“Fair enough,” she said then added, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The walked together, up three worn wooden steps, to the front door. Arianna unlocked it and they stepped inside. The small living-room area was free of fat men sleeping on the couch and there were no fast-food boxes or bags cluttering the coffee table. That was always promising. They walked past the living room and a quick glance at the pea-colored vinyl flooring made Arianna suspicious. A strong lemon scent hung in the air and the floors looked freshly mopped suggesting that her mother had cleaned. And Cathy Rose cleaned for one reason and one reason only: for a man. A man was either coming over in the next few hours or had just left. Either way, a new man in her mother’s life did not bode well for them remaining in Herald Falls for long.
“This isn’t bad at all,” Luke said from behind her. “No drugs, no vomit. Already it’s an improvement from my place.”
She reached behind her and took his hand in hers, gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it. They walked down the short, narrow hallway past the bathroom to her room. She emptied her backpack of books and began grabbing things she’d need. A change of clothes was chief among them, then underwear and something to sleep in.
“So this is your room,” Luke smirked and sat on the sleeping cushion that served as her bed.
“Yep. And that thing is not where I sleep.”
“Good ‘cause it stinks like mold or something.”
“I know. It’s gross. Most nights I crash on the floor or the couch. That’s when I can sleep at all.”
“I hear you. I know what that’s like,” he nodded somberly.
She smiled sadly because he hadn’t the vaguest idea what she was talking about. He’d assumed she had referred to her life with her mother, about the hard times she’d had. But he’d been wrong. Of course, she did not blame him. How could he, or anyone else for that matter, guess that being a witch with untapped phenomenal powers could cause so many sleepless nights? Having a group of people hunting you with the intent to murder you didn’t make for a good night of sleep either. But Luke had no way of knowing those were problems that existed in the world, let alone in her daily life.
“Let me grab my toothbrush and some cash and we’ll get out of here,” she said.
In the bathroom, she lifted the lid of the toilet tank and reached her hand inside. Her fingers felt the cool, smooth surface of a plastic bag. She picked it up, but not before allowing as much water to drain from it as possible, and opened it. Inside was a roll of money, mostly twenty-dollar bills. She took three hundred dollars from the bag then returned her savings to the toilet tank. She washed her hands, grabbed a brush and her makeup bag and opened the bathroom door.
“I’m all set,” she said.
“Really?” Luke asked surprised. “I thought we’d be here for hours.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Every time my sister packs, she takes forever. I thought all girls were like that.”
“Well, I’m not like other girls, and I’m not like your sister,” she said and winked at him.
“No, no you’re not,” he said seriously. “And I’m really glad you’re not.”
He moved toward her, slowly closing the distance between them. She stepped back instinctively and found her back flush against a wall. He placed both hands by her ears, trapping her between him and the wall. But she did not feel trapped. Her heart raced excitedly. He stared at her, allowed his gaze to drop to her mouth. She ran her tongue over her lips, readying them to be kissed, tempting him to kiss her. Luke dropped one of his hands and placed it on her hip. He pulled her close to him so that her chest pressed against him. She felt the planes of his body, warm and hard, touching the softness of her own. Kiss me already, her mind screamed. He slid his hand from her hip up the side of her body grazing the side of her breast and cupped her face in his hand tenderly. She felt his hot breath on her face and did not want to wait any longer. She tipped her chin up and kissed him.
She did not kiss him with the tenderness he’d touched her with. Instead, she kissed him with abandon, wrapping both arms around his neck then raking her fingers through his hair. He lowered his hand and grabbed her backside. She could feel his excitement through his jeans pressing against her belly. She writhed against it and heard him moan.
“Do I need to get a hose in here, or something?” she heard her mother’s voice say suddenly.
Neither of them had heard her mother come in.
Luke let go of her embarrassedly. She saw ribbons of scarlet streak his cheeks as he hunched forward to hide his excitement.
“Hi Ms. Rose,” he said, his eyes darting anxiously. “Nice to see you again.”
“Nice to see you, too,” she crooned. “Luke, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied sheepishly.
“Ma’am. I like that. So respectful. Arianna, this one’s a keeper,” she said loving every moment of Arianna and Luke’s discomfort. Then she turned back to Luke and said, “Did I do that to you?” gesturing to the obvious bulge below his belt.
“All right, mom. Enough! Can you give us a minute?”
Her mother did not say another word. She disappeared in to the kitchen. The clanking of pots reminded them that she hadn’t left and intended to ruin any further romance they may have had in mind.
“She’s a human mood killer,” Arianna said then giggled.
“You’re telling me,” Luke agreed. “I’m going to, uh, use the bathroom and um, splash some cold water on my face before we leave.”
“You do that,” Arianna said and smiled. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Arianna walked to the kitchen and saw her mother smirking by the sink.
“Well, well, well. It looks like you and loverboy were having quite a moment there,” her mother snickered.
“Please, mom,” Arianna cringed. “I’m going out tonight and I won’t be back until tomorrow night.”
“Oh really?” her mother asked. “Just use protection. You don’t want to end up knocked up like me.”
