I felt the sincerity in his words, in his tone. I tightened my own arms around him, trying to summon the courage to tell him.
I allowed the words to flow, and I hope he will understand. “This morning… I had a… dream.”
“A dream…” He repeated the words as if he was allowing it to sink in.
“It’s the first time this has ever happened, and I… I’m…” I can’t finish the sentence.
Zach gave me a moment to finish, but when it’s evident I’m not going to, he prompted, “You’re what?”
“Afraid…” I finished.
He pulled himself back to look at me, and our eyes met with concern written all over his face. “Why are you afraid?” He questioned as he searched my face for the answer.
I hesitated but finally spoke in a shaky voice. “That you will think… I’m crazy.”
A sweet smile spread across his lips, and he let out a quiet laugh. “Lexi Darson…” He paused, his voice strong and reassuring, “I will never think you are crazy. Over the past couple months that I have gotten to know you, I have learned a lot. You are a beautiful, sweet, loving, and caring person. The last thing I would ever think of you is that you’re crazy. You had a dream… that saved our lives. If it had not been for you, we wouldn’t be having this discussion in the first place.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
A shy smile spread across my lips, and I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, causing me to blush. Zach raised a hand to my cheek and rubbed the back of his index finger across my reddened flesh as he smiled sweetly.
I lost myself in his dark eyes.
Zach slowly placed his palm on my cheek, caressing me as if I’m a delicate flower. I leaned into his hand and placed my own over his, lacing our fingers side by side.
Never looking away from his eyes, I whispered the words, “Thank you.”
“My lovely Lexi…” He whispered, slowly moving his face closer to mine.
Our eyes remained connected as he came closer… My heart raced and I started to close the gap between us. Both of our breathing became heavier… faster.
Before our lips connected, something large jumped over the car causing me to let out a panicked squeal.
A deer landed on the other side of the car and continued its way back into the woods as if we are not even here.
Zach busted out laughing, “Well, you don’t experience that every day.”
I laughed too. “You certainly don’t.”
Our moment being abruptly interrupted, we continued down the road on the way back to my home.
I leaned on Zach’s shoulder the whole way home, while he had one arm around my back, holding me tight. It felt nice lying on Zach, especially after that ordeal. I had to help him shift since the car is a standard. He told me what way to maneuver the shifter, and fortunately, I only made it grind twice. That’s pretty good since I’ve never had experience with a standard shift.
Thinking about the could-have-been accident, I now have new stresses. I took this quiet moment to ask Zach what I should do.
“Zach?”
He looked over at me before returning his eyes to the road. “Yes?”
“About earlier… do you think we should tell our parents?”
“Well… nothing truly happened, so I have no reason to tell my parents. But, I do think you should tell yours. They should know what’s going on.”
“That’s true…” I paused for a moment, thinking. “Zach… please don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want to be known as a freak at school.”
He gave me a surprised look. “Lexi, I would never do that to you. I hope you know that… don’t you?”
I frowned at my own stupidity. “Sorry… I… didn’t mean it that way. I guess it just makes me feel better saying it out loud.”
“You don’t need to apologize.” He squeezed my hand. “You have nothing to worry about. Your secret is safe with me. I promise.”
I smiled, “Thank you, Zach. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
He smiled. “I’ve been thinking about something… about your dream,” he said in an upbeat tone.
“What’s that?” I questioned.
“Well, if you think about it… your dream saved our lives… so maybe someone was warning you about it, like a guardian angel or something. So, it was a good thing it happened.” He smiled again.
Now that I thought about it, he’s right. “That’s true… and thank you for helping me through that… I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Zach grinned. “You don’t need to thank me. I was just doing what anyone would do in that situation.”
I laughed. “Oh really?”
“Well… mostly.” He smiled devilishly.
My heart jumped in my chest and went full speed ahead.
Zach continued on, “I had a lot of fun tonight. The most fun I’ve had in a long time. So, thank you for going out with me.” He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
I beamed, “You're not the only one that had fun, but you’re welcome.” We laughed a little with each other just as he pulled up my driveway.
Zach parked in the loop of the driveway that’s close to the front door. He helped me out of the car and wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked to the door. We stood on the porch for a few seconds. I can’t look up at him just yet. This is the moment at the end of the first date. After a few seconds of silence, Zach took his hand and placed his one finger under my jaw, lifting my face up to look at him. Reluctantly, I looked into the deep dark eyes that have captured my attention since the first moment I saw him. Zach’s face is calm and relaxed with a yearning in his eyes that I recognize.
He spoke in a deep soothing voice. “Everything will be okay. I promise. I’m always here for you no matter what my lovely Lexi.”
My heart lurched in my chest… the words; ‘my lovely Lexi’ rang in my head over and over.
