Clip Seven

“Wait!” I yelled, wrapping my arms around his knees until he fell forward, half way out of the tent. He lay there defeated, and I didn’t let his legs go in fear that he would run off.

“What?” he said, still looking away.

“Wybie, do you like me?”

Wybie struggled to escape but I held him tighter, and I knew he wouldn’t leave if it meant he had to be rough with me.

“Answer the question!”

“Of course I like you! You’re my best friend.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about!”

Wybie awkwardly rolled onto his back, as I still clung to his knees. He looked at me with his lime-green eyes, his expression serious.

“Our friendship means more than anything to me,” he said.

My heart sank.

“That’s why I never wanted you to find out. I didn’t want to screw anything up.” He looked sheepish, even in the darkness of the night. “I guess camping really was a bad idea.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. I stared at him and he glanced at me wearily, waiting for my reaction.

“That’s why you said you didn’t like me? When we were kids and I told you I liked you? That was the reason?”

Wybie looked at me guiltily. “That’s not all of it.” He climbed back into the tent and looked around worriedly. “I’m going to show you something really weird. I should have shown you before, but I didn’t think the time was right. See, it’s really hard to do and I think it’s getting more difficult. I’m pretty sure this will be the last time I can do it.”

“What? What is it?”

Wybie put his hands over his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Give me a minute,” he said.

The sound of crickets chirping stopped abruptly and the wind rustling the trees died away. It became so quiet that I could hear the soft airy sound of the gas lantern burning in the corner of the tent. Wybie kept his hands over his eyes as he shifted his weight to the other side, in a slow fluid movement. He turned his head away from the light of the lantern and moved his hands to the floor. I couldn’t see his face.

“Wybie?”

He turned as I called his name. As his face came into the light I fell backward with shock. Wybie had the same tall adult body, but where his eyes had been, there were shiny black buttons.

“O-Other Wybie?” I breathed.

Other Wybie nodded, his sad face pulling into the smallest smile. I pushed myself forward and hugged him, burying my face into his chest. His hand held my back and I pulled away to look at him.

“How is this possible?”

Other Wybie held his throat and shook his head.

“You still can’t speak.” I said sadly.

“I can whisper,” he breathed so softly I almost missed it. “Coraline,” he said, still whispering. “Wybie and I are the same. I need you to know that.”

“I do know,” I assured him.

He smiled a little more. “He thinks you love me. That’s why he refused you. He didn’t want to…” Wybie cleared his throat with a painful expression, “…to take advantage of your feelings for me.”

I looked at Other Wybie sadly. “But you two are the same. And I love him!”

Other Wybie put a finger to my mouth and smiled. “Save it for him,” he whispered, “Time to go.”

“Where are you going?”

“Not far. Just in here.” Other Wybie tapped his chest.

“Hold on,” I said, and gently kissed the corner of his mouth, where a small scar formed from the time the Beldam had sewn his face into a smile. Other Wybie’s brows drew together. He brushed his fingertips over my blue hair and kissed me gently on the lips. But before I could lean into the kiss, he drew back and covered his eyes. When he moved, Wybie was back.

“Wybie!” I said, so happy to see his gorgeous green eyes.

“Did you talk to him?” he asked.

I nodded. “Wybie, there’s something you have to know. I- I’m so in love with you. Not because of Other Wybie, because of you.”

Wybie bit his lip, overwhelmed with emotion. “But-“

“No buts! None! Now, I want you to do it again.”

“Bring him back? I don’t think I can-“

“No, no. The other thing.”

He looked confused for a moment until a deep blush spread across my face, giving me away. A knowing look dawned on him and he leaned forward. I flushed even harder as he kissed me on the forehead.
“You missed,” I grumbled.
I knew he was smiling now, but I refused to meet his eye. He put his hand behind my head as he kissed the tip of my nose.

“You’re a jerk,” I mumbled, and I took his face in my hands and slowly kissed his jaw. I was so pleased with his flustered expression. It was nice to see the tables had turned. I got nervous when I looked at him then, because this was it. After all these years I was about to kiss Wybourne Lovat. Our noses touched as we drew closer, and our lips brushed ever so slightly. The smell of him sent butterflies through my stomach and I crushed his tan mouth in a kiss. Wybie’s large hands fumbled as he gripped my pajamas from behind. The feeling of his powerful arms around me, Wybie’s arms, drove me crazy. I crawled on top of him, entwining my fingers in his messy dreadlocks. One kiss blended into the next. He rolled me onto my back as we switched places, and just as he leaned in again we heard a noise outside.

Wybie ignored it the first time, leaning down and kissing my neck, then moving to my collar bone. My chest tightened and my breathing sped as he whispered my name. But the second time we heard a definite snapping of twigs. The soft rustling of leaves encircled our tent and I clung to Wybie as he stared at the open tent flap.
“Mrowww!” Cat bellowed as he poked his head inside the tent. Humor sparkled in his turquoise eyes as he successfully interrupted our first kiss.
I sat up rigidly, flooded with irritation. “You stupid, mangy wuss-puss!”

Wybie laughed and grabbed the cat, flopping onto his back. He pulled me closer and I lay next to him, Cat curled comfortably between us. He kissed me again and I put my head on Wybie’s chest, never having felt better in my life.

Finale

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