by C. L. Roman
She looks down at his handsome face, feeling things that shouldn’t be felt after only two hours together. She brushes a lock of hair away from his face, relishing the feel of the soft hair threading through her fingers.
Seth sighs loudly, seeming to be completely content and on the verge of sleep.
Maybe that’s a good thing. This will give Melodie some time to figure out what the hell is happening. Immediately, Seth is snoring softly, having fallen asleep in a split second.
Melodie looks down at his face, tracing her finger lightly over its contours. His skin is smooth except for the days old stubble filling in his cheeks and chin. She can’t believe how soft his facial hair is.
Her fingers continue to slide gently across his face, her eyes following intently. She traces across the bridge of his straight nose.
She moves them tenderly across his eyelids and his fanned dark eyelashes. He is such a handsome man, though he doesn’t appear to realize it.
Melodie smiles to herself. Those are the best kind…sweet ones who don’t know they’re handsome. Seth seems sweet and kind and talented…wow, he’s talented!
Her fingers trace across his lips, his full lower lip, and slightly thinner upper lip. They are soft, but she already knew that from their kiss.
She slides her finger down his throat across his Adam’s apple and to the top of his t-shirt. She smiles as she traces the rounded neck of his shirt, her fingers tingling as they pass through the soft tufts of hair peeking out from the material.
His hands are resting on his torso, one on his chest and the other just below it. She touches his hand, placing hers flat on top of his. A rush of cold shoots through her body, making her shiver.
She notices the cross on his necklace has fallen to the back of his neck against her leg.
She picks it up in her hand, another wild jolt of cold rushing through her, forcing her to release it quickly.
Melodie gulps as a sudden rush of memories fill her head. She recognizes them as her dreams…from last night.
The song that Seth just played swirls through her mind, a beautiful meadow, lush green grass, bright sunshine, a warm breeze. She glimpses a man dressed in white in the distance holding his arms out to her.
She, herself, is dressed in a flowing white dress, the handkerchief hem fluttering around her calves in the breeze.
She looks around the meadow again to see an old castle off in the distance. Where is she?
Ireland! This is Ireland! She recognizes it from the family trip to visit relatives.
She looks back at the man who is walking toward her, his arms still open, inviting her in. She is so drawn to him, but she doesn’t yet move.
She looks behind her, seeing an old church with a cross on the precipice of the roof. The cross is identical to Seth’s necklace. A Celtic cross, with its intricate etchings and rich history.
She gasps and turns back toward the man to find him standing in front of her. It’s Seth! The same Seth lying in her lap asleep. He takes her hands gently in his and kisses the back of each, in turn.
An older man seemingly appears from nowhere. The man has unkempt gray hair and a thick, untrimmed gray beard.
He is dressed as if he may be a farmer of some sort, with stained taupe trousers and a dark gray work shirt.
His skin is weathered and wrinkled as if he has worked in the sun for many years. As the man looks from Seth to Melodie, he smiles. He reaches in his back pocket and retrieves a folded piece of worn paper and offers it to Melodie.
She reluctantly takes it, her hand shaking in the process. She looks back up at Seth to see his beautiful, warm, gray-blue eyes trained on her. A pleasant smile is set across his lips.
She clumsily opens the folded paper, feeling that it is almost cloth-like due to the wear.
Whatever this is, it’s old. She gingerly opens the paper to find writing, very faded and difficult to read. She squints her eyes, but still can’t make out the words on the paper.
Seth says, “Allow me…”
He takes the paper and reads it as if he has no trouble at all seeing the words. He reads what sounds like a letter from a woman to a man, whom she very much loves. Her words are sincere and lovely, professing her undying love to him.
The final words read, “Please wear this cross necklace while we are apart. Anytime you hold it in your hand, I will be there with you. We are joined together through this necklace, my love, always. Forever yours, Melanie.”
Tears streak down Melodie’s cheeks as the words in the letter touch her to her core. It’s as if she wrote those words herself. She looks up at Seth, who bends and kisses her gently.
