by R. J. Rogers
I swear to god, I’m losing my mind! A knock draws my attention to my door and I shake my head, still questioning myself on if the freeze had even occurred. I walk up to the door, “who is it?” I mean I’m not going to open my door for just anyone!
“Hey it’s Dom, open up.”
I open the door and see him standing on the other side, a big Cheshire grin plastered on his face. “Okay Mr., what are you up to?” I ask raising an eyebrow not trusting the deviant look he is giving me.
He chuckles, “Nothing, what? Nothing I swear.” I step back from the door, so he can enter but still keep an eye on him as he walks through. I see he is holding something in his hand as he walks past me.
“What ya got behind your back Nic? Hmm…”
“What? Oh, do you mean this?” He holds a small rectangular box out to me. “Well, don’t just stand there! Take it and find out what it is.”
I bite my lip in nervous excitement and reach out taking it from him. I’m giddy with emotion, a smile stretching from ear to ear. “Uh, what is it?” I just stare at it, not opening it for some reason.
“I’m not telling. You’ll just have to open it to find out.”
“Ugh,” I groan. “You know I hate surprises, right?” He laughs at me, winks and nudges me to open it.
Tearing off the non-descript paper, I stare at the newest smartphone/droid. My mouth falls open in shock. I keep shifting my eyes from the phone back to him again. “Are you serious? You got me a phone. This is so freaking awesome!” I end in a squeal.
Nic just stands there continuing to laugh at me and my dorky excitement over the phone. I jump into his arms and plant a big kiss on his gorgeous lips. “So, I can safely assume you like your gift?” He asks in between kisses.
“Oh my gosh,” I gush. “Yes, yes. I love it. Thank you so much. But, why did you get me a phone? Who’s going to call me?”
“Um, well I did save my number to it… you could always call or text me, duh. And I’m sure you will make many friends around here whose number’s you’ll want to save too.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes and then ask; “you ready for our road trip? I just have to change out of these shorts and into a pair of jeans and then I’m ready.”
“Um, well about that... I didn’t look past the hours for Saturday and well, uh, they don’t open at all on Sunday’s.”
“What? No. ‘You’re killing me smalls’!” If you don’t know what that quote is from, then you need to check out the movie ‘Sandlot’. “Any suggestions then on how should pass the day away? I soo don’t want to be stuck in my apartment all day.”
“Sort of thought we could hang out with the guys, do a repeat of last night…” I scrunch up my nose to this idea. Don’t get me wrong love those fools but just don’t feel the group thing right now. “…or, we could go on a date, just the two of us.”
Now this is definitely an idea I’m down for. I nod my head up and down in agreement and do a little happy dance, bouncing on my feet. “God you’re such a dork, Al. Maybe I shouldn’t be seen in public with you after all.”
I gasp in mock shock and shove him in the chest playfully. “Hurry up and get changed,” he adds and then slaps me on the butt making me jump and giggle as I go into the bathroom to change.
*
Dominic totally had this whole day planned before he ever knocked on my door this morning! First, he takes me to ‘TAG’ some laser tag place. I kicked his butt twice! We won’t talk about the other three rounds though. I’m totally a sore loser, just saying. Two hours spent in there, we walk outside into the fall crisp air but sun shining, blinds us until our eyes acclimate to the light.
“That was so much fun! At the Academy it was always school and training, no leisure time was allowed or given.”
Nic drapes his arm over my shoulders and kisses me on the side of the head before laughing; “I can honestly say nothing you tell me is shocking anymore.” I smile at him, take his hand in mine and swing our arms as we continue walking down the sidewalk.
“So, Nicky, what we doin’ next?” I giggle to see the annoyed look on his face at the use of Nicky, but instead of yelling at me, he tickles my sides making me squeal and laugh even harder. “Stop!” I squeak out, “now I have to pee!” Still laughing I look for a public bathroom. I swear my bladder is the size of a pea. Spotting a coffee shop, I duck in side and find the restroom. As I return from the bathroom, I look out the windowfront to see Dominic arguing with someone. I hesitate to go out to him because I’m afraid to interrupt the argument.
