“I—no—I—ok, you win. You’re a feminist, and I didn’t dress up.” He ruffled his messy, dirty blonde hair as he turned to leave.
“Hey, Will.” He stopped when he heard his name. “My name is Nadia.”
He turned around with a smile that lit up his eyes. “Is there anything I can do for you, Nadia?”
“Oh, no thanks. I’m good.” Basking in the glory of my victory, I tapped the massive textbook sitting in front of me.
“At least let me take that.” He pointed to the paper that once held a blueberry muffin.
“That’s ok, really. I’m an adult, I can take my own trash.”
Shhh. “Don’t say that out loud. If the owners find out people can throw away their own trash, I might be out of a job.”
“Ok, in that case, please take my trash.” I pointed to the balled-up wrapper.
When he reached for it his elbow bumped into my green tea, spilling the contents onto the table. It had already cooled down, and my books were already stained, so the damage was minimal, but he was devastated and wouldn’t stop apologizing.
After that, every time I went to read or study, he would pay extra attention to me, making sure I had everything I needed. Somewhere during that time, a friendship formed. Hanna is skeptical about him, but just because he isn’t on a professional career track, doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with him. Not everyone knows what they want to do with their lives.
Will doesn’t usually come to parties, but I need the extra distraction, so he agreed to meet me here. He’s waiting for us when we reach the bottom of the entryway. “What’s up, Willy? Hanna greets Will the same way she always does. I tilt my head silently apologizing for mentioning his least favorite nickname to her.
“It’s good to see you too Hanna.” He politely responds, not using the nickname I gave him impartially.
“Hey Will, thanks for coming.” I meet him with a hug. The scent of cinnamon and cloves linger on him reminding me of Christmas.
“Anytime.” His goofy grin slinks across his face as he casually presses down on my chin to stop the damage I’m doing to my bottom lip.
“Yeah, thanks for sacrificing your night alone at home to come and party with the cool kids,” Hanna says sarcastically, before apologizing when she notices the look I’m throwing her. ”I’m going to go find Thatch, Nadia are you going to be ok?”
“I’ll be just peachy, thanks, mom.” Although, I much rather Hanna stay with us, I know she’s been looking forward to spending time with Thatcher, and I wouldn’t want to be the one to keep her from enjoying herself. She grips my hand before making her way through the crowd of people crammed into the not so small beach house, and within seconds, her bouncing curls can’t be spotted.
“Shall we?” He extends his arm waiting for me to take the lead.
“Do we have to?” I glance back at the exit.
“I don’t think Hanna would appreciate such a quick departure.” I can barely hear him whispering into my ear.
“The ramifications might be worth it.”
Will’s hand drops, griping my waist as he and I push our way through the mass of people into the house. He quickly grabs us a couple drinks, and we carefully force our way back to the front porch. “We can’t use an exit strategy yet, but we also don’t have to stay here.”
I grab my drink from his hands, taking a sip. “What did you have in mind?”
“Don’t you hear it?”
“Hear what?”
“The call of the ocean.” He launches over the railing, spilling half of his drink and waits for me to follow.
I take the safe route, and use the stairs. “To the beach.” I hold out my cup and he taps the side with his.
“To the beach.” He links his arm in mine and we march through the sand towards the beach.
“You look great Nadia.”
I laugh. “I was Hanna’s Barbie doll tonight. You wouldn’t believe the dress she tried to make me wear. I was lucky to get away with these shorts and tank top.”
“Hanna sure knows how to take care of her dolls.”
“I think that’s the first compliment you’ve actually given her.”
“And it’s honestly more of a compliment to you. Although, I do miss the purple glasses.”
“Hanna wouldn’t allow her masterpiece to be dampened by my, in her words, lack of style with eyewear. You should have seen the rumble that took place as she forced the contacts into my eyes.”
He chuckles. “Well, I like the glasses.”
“As do I, so I guess that’s all that matters.”
We walk a little way in silence, enjoying the night air. ”It’s a beautiful evening,” he offers, taking a sip of his drink. He’s right, the air is cool, and the clouds are sparse enough to see the stars shining in the sky.