He whispers, “Don’t cry, my love. We’re together now, just as it should be.”
Seth’s attention is captured by something behind her. She turns to see a couple, about their age, embracing. In fact, the man looks very similar to Seth.
Even in the dream, she’s sure that she’s imagining things. The man has a guitar case slung over his shoulder, the woman is crying. The man holds her tightly, whispering into her ear.
They part with a long, tender kiss. The man grips a letter in his hand along with a glittering object. The cross! It’s the cross necklace!
Melodie tries to burn the couple’s appearance into her mind. The time appears to be the 1950s based on the clothing they both wear.
The woman is lovely, with dark auburn hair pulled back away from her face. Her dress is a navy floral fitted-style with a swing-type skirt. A white belt cinches the waist of the dress, accentuating her thin waist.
The man dons a pair of dark brown trousers. He wears a shirt-jacket fashioned with brown plaid and solid beige panels. Atop his head of light brown hair, a brown tweed newsboy cap is perched.
The man kisses her once more before turning and rushing toward a car filled with several other men who whoop and holler as he joins them.
The woman waves as the car pulls away.
Melodie is abruptly snatched out of her memories by Seth’s sleepy voice, “Melodie? Is everything all right? Are you all right?”
Seth is sitting up now beside her on the sofa. His hand strokes her wet cheek, she’s been crying.
She looks over at him, her eyes wide and her mind reeling.
She mumbles, “I dreamt of you last night.”
Seth’s face contorts, “What do you mean?”
She nods slowly, “I did. It was you. You came to me across a lush green meadow in Ireland and told me everything was okay, that we’re together now, just like it’s meant to be.”
Seth turns to her, shifting his body to face her. She continues, “Then there was a letter from a woman to a man. She gave him the cross necklace, the one you’re wearing. She told him that the necklace would join them together while they were apart. That if he held it in his hand, she would be there with him.”
Seth gasps as his hand goes to the cold metal of the cross. “I saw them saying goodbye, he had a guitar, too. I didn’t hear his name, but hers is Melanie.”
Chapter 9
Seth’s mouth falls open, “Melanie?”
She nods, “Yes…”
Seth’s face blanches.
Melodie, very much on edge, screeches, “What is it?”
Seth replies, his voice quivering, “My grandmother’s name is Melanie.”
Melodie’s eyes are wide, the teal irises floating in tears. Her hands cover her mouth as she mumbles from behind them, “Are you serious?”
He nods slowly, “My grandparents are Seth and Melanie Healy. I’m named after my grandfather.”
She gasps as he continues, “You didn’t know anything about me or this necklace yesterday, did you?”
She shakes her head as she looks up into his eyes, “No, I didn’t. But I was drawn to you immediately.”
Seth replies, “I was drawn to you, too. It felt like you were familiar. What do you think this means?”
She shakes her head, “I have no idea. Seth, where did you get the necklace?”
<
br /> Seth takes a deep breath, “I bought that antique Gibson guitar a couple days ago. The necklace fell out of it.”
She repeats in surprise, “Fell out of it?”
He nods, “Yes, and when I touched it all this crazy stuff started happening. This crazy cold sensation rushed throughout my body. It was intense.”
He glances up at Melodie’s face, then looks back down, “Then, I was cooking a pizza and closed my eyes for just a second. When I woke up, the necklace was magically around my neck when I left it lying on the table. The pizza was never cooked, it’s still in the freezer. Things I thought I did, I didn’t really do.”
He looks up at her, “Then you appear today,” he takes her hands in his, “and you’re related to one of my best friends and I got your purse back from a mugger. What are the chances of your car breaking down here?
She gasps, “M-maybe we’re linked because of the necklace, too?”
Seth stands and paces, “Do you think? What did you say the man’s name was?”
She’s trying to remember, “I never caught it.”
