"I love coming up here," Destry confided, "I like how quiet it is, and that you can just be alone."
"Except when you drag some unsuspecting victim along with you," Emma snickered.
"Are you really mad that I made you go on a wheeler ride with me?"
"No. I was just kidding. It wasn't that bad, and it is nice up here," Emma said as she looked around at the trees and wildflowers that surrounded them. They really were alone. No signs of civilization anywhere.
"I'm glad you were at least willing. I could tell you were freaked out when I came to pick you up."
"And while we were driving, and when we parked the truck, and when you put me on that beast and for the first twenty minutes of the ride...." Emma admitted.
"But for the last ten minutes you had a good time, right?"
"Right," Emma chuckled. She had a hard time being serious around Destry. He was so easy to get along with.
He was looking at her warmly, and his eyes were making her melt like chocolate. She needed to focus; she was supposed to be pushing him away. This was not being "offish."
Destry was quiet for a long time. Finally he looked up and his eyebrows furrowed together.
“I want to try something, okay, so don’t freak out," he said suddenly.
Before Emma had time to react, he gently grabbed her hand and lifted it up, pressing the palm of it to his face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, seeming to somehow breathe her in.
Strange electricity seemed to jump off his skin sending tingles up and down Emma's arms and making the tiny hairs stand up on the back of her neck.
Silent waves washed through Emma's entire body. Destry's whole soul seemed to be speaking to hers somehow, forcing all of the fear and the questions out of her entire being.
Something inside of her was reaching out and connecting with something inside of him, knitting them both together.
Emma felt the comfort and warmth of him, of who he really was inside. She knew him; somehow and in some way that she couldn’t even begin to fathom, she knew him.
They sat like that for an immeasurable moment before Emma's mind finally started screaming at her. What was happening? She stared at his face and waited for him to look at her.
He slid her hand softly along his cheek and pressed it gently to his lips.
Destry finally opened his eyes and smiled. After a moment he laid Emma's hand back down but left his fingers intertwined with hers. He looked oddly satisfied with the result of his little experiment. He didn't look at her; instead he stared off into the trees thoughtfully.
“That was kind of weird,” Emma mumbled, mostly to herself. “Did you feel that?” She hoped that he had felt it too so she wouldn’t be the only one having a mental episode.
“Yeah…,” Destry sighed, still looking away from her. Emma couldn't help but notice that he didn’t seem as confused as she did by the strange event.
“Has that ever happened to you before?” Emma asked, prodding him for more information on his motives, trying to keep her mind busy so she wouldn’t have time to think about the fact that she was probably going crazy.
“Nope, never..,” he said, seeming only slightly dazed.
“Me neither,” Emma breathed, “but you don‘t look very surprised.” She eyed him hesitantly. “What do you think it means?” She continued when he didn’t respond.
“I don’t think that you want to know what I think,” Destry said, finally looking at Emma again, a warm smile spreading across his face.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Emma asked incredulously.
“Because you get freaked out whenever I bring up anything about relationships or feelings; remember.”
“I don’t get freaked out,” Emma argued. “I just don’t like it when you get carried away and start taking things too fast. I’m not as sure as you seem to be about this.”
“That’s why you won’t want to hear what I think. You can’t handle it,” he said matter-of-factly.
Emma was starting to get annoyed. Destry was treating her like a little kid who had no business being involved in adult conversations. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.
“Don’t get mad Emma, I don‘t want to fight. Let’s just forget about it."
Emma furrowed her eyebrows at him, not ready to give up being offended yet. How was she supposed to just forget about that? How do you just continue on normally when strange things like that have knocked you on your butt?
“So, you’re not going to tell me anything about what you’re thinking, or what brought on that experimental hand-to-the-face thing?” she asked indignantly.
“Nope. Not today,” Destry stated flatly.
He wasn’t going to let Emma in on his theory.
She was starting to worry that he may be right. Maybe she wouldn‘t be able to handle it. Obviously something was going on here that was beyond the borders of reality.
Emma knew that she, especially, shouldn’t be taken off guard by supernatural things. She’d been conversing with an angel for a couple of months now. But this was different. This was the real world. Stuff like this didn't happen.
Destry got up, pulling Emma up after him. He took her hand and led her back over to the four-wheeler. "Do you want to drive this time?" Destry gave her a questioning look.
"I can't drive that thing," Emma argued.
"It's easy," he assured her, "easier than driving a car. I won't make you wear the helmet if you drive."
That was tempting, "I don't know..."
Destry climbed on and slid to the back of the seat, leaving the front open for Emma. She still wasn't sure, but she thought she should at least give it a try. She climbed on in front of Destry.
"How do I start it?" Emma asked.
"Hold the brake in and turn the key," Destry reached up and placed his fingers over Emma's squeezing the brake. He took her other hand and placed it over the key. "Now just turn the key." The strange electrical current coursed through her again. She ignored it.
