by C. S Luis
She looked unsure of what was happening. Well, that made two of us.
My heart was racing. The circuit was flowing and making me stronger, but it wasn’t easy dancing in the web of emotions and the electrifying sensation that sent vibrations into my body each time I was close to Claudia.
“There’s a party this weekend. Thought you might want to come with me?” There. It was out.
“I can pick you up,” I quickly said.
Her expression seemed unsure. Her feelings were different, though- excitement, delight, nervousness. That was reassuring.
“Are you asking me out?”
I grinned.
“Yeah, I guess I am. So? I promise to be on my best behavior.” I didn’t know what that meant, it just came out.
She blushed. She wasn’t sure what it meant either.
“Give me your phone,” I said very boldly before I lost the nerve.
She immediately did as I asked. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was under the same spell I was under. She sure seemed far more in control than I, up until now. I took her phone; her screensaver was of kittens.
“Cute,” I said.
I went to the contacts list and added my phone number to her phone. I called my phone, so I’d have hers in return. She looked cute just watching me do this. I handed her back her phone.
“Now we’re connected digitally, too.” I winked.
She flashed me a shy smile.
“Is there a code or something that I have to use when I call you?” she asked, looking down at her phone. I chuckled, but I could see why she would say something like that. She was surprised by my sudden laughter.
“No code, Miss Belle. Just call me.” I grinned.
“Is Joseph going to have an issue with this?”
“He’s my guardian, not my father. He can’t keep me from seeing you if that’s what I want.”
She lowered her eyes bashfully.
I glanced down at my watch again. “I better go before he sends out a search party.”
Of course, I was only joking, but Claudia thought I was serious. She blinked over at me, a little startled and frightened. The current of her lovely glow was making me slightly light-headed. It was amazing how even at this low frequency I could still sense the vibe racing inside in my veins.
“I’m kidding. Maybe I’ll call you.” I laughed moving back slowly. I looked back a few times before I raced away. Anything for more time with her. I didn’t want to leave.
After spending time with Claudia on the second floor outside Michael’s office, I hurried down to the main office where I knew Joseph would be waiting.
I came down the stairwell. Mrs. Wallace had already gone for the day when I came into the office. After seeing Claudia upstairs and making plans with her, I was in the best of moods.
It was earlier than expected when I caught Joseph exiting the office. I narrowed my eyes over at him. “Where are you headed so early?” I wrinkled my nose.
“I should be asking you the same question, Nephew.”
“I don’t work here.”
He smiled.
“Well, unlike you, it’s not every day that I have a date with an attractive teacher.”
Ah, that’s right, his date with Ms. Stephens.
As he was locking up, Michael and Claudia were turning the corner of the hallway. I immediately took notice. She looked delighted to see me, except when Joseph flashed her a grin. She gave him a frown. I wanted to laugh, I could sense her dislike toward him.
The watch hands were moving slightly. Any emotion from her set it off, Joseph glanced down at his watch as well, shaking it slightly when he thought it was acting strange. I dialed mine back a bit. I had moved it coming down after being with her in case any more surprises occurred, not realizing I might see her again.
Whatever you’re doing, stop, I thought to her, control your feelings, I tried to warn her. She started taking deep breaths. Joseph gazed in their direction catching sight of Claudia taking a few quick breaths.
“Hello, Michael,” Joseph softly said, turning his attention to Claudia. “Miss Belle.”
“How are those evaluations coming along?”
“Well, just about got them down.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Joseph said.
“Hi, Claudia,” I said, trying to distract her and bring her attention to me.
She regarded me with a shy smile, and whispered, “Hi John.” She lowered her eyes to me. This didn’t go well with Joseph.
“On your way out?” Michael asked, breaking my trance.
“Trying to get there,” Joseph said, smiling down at Claudia, who was looking over at me. I wanted her attention like a spoiled toddler wanted his mother’s attention. She was turning a rosy color. I moved the watch back a bit, so it wouldn’t go bonkers on me, but I feared Joseph’s would.
“Plans this evening?” Michael asked.
Joseph didn’t want to say he had a date, it didn’t seem professional enough. Claudia’s eyes blinked, did she know? Had she caught a sight of what his plans were for the evening?
“As a matter of fact, I do,” he said.
Claudia barely glanced up; in fact, she looked bored with Michael and Joseph’s conversation, walking slowly to the side as I watched her. She smiled back. I made a motion with my hand to call me.
Claudia stood by the windows of the library. I bet she was dreaming of being anywhere else but here. I wondered if I was in that dream of hers. She smiled. I knew I was.
Michael dismissed himself, Claudia only waved bye to me as she moved to leave. Joseph’s voice pulled her attention from me, “Have a good night, Miss Belle…” She spun away, hurrying with Michael behind her.
“Yeah she hates me.” He laughed. Was this a joke to him?
“Do you have to do that to her?”
“Do what?” Joseph said.
I wrinkled my nose at him. “You know what I mean. Your such an asshole,” I snapped.
“Hey, I was being nothing but polite.”
I shrug, shaking my head. Sure, he was. I meant to give him another piece of my mind when we were interrupted.
“Are you ready, Joseph?” A woman’s voice said from behind. I turned and caught sight of Ms. Stephens walking down the hall up towards us. She immediately smiled over at Joseph when he spun his head back over to her.
“Oh, hello again,” she said to me. She was fluttering her eyelashes at me. Her attitude reminded me of Rachel.
“Hello, Ms. Stephens.”
“Oh, you can call me Karen.”