“It’s not like that.
“It sure looked like that.”
“We’re going to Rockdale.”
“Rockdale? Why?”
“Lily, I haven’t heard from her since we moved here.”
“So maybe she doesn’t want to be your friend anymore.”
Arianna didn’t want to have this conversation again. “Whatever, I’ve been worried and I want to check on her,” she said curtly.
“Suit yourself.”
“Can you call me in sick at school tomorrow?”
“Sure, no problem. Just leave me the number.”
Arianna pulled a pad from the drawer below the telephone. She scribbled the school’s attendance office number on it and left if near the phone. “Thanks mom.”
“Have fun and be safe,” her mother said just as Luke came down the hallway.
“Don’t get my daughter pregnant, you hear?” her mother warned him.
“Mom!”
“Yes ma’am,” Luke said.
Arianna grabbed Luke’s arm and pulled him out.
“Good-bye mother,” she said testily.
Outside she apologized for her mother’s comment.
“I’m so sorry about that, about her, I mean,” she fumbled.
“Don’t worry about it. She’s just worried about you. She loves you,” he said offhandedly.
She was sure her mother had meant well, but her tact and timing left much to be desired.
“Yeah, well, she has a funny way of showing it,” Arianna said and folded her arms across her chest.
“At least she’s, I don’t know, conscious,” he said and the sadness in his voice made her heart lurch.
“I guess,” she said and reached in her bag for her cigarettes. “Mind if I smoke?”
“No. Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all,” she said and lit his cigarette first then hers.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d
say you’re trying to get in my pants,” he said impishly.
“You wish,” she joked and climbed in the passenger seat.
He closed the door. “I don’t know, Arianna. I think you want me,” he teased.
“Keep dreaming!”
“We’ll see,” he said and started the car.
They drove away from her trailer and out of her complex on to the main road. Faint rays of sun waged a fruitless war against leaden clouds that encroached, advancing like a fleet of warships. The wind had picked up and shook flame-colored leaves from treetops sending them cascading to the ground like burning embers. Arianna watched as they fell chaotically, heard the wind hiss through the dried leaves and branches like a thousand voices whispering at once. A strange sensation washed over her and made her skin crawl as though innumerable spiders raced across her bare flesh. Perhaps it was the just the eerie way the wind sounded or how the leaves fell like cinders to the earth, or perhaps it was something far more intrinsic that had unsettled her, but Arianna believed a warning had been issued; a warning that she may not return the same person she was leaving as.
Chapter 8
After four hours of driving, Arianna finally convinced Luke to pull off the highway they’d traveled on and eat before searching for a motel to spend the night at. Sitting across from one another in a cozy booth at the Starlight Diner, Arianna devoured her cheeseburger as though it were the first meal she’d eaten in days. In reality, she’d had lunch eight hours ago and had not been in danger of starvation, but the smell of French fries and griddle cooked food had sent her hunger into overdrive.
“Wow,” Luke commented. “The girls I’ve dated just picked at their salad, never scarfed down a whole cheeseburger before I finished mine.”
Squirting ketchup on to her plate, Arianna paused and searched his eyes. As usual, his grey-blue irises shimmered with delight. He was teasing her, and she decided to tease him back.
“Feeling pretty satisfied right about now, Luke? Now that you’ve hurt my feelings,” Arianna said with feigned hurt. “Would you have preferred it if I’d ordered a salad? Or maybe if I didn’t eat at all?”
“No, no. Of course not,” he fumbled. “I love that you, that you’re not like other girls. I meant what I said as a compliment. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” he said and reached out for her hand.
Arianna smiled and said, “Gotcha!”
“That’s just wrong,” he said good-naturedly. “Toying with my feelings like that, you’re bad.”
“What’s the matter, sport, you don’t like when people tease you back?” she said and narrowed her eyes mischievously.
“Oh I can take whatever you dish out, Miss Rose.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Well, I’m fresh out of snappy comebacks,” she said and started to laugh. Luke laughed, too. “And I’d like to get started on my fries.”
“Jeez, you have room left for fries? I’m not even done with my burger and I’m stuffed,” he offered a final zinger.
Arianna narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips at him a second time. But she was not mad. She imagined it would be impossible to stay mad at him on the off chance he’d ever said something hurtful. Even the thought of him saying something to make her angry seemed impossible. He laughed easily, at himself and others. She liked that he could deliver a sharp, perfectly timed remark. He had a knack for it. He was witty and she admired his wittiness. Perhaps someone with a more sensitive nature would have found his jokes critical, or mean spirited. But she was not among them. She was thicker skinned. Life had hardened her enough and made her realize that fretting over minor incidents and analyzing or agonizing over every conversation with friends and loved ones was a waste of time.
“Earth to Arianna,” Luke said.
“Sorry, I zoned out there for a minute.”
“I know. It’s hard to be around me and not get lost in a fantasy,” he started.
“Do you ever take a break?” she asked and giggled before eating her fries.
He smiled sheepishly, and she hoped she hadn’t hit a nerve.
