by R. J. Rogers
He forced his thoughts away from Alina herself and redirected them to more mission minded ones. If he had to bet on who the specific target was, he would place his money on Alina. He was pretty sure there was a magical essence to her, beyond whatever was happening when it was just she and him near each other. Contemplating what to do, he decided he would wait a few more days before making an official statement to his informant and the Circle. Switching the laptop off, Nic took his black tee-shirt off as he readied for bed, leaving him in just his sweats as he crawled into bed. Flicking of his lamp on the night stand, Dominic closed his eyes. Images of Alina flashed through his mind as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 5
Dominic wakes to grey skies and dark clouds rolling by his studio apartment window. Looking around his room, he tries to figure out what had jolted him awake. He could have sworn he heard Alina shouting out his name, trying to speak to him. It must have been a dream. Flipping his legs over the side of his bed, he rubbed his hands across his face and then takes looks around on his floor trying to remember where he tossed his tee-shirt from the night before. Giving up his search for a shirt, Nic begins to question the reasoning for why he may have heard Alina, even if it were just dream-talk. In his world, dreams were not something to push to the way-side. Worry begins to set in, causing a crease to form just above the bridge of his nose and right eyebrow. As worry filters in, Dominic breaks out in a cold sweat. Her voice still echoing in his mind, he rose from his bed and started to pace around his room, in the sweatpants he had worn to sleep last night.
From our initial meeting on Monday morning, thoughts of Alina have consumed my brain. She has such a way about her that it is hard to shake her image from my mind. Forty-eight hours later and I can still visualize her smile and how it seems to lighten the deep emerald green of her eyes, giving them a shimmering appearance; Dominic thought to himself. God, I think I might be in love with her.
One of many beliefs the Silver Heart Coven values, is that of soulmates. ‘A person with whom your soul connects with on a level so deep that it is completely unexplainable, until experienced.’ Having the definition of soulmates ingrained in them since grade school, Dominic honestly feels this is what is happening between Alina and him. From the love at first sight feeling to the actual electrical sparks that flow when they touch, there isn’t any other explanation for what could be occurring between the two and it scared him, made him nervous to even think about. It had been a century since the last time anyone from his Coven had experienced the life altering connection which had Dominic questioning, why him? Why now? And most importantly, why her?
~
Wednesday dawns dreary and dark. I glance out my dorm window and watch lightning streak across the sky. I don’t move from the bed right away instead choosing to listen to the thunder as it echoes outside. I should have taken heed of the weather, realizing it as a bad omen for the coming days; but since I don’t believe in signs of warnings, I chalk it up to another typical fall day in Massachusetts.
On the plus side, sleep was dream free thankfully; however, as I start to move out of my bed, a wave of nausea hits me followed by a bout of dizziness. I’ve been feeling a little off since Sunday night but today is the first time that I feel physically ill. Staying put for a moment on the edge of my bed, I wait out the feeling and it slowly passes. Shrugging, I get up and begin my morning routine.
By mid-day the sickness from this morning is nothing more than a fleeting memory as Ella meets up with me for lunch and we walk across the campus to the Cafeteria. “I am dying for it to be dinner time!” Ella is currently rambling and from the few words I’ve actually been able to make out, she is more than excited for the dinner party.
“What are you planning to wear Ali? What do you think I should wear? What if your mom doesn’t like what I pick out? Should I wear a dress? Are you going to wear one? Oh my gosh Al, are you going to answer any of my questions?”
I snort, trying not to laugh with tea in my mouth which ultimately makes it shoot out my nose. “If you’d stop talking long enough for me to speak, I’d answer all your questions dork.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize I wasn’t giving you a chance to talk.” Ella’s cheeks turn bright red, slightly embarrassed. “All good El, I’ve been to a few dinner parties in my time. There isn’t anything to stress over. Your safest choice for an outfit would be a simple black dress.” Ella’s eyes go wide with worry. “Don’t worry I have one you can borrow,” I say as I raise my hand to keep her from asking more questions.