He leaned his face down to mine slowly as if he’s checking to make sure what he is doing is okay. He never moved his eyes from mine, never blinked. My heart started to pound loudly. There’s no fear, no anxiety, just longing, and bliss. Once his lips touched mine, my heart stopped before picking up in double time. A heat surged throughout my body. His lips… so soft… so warm, as they pressed and moved across my own. His arms wrapped around my body pulling me tighter to his own. I put both my hands on his face pulling him closer, winding my fingers into his hair. I don’t want to let go…
We stood connected this way for a few moments, but he started to pull away too soon. I don’t want him to leave. I want to stay like this forever, never to separate. I clutched his face closer curling my fingers around his hair.
I know this is a doomed plan… I’m sure mom would be looking out the window any second, and if she saw this… unwillingly I let go of his face with a sigh. He kept his arms around me and let out a small quiet chuckle as he placed his forehead against mine, our eyes still connected. We both breathed heavily as we looked into each other’s eyes, both yearning for more.
“That was…” Zach can’t finish his sentence. His eyes told me all I need to know.
“Amazing…” I finished for him out of breath.
Zach looked up to the window we stood in front of. “I better get going.” He smiled down at me.
I frowned, and that caused him to laugh.
“It’s not like you’ll never see me again you know. I would come back tomorrow, but I have plans with my parents.” He laughed darkly. “I’ll see you Monday. I’m sure everyone will be talking about us being together.” He laughed again with little humor.
“Yeah… I’m sure they will. I can hear the gossip now.” I sighed.
He laughed.
“I better get inside before mom and Bree come looking for me.” We unwillingly released each other.
He smiled. “Have a good night Lex.” He kissed my forehead and walked back to his car with a spring in his step.
I waved as he drove away into
the night.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, settling myself before walking in the house to greet my eager mother.
I walked into the house and went for the stairs first, hoping I could sneak past mom and Bree for the moment to gather my thoughts. I’m going to tell mom about the incident with the semi-truck tonight, which set a whole new panic through me.
“Alexis, is that you?” Mom called as I closed the door.
“Yeah, be right there, I want to change first.”
“Okay.”
I got to my room and changed. I feel better now being out of that dress. I know Zach really liked it as I caught him staring at it throughout the night with a smile.
My feelings for him… exploded tonight, if that’s even possible. The pull is stronger than I ever thought imaginable. When he left, It’s like he took half of me with him, I don’t feel whole anymore. I wonder if he feels the same way. The way he acted tonight, very attentive, the way he never let go of my hand, having to be connected in some way, and the way he kissed me outside… being rough, but very gentle at the same time. Just thinking about it again took my breath away and made my head spin. I feel like he was claiming me. That I’m his and the way he said, ‘my lovely Lexi,’ made him glow with pride. I felt as though there’s an outside force pushing us together that I can’t explain. Maybe its destiny, or fate, or maybe pure luck… but I doubt its luck. This is something stronger, something… unnatural.
I went back downstairs still completely unsure of what to tell mom. I got caught up thinking about Zach again and that sexy, steamy kiss. I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks, just thinking about it again.
“Wow, look at you!” Mom said surprised.
“What?” I asked self-consciously snapping out of my thoughts.
“You’re… glowing. I don’t know how else to put it, but you look incredibly happy right now like you just won the lottery. You really like this guy, don’t you?” Mom asked excitedly.
“Yeah, I do… a lot. He likes me that way too, I think.” I smiled a little and tried to tone down the ‘happy glow.’
“Tell me everything. I want to know it all.” Mom said enthusiastically turning toward me on the couch and patted the spot next to her. I just rolled my eyes smiling and sat where she patted the couch.
I started at the beginning when he showed up at the house and continued until we left the theater. I paused and mom saw reluctance in my eyes. She can read me so well. She knows I’m hiding something, something I’m afraid to tell her.
“What’s wrong Lexi? You can tell me,” she said in a low voice looking at me concerned.
“I know I can. I’m just afraid you’re going to think I’m crazy.” I chewed on my bottom lip for a second before continuing. “I’ll tell you, but don’t freak out, okay?” I begged.
“Lexi, what happened?” She started to get panicky.
“Well, nothing actually… happened. It’s just that, I had a dream last night…” I continued to tell her about my dream and told her about the incident at the intersection. Before I could finish she had me in her arms squeezing me, holding me tightly. I started to lose the feeling in my hands. I noticed Bree looked at me with a bit of horror, but she quickly covered it up and went back to watching the television.
“Oh, baby. Are you okay? I’m so sorry.” Mom sounds like she’s about to cry.
“Everything is fine mom. It was just a freak thing I guess, but I’m here, alive and I’m grateful Zach was with me. He helped me through it.”
“I’m glad. When you see him, tell him thank you. I hope to meet this boy soon you know. Bree said that I got home right after you left. I tried to make it back on time.” She frowned.
“That’s quite alright. I’m sure he will be around more.” I smiled. If she would have seen how we were looking at each other when he got here, she would have laughed.
“Yes, I’m sure he will.” She laughed.
Bree doesn’t look thrilled… at all… about the whole thing…
I went to bed late tonight. My thoughts kept going to Zach and that kiss. But eventually, I fell asleep.