Seth nods as he strokes his stubbly chin and paces. Melodie says, “But, Seth, they looked like us.”
Seth stops abruptly and looks at her, “What?”
She nods, her lips tightly pressed together. He rushes back to sit beside her, taking her hands in his, “Tell me more.”
She unknowingly squeezes his hand as she asks, “Do you think this has something to do with us?”
Seth nods, “I absolutely do. Honey, you walk into my house and within two hours, I write two complete songs.”
She nods, too, “And there’s a freak snowstorm that keeps me here. We can’t leave the house.”
Unable to stop, he stands again and paces, “Your name is similar to the woman’s name in your dream.”
She gulps, “Seth, is your family Irish?”
He stops pacing, “Yes…”
She whispers, “Mine, too.”
She continues, “Do you have any old photos of your family?”
Seth nods and murmurs, “I’ll be right back.”
He returns with a photo album in his hand. He sits down beside Melodie and opens the cover so that it lays across both of their laps. He flips through a couple of pages and stops, “These are my grandparents.”
Melodie gasps and covers her mouth with her hands as her eyes set on the familiar faces of the man and woman in the photograph. Seth gulps before asking, “What is it?”
She replies in a shaky voice, “Th-that’s them. The couple I saw. It’s them!”
Seth jolts in response so that the photo album slides off of their laps and into the floor.
She asks, “Are they still living?”
Seth looks down, “My grandfather is, but my grandmother passed last year.”
Melodie sets her hand on his forearm, “I’m so sorry, Seth.”
Seth nods and swallows hard, “Thank you. I was very close to her. My grandfather, too. He’s in Knoxville.”
Melodie states, “We need to call him.”
Seth blurts, “And say what? Hey, Pops, my girl saw you and Grams in a dream last night. Wanna tell me what’s up?”
Melodie blushes and asks sheepishly, “Your girl?”
He turns to her, a smile forming on his lips, “I said that, didn’t I?”
She replies, “Yes, you did.”
He takes her hands in his, “I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I feel like you’re my girl. I feel like we’re meant to be together.”
She looks at their hands and intertwines their fingers, “Me, too.”
Seth stands and walks slowly in a circle around the den, thinking.
He turns to Melodie, whose eyes haven’t left him, “You’re right. We need to call him. We need some answers. But, is he going to think I’m crazy?”
He rushes back to her and drops to his knees in front of her, his hands propped on either side of her legs as he stares into her eyes. Melodie touches his face, “Seth…”
He interrupts her by kissing her, this time not sweetly or gently, but instead, passionately and hungrily. His tongue pushes into her mouth, forcing a moan from her throat.
He reacts with a groan and deepens the kiss. Melodie returns his advance just as voraciously. The kiss lasts until they are both breathless.
Gasping for breath, Seth finally releases her lips.
His faces quickly morphs into one of horror, “Oh, Melodie, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I had to kiss you. I had to…it was overwhelming.”
She smiles, her eyes still a bit glassy, “I didn’t stop you, did I?”
A smile crosses his lips, “No, actually, it felt pretty much like you wanted it, too.”
She replies, still a little out of it, “Oh, I definitely did.”
Seth becomes serious, “Melodie, what the hell is happening with us?”
She shakes her head, “I don’t know.”
Seth sighs, “Then let’s see if we can find out.”
He stands and offers his hand to pull her to her feet. He kisses her forehead before turning and dashing out of the room, returning with an iPad.
He props it up in its case on the kitchen table, pulls out a chair for Melodie and slides another next to her.
He taps the Facetime app on the iPad and selects his grandfather’s number. As the app begins to ring, Melodie clenches Seth’s bicep. He covers her hand with his, “It’s all going to be fine.”
She nods and takes a deep breath.
Suddenly, a very handsome, older man appears on the screen.
His light brown hair is streaked with gray. He is smiling brightly, looking very much like an older version of Seth. In a thick Irish brogue, he greets them, “Seth, m’boy! How are you this fine day?”