“I think we should stay at the motel across the street,” she said changing the subject. She pointed beyond the window they sat in front of to the Main Street Motor Inn. Few cars were parked in the lot beside it. “What do you think?” she asked him.
“Okay. It looks slow there, so we shouldn’t have trouble getting two rooms.”
“I thought we’d get just one,” Arianna said casually.
Color touched Luke’s cheeks and he glanced at her quickly. “Oh, okay,” he said coolly. But Arianna lowered her gaze to his throat and saw the fitful drumming just below his jaw. His carotid artery gave him away. She swore she could hear the nervous beat of his heart. His body language suggested that spending the night with a girl was no big deal to him, commonplace even. But physiology never lied.
“All right then, it’s settled. We can get the check whenever you’re ready and head over there,” she said.
“What? No dessert?” he kidded, but his smile ended at his lips. His eyes had clouded over and become more serious.
As if she’d heard their desire for the check, the waitress appeared at their table.
“If you’re all set here, I’ll get you your check,” she asked pleasantly.
“We’re all set,” Luke said to her.
The waitress smiled and blushed, obviously thrilled that Luke had spoken to her. She returned moments later and left their bill on the edge of the table. Luke reached for it, but Arianna grabbed it before he could.
“Come on,” he protested. “I’m buying.”
Arianna flipped over the piece of paper and saw that the waitress wrote her name at the bottom of the ticket with a heart beside it. She’d circled the Come Again Soon logo and had added an exclamation point to it. Arianna did not feel threatened by the waitress in the least, yet a possessive sense of annoyance prickled inside her. She’d never been a jealous girlfriend and wasn’t about to start being one now, but a burst of bitterness bubbled inside her. She looked over to where the waitress whispered with a coworker. She focused on them, concentrating. Suddenly, the world around her became quiet. Conversations, music, the whoosh of cars passing outside on Main Street fell silent. All she could hear was the sound of two voices.
“He’s so hot,” she heard the girl say.
“I know,” her friend agreed.
“Think those two are a couple?” their waitress asked.
“I don’t know. They haven’t held hands or anything, so maybe not.”
“Yeah, you’re right. They might not be together. Besides, they look just wrong together. That girl looks like a real bitch,” their waitress concluded.
“Ready to go?” Luke said and stood breaking Arianna’s concentration.
“Yep, I’m ready,” she said and stood.
Luke grabbed the bill from her and said, “Ha! Too slow! I’m paying.”
She did not argue as she would have under ordinary circumstances. She refused to give the girls at the counter the satisfaction of having more speculative garbage to mull over. Instead, she slipped her arm around Luke’s waist. He immediately reciprocated and pulled her close thereby ending any question the girls had had about whether or not they were a couple. Luke paid the cashier much to her chagrin and they stepped outside. The temperature had fallen drastically. She wrapped her arms around her body clutching her midsection as an icy breezed gusted. Luke wrapped both arms around her and nuzzled her neck. She stood on her toes and hugged him back pausing only to smirk over his shoulder at the waitresses gawking at her with looks of disgust plastered on their faces. Another gust bit at them and they released each other in favor of running to the truck hand-in-hand.
Once inside, Luke spoke.
“Damn, it got cold out there!”
“I know! I didn’t know I’d need my winter jacket tonight.”
“Listen, before we go to the motel, I want to stop at the gas station market fir
st, okay?”
“Sure. Fine by me. Did you forget something?” she asked.
“No. I just want to pick up a few things for tonight,” he replied casually.
The gas station he referred to was two buildings away from where they had eaten. Luke dashed inside the market while Arianna opted for the warmth of the truck. He returned with a brown paper bag in his arms and settled it between them. She craned her neck to look inside and he quickly folded the top of the bag over.
“Hey, no peeking,” he teased.
“Okay, okay,” Arianna said and put her hands up in mock surrender.
They turned in to the Motel parking lot a few seconds later. Arianna had insisted on paying for the room and this time Luke didn’t argue. She left him in the car and procured their room for the night before returning to the truck with the key.
“Our suite awaits us,” she said and jingled the key at him.
“Let’s go,” he said and climbed out.
They quickly gathered their backpacks and Luke grabbed the bag from the market then walked up to the door with the number that matched their keychain.
“A key,” Arianna rolled her eyes. “How old school is that? I bet this place is a dump.”
But to her surprise, when they opened the door, the room was not a dump. It was neat and brightly decorated and smelled as though it had just been cleaned. Two queen-sized beds with a nightstand in between them occupied most of the space and a small table with two chairs was to their immediate left.
“Not bad,” Luke said. “Not bad at all.”
“I know. This room is nicer than my trailer,” she said and was only half joking.
“It’s nicer than my house, too,” he agreed.
“All right, enough chitchat. What’s in the bag?” she asked impatiently.
Luke set the bag on the table and reached one of his hands hand inside of it. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes first. Then he reached in a second time and pulled out two decks of cards. One was a standard playing card set while the other was an Old Maid set.
“Old Maid!” Arianna squealed. “I haven’t played that game since I was a kid!”
Arianna Rose: The Awakening (Part 2) Page 7