My phone begins to chime interrupting any further questions. “Crap we’re going to be late for class.” Ella grabs her purse and I grab my side-bag and then we dash out the door.
*
“FINALLY,” Ella draws out the Y to where it sounds more like an E dramatically. “I seriously thought today was never going to end.” She is currently sitting on my bathroom counter in my parent’s house watching me put the finishing touches to my hair.
“There, last strand of hair is curled,” I say as I hand my curling iron over to her. She starts to add some curls to her hair while I pin some of mine back into a half bun. She and I have already put on our ‘little black dresses’ and applied our make-up. Where she decided to sport a simple pair of black Mary-Jane’s, I decided to wear a pair of strappy, silver heels solely for the fact that they would match my silver-chained, moonstone necklace.
“Lord, Ella, why am I so hot,” I ask as I try to fan myself with my hands.
“Oh, I don’t know Al, maybe it has something to do with a certain blue-eyed dreamboat who will be arriving soon?” I scrunch my nose up and stick my tongue out at her reflection in the mirror. Partly because she’s right, but I’m not going to admit it to her. She smiles widely at me for the fact that she knows she’s right too.
“What time is it, by the way?” She looks around on the counter for her phone but can’t seem to find it.
“Um, I’m not sure but I know if we were cutting it close mother would be sending someone to fetch us.”
“Speak of the devil,” Ella says as a knock sounds upon my bedroom door. I swing the door wide and see my father on the other side. “Wow Mr. Hopkins, you look very handsome,” I hear Ella say just behind my shoulder.
I see my dad’s face go red, he clears his throat before saying; “um, thank you Ella. Your mother says it is time to come down stairs Alina. The guests should be arriving shortly.”
“Okay dad. We’ll be down in just a couple of minutes.” My father leaves us and goes back down stairs. Turning to Ella I laugh, “um, eww. Were you just flirting with my dad?”
“Hey, I was just stating the truth. Your dad looks hot!”
“That’s just, no! That’s so gross Ella, that’s my dad you’re talking about.” She laughs, and we head down the stairs.
The Hopkins’ house or rather mansion, is a grand one in deed. Granted for the most part it wasn’t a place where I actually grew up. Huge white pillars sat to one side of the drive way to support the massive over hang which was put in place to block out bad weather. The rest of the exterior is fashioned in typical red brick and white stone. Most of my days were spent inside the Academy, but when I was here I spent my days hanging out by our heated pool or in our theater room watching movies and hanging out with Ella.
My mother calls to us from the dining room just as the doorbell rings. “Can you go see what she wants, and I’ll get the door since I’m standing right here?” I ask Ella at the same time reaching for the door handle. Ella nods and heads off in the direction of where my mother’s voice sounded. The last person I expect to see standing in front of me is Dominic. I mean, I know the party is for him, but I didn’t think I’d be the one answering his knock.
I see him as his eyes take me in. He starts at my feet and I swear I can almost feel his eyes travel up my legs, brush a long my waist, hesitating a bit longer in the chest area before landing upon my face. I honestly couldn’t say if the heat coursing through my bo
dy was due to a blush or a natural reaction caused because of the weird connection Nic and I seem to have with each other! Don’t get me wrong, I totally appreciate the view in front of my eyes as well. And let me tell you, being dressed in all black himself, has my pulse racing and my heart fluttering. “Um, h-hi,” I manage to stutter out. He smiles, and I fall into his gaze. His blue eyes seem to have a magnetic pull on me, trying to tug me towards him, making me nearly melt at his feet. The world around us once again disappears leaving us in a universe all our own. I’m pretty sure we could have stood there all night long, staring at one another if moments later there weren’t voices breaking the spell.