Seth smiles, “Hey, Pops, how are you?”
He laughs, “Oh, not too bad for an old fella!”
Seth grins, “Yeah, you’re anything but old!”
He laughs again, his laughter kind and comforting, automatically forcing a laugh from Melodie.
Pops asks, “Who do you have there with you, son?”
Seth releases Melodie’s hand and instead slides his arm around her shoulders, “This is Melodie Sheehan.”
He grins, “Well, it’s lovely to meet you, young lass.”
Melodie smiles, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Seth interjects, “Pops, we need to talk to you about something and it’s going to sound really strange.”
Pops scowls, “What is it, m’boy?”
Seth takes a deep breath, “Pops, Melodie and I met a few hours ago…”
Seth explains the story of Melodie, the snowstorm and them being stuck in his house.
Pops’ eyes are wide, “A freak snowstorm?”
“Yeah, crazy, right?”
Pops rubs his forehead, “It is, but it’s just that…” he pauses and takes a deep breath, “that’s happened to me before…”
Seth gasps, “It has?”
He nods, “Yes. The first time I met your grandmother. It was November in 1957 when I was at me brother’s working on some music. Our band was just gettin’ started. After workin’ for a couple of hours, Arthur and I were stalled, havin’ the worst time comin’ up with anythin’. We were going to hit the road in a coupl’a weeks, so we needed some songs. I was gettin’ a little stressed, so Arthur told me to walk outside to get some fresh air. I reckon I was gettin’ on his nerves.”
“Imagine how shocked I was to find that there was snow completely coverin’ the ground. It was sunny when I got there. It was chilly, but not enough to snow, y’know? It was still snowin’, too, and it was hard to see anythin’.
“I saw somethin’ near the road, so I rushed out through all that snow and found me Melanie wrapped in a blanket, shiverin’. I took her into the house and when I saw her lovely face for the first time, I was completely smitten. She was beautiful! The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I stood there like a blitherin’ idiot.
/> “Luckily, Arthur still had summa his wits about him and made a fire so she could warm up. I was actin’ a fool, I was. But you know your gran’mother. She could charm the pants off the president, himself!
“She had me in the palm o’ her hand, all right, was strong, too. She was a fine thing, for sure. I had just met her, but I had to snog her, just had to.”
Pops smiles wistfully, “I knew right then that she was da one fer me. I knew I would love her forever.
“After that kiss, Arthur and I wrote four of the best songs we’d ever writt’n. Melanie was me muse and she found me right when I needed her most.”
Seth squeezes Melodie’s hand, “Well, Pops, I wrote two songs in the last couple hours since meeting Melodie. I’ve been stuck with my writing, too.”
Pops laughs a deep belly laugh, “It sounds like you’ve found your muse, too, m’boy.”
Seth laughs, “Yes, it sure does, Pops.”
He turns and quickly kisses Melodie’s cheek. When he turns back to the screen, he notices that Pops’ face is blanched as he stares wide-eyed at them.
Seth’s brow furrows, “What’s wrong, Pops?”
He replies, pointing at the screen, “Seth, where did you get that cross, there?”
Seth replies nonchalantly, “Oh, I forgot to tell you about this thing.”
He proceeds to tell his grandfather about the cross necklace and how it came into his possession through the guitar.
Pops leans back in his chair, scrubbing his hands over his face in a manner very much like Seth and murmurs, “Well, isn’t that somethin’?”
Seth asks, “What?”
Pops sits quietly for a moment, until Seth leans closer to the screen and says, “Come on, Pops! We’re dying here.”
Pops clears his throat and leans forward, “Son, that cross there belonged ta me.”
Seth gasps, “What?”
Melodie unknowingly squeezes Seth’s arm, he covers her hand with his in response.
Pops continues, “Yep. Sure did. Me Melanie gave me that necklace the first time our band was headin’ out to play.” He wipes a tear and laughs, “Yeah, she told me that…”
