Darcie vaguely felt strong arms wrap around her as memories slid from her mind, and she fell into a deep, dark sleep.
6
Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep.
The obnoxious alarm blared from Darcie’s nightstand, pulling her out of a restful and rejuvenating sleep. She rolled over and snoozed the annoying sound, giving herself nine more minutes in her cozy bed. She snuggled into fluffy, warm blankets.
Lazily, her mind rolled through the events of the previous evening. Despite her unwillingness to go to the club in the first place, Darcie ended up having a decent time with her best friend. The pair danced the majority of the night, and Josh did not seem the least bit upset with being the third wheel of the group. Marie’s boyfriend was as good-natured as ever, and Marie seemed to be more appreciative of his efforts.
Maybe those two do have a chance, Darcie thought with a smile.
All too soon, the annoying alarm sounded again. Darcie had no choice but to get up. She had made brunch plans with Marie. Her best friend was in love with the weekend meal and would never forgive her if she skipped out.
Darcie rolled out of bed and stretched her back. Her body felt great as she warmed up her muscles for the day. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept so well.
She stepped towards the door, but before she could make it to the bathroom, her cell phone rang from its spot on her nightstand.
Darcie walked over and recognized Marie’s house number. “Hello?”
“Good morning,” Marie greeted with too much enthusiasm for the early hour. “We are still on for brunch, right?”
She chuckled, amused by her friend’s eagerness. “Yes. I’ll meet you at Brick Cottage at noon.”
“Awesome! Also, I wanted to say thank you for coming out last night. I had a blast. Sorry you had to drive yourself home.”
Even though Marie couldn’t see her, Darcie waved away her friend’s concern. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault I got a headache and needed to leave early. I had a great time.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Marie said sincerely. “You are the best.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I’ll see you in a few.” The friends ended the call, and Darcie continued on her path to the bathroom. Once again, she was stalled.
“Darcie,” her father’s voice called from his study. “Is that you?”
“Good morning,” she called back and walked to the open door. “What’s up?”
“Did you come home last night?” her dad asked, still typing on his laptop. “I thought you were going to spend the night at Marie’s.”
“I got a headache and decided to come home and sleep in my own bed.”
He nodded at his screen. “I see. Feeling better this morning?”
“Mmhmm. I’m actually thinking about going for a run before I go have brunch with Marie.”
Darcie had two hours before she would meet up with Marie. It was plenty of time for her to take advantage of how well-rested she felt. “Need anything while I am out?”
“No, I’m alright. Thank you, Sweetheart. Have fun.”
Darcie assured her father she would. She turned and was finally able to make it to the bathroom. She washed her face, loving the feel of the cool water on her cheeks.
Looking in the mirror, she carefully started wiping off leftover makeup, but she was surprised to notice there wasn’t much there. She didn’t remember washing her face before passing out last night.
Grabbing her brush, she worked through the few tangles in her thick blonde hair. Pulling it up into a ponytail, Darcie finished cleaning up before quickly changing into warm running clothes.
The energetic teenager ran out of the house, yelling bye to her dad. She jogged to her car and hopped in, turning the heat on full blast. Although the sun shined, the frosty weather chilled her to the bone.
She drove to Brunswick High School and parked as close as possible to the track’s entrance. Securing her head warmer and gloves, Darcie hopped out of the vehicle and immediately began a warm-up jog. Within moments, the air no longer felt cold.
Darcie carefully increased her speed as her muscles continued to loosen up. She completed lap four when something caught her attention in her peripheral vision.
She moved to the outside lane of the track as two men sprinted past her. Darcie shook her head, thinking the men should take better care of their muscles. It wasn’t good to go from zero to one-hundred without warming up. That’s how injuries happened.
Darcie continued her pace, perspiration beginning to cover her forehead. The men lapped her twice in the following five minutes.
On their third lap around, one of the men pulled back as he was about to pass her. “Darcie?”
She turned and recognized the man from the library. “Oh,” Darcie panted as she kept her stride. “Hi.”
“Thane,” he provided. Darcie was glad running made her face red, otherwise she’s sure her blush would have shown.
“Right. From the library.”
Thane beamed. “Exactly. Glad to see you remembered.”
Darcie nodded and gave a small, short smile. She couldn’t hold it long or else her breathing pattern would be altered.
“I do not wish to interrupt,” Thane stated. “We can speak once we are done running.”
“Sure.”
Thane waved goodbye before sprinting forward and closing in on the runner ahead of him. He reached his running partner and immediately decreased his speed to match.
Darcie wasn’t sure, but she believed the men were talking even while keeping their break-neck speed.
“Must be nice”, she muttered and increased her pace ever so slightly.
Twenty minutes later, she hit her three mile goal. She slowed down and walked an extra lap to cool down. She had almost finished when Thane and his running partner appeared to her left.
“Hey,” Thane greeted like they were old friends, rather than the strangers they really were. “Nice run?”
Still a little out of breath, she nodded. “Uh huh. You?”
“Absolutely. We love the cold weather, and my brother here gives me a run for my money.”