I suddenly woke up and looked at my clock. It’s five in the morning and still dark outside. Feeling the urge, I got out of bed to go use the bathroom. Dragging my feet across the thick carpet, I stepped into the bathroom when something in the mirror caught my attention…
The mirror seems to be rippling like water. That’s strange… Feeling the need, I touched the mirror with my fingertips and quickly pulled my hand back as a clear, sticky substance stringed from the mirror to my hand like putty. I panicked trying to get it off me. The longer it touched me, the more I started to feel a prickling sensation, and I don’t like it… I tried running it under water, but it didn’t work. Before I knew it, the strange substance is covering my hand and creeping up my arm. I frantically did everything I could to get it off me and started to scream in horror as it started dragging me toward the mirror. It’s too strong for me to pull away. Suddenly my head is encased inside the mirror, and I can’t breathe. The substance crept its way around my body, and I started to feel cold. Darkness fell around me and I can no longer scream, or move my muscles. A black mist started to grow and swirl around me, seeming to try and penetrate the clear substance coating my skin. I suddenly felt very thankful for this substance…
A voice spoke from a far distance away, and I can hardly make it out. It sounds like a soft whisper of a woman.
“He’s coming,” she said in a pained voice.
Suddenly, everything became pitch black, and I started to panic in horror.
“SAPPHYRE!” An ear-piercing scream broke through the darkness causing me to gasp in shock.
My eyes flew open as I sat straight up in bed to the lingering darkness of my room. My heart raced. Quickly scanning around my room with wide eyes, I looked for anything unfamiliar. Everything seems… normal. With a huge sigh, I calmed myself down when a loud howl called from outside, causing me to grab my heart in panic.
“Stupid coyote trying to give me a heart attack,” I mumbled to myself.
I got off my bed cautiously and flipped on my bedroom light. Then… very reluctantly I went to my bathroom… I looked in the mirror and it seems perfectly normal. I did not touch it… and never planned to again…
Finishing in the bathroom, I headed back to my bed, purposely leaving the room light on. It’s… five in the morning… and still dark outside as I climbed under my comforter, covering my head. I did not want to think of the dream because I know I will never get back to sleep. It was horrifying, to say the least. Instead, I shifted my thoughts back to Zach. The dream kept trying to creep in, but my thoughts of Zach won out, and eventually, I fell back asleep cradled in his protective arms…
Reality
Sunday was uneventful, and quite frankly, I was thankful for the break… my mind raced with the dreams and my date with Zach. I needed that day to just think. I mostly thought about Zach, but I tried to occupy myself by doing homework. I’m still surprised I got my homework finished.
I’m excited this morning, of course not about school, but I’m excited to get to school. I want to see Zach… badly. There is a consistent aching in my heart from being away from him. It is almost unbearable. I feel like there is something wrong with me.
I got up early and was just finishing my hair as I avoided looking in the mirror as much as possible when the doorbell rang. Bree pretended to be too busy to get the door, so I practically ran down the steps with the thought of wanting to get rid of whoever it was so I can finish getting dressed.
I reached the door and opened it quickly with a sour look on my face. As I looked up to see who it is, I can’t help but notice what they’re wearing. They’re dressed in blue jeans and sneakers, a dark blue shirt covered by a black jacket. The smile that can only belong to one person, stretched across his face… Zach. His eyes show slight amusement as he looks me over, but I can’t remember what I have on at this moment. I hope at least I’m not
standing here in my underwear.
I can’t take my eyes off him. The aching I felt, instantly disappeared, as if my other half returned to me. I stood silently stunned. He said nothing either, but the look in his eyes changed. It went from amusement to… to relief and a burning desire at the same time. He took a step toward me and wrapped his strong arms around my waist lifting me off the ground.
My heart flew.
He put his lips to my ear and whispered, “How I have missed you.”
He kissed down my jawline making his way to my lips. My eyes widened in shock, and my heart raced. His lips touched mine and my eyes closed taking in this moment. The way he kissed me should be illegal! I flared with the heat of passion I feel emanating from him. In this moment, I know he feels the same for me as I do him. The separation for him was just as painful. When he kissed me, it felt as though I could feel his emotions, like we’re connected, not only physically, but emotionally, and mentally.
I don’t know how long we been intertwined like this, but it’s long enough for Bree to find us. I heard her cough at the top of the stairs, inadvertently breaking us apart.
“Lexi, don’t you think you should finish getting dressed?” She glared at me disapprovingly with a hiss in her voice
I looked down to see what I have on. My T-shirt is on ready for school, but I still have on my pink silk shorts that I wore to bed last night. I suddenly turned crimson red. How embarrassing!
Zach, realizing my horror, leaned down to my ear and said in a silky tone, “I like it.” I can feel the smile in his voice. “But maybe, you should finish getting ready. We don’t want to be late.”
“’Kay,” I said pecking him on the cheek and practically running back up the stairs almost tripping half way up.
I threw on the first pair of pants I found and grabbed my book bag, and jacket forcing myself to slow down and walk down the stairs.
Zach sat relaxed in the living room on the couch, and Bree is in the kitchen eating some oatmeal. It’s odd how they completely ignore each other.
Burden to Bare Page 5