I sigh my disappointment that we are being interrupted. The rest of the guests have arrived just then, and I turn to them all, plastering a smile upon my face to welcome them inside. I direct them all into the parlor because that is the only appropriate place for people of such standing. ‘It is the only place where polite society may socialize before dining’. My mother’s snobbish voice runs through my head.
I see Ella sitting on one of our two formal couches and make a bee-line to her. As I ‘gracefully’ sit down next to her, I realize I have managed to squeeze myself in between her and Nic. My heart flutters causing butterflies to stir within my stomach and my pulse to race and thud loudly in my ears, my chest tightens because my brain has forgotten to remind my lungs to take in air and breathe. I glance at him from the corner of my eyes and notice that he seems to be acting just as nervous as I feel. I feel a vibration and swear I can hear a humming between Dominic and myself.
Seeing the nearness of our arms and how close they are to skin touching skin, I am quite tempted to reach out and claps his hand within mine. The longer I stare at his strong, muscular arm, watching him flex his hand as though he is trying to keep himself from trying to take my hand and claiming it for himself; and wishing he would do so as well, the more I swear I see a blue-golden hued thread trying to connect me to Nic.
My hand is mere centimeters from Nic’s when the doors leading to the dining room are opened and my mother steps through, announcing that seating may begin. I catch her eyes and the disapproval that is set within them. Apparently in her eyes, it would not be acceptable for her daughter to be seen hanging out with a trainer. Well, I’m not exactly sure that is what her eyes are conveying, but the coldness I feel emanating from her gaze doesn’t sway the thought from my head any.
We all stand and proceed into the dining area. My father stands at the head of the dark oak, rectangular shaped table and we find our seats accordingly. Mine of course is nearest my dad but always across from my mother. Glancing to my right I see Dominic taking a seat next to me and not Ella, which surprises me slightly, but I manage to keep the shock from showing on my face.
As dinner gets under way, there is small talk amongst the table but for the life of me, I can’t focus on anything going on around me. Glancing at Ella, I see a knowing smile cross her face. Blushing, I can actually hear the blood rushing through my body as my cheeks flush. I want to focus on anything else around me, but my attention is completely absorbed by the energy swirling between Nic and I. A brush of our legs, accidental bumping of feet. Arms grazing each other as we both go to grab our drinks at the same time. The hairs on my arms stand on end because of the electrical current coming off of us.
“…and I’m sure Alina will.” My mother’s voice is stern, drawing my attention to her. I have no idea what had been said and yet again another blush creeps up my neck and face, which my mother fully notices. Smiling meekly towards her, I look down at my food and try to keep my focus solely on my plate. I know if I were to chance looking at her again, her icy stare would still be shooting daggers in my direction, so I choose to sit as still as humanly possible and stare at my barely touched plate of baked chicken, mashed potatoes and green-beans.
My father clears his throat in an attempt to break the tension building between my mother and I; “Would anyone like an after-dinner drink,” my father asks as everyone stands.
Peeking at my cell, I see it is nearly eight o’clock. “Dad, it’s getting late. Ella and I should get back to the dorms. We’ll see you guys on Saturday.” My dad gives me a hug and mother in turn gives me a quick peck on the check before I head out the door.
Ella is already leaving the drive when I hear someone behind me shout out, “hey Alina, wait up.” Looking behind me, I see Dominic jogging up to me. I inhale quickly, my heart rate speeding up tenfold, holding my breath unintentionally I look into his blue beauties as he continues to speak to me. “I was wondering if I could catch a ride back to campus with you?”
Releasing a slow steady breath, I look at him in confusion, I question, “where’s your car?”
He laughs, “I caught a ride over with a few of the Association teachers, not knowing they would be wanting to stay later than I planned to.”
“Oh, yeah, no problem; hop in.” My body begins to shake slightly as my nerves try to consume me, turning me into a nervous mess before his eyes. Making my way to the driver’s side door, I manage to drop my keys twice within seconds of pulling them out of my gold-chained strappy purse, dangling from my shoulder because of wild thoughts that start spinning around in my head. Pulling out of the driveway I turn right, onto the main road that will lead back to the Academy.