“The stars are lovely, aren’t they?” Stargazing is a favorite pastime of mine. It’s one of the few activities my father and I used to do together after my mother died.
“Yeah, look how they shine for you.”
I stop, my feet sinking into the sand. “Did you just quote a Coldplay song?”
“Maybe.” His cheeks flush with color.
“You’re so lame.” Hanna may be my best friend, but Will and I have more in common. He understands me better, and I find myself hanging out more so with him lately. Although, this is partially because she seems to be completely wrapped up in Thatcher.
“Do you want to sit and watch the stars for a while?” He asks already knowing my answer. We find a nice spot far enough away from the beach house where the loud thumping of the music can barely be heard. I prefer instrumental music, but that apparently doesn’t scream raging party.
“Should I go fetch a towel from the house?” He asks smoothing out the sand in front of him with his feet.
“No, I like laying on the sand, it’s like free exfoliation,” I place my cup down, leaning back into the coarse sand, still warm from the evening sun. Will hesitantly lays down next to me, our arms barely touching. His cold skin makes the hairs on my arm stand. I close my eyes as the salty ocean breeze strokes my face.
Even with my eyes closed I know he’s looking at me. I open them but keep my gaze on the stars. He doesn’t hide his feelings for me, but I can’t decide how I feel about him, and I want to avoid that awkward conversation until I know for sure. I won’t risk losing one of my closest friends.
“I should get a telescope. It would be nice to see the stars better.” I attempt to divert his attention, but it doesn’t work. He’s still watching me.
“Nadia...” He starts, but all his courage fades when his hand clumsily bumps into my cup and soda spills onto the sand and part of my leg. “Oh damn, I’m sorry.” He pulls the bottom of his shirt out and uses it to soak up some of the soda from my leg. Laughter explodes from my gut as the embarrassment radiates from his cheeks.
“You’re always spilling something on me,” I say playfully, poking at the sticky spot on my leg.
He looks cute when he’s flustered. His eyes grow twice their size and creases cover his forehead. “I’m sorry, I’ll go grab a towel, hang on.” His legs flail, kicking up sand as he runs toward the beach house. I shuffle over a bit to avoid the sticky area.
A couple minutes pass when I hear sand being tossed around which can only be clumsy footsteps. “That was quick.” I look up expecting to see Will, but it’s Thatcher’s friend Drake. He must have wandered off from the herd.
“Oh hey, Drake. What are you doing out here?”
“I c-could ask you the same thing Na-a-a-dia.” Drake’s stuttered slurring, a tell-tale sign of his over indulgence in his beloved alcohol. This is one of the many reasons I hate Thatcher’s parties. Most of his friends get drunk, and when they get drunk, they get stupid.
I stand up, dusting the sand off of my backside. It sticks to my thigh where the soda spilled. “Why don’t you head back to the house Drake. Go sleep this off.”
I turn his shoulder toward the house to show
him the way to go, but he forcefully pushes back and falls over landing on his back. I groan. “Here, let me help you up.” He grabs my outreached hand and pulls me down on top of him. I try to stand, but Drake is 220 pounds of muscle and forces me back to the ground. This time he’s on top.
“Get off me!” I scream and kick, trying to wriggle myself free, but it’s no use. Drake’s laugh is rough and his breath reeks of alcohol. I spit in his face, and before I can make another sound, a burning sensation creeps across my right cheek. Drake retaliated. My eyes slam shut as they tear up. Being hit in the face hurts more than television makes it seem.
My tear stained eyes open when Drake’s weight is no longer pinning me down. I roll over trying to push myself onto my feet, but Drake’s slap knocked my head around more than I realized. The earth spins, forcing my stomach into acrobatics. I squint my eyes, trying to clear my blurry vision. Two forms dance around as my eyes fail to focus. The more agile form appears to be beating on Drake. Will? No, Will’s hair is lighter, and he doesn’t have as much muscle.
Drake doesn’t stand a chance in his drunken stupor. I shake my head, rubbing at my eyes still trying to clear my vision, but it must have made it worse. What I’m seeing can’t be real. It’s impossible, but my eyes fall upon the familiar light brown hair and blue eyes.
