he playfully whined, eyebrows pulling together comically while he stuck out his lower lip, glancing at her at a safe moment with eyes still playfully betraying his pathetic expression. A moment later, his pout melted happily into a small grin, and he sighed. "Alright, I s'pose I can tell you a little bit, I guess," he grumbled melodramatically. "I thought you might like to see some of my world in La Push after I've gotten to see yours. Especially since you've been so excluded from mine lately..." he trailed off, frowning genuinely, rather than his usual comical antics. And you can't even tell her why, he groaned with a melancholy tone, letting a few pauses go by. "I'm really sorry about that, baby," he apologized finally, bringing their hands up to his face and kissing the back of her hand. "I promise I'm gonna be better about it."

   With that, he turned onto the soft gravel signifying their increasingly short distance to La Push, the car bouncing and crunching gently over the minor bumps while deep green evergreen trees, dusted ever so lightly with the faintest of white speckles, rushed by the windows. It was almost picturesque, really, the scene before them- but it paled in comparison to his passenger. No, not even paled- it was utterly nonexistent compared to Kenzie. He glanced over at her occasionally, lovingly, grinning, hoping to catch her eye, even if to only look into them once more and remind her of just how much he loved her.

[Kenzie Karter]

As they drove on, Kenzie could not help but feel completely at ease with the world. When she was with Jon, it seemed like nothing could bother her and that meant that she was safe. Jon was her first real boyfriend that actually cared for her deeply and she knew that. Hearing that Jon was taking her into his world at La Push made her smile. Their relationship was progressing normally, something Kenzie was thankful for. She had shown him her world and now he was showing her his. "You mean I get to see the world of the ever elusive Jonathan Whiteman?" she asked sarcastically, stiffling a giggle before busting out laughing. "Who happens to be my amazing boyfriend that I love and adore."

While laughing, she looked out the window to the beauty that surrounded them. It was definitely something outside of a dream with the way the snow was falling around them on the trees and the gravel road. This was something Kenzie had only ever dreamt about and now she was living it with Jon.

((Sorry it's short!))

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Her sarcasm had Jon laughing heartily once again. There was simply no explanation anymore for how magical her effect was on him. "Why, yes," he laughed, "yes, you do. V.I.P. tour, in fact. Not even Jacob Black has gotten a V.I.P. tour, mind you." His laughter finally faded into a wide smile after a few moments, and he added softly, pulling her palm up once more to kiss it, "I love you, too, baby."

   Her laughter pealed brightly, beautifully in the small car as she glanced out the window. The sound was perfect, like a sonata that he could listen to for the rest of life, and even just hearing it was making him woozy nearly like he'd just kissed her. With the usual, regular glances at the road for safety's sake, of course, he just... watched her look around at the scenery. Even now, her beauty was overwhelming, and he realized as the wooziness set into overdrive how much he'd nearly been taking her beauty for granted lately. No, not "for granted"- that insinuated that he'd, at some point, not been utterly struck by it. No, it was more fitting to say that he merely hadn't taken it in for all its worth: the way her chestnut hair fell the most graceful way he'd ever witnessed in nature 'round her shoulders, the way her wan, gorgeous face made her eyes sparkle innocently, and the eyes themselves... words still continued to fail him when he tried to describe those two sparkling gems. He sighed quietly, blissfully, and turned with distracting lightheadedness to continue down the rocky La Push road.

   Before long, his wooden house was in view just on the outskirts of First Beach, and Jon was suddenly appreciative that his front porch, where her first surprise waited, was built on the side of the house opposite how they were coming towards it. The sun, faintly visible behind the mass of clouds, was slowly shifting towards twilight. Perfect, he cheered with an unseen surge of excitement.

   He made the careful turn into his driveway, ensuring for her comfort's sake that it wasn't made too fast. "Well... this is my house," he announced with a meek grin, killing the motor quietly as they rolled to a stop beside his house. "You ready for this night to begin?" he offered with a smile.

[Kenzie Karter]

It made Kenzie smile unabashedly that Jon was being sarcastic with her; she adored his humor. Being around Jon made everything so easy for Kenzie, especially being herself. That was something she definitely appreciated...being able to just be herself and nothing less around him. That was something Kenzie had never had before in a boyfriend, so she was still getting used to everything being so amazing. With Jerron, it had been one fight right after another and with Jon, life was floating along without any major fights to speak of.

As they turned into Jon's driveway, Kenzie was utterly speechless. His house was quaint and he had decorated it with hudreds of twinkly white lights around the porch. Scanning it, she also found a large hammock in the corner. Jon had obviously decorated it for her visit. Tears welled up in her eyes. No one had ever been that thoughtful in doing something for her. Jon was continually amazing her at every turn.

Looking back at him, she bit her lip and put her finger under his chin, bringing his lips to hers. "You did that for me?" she asked in a whisper. "Nobody's ever done anything like this for me."

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   Jon's heart struck at him with a pang of nausea and his eyes widened slightly as Kenzie's eyes began to well up, but his intuition breathed back, I don't think this is the bad sort of tears.

