Elena's Pov
The lantern light turned everything into a yellow shadow on the skin of Julian. He stared at me for a long time. We both stayed still. The tower used to be cool and the silence seemed to be stronger.
Julian asked if I was cold. His voice was low, and was more than a whisper.
I said no, that I wasn’t cold. I reminded him that I had said so before. Within myself was a fire which kept me warm.
He said he could see the fire. Then he touched my arm. I felt warm to him. He asked, “Why is it so hot, Elena?”
It was his being there that had made me tell him so. Because I was with him, I always felt free.
That gave Julian a smile, as though he was considering it. He claimed I was very straight and he liked that. In his opinion, most of the school girls were liars. They would say th