Once we are on the main road for about five silent minutes, I sort of find myself starting to ramble to break up the awkwardness that has fallen between us. “So, I must say that the first time I saw you, I had this crazy Deja vu moment, like I’ve met you somewhere before.”
His breathing hitches as I hear Nic take a sharp breath as though he were shocked to hear me state such a remark and then he seems to go into a bit of a coughing fit as though he is choking. Luckily the drive back to campus is only 15 minutes because I am just pulling into my parking space when this all occurs.
“Oh my gosh, are you alright?” I ask as I throw my Kia Soul into park and quickly turn my body, so I can try to assist him. As I go to pat him on the back, he lifts his hand to wave he is ok and accidently back hands my arm.
“Ouch!” Rubbing my arm, I look and see that his eyes have gone wide.
“Oh gosh Alina, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.”
I laugh in response, “I’m ok. Just wasn’t expecting it.” I place my hand on his upper arm to assure him I’m fine and the chord shows itself and begins to swirl outward trying to wrap around my hand and his arm. The same blueish-gold color from before dinner but this time extremely bright, almost blinding. We both stare at this unexplainable event in awe.
I lift my head as he does, our eyes locking in astonishment, curiosity and wonder pass between us and before either of us realize what we are doing, our heads have slowly moved towards one another. My eyes have closed of their own accord and I suddenly feel his lips upon mine.
Oh my gosh, we are actually kissing! I think I’m going into shock. His lips are so soft and silky smooth. I feel like I am melting into them, into him. And then, the moment is ruined. My stupid, blasted phone is screaming, literally, mind you- Pick up! Pick up! Your bestie is calling. Pick up! Pick up!
I groan, but before I can say anything, Dominic begins talking. “Um, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen. That shouldn’t have happened.” He adds the last part like he’s trying to convince himself that it shouldn’t have happened.
I look at him, feeling slightly hurt, sadness creeping into my eyes; “I’m glad it did. Honestly, I’ve been wanting to kiss you from the first moment we met.”
He smiles but sighs with a hint of sadness in his voice as he speaks; “truth be told, I’ve wanted to kiss you from the first moment we met too. However, I don’t think we should let it happen again. Me the instructor and you the student and all the complications that would arise because of it.”
I nod knowing what he is saying is true. Teachers and students can’t be together but technically he isn’t really my teacher and I know he isn’t more than a cou
ple years older than me. I go to argue this point, but my phone starts screaming again. “Ugh. If I don’t answer Ella will only continue to hit redial.”
Laughing he opens the car door and gets out. “It’s ok. Go ahead and answer. I really do need to get back to my room. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”
I say goodbye to him, and he shuts the door. I watch as he walks in the opposite direction of the dorms to the faculty housing. When I’m certain he is out of ear shot, I basically squeal in my ecstatic state. As my phone screams yet again, I take a couple calming breaths and then answer it. Getting out of my car, I answer the phone in a rush of words. “O.M.G., Ella you are so not going to believe what just happened!”
“What? What?” She asks a bit of worry in her voice.
“Don’t worry,” I laugh into the phone. “Nothing bad. The exact opposite actually.” My smile leaking through my voice as I chat.
“Well okay then, don’t leave me hanging. What happened?” She asks eagerly.
I take a deep breath before I speak and then let the words rush from my mouth because in all honesty, I’m still coming down from the shock of it all myself. “Dominic and I, we kissed! And then you had to go and ruin it by calling my phone butt-head.”
“Bull shit! No freaking way! Are you serious?” Ella asks, sounding just as shocked as I felt moments ago.
I nod, forgetting that she can’t see me doing so. “No joke, he really kissed me.” And as that statement slips past my lips, we both squeal our excitement.
“I’ll be at your door in five. I expect all the details to be shared with me when I get there!”
