by Ireland Gill
“You get what, Ev?”
I took a deep breath, trying to will away the shivers. It only pacified the trembling for a few seconds. “I get why I am who I am, why I have to save them.” I found his eyes in the dark. “Balance. There has to be a balance. I'm....I'm the only one who can maintain it.”
He gave me a tired smile. “Come here,” he beckoned me with a wave of his hand and lifted the sheets. I scurried over to his bed and curled up into it with him, laying my face in the crook of his neck and inhaling him as he wrapped his arms around me. That was when the trembling stopped. That was when I truly felt safe, in the warm embrace of my angel's arms.
Nighttime in Hayden's room was different than in my own. He didn't listen to music to get to sleep, so the extreme quiet made me pay more attention to the little things, like his breathing. I counted five of his breaths before he took a deeper one to speak again.
“Are the dreams back?” he asked softly, stroking my hair with his tender touch.
I held my breath for a moment. I was afraid it was going to come up, that question. But how was I to answer him? I didn't want to lie, but I would have to. I would have to protect him. I would handle the issue myself, and I already had.
“The bad ones are gone now, Hayden. I'm sure of it.” It was true. I hoped I sounded convincing enough to satisfy his worry.
“Then, why were you just shivering in the threshold of my doorway, Evika?” he challenged.
Dammit. He knew me all too well. I inhaled him once again, this time taking in the scent of his freshly-laundered t-shirt along with his natural, angel-rain scent. “I just needed you, Angel-man,” I answered with a whisper. “Just you.”
I felt his arm pull me closer, as if it were possible, and then felt his perfect, warm lips touch the top of my head. He held them there for quite a long time, then turned his head to lay his cheek against my hair while he continued playing with it. God, I loved him more and more each moment we spent like that.
“Hayden?” I closed my eyes and whispered his name.
“Yeah?” he whispered back.
I contemplated the question I wanted to ask him – how I could phrase that I wanted to stay there in his arms all night long.
“Can I, umm, I mean, do you mind if I---?”
“You can stay as long as you like, Ev,” he assured me.
“All night?” I inquired.
He let out a tired laugh. “Of course, Pony-girl. I wouldn't kick you out. That'd be rude.” He tucked the sheets in around me once more, as if settling in for the rest of the night was the only option.
I laced my fingers through his and welcomed the arm that was wrapped around me. I breathed deep breaths, content.
I fell fast asleep in his arms, something I'd never done before, not like that. I entered into the dreamlike state once again, and it was the first time in a long time that I'd dreampt of nothing at all.
11
An Invitation
Things had been calm for months after my initial meeting with Alysto. The bad dreams subsided, thankfully. I'd come to terms with who I was and just did the job I had to do. The one thing that kept me from feeling that everything was perfect was the fact that I was keeping something so huge from Hayden. I was dying inside, holding the secret from him. I tried my best not to let the guilt eat away at me. The first and only time he ever questioned why I didn't have the dreamcatcher hanging above the bed anymore, I told him it was “tacky” and I “have it in my drawer.” That lie was the easiest in comparison to the others. I tried burying the awful feeling in justifying that I was protecting my angel, which I was, but in turn, I was protecting an unknown traitor of the Council. Not only was I betraying Hayden, but I was betraying the entire Guardian Council. One would think that my white lie wasn't half as bad as what Jericho had done, but I managed to convince myself that I was doing the right thing in the long run. They would find out about that jerk sooner or later, at least, I'd hoped. It was only a matter of time before the rogue got caught, and I was sure that I would find a way. His day would come.
I'd wondered how long it had been that Jericho was an ally to Alysto. For as long as my life? During, or even before my father's reign as Soldier of Light? I'd wondered what his motive was. I'd wracked my brain trying to come up with the answer until I came so close to telling Hayden the truth. That was when I tried my hardest not to think about it anymore. I would have to find another way to rat Jericho out. Somehow, I just had to. But, despite the turmoil in my heart and mind, life had to go on or I was going to go even more crazy than I'd already let myself get. As usual, I needed a distraction, a change that would get my mind off of things enemy-related. And I was lucky to have gotten my wish sooner than I thought possible.