Darcie’s eyes turned to the other man. She could see some similarity between the two. Both were tall and had the same chestnut colored hair, but their eyes were different shades of hazel.
“Hello,” she said, her breath slowly returning to normal. “I’m Darcie.”
“Lome,” the guy held up his hand in greeting. Neither of them sounded fazed by their sprint workout.
“I met Darcie at the local library yesterday,” Thane explained to his brother. “She just returned to Maine from Greece.”
Darcie’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t remember telling you that.”
For one quick second, Thane’s face dropped its easygoing expression. He looked like he made a huge error.
Just as soon as Darcie made note of the change, it altered and Thane appeared completely normal. “Briefly, yes. You were distracted by a phone call not long after.”
Darcie thought back. She couldn’t recall the conversation with Thane at the library too well, but she was sure she hadn’t mentioned her travels. Then again, she also had a feeling she did mention something about Greece to him…
Immediately, she shook her head to clear the fogginess. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. I obviously told him.
“Yeah,” Darcie picked up where Thane ended. “My dad is a professor at a local university, and we just returned from his sabbatical.”
“Interesting,” Lome commented. “Where was he conducting research?”
“Greece, mainly. But we visited multiple countries along the Mediterranean.”
Lome’s eyes widened as did Thane’s smile. An unspoken thought passed between them when the brother’s looked at each other. She glanced at her watch, not sure what to do with herself.
“We were going to grab a cup of coffee to warm up,” Thane stated. “Would you like to join us in town?”
She
contemplated the offer. It was almost 11 a.m., and Darcie was planning on meeting Marie at noon.
After running through the numbers in her mind, she concluded she would not have enough time to head home to clean up before brunch, but she would have to wait at least thirty minutes for Marie to show up at the restaurant if she went straight there. Killing some time with coffee didn’t seem so bad.
“Actually, that sounds great. Did you have a place already in mind?”
Thane revealed they planned on visiting the popular, chain coffee spot in town. The Brunswick local bit her tongue to prevent herself from recommending a different location.
Feeling chilled now that her body was cooling down, Darcie said she would see the brothers in a few and made a quick jog to her vehicle and its awaiting heat. She waited for the engine to warm before throwing it in drive and making her way to the popular coffee chain.
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, Darcie sat at a table for four, holding her hands around the cup of blonde roast. Thane and Lome were still in line, trying to decide what to order from the vast menu. She took the opportunity to observe them.
They were massive, in both height and frame. Each looked like weight training was a daily occurrence for them. They, also, seemed oblivious to the blatant admiring stares from nearly every woman in the café.
Well, Thane appeared oblivious.
Lome seemed to notice the flattering attention and periodically bestowed a grin on one of the blushing women.
However, neither man acted cocky or arrogant. In Darcie’s experience, most men who took so much care of their physique were typically the epitome of vain.
As she continued to watch them, she could see the familial resemblance between the two, but would never guess Thane was older. In fact, the brothers could have passed for fraternal twins.
Finally, the men stepped up to the counter and ordered from the dreamy-eyed barista. It was obvious the young girl loved the interaction. Darcie made a note to never be doe-eyed over someone’s good looks.
Minutes later, after shameless flirting by the female employee, both men had their drinks and joined Darcie at the table.
“This is amazing,” Thane stated, following the first sip of his beverage. “I have not tasted anything like it before.”
Amused by his excitement, Darcie couldn’t help but chuckle. “What did you order?”
“A,” he paused and turned back to observe the menu. “Caramel Macchiato. It is delicious.”
She nodded. The espresso drink was one of her favorites as well.
“What did you order?” she asked the quieter brother.
Lome grinned. “Nothing fancy. A medium cup of their light roast.”
“Me too,” she held up her cup in solidarity. Lome mimicked the gesture. She could feel the envious gazes of the women in the room.
“So, Darcie,” Lome said after a sip, “tell us about yourself.”
She sipped her drink to buy a few precious seconds. “What do you mean?”
“Are you in school?” Lome asked.
She shook her head and took another thoughtful sip.
“You barely look older than fifteen,” Thane added, speaking to no one in particular. “How old are you?”
Darcie blinked and looked at him. Why did she feel like she was being interrogated? “I’m seventeen. I graduated high school early.” She made the last statement with the foresight that it would have been the men’s next question.
“Interesting.” Thane and his brother exchanged looks. Darcie shifted in her chair. It was the second time she felt in the dark, and she wasn’t a fan.
“Tell me if I’m crazy, but I feel like something is going on here. Is there something I should know?” It was a bold question, but surprisingly easy for her to ask.
She couldn’t explain why, but Darcie felt comfortable with the brothers–more comfortable than one interaction should allow.
Once again, the men shared a look. She waited.
After what seemed like forever, Thane nodded and turned to face her. “Darcie,” the older brother ran a hand through his hair. “This might sound unbelievable, but Lome and I think we–”
Whatever he was about to say was silenced by the sound of someone else calling Darcie’s name. She turned, eager to do away with the distraction when she noticed Kevin making his way to their table.