Nic’s leather jacket looks as though it’s trying to take flight as he gestures his arms about and I’m afraid that he may punch whomever is arguing with him. With a sigh I walk out with a smile plastered on my face and go up to his side.
“Whatever!” Jessica says before spotting me and then in a huff she turns and storms away from us. “Um, do I dare ask what that was all about?” I look at Nic curiously.
He runs a slightly shaky hand through his hair, takes a deep breath and then takes my hand in his, smiles at me and says, “nothing worth mentioning.” I nod my head because I don’t want to cause any further arguments with him.
“Okay then, back to the topic we were discussing before my bladder so rudely interrupted us.” I grin and walk into him on purpose. I wrap an arm around his waist and we walk for a few more minutes before he stops us in front of a building called Sky-Jump! “may I ask what this place is?”
“Nope,” he has a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he leads me up the steps and into the building.
Gawking, I take in the view. From one end of the building to the other, is trampoline flooring. “What the heck is this place?” I continue to look around astonished. Everyone is jumping and bouncing around, having the times of their lives. As I watch though, I notice that they seem to hover and float a bit longer than what should be possible for a human.
“This is our trampoline park and though quite often it is used simply for fun, it is also utilized for meditation and ‘flying’ practice.” Nic looks to me, the grin never slipping from his lips; “you want to get a drink first and people watch or…”. He trails off as I pretty much fling my sneakers of my feet trying to get to the bouncing mats.
“I love this! I feel like a little kid again. I’m having a blast, Dom.” I watch as he laughs at my elation and then he blows my mind by doing a series of flips, turns, and back springs consecutively without faltering in the slightest. “What the what? What was that?” I ask staring at him in amazement.
Dominic shrugs his shoulders, taking a moment to catch his breath. “Eh, we all learn how to do stuff like that at a very young age. I was just showing off a little,” he says sheepishly to me.
“Well job well done. Color me impressed!” I cross over to where he is standing and kiss him. As I do so my stomach decides to make its presence known with some obnoxious gurgles. Apparently, it’s time to get some food.
“So, should I assume it’s time to go to dinner?”
“Oohh, yes!”
“Alright then,” Nic grabs my hand and drags me a couple blocks until we are standing in front of a food truck. “Really, you’re bringing me to a food truck. No actual restaurant?” I look at him appalled.
“Trust me. You will love the taco’s they serve here. Lots-a-Toc’s is the bomb!” I look at him wearily while he orders our food. They hand our drinks over and he nods for me to go sit at the picnic table while he waits to bring our food over.
“This has been the best date I’ve ever been on, granted it’s pretty much the only date I’ve been on, but still…” I exclaim in between bites of the best burrito of my life.
Night fall has snuck upon us way to soon and I can feel our night is coming to an end. As Dominic stands, he grabs our trash from off the table and tosses it into the nearest trash can. Brushing his hands off he looks at me, “you ready to head back?” I shake my head no and pout. “This had been so much fun. I don’t want it to end!”
“All good things must come to an end,” he says with a wink that has me melting where I stand. Taking my hand in his, he pulls me in close, hugging me to his side and kissing my cheek as we walk back to my apartment.
Chapter22
With a sigh of happiness, I shut my door and place my keys on my desk table. As I switch the desk lamp on, I notice the cell that Dominic had given me. Giddy excitement takes over and I hurriedly grab the device and charger and then jump on my bed. I lean over the side of my bed and plug the charger into the outlet and then the other end into my phone. I power it on and begin to fiddle with apps and games before remembering that Nic said he had saved his number to it.
Me: Hey
Nic: Hey
Me: Hi, what ya doing?
Nic: Texting you ??
Me: Ha, ha smartass.
Nic: You love it and you know it!
Me: Yeah, whatever. I was just testing my phone. I’m going to sleep now. Nite.