“Hey.” I try to call out, but it comes out a whisper.
“Nadia!” That, I’m certain, is Will. I turn to see his blurry form running down the beach towards me. When I flip back around, the man is gone, and Drake is knocked unconscious on the sand.
“What happened?” He asks, gasping for air.
“Um…Drake, he was drunk and acting stupid. Did you see someone else here on the beach?” My mind is still occupied by the man from my dreams. Will helps me to my feet. I turn around twice making a full circle and stumble. He reaches his arms out catching me and keeps one hand on my lower back to help me remain steady.
“No, I just saw you and what I now know is Drake lying on the beach. What did he do? Did he hurt you?” The corners of his mouth dip and his eyes narrow as he looks over to Drake.
I shake my head feeling the stiffness of my cheek. Instinctively, I press two cautious fingers over the area. “Your cheek. It’s all red. Did he hit you? You seem pretty shaken.” He gently lifts my chin, turning my head to get a better look.
“No, it’s not him. It’s—It’s fine, he was drunk and fell. I tried to catch him, and my face collided with his shoulder.” I don’t know why or exactly when I decided to lie to Will. I can’t tell him about seeing the imaginary man from my dreams, but I don’t have to lie about what happened with Drake. He releases his hold on my chin but doesn’t look convinced with my answer. “Can you take me home?” I ask, sounding ridiculously pathetic.
“Of course. What should we do about him?” He points to the heaving lump that is Drake.
“Just leave him, he’ll wake up eventually.” He agrees and leads me to his truck.
“You know that’s a terrible habit you have?”
I slowly lower my hand from picking at my lip. “I know.”
“Will Hanna worry when she can’t find you?” He asks, carefully maneuvering his truck around the maze of parked cars.
“Honestly, I don’t think she’ll even realize I’m gone until tomorrow.” I shiver, and he turns up the heat in the car.
“But you know it’s just going to ruin her night when she finds out I ditched early.” He teases.
“I don’t think she’ll ever forgive you for such a betrayal.” He chuckles causing a small laugh to pass my lips. He’s always had a way of making me feel better. “Well, William, what was your favorite part about the epic party tonight?” I ask sarcastically. This has to be the worst party I have ever been to, and that’s including the one where Hanna got wasted and threw up on my favorite boots.
Will moves his right hand to his chin and taps the end of his nose with his index finger. “Well, Nadia.” He begins his answer like he’s answering a game show question. “It’s definitely a tie between spilling soda on you and running into Hanna and Thatcher making out while I was trying to find a towel.” That must have been quite a sight for him. I laugh quietly to myself as he cringes.
“And what about you Ms. Clarke, did you have fun this evening?” My mind immediately flies to the man from my dreams. I must be losing my mind if I’m seeing him outside of my dreams now, but if it wasn’t him, who pulled Drake off of me?
“Hello, earth to Nadia.” He waves his hand at me interrupting my train of thought.
“What?” I forgot the question he asked me.
“That wasn’t a loaded question, was it?” He grins.
“Oh right, sorry. I did enjoy how flustered you got when you spilled my drink on me. Again.” He rolls his eyes. “And it was adorable the way you used your shirt to try to clean it up.”
“Ok, ok let’s change the subject before that memory scars me for life.” He pulls his truck into the driveway.
“You’re lucky we’re here because there’s no way I was changing the subject.”
He flashes his dimples before hopping out of his truck to open the door for me and walk me to the doorstep. “Thanks for the ride and valiantly protecting me as I took the ten steps to the front door.”
He bows. “Anytime m’lady, you never know what dark creatures may be lying in wait in the shadows.”
I look around at the well-lit street. “I guess I’m lucky to have you by my side. Old lady Barbara has been looking pretty murderous lately.”
“And you never know what old ladies keep inside their canes these days.” He winks.
“Goodnight Will.” I give him a hug before opening the door.
“Sweet dreams, Nadia.” I sigh as I lock the door behind me. As if my dreams are ever sweet.