Emma did as he said and the engine roared to life beneath them. He took her hand off the key and placed it on the gas lever on the opposite handle from the brake.
"This is your gas. When you're ready, you shift this up into high," he shifted the gear shift up, "let off the brake and press the gas."
He took his hands off of her hands and dropped them down, resting them gently on the sides of her legs. Emma felt tremors run through her body and her heart picked up. It drove her crazy when he touched her like this.
Focus, focus, focus, she told herself. She let off the break and eased the gas lever in. They began to move. Emma was pleased with herself. She was actually doing it! They weren't going very fast, but that didn't matter, at least they were moving.
Destry didn't seem to mind the slow pace. Every so often he would lean in closer to Emma and she'd feel his heartbeat through his chest.
Emma knew that she should object, but she couldn't.
It felt good to have him close to her.
Chapter 20: CONDITIONS
It seemed to take a lot longer to get down the mountain than it had to get up it.
Emma didn't think that riding could make you tired, but she was exhausted by the time they reached the truck. Maybe it was the tenseness of her body under Destry's touch that had done it.
Emma climbed off first, careful to keep herself upright this time. Destry slid forward and quickly drove the four-wheeler up into the bed of his truck then jumped down and stepped over to where Emma had been waiting.
"Are your legs okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, they just feel a little rubbery still," she said, moving her toes up and down.
Destry moved closer until he was right in front of her, only a few steps away. He reached out and grabbed her hands in his. "They'll be okay in a few minutes," he said, his voice sounded raspy and thick.
Emma took a step back, but didn't pull her hands away. Destry had that look in his eye; the one she'd seen on countless movies. The look th
e guy got right before he kissed the girl.
This wasn't that kind of story.
Destry couldn't kiss her, because she wanted someone else. The funny thing about that was that she was having a hard time remembering the other guy's name right now. All she saw was Destry, she could feel the warmth of him, smell the salty sunshine scent of him.
"Ready to go?" Emma blurted out. She had to stop these feelings from progressing any further.
Destry looked at her like he'd just woken up from a dream. His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and he bit his bottom lip.
"Um... Yeah. We can go if that's what you want." There was a sound of longing in his voice, but Emma couldn't give in. She needed to get out of there. Now!
"I need to get home, it’s getting late," Emma said as she wriggled her hands out of his grasp and gave him a friendly smile. She turned towards the truck and started walking.
He followed after a moment, still looking dazed. She'd already climbed in the truck by the time he caught up with her. He came to stand in between her and the door.
The look on his face was pathetic. Emma knew what he wanted, but she wasn't giving in.
"I have that test in Calculus tomorrow," she said lamely.
Destry continued to look at her.
“I should probably get some last minute studying in," she said a little slower, hoping to break him out of his trance.
After a minute, Destry shook his head minutely. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that."
He stepped out from between Emma and the door and shut it firmly. He looked at Emma again, but gave up when she averted her eyes and pretended to busy herself with buckling her seat belt.
Destry walked slowly around the truck, seeming to have lost the spring that was usually in his step. He climbed in and shut the door, turned the key in the ignition and shifted into gear.
He didn't look at Emma again for a long time.
Emma felt horrible in the pit of her stomach, like someone had punched her. She didn't like doing this to him, didn't like him being disappointed.
She should just leave it alone, this is what she wanted after all, for him to forget about her and move on. But she had to ease the terrible guilt building in her chest, so she decided to break the silence.
"Thanks for teaching me to drive a four-wheeler," she said pleasantly.
"I told you it was easy," he said, still looking a bit dejected.
"I had a lot of fun. I didn't think I would, but I always seem to have fun when I'm with you." Emma knew she shouldn't have said it, but it was the truth. Destry's eyes brightened slightly. "I'm sorry I have to go home so soon," she added. "I'm a little stressed about that stupid test."
"Nothing to be sorry about," Destry said, his attitude improving. “Maybe tomorrow will work out better, that is… if you’re willing to give it another try,” he looked at Emma slyly from under his thick lashes.
“Are you serious?” Emma sputtered. “Aren't you tired of me yet?”
Destry chuckled. “You make it sound a lot worse than it is Emma,” he retorted. “I like spending time with you. The fact that you're a bit of a challenge just makes it more fun!”
“You’ve flipped your lid,” Emma said rolling her eyes, but inside she was secretly glad that he hadn’t given up on her altogether. “Fine, I’ll go out with you again on one condition,” she stated firmly.
“So there are conditions now huh?” Destry said, smirking.
“Absolutely,” Emma said, not willing to back down, “so, are you still in, or not?”
“Maybe you should tell me what the condition is first,” he raised an eyebrow, waiting for her response.
“You have to tell me what you were thinking earlier, about the touch thing—your so called theory—whether you think I can handle it or not.”
“Deal,” he announced quickly.
“No backing out,” Emma warned although she was surprised by his lack of reluctance to tell her the theory he'd so adamantly refused to let her in on before.