Hayden and I had made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on everything we'd needed to make meals for the next few weeks. Before he went back home, Joel wrote down a bunch of new recipes for us to try out. We'd been through a few of them and they seemed to have turned out really well, as long as Hayden was the one preparing them, of course. We came home with the new load of groceries and I grabbed the mail on the way into the house. My eyes blinked hard to re-read the envelope. The return address was Brittonia's. I looked at the lower, left-hand corner of the envelope and saw a drawing of two doves holding a red ribbon that was tied into a heart-shaped bow and my eyes widened.
“No. Way.”
Hayden set the last grocery bag onto the floor and looked up. “What?”
I hastily opened up the envelope to find the inevitable contents. “Omigod,” I breathed out with a smile.
“And again, I ask what?” Hayden grew impatient.
I looked over at him and held up the invitation.
A smile grew on his face as he read the card. “So, someone finally found a way to melt the Ice Queen,” he declared. “I'm impressed.”
I grinned at the light purple RSVP card for the reception: “We have two seats reserved in your honor.” I had a wedding to travel to, and I couldn't wait to bring my “plus one.”
12
Wedding of the Year
We were only an hour outside of Cleveland and it was about eight in the evening. I decided that driving would be best as I was still in love with my new Mustang and wanted to take her on a little road trip to break her in. Well, honestly, I just knew that some of the states had a speed limit of about seventy to seventy-five, so I was looking forward to pushing that a bit more since you can usually get away with going five to ten MPH's over the limit as long as you're careful. Oh yeah, and let's not forget my aversion to planes.
Despite the fact that I thought their marriage was a little too soon, I was that Brittonia had found the love of her life. The last time I saw her in person was when I was in the hospital and she seemed so happy, so different. I was looking forward to seeing her, and even the other bean pole friends. I was truly anticipating meeting her new soon-to-be-husband, Christian. I had to hand it to him for taking on such an Alpha-woman.
Mostly, I was anticipating how my initial introduction of Hayden would be to that crowd. I figured I would have to stick to the same story I told Joel, which really wasn't far from the truth anyway. Hayden was technically my roommate, and the only other classification for him was “friend.” Although, there was this unspoken assumption about our relationship, like something more than just his guardianship over me. I'd felt it for a long time and was unsure as to how Hayden perceived the subject of “me and him.” But I did get my first clue a few weeks prior to our trip back to Cleveland for that wedding, a hint that maybe, just maybe, Hayden felt he was more than just my protector.
I'd just finished folding the last load of laundry when Hayden came in to my room, waving the wedding invitation around and placing it on the dresser.
“So, who do you think you will take for your plus-one?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “Hmm. I don't know. I was thinking of taking Luka,” I said playfully.
Hayden nodded, but couldn't hide his boyish
simper. “He'd probably like that.”
“Yup. I think we'd have fun together.” I started out of the room. “Oh, and since I'm on my driving-no-flying rule, we'd have to get a hotel room for a night or two. No way am I driving home right after that reception.” I headed down the hall, waiting for his response.
Sure enough, Hayden came around the corner. “Although....”
I stopped in my tracks and smiled.
“I am, by far, a better dancer,” he said.
I spun around on my heels and raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Crow, are you bribing me?”
“Oh, no. Not at all,” he said playfully. “But don't come running to me when Luka stomps the crap out of your feet. I'll just say 'I told you so.'”
I sucked air dramatically. “I'm going to tell him you said that!”
Hayden laughed. “Believe me, it's no news to him. He knows he can't dance to save his life.”
“Well,” I said, “I guess I should probably go with the better dancer, huh? I mean, I do want to have a good time at the reception.” I walked up to him, batting my eyelashes.
He shrugged. “That would be my advice. But, by all means, you should take who you want to take.” He sighed and grabbed his pile of clothes from my bed.
I shook my head and laughed. Clearly, he wanted to go with me, and there was no one else I would rather have taken.
“Angel-