Nic: Sure, you were. Good night, love.
Me: XOXO, nite.
*
Minutes after midnight I wake up vomiting. At first, I think it’s the burrito which is causing me such trouble but as I look around the room, I realize that I am probably in the final transition of this magical transformation. Gripping my stomach with my left arm, I try to reach for my phone with my right one. Fire burst from my palm and I collapse on the bed. My entire body is ignited in flames and I scream in torturous pain, no sound comes out. Instead, freezing cold air escapes my lips, freezing my surroundings and coating me in a thin sheet of ice as well. The fire that is me is temporarily extinguished, but now it’s hard to breathe as though a rock has been placed on my chest. For the love of God, when will the torture end? A couple of tears escape, melting tracks down my cheeks. I black out.
~
Across town Dominic wakes gripping at his chest as he tries to take in air. Looking around he sits up trying to figure out what could possibly be going on to make him feel this way. Sitting on the edge of his bed he is able to slip on a pair of sneakers before searing pain rips through his very soul. “Alina!” He shouts to no one. Grabbing his phone, he tries ringing her to no avail. “Damn.” Grabbing a shirt from the end of his bed, he flips it over his head and dashes out of his house.
Not even thinking to borrow one of the family car’s, Nic runs along the sidewalk. The noise of his feet slapping against the cement his only comfort. He pulls his cell from out of his sweat pants’ pocket, “Grandma Jean! It’s Alina, she’s going into the final transition. She’s in lots of pain, I can feel her torment. Ok, I’ll meet you at her door.”
At the bottom of the steps leading into Alina’s apartment complex, Dominic had to take a minute to try to catch his breath. One to never be out of breath from a run, he knew that the constriction of his air way had everything to do with Ali and the hell she was currently experiencing. Jean pulls up along the sidewalk just then and shouts out, “Dom boy, come grab my medicine bag, quick now!” Nic does as asked and then they make their way inside.
God could this elevator go any slower. Dominic thought as the numbers light up above the doors. “Finally!” he exclaimed as the doors slide open and they stepped onto Alina’s floor. Arriving at her door, Jean tried the knob. “Damn, should I open it grandma.”
Jean nods her head and Nic places a hand just below the knob where the lock is. Closing his eyes, he pictures the lock turning. A white light shines from his palm and then they hear the lock click over. Barging into the room they came face to face with Alina suspended in the air above her bed shrouded in an electrical blue-white flame, unconscious. Shocked by the scene before him, he looks to his grandmother, “wh-what should we do, gran?” Looking behind him, he sees Jean already rummaging through her bag.
“I need you to approach her slowly so as not to trigger any unconscious bursts of power from her body, we don’t want her powers thinking she is being attacked. You dear will be the most likely able person to touch her because of your soul mate connection. Once you are near her, place one hand over her heart and try to absorb some of her magic. I need you to take just enough in that I will be able to approach her and administer some herbal meds.”
Dominic eased his way over to Ali and placed his right hand over her chest, upon her heart. Closing his eyes, he opened his mind and pictures the blue flames filtering into him and as if he were just plugged into an electrical outlet, he could feel Alina’s magic flow into him and feel Al’s body ease up and relax under his touch. Ali’s breathing returned to normal and Nic could no longer feel the pain she was going through, so he knew it had lessened within her.
Grandma Jean stepped up beside Nic, “Alright dear, this is a topical cream that will cool her body temperature when rubbed on the skin. If you will massage it onto her feet and legs, I will do her arms, chest, neck and face.” Dominic nods in understanding and puts his hand out to Jean where she applies a generous portion of the cream onto his hand and then they begin to work their ‘magic’.
As they finished, they could see Alina visibly relax on her bed to the point she was finally resting peacefully. “Okay, that is all I can do for the moment. I will return in a few hours and check up on her.”
“What should I do grandma?”
“Stay dear, her soul can feel your presence and she needs your strength, to know there is someone near.”