It was almost like he'd planned to tell her anyway.
“I promise,” he said honestly. “So, tomorrow night then, around seven again?”
“You’ve got yourself a date,” Emma replied buoyantly.
The rest of the ride home was a lot more pleasant. Destry seemed happy about tomorrow, and even Emma had to admit that she wasn't dreading spending more time with him. She would need to figure out a way to let Destry know that they were just friends though so he’d stop wanting to kiss her all the time.
But in the back of her mind Emma knew these feelings she had repressed inside of her were more than friendship.
After Destry dropped Emma off at home, she said her hello's to her mom, filled her in on what she'd done on her date, and then retired to her room to study.
She couldn't make herself even see the Calculus notes that were spread out in front of her on the bed. Her eyes still held on to the images of Destry; his sleeveless T-shirt, his smoldering eyes, the feel of him up against her, the electricity of his touch.
She didn't notice the change in the air, so she was startled when she heard Micah's voice.
"Studying?" he asked inquisitively.
"Yeah, I'm trying to anyway."
"What seems to be the problem?" he asked softly.
"I'm just not in the mood I guess," Emma said as she nibbled at the end of her pencil.
"Did something happen today?" Micah said calmly.
"No."
"Didn't you go out with Destry this afternoon?"
"Yeah, but nothing happened," Emma said, sounding a little guilty.
"Then, what's wrong?" Micah's voice was level.
"I guess I'm just a little confused," Emma said hesitantly.
"About...?"
"Why you sent me to prom with Destry McQuade?”
Inside her heart was screaming the rest of the question; why did he have to move here; why did he have to be so sweet; why did she have to like him so much; why did she have feelings for him, and why was she going to have to hurt him now?
“I didn’t send you Emma,” he said softly. “You need to have life experiences so that you can make choices. And me being a part of your life can’t get in the way of those experiences. They are what make you grow and make you who you are.”
Emma didn’t think that heartbreak was an experience she particularly needed or wanted. But she couldn’t blame Micah for that. He wasn’t the one who had made her have feelings for Destry. She had let that happen all on her own.
If she'd stayed impartial, and not let it go any further than that first date, there wouldn’t be any heartache to deal with. She wouldn’t be hurting, and she wouldn’t have to hurt him.
"But why him?" she said in a defeated voice.
"I don't know what you mean Emma, I didn't make Destry ask you to prom."
"Really?"
"Really. I had nothing to do with it; he did that all on his own."
"But I remember you saying something about 'maybe you should have thought that through a little more'?"
"Emma, he would have asked you whether I was in your life or not. That's part of the problem though—of me being in your life—you probably would have met him sooner, and got to know him better if your time hadn't all been focused on me," he sounded disappointed in himself.
"I still don't know why he asked me, out of all the girls available," Emma said in a somber voice.
"I may not be a mortal, but I am a male, so I'd imagine he did it because he liked you and because he wanted to get to know you better. Besides Emma, don't you know how beautiful you are?"
"I must only be beautiful to immortals, because regular guys don't seem to agree." Emma muttered. Of course Destry had called her beautiful at prom.
"It's true that I probably see you differently than mortal boys do, but that doesn't change the fact that you're beautiful," Micah said forlornly.
Emma felt a blush cover her cheeks, and she looked down at her book
s spread across the bed.
"Well it doesn’t really matter how other boys see me. I have you, I don't need anyone else Micah," Emma stated flatly.
"See, that's why I encouraged you to go to prom with Destry in the first place. I wanted you to have that opportunity. It seemed to be passing you by without you even noticing, all because I started talking to you. After that you didn't seem to care about school or boys or life as much as you should have....as much as you would have if it hadn't been for me."
"That's not true. I still cared about all of those things. I just didn't need them as much, because having you filled the void."
"I won't be the one that took those experiences away from you." Micah said sternly. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
"Micah, you...."
"But I didn't want to stop talking to you either, you're everything to me," he continued, ignoring Emma's objections. "So being supportive of you going to prom was the best way for you to have both, and the best way for me to stay a part of your life. I didn't want to go back to the way things were before we started talking. I don't ever want to be away from you again Emma," Micah admitted solemnly.
Emma didn't know what to say, she was quiet for a long time.
“I’m glad you started talking to me Micah,” she said honestly. “I don't want to be without you either. I can’t imagine my life without you in it."
It was true. What would life be like without the knowledge of Micah’s existence? Would she still be utterly alone, or would Destry have filled in the spot nicely?
Emma would never know how things might have turned out now. There was no changing the past. She was a different person. Not so meek and afraid. She felt stronger, more sure of who she was and where she came from.
Had that confidence come from Micah or Destry?
Micah excused himself early that night, Emma wondered if he was still upset about something. She didn't understand him. One minute he was telling her how beautiful she was and how she was everything to him. Then the next minute he was telling her she needed to know what it was like to not have him in her life.
Eternal (Eternal series) Page 17