   Yup. Definitely the good sort, he agreed through the inevitable, crippling dizziness that always snuck in after she kissed him. Blissfully woozy smile creeping across his face, he murmured back, "Then nobody's ever realized what they had when they had you." And, dang it, it was the truth. To have the world, but think anyway that you wanted more... whatever idiocy that had convinced Jerron that he needed more than Kenzie Karter was unbearably unfathomable. And Kenzie- ever loving, understanding, perfect Kenzie- accepted Jon for what he was, which, as she knew, was a freaking huge guy with a really hot body temperature. She'd never questioned why he was so- and that was the kicker. She loved him for him, and she wouldn't care if he was an alien from Jupiter. Tears welled up in his own eyes as it hit him: This is unconditional love.

   His hand found the side of her face, and he pushed his lips gently against hers, his breathing just before he met hers ragged with the gravity of her affection. His heart was thunking weakly in his throat as he quietly sniffed back the watery betrayal, kissing her one, two, three more times. She really loves me. And she doesn't care. How did I not notice this before...

   His lips almost began to open to confess what he really was to her right then and there- but a thought crippled the breath in his lungs. But would she love me when I'm not me anymore...? And, despite the undeniable selfishness of the thought, it was true- Kenzie could accept any human for his or her quirks, but would she be able to accept a werewolf? Something not of her own kind? Something she'd never really met before?

   There was no obvious answer to this question. And there was no way to ask it without risking the world to which he'd become utterly addicted. He pulled away from her face now, leaving his hand gently clinging to her cheek, his thumb running softly along her cheekbone. Selfish as it may be, tackling the question of loving a werewolf was not the point of tonight. But are you deceiving her...? murmured his Jimney Cricket.

   He pushed it aside, the burn of guilt and shame pushing back against him. It was a bittersweet victory as he was able to recollect himself to grin once again. "Well... let's do this," Jon quietly announced, opening the door and shutting it to walk around and open hers as per usual custom. "...miss Karter," he tacked onto the end with a sneaky grin, reaching inside to take her hand in his broad one.

[Kenzie Karter]

There was an overwhelming sense of complete happiness as Jon took her face into his hands and brought her lips to his. Never before had she experienced this kind of tenderness in a relationship. Slowly Kenzie was realizing that she had all the world and more in her relationship with Jon. He was her world; everything to her beyond reality, dance, school, friends, and even her parents. To say that at seventeen-years-old meant that it was serious. And Kenzie was absolutely serious about her love for Jon. There was no questioning in her mind that she loved him with every fiber of her being.

He really loves me, she thought to herself over and over again in his succession of kisses. Despite the hell I have been through with Jerron, leaving me scared and insecure about relationships, he...loves...me. Her heart fluttered with the thought, knowing how she felt for him already. There was so much that she wanted to say to him right in that moment, but could not find the words to audibly bring it out. He was the very reason she breathed and woke up each morning. Even her dancing had become more expressive since she began dating Jon, which was even more of an indicator that she was happy.

She smiled as he got out of the car and walked around to open her door, taking his hand and stepping out in front of the house. "You really are a wonderful gentleman," she said, kissing his cheek softly. "So, which part of the tour am I to see first?" she asked, giggling a little and looking into his eyes innocently.

[Jonathan Whiteman]

   With her compliment, a soft, warming smile spread across Jon's face. I am only what you make me, baby, he nonverbally replied, sliding his hand free of hers to catch her far side and to pull her closer to him, though she was still capable of walking. And everything I am makes every day even better than the last because I'm yours.

[He's holding her like this. I dunno how to describe it better without making it sound like a hug.]

   Her question, right on cue, tapped at the back of his mind, reminding him of the location of her second surprise. He knew as he peeked over her shoulder down the beach that she wouldn't be able to see what he was double-checking; the scene at the beach's far end still looked just as set as he'd made it earlier that afternoon. Turning back to face her with the remnants of his smile lingering on his face, he replied simply, a slightly devious grin slinking across his face, "Hm..."

   With that, he began pulling them forward towards the woods that lined the beach, pulling them aside far enough that, as they came towards the general direction of the opposite side of the beach, she wouldn't be able to see what he'd set up. But a second thought panged at him, and he nearly smacked himself in the forehead then and there: She might get cold, stupid! It's WINTER, for crying out loud! Keeping his cool while the embarrassment grazed at him inside as he looked ahead, he deliberated with snaps of anxiety- until it clicked. Wrapping another arm around her, he tightened his hold on her, pulling her body against his inhumanly warm one with a sly smile and a low chuckle. Even if he wasn't going to tell her the truth, it didn't make his body any less of a walking electric blanket. "You know," he snickered softly, "for being such a beautiful, adorable girl who makes my heart warm with her every word and action, you sure do chill easily."

   GREAT ONE, STUPID! You just handed her the perfect opportunity on a silver platter to ask why you've got the temperature of someone who should be in the hospital! he snapped at himself. She could easily say something like, "Your heart's warm, so that makes the rest of you warm?" And if she does ask it, what are you going to do- his whole being shied away from the word, but he forced it out in spite of his instant pain for her- LIE?! He wasn't sure his hold on her hadn't increased subconsciously in the effort to not scream at the thought, but Jon forced a pleasant smile across his face against it. All there was to do now was a lot of hoping.