“Darcie?” Kevin asked again before she fully turned.
His smile grew wider when he recognized her. “I thought that was you,” he revealed as he closed the distance between them. He stopped just short of the table.
“Hi, Kevin,” she greeted from her chair. “What are you doing here?”
“Grabbing some coffee before heading back home. Aren’t you meeting Marie for brunch?” Kevin’s asked and finally noticed the two men sitting with her. He tilted his head, trying to place them.
“Kevin,” Darcie gestured to each of the men. “This is Thane and his brother, Lome. They are visiting Brunswick from Europe.”
“Europe? Cool.” Kevin stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you guys. I’m Kevin.”
Thane and Lome returned the sentiment, but immediately fell silent afterwards.
Kevin did not notice. He returned his eyes to Darcie. She fought to keep from fidgeting. “Aren’t you supposed to be meeting Marie for brunch?” he repeated. “She wouldn’t shut up about it this morning.”
Darcie glanced at her watch. 11:52 am. “Shoot!” She slid back and jumped up from her chair. “Sorry to run out guys, but I made plans with a friend.”
“Do not worry,” Thane responded. Both he and Lome stood up after her. “Have a good day, Darcie.”
“Thanks,” she returned.
Quickly, she grabbed her wallet, phone, and keys. “Enjoy your Sunday.”
She turned to say goodbye to Kevin, but he was already a step closer to the door. She raised a brow.
“I’ll walk you over to Brick Cottage,” he stated. “My car is parked that direction anyway.”
Darcie gave a grateful smile, trying to hide the fact his offer sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. With one final wave at the brothers, she and Kevin left, bracing themselves against the cold for the five minute walk to the restaurant.
“How have you been?” Kevin questioned against his scarf. He looked at Darcie. “We haven’t really had a chance to catch up yet. How’s being back in Maine?”
“I love it,” she said with a grin. “It’s nice being home.”
She paused, and contemplated if she should share her minor complaints about boredom. She and Kevin were childhood friends, but things didn’t seem as comfortable between them as when she left two years ago.
“But?” Kevin prompted, noticing her hesitation. He knew her too well.
“But I’m bored,” she revealed. “I kind of just sit at home doing nothing all day. Might sound fun, but it gets old.”
“Not surprised. You were never one who could sit still for long.”
Darcie laughed. “I can totally sit still.”
“Please,” his brown eyes glinted in the sunlight. “I was there. Do you know how many times my Saturday morning cartoons were interrupted because someone insisted we play outside?” Kevin gave her a friendly nudge. Her smile grew.
“You’re welcome,” she stated with mock superiority. “I saved you from childhood obesity.”
“I guess you did,” Kevin laughed. “Thank you.”
Feeling the intensity of his gaze, Darcie allowed herself one more second before she turned her attention back to the sidewalk. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she enjoyed their interaction.
“How’s college?” she changed subjects.
“It’s great. I get a little home sick from time to time, but overall it’s good. Excited to start next year?”
“Yes,” Darcie let out a heavy sigh. “I wish I could start now.”
“Why don’t you?”
“My dad wants me to take a break. I don’t know... I think he migh
t not be ready to let go.”
The skin between his eyebrows creased. “Aren’t you planning on going to St. Phillip’s? Doesn’t he work there?”
She nodded. “For now, yes. Eventually, though, I think I want to finish up out of state. I’m not sure yet.”
“Darcie Abernathy,” Kevin said her name with admiration. “Brunswick’s little traveler.”
“I’m hardly little.” Being five feet, seven inches, Darcie was on the taller end of the average woman’s height. Although, she did look young. She remembered Thane saying she barely looked fifteen.
“No,” Darcie could feel Kevin’s assessing look as he responded to her statement. “You aren’t little.”
She did not know what to say. His tone changed, leading her to question if there was a hidden meaning behind the remark.
Before any awkwardness could grow, the friends arrived outside Brick Cottage. Marie stood just inside the clear double doors. She bounced up and down, urging Darcie to hurry with excited gestures.
Darcie smirked at her friend’s ridiculousness. “I better go in before she breaks a sweat,” she told Kevin. “Thanks for walking with me.”
His expression was warm. “You’re welcome. Still opposed to joining us for the movies later?”
Crap.
She had forgotten about their invitation. “I appreciate the offer, but I still have plans with my dad.”
He looked disappointed. “Alright. Enjoy brunch. I’ll see you around.”
Darcie finished saying goodbye when she heard quick tapping on the window behind her. Turning around, she gave Marie a scowl.
“I’m coming,” she mouthed to her friend, not attempting to hide her annoyance. She reached for the door handle when some sensation made her pause.
Glancing around, she tried to figure out what she was feeling. It almost felt like she was being watched.
Continuing to move her head, she looked down both sidewalks. People walking kept their head down against the wind. No one turned her direction.
Darcie completed a 180 and looked to the wooded area about fifty yards behind her. She observed the signs indicating it was the future sight of some convenience store, but other than that, there were only bare trees and brown brush.
Enlightened Page 5