Nic nods and walks grandma to the door. Once she is beyond the threshold, he shuts the door and makes his way back over to Alina. “Goddess, are you trying to kill me?” He whispers to her as he takes his shirt off, climbs into bed and pulls her to him, tucking her into his arms, against his chest he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.
Chapter23
I wake up having never felt safer in my life as I do at this moment. However, I go to roll over and realize I can’t move. I’m just about to freak out when I recognize the scent invading my nose. Dominic. I wonder why he’s here but more than that, I wonder why I don’t remember inviting him to stay with me. I go to snuggle into his embrace but feel him place a kiss on my cheek which makes me smile.
“Good morning my little witch. How are you feeling?”
I turn over in his arms and look at him wide eyed; “do you mean… is the torture over? Am I finally, truly a witch?”
“It sure does,” Nic says as he smiles into my eyes. A cheesy grin at that. I tilt my head back a little and he firmly places his lips on mine. The kiss deepens quickly, and I run my arms around his back pulling him even closer to me, if that’s possible. “Could you maybe avoid any chance of almost dying on me from here on out though?” He says as he leans back to look me in the eyes once more.
“I guess,” I sigh out and then smile. “More than anything though, I’d like to continue that kiss now.”
Dominic chuckles and plants another quick kiss on my lips before flinging my comforter off of us. “Hey, what kind of kiss was that?” I whine.
“As much as I would love to spend all day in bed with you, kissing you into oblivion, I can’t. Gran will be here shortly to check in on you and I’d rather her not get the wrong idea about what we were doing in bed together.” He winks, my legs tremble. I won’t mention the naughty thoughts that just snuck into my mind! I flop back on my bed as Nic climbs over me and hops out of the bed.
“I’m going to take a quick shower. I should be done before Jean arrives but if I’m not don’t attempt to get out of bed. Just shout for me and I’ll get the door, Ok?”
Nodding my head, I lie back against my pillow once more. I hear the bathroom door close and close my eyes to see if I can rest a bit more. So not happening. I hear the shower turn on and automatically begin to imagine Nic naked in the shower, the water trickling down his tan, toned muscles… running a soapy sponge a long his chest… Oh My God girl! STOP! I shout mentally to myself.
A knock at my door jerks me out of my daydream and I automatically shout out, “who’s there?” To which Jean replies it is she. I shout out to Dominic but apparently, h
e can’t hear my voice of the flow of water from the shower.
“Alina dear, can you hear me? I want you to try something for me.”
“Uh, alright,” I say hesitantly.
“I want you to close your eyes, relax your mind and visualize the door lock. Once you have visualized the lock, I want you to picture within your mind, unlocking the door.” I want to question her but since this is grandma Jean, I just do as she asks and unexpectedly, I hear a clicking as though the door has unlocked itself! “No freaking way!” I shout out loud.
Suddenly the bathroom door is flung wide and I see Nic standing in the door frame, breathing hard, dripping wet, trying to get his towel wrapped around his waist. “What, are you alright Ali? What happened?” He looks around the room worriedly trying to assess what happened.
Grandma Jean walks through the other door just then and gawks at Nic. “Boy, what are you doing? You trying to catch your death. Go put some clothes on.” I look at Dominic and laugh as his checks turn bright red in embarrassment. As he turns back to the bathroom, Jean shuffles her way over to me, placing what I’m assuming is her medicine bag, on the desk next to my bed before taking a seat next to me upon my mattress; the added weight making it sink a little more.
Offering a smile that causes wrinkles to appear around the corner of her eyes, Jean places a slightly bent hand over my forehead. “How are you feeling my dear?”
I return her smile, “I feel amazing. Thank you so much for taking care of me. I’m not sure what would have happened if you two weren’t here to watch over me.”
“Oh, don’t thank me,” she says as she pats me on the hand. “Dominic is the one who knew something was wrong and alerted me. I just came and gave you some herbal remedies. He’s the one who didn’t leave your side. You should really be thanking him.”