I said nothing and shook my head when she turned to give Joseph a sexy gaze.
“Goodnight, Uncle Joseph.”
He didn’t say anything, he was too busy when Ms. Stephen’s hands reach out to touch him. I disappeared before he realized I caught sight of them kissing.
I thought of my date with Claudia, as I walked out the door and into the parking lot. I thought about calling her. It was after all only a day before our date. What plans did I have tonight, anyway?
A grin spread over my lips. Maybe I could pay her a visit….
20
Night Visitor
Claudia
* * *
After we arrived I raced up to my room, not giving Michael a chance to say a word. I slammed the door behind me and dropped on the bed. I grabbed at my bag looking through it for my phone and set it on the table near my bed.
I heard steps in the hall outside my room, I knew it was Michael coming up the stairs. He slowed down when passing my doorway and I waited for his knock. He changed his mind as he contemplated knocking. He considered that, perhaps, I wanted to be alone. He was right.
I wasn’t as mad as he might have thought in regard to the party. I had long forgotten. But now my reason for wanting to go involved a much hotter reason.
The door of his bedroom opened and closed. I got up, grabbed a few items from the dresser, and walked into the bathroom to change. Closing the door, I glanced into the mirr
or. The brown eyes of a young girl stared back at me. I examined the face that John had found attractive and I couldn’t see what he could see. I didn’t believe I was ugly, of course, but I had never believed I was as beautiful as others claimed I was. Rachel was lovely with her deep, rich blond locks, and her peach complexion. I liked my golden-brown color and it was never because of my skin tone that I thought nothing more of myself. I recalled my father say once: “You have lovely skin. Why do you think I married your mother?”
“I’m not sure.” I would say. “Why did you?” It was safe to say, I didn’t have a great relationship with my mother, at least not as good as I had with my father. He would smile knowing I liked to provoke conversation of their relationship.
My mother was of Spanish heritage. I had often heard her complain in Spanish. When they fought it was mostly in her language.
“Tu mama es muy Hermosa.” He grinned. “Tu color es muy hermoso también…nunca olvides eso.” I liked hearing his Spanish, because he was so good at it.
“Igual que tu.” Strange, but he was the one that taught me Spanish.
I just didn’t see myself with someone like John. He just seemed so much more, so attractive. Guys like him seemed to always end up with girls like Rachel. So, I never expected much more. I was always the shy girl, the weird girl that kept to herself. Never expecting more. Then, John Slater came into my path.
I smiled setting the items of clothing on the shelf near the towels. I set a towel next to the hook by the shower curtain, leaned over, and turned on the water. I climbed into the shower. The water washed over me soaking the long strands of my brown hair. I exhaled, relaxed and thought of nothing but the warmth of the water as it soaked my nude body.
John, I thought of him. A vision of his face clearly was in my mind. I wondered if he could hear me, if he sensed me or could see me as I had seen him in a vision. I blushed as I lathered the soap down the curves of my frame. His face flashed in my mind, he was smiling, his eyes filled in gold again, his mouth parted, and his tongue ran across the bottom of his lip.
Claudia? I blinked and opened my eyes turning off the shower and stood there for a moment. There was a knock at the bathroom door.
“Claudia?” It was Michael. I grabbed at the towel from the hook. He had come into the bedroom and was standing outside the bathroom door. I froze behind the shower curtain.
“Yeah?” I called back.
“What would you like for dinner? We still have leftovers enchiladas, or would you like to order out? A pizza, perhaps?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Does it matter?”
“Are you alright?” he asked again.
“I’m fine, just wanted to shower before bed.”
“Okay, so what will it be?”
“Whatever you want, Michael. I’m fine with whatever you decide.”
There was a brief silence. He was trying to reach out to me. He thought I was still mad about the party. He hesitated by the door. He wasn’t going to leave, unless I set his mind at ease.
“Enchiladas are fine, Michael,” I said.
“Okay, sweetheart, I’ll heat up dinner.”
“Okay, just call me when it’s ready,” I said.
“Very well then, get dressed.” He moved away from the door. The door of the bedroom opened then, closed.
I got out wrapping the towel around my waist and stepped up to the mirror. I cleared the misty fog from the glass and gazed over at myself again.
I took a breath and got dressed. Refreshed and clean in a pair pajama bottoms and loose top, I came out over to the bed, grabbing at my book-bag. I took out some homework and dropped on the bed to work on it.
Michael was in the kitchen. The dishwasher faintly ran in the distance, the clunking and swishing water spraying around the inside of the wash tub. It rattled during rinse cycles. It was loud, but of course I couldn’t hear it from upstairs, not as clearly as I could from the next room.
I finished the assignment and returned it to the book-bag. I rose moving to the easel near the window, the canvas sat mocking me. I had started something, but I wasn’t sure where I was going with it. I picked up a pencil and started drawing. I didn’t know until I was done with the sketch, what I had done. Something had compelled me to draw him. The stranger from my dream. I had drawn his image, just as I recalled, the details on his face, the hat on his head, the wrinkles on his side crooked lip. What had he said his name was? Jack…John was interested in the vision. Was he jealous?
I thought about John; what he had said, a date I thought. With him? It was strange thinking about him, could he hear me? Could the current connect us this far? Strangely enough, I sensed him. I began drawing on an old painting I had been working on, when a text came in. It was Alex, it sounded important. Her text long overdue, where had she been all this time? Had my calling while I was out reached out to her?
I was about to answer it when my phone went off with another text.
I picked it up. It was John.
Thinking about you…
