And suddenly, all love songs were about you.

-YourTango

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***

Previously:

'What are you doing?' My voice was barely above a whisper. He had me backed into a corner with nowhere to run to. The triumphant gleam in his demeanour didn't help matters much.

What the hell is he up to?

***

A slow deceptive smile slid onto his face.

'Gavin, what are you doing?' I asked, hating the tremble in my voice.

Am I seriously tongue tied right now? What the hell is going on with me?

'Did you just stutter, Starlight?' He cocked his head to the side. 'Am I making you nervous?'

I swallowed the lump of nerves in my throat. 'N-n-no.' I choked mentally cursing myself for my lack of eloquence. Where's that tap mouth of mine when I need it?

'Feels like a miracle doesn't it?' He smirked.

'What feels like a miracle?' My voice was barely above a whisper. And the damned stutter was still there.

'That you're silent. It's a miracle. Does that happen to have anything to do with... Me?' The all too smug arch of his eyebrows and smirk in his voice was the jolt I needed to snap out of my Gavin-swoon induced daze.

'You're so full of yourself.' I snapped, fully intending on walking right through him. One of the benefits of being a ghost and all. So you can understand my momentary confusion when I met with a wall of warm hard chest.

God, he definitely works out. No doubt about that.

'Starlight, are you okay?' His warm strong hands gripped my shoulders, steadying me. A fog enveloped my brain. I couldn't think at all much less think straight. All I could feel was the burning heat where his hands touched my skin and the electricity. So much electricity.

His worried gaze searched mine and all I could do was the blinking version of an agama lizard nodding its head repeatedly.

How is he touching me? How can he hold me? How is this possible?

'Star? Star?' He shook me lightly, his apprehension increasing with every passing second that I didn't say anything.

He can touch me. How can he touch me? What is happening?

'Vasilisa!' The level of apprehension in his voice snapped me out of it. In some part of my brain, I registered that this was second time he's called me Vasilisa.

'You can touch me.' I said monotonously.

'And... Oh.' He trailed off as he registered the implications of my words. His eyes widened in disbelief and he took a step back, putting some much needed distance between us. I can't think clearly when he's standing so close.

'How?' He asked slowly.

'I don't know.' I leaned back, propping myself against the wall because I didn't trust my legs to keep me upright.

'I don't know.' I repeated.

'You look spooked.'

'So do you.'

'Mine is understandable. I was just a regular average guy until a month ago. You've been a ghost for the past two hundred years. This should be norm. I mean shouldn't it? It should be a regular sort of thing.'

'This isn't norm, Gavin. And you're right. I've been a ghost for two hundred years. I am a ghost. I don't touch people. People don't touch me. I don't feel things. I'm not supposed to be able to touch you. This is not norm.' I said, more than a little shaken.

'And Gavin, you've never been average. Not for a single second in your life. You're so much more than average.' I added quietly.

'What does that mean?' Whether he was asking about my last statement or the one before for it, I had no idea but my reply covered my thoughts on both subjects.

'I don't know.'

And so we returned to the party, which was now in full swing, and pretended none of it had ever happened even though it was all we could both think about.

'Breaking the curse wasn't supposed to be this hard or confusing.' I whispered to myself, disappearing into a room so I wouldn't have to face Gavin who was coming from the opposite direction.

I spent the night meditating in the dark room like a forgotten bitter old man with no family or friends.

Being who I am and preferring honest self analysis, I decided to face one of the major issues I've been running from. The reason I haven't sat down to think so far is because I didn't want to face it or to admit it to myself but it was already getting out of hand. I couldn't ignore it any longer.

I thought about my life choices so far and everything that has gone wrong both the ones I planned for and the ones I didn't and the good times and the bad and how it has all affected my growth as a person and shaped me into who I am today. The girl who hides her emotions and fears behind light teasing, heavy sarcasm and plain as day meanness and how Gavin managed to worm his way under my skin, getting past some of my defenses.

How sometimes I couldn't breathe because he smiled. Or how my heart would give a little funny lurch whenever he calls me Starlight even though I hate the name.

Gavin Connor must not get past the rest of my defenses. No matter what.

I'll keep him at arms length henceforth. I'm here to break a curse not to set myself up for the pain and heartbreak that comes with letting someone, anyone in.

For heaven sake, I told him parts of my story under the stupid justification that he needed to know. He didn't. If it had been someone else, no matter how badly they needed to know, I would never have told them but I told him because I wanted to tell him. I wanted to let him in. God why didn't I realize this sooner?

I must not fall for Gavin Connor. Not now. Not ever.

With that firm resolution in mind, I set out to find the subject of my thoughts.

The party was slowly rounding up. He was in the kitchen cleaning up with Asia who looked adorable in a bunny eared blouse and pitch black skirt.

His eyes widened slightly when he saw me. He gestured for me to follow him as he left the kitchen. We didn't stop walking until we were safely locked in a soundproof room.

'What's going on? Are you okay? You just suddenly disappe--' He trailed off as he reached for me and I stepped back out of his reach remembering the electricity I felt when he first touched me. It might have been due to the fact that I haven't been able to touch another human for the last two hundred years or just a fluke but it could also be another one of the many reason's I need to stay away from Gavin. Either way, I wasn't willing to risk it.

'What's wrong?' He frowned.

'Nothing. I had some stuff I needed to sort out.' I shrugged.

He tilted his head to side and regarded me with an intense stare before quietly declaring that something was... off.

'Something's... Off.'

I hate how he's able to see right through me. That's not a good sign. I've already let him in a bit too far.

'Nothing's wrong.' I attempted to keep my voice steady and nonchalant like it usually is when I'm telling him how much of a fool he is or when I'm teasing him.

'No. Something is wrong. You're being too formal. Did I do something wrong? What happened? What changed?' He asked with an all too endearing frown on his face.

What scared me is how much I realized I wanted it gone and how far I was willing to go to keep a frown off his face. It shouldn't be like this. This was never supposed to happen. It wasn't part of the plan.

'Starlight.' He said. My heart skipped a few beats because of the way a nine lettered two or three syllabled word rolled of his tongue. That's when I realized just how far gone I was. How hard I was already falling.

Without a second's thought, I vanished.