CHAPTER 3
“WHERE’D YOU RUN OFF TO last night?” Hanna calls bright and early the following morning. I received all thirteen of her calls the night before, but couldn’t bring myself to answer any of them. I roll my eyes at her question. I know it isn’t truly her fault, but I blame her somewhat for last night’s events. If she hadn’t drug me to that party just to abandon me, it never would have happened. She made last night sound like it was for me and immediately left me to hang out with Thatcher. I’m only just realizing how hurt my feelings are. Perhaps that’s why I choose not to tell her about it.
“Will and I went to the beach, then decided to head out early.” I finally respond. The last blanket falls off of my bed as I kick the corner still holding on. The strewn about streets, a result of another dreamless night. I gently press on my cheek, testing its sensitivity. I’ve been fighting with myself for the last fifteen minutes to get up and see how bad it looks.
“You and Will? The beach? Are you two like a thing now?”
This question annoys me more than the first. She says it like she can’t imagine I would go for someone like Will, but he’s the one who was there for me last night. I press the speaker button and set the phone near my pillow. “Yeah, we’re like a thing called friends. Maybe you should try it sometime.” The words spit out with venom.
“What does that mean?” Her voice cracks. Maybe that was too harsh.
“Nothing, I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted, and my head is killing me.” That part isn’t a lie. The pounding in my head like a jackhammer on fresh concrete is most likely a result of Drake’s muscled hand.
“Are you sure you’re ok? You seem off.” She always seems to know when something is wrong, but she also knows me well enough not to pressure too much.
I finally coax myself out of bed and to the bathroom. “Yeah, I just fell last night at the beach and got a little banged up. I don’t feel like talking about it.” My face doesn’t look too bad. Slightly red and puffy, not the shade of black and blue I was expecting.
“Ok, if you need anything, you know I’m here.”
“Right. I’m going to head over to the coffee shop, I have an exam coming up. I’ll talk to
you later.” I press the little red button on my cell without another word or waiting for a goodbye from her.
My textbook and notepad sit on the kitchen counter where I dropped them the last time I came back from studying. The weight from the books pulls at my neck as I toss them in the messenger bag my father gave me during my first semester. Despite the coffee stain and holes, I refuse to replace it.
On sunny days like today, I regularly walk to Corner Brew, but I’m not much in the mood for walking. I lob the purple bag into the passenger seat of my white Jeep Wrangler and climb in. It’s a quick drive, and I’m fortunate enough to find a parking spot up front. My nagging conscience eats at me for blowing off Hanna, but I need some time to myself. I order a tea latte and take my usual spot in the far corner. It’s a cozy little recliner that provides the room to spread my legs out. This little perk comes in handy during long nights of studying for finals. Most of the coffee drinkers keep to the other side of the building where the modern furniture is, so it’s always quiet on this side. And when you’re studying the differences between the behavioral, medical, and cognitive approach to abnormal psychology, you need quiet.
I pull the books from my shabby bag as I take a cautious sip of tea. The hot liquid warms my throat and helps ease my mind. I open my textbook when I notice Will bussing a table nearby.
“Hey Nadia, you’re here early.” He abandons the table he’s cleaning, leaving the rag and crumbs behind, and walks over.
“Yeah, I need to be somewhere relaxing.”
“Somewhere more relaxing than your own home?” He asks with a smirk.
“Well, Hanna kept calling.” I can’t hide the irritation in my tone.
“Ahhh, and now it all makes sense.” He feels the same disdain for her as she does for him, he’s just kind enough not to always show it. He smiles showing the top row of his sparkling teeth and wrinkling the skin around his dark eyes. His smile is infectious. I’m already feeling better. “Let me guess, you got a tea latte?”
“You would be correct, someone give the man a cookie.”
He moves closer to the surface my cup is sitting on, and I grab the latte off of the table, holding it away from him as far as my arm can reach. “Oh ha-ha, you’re so funny.” He puts his hands in the air conceding and takes a few steps away from the table.
The Other Side of Dreams (Nighstalker Novels Book 1) Page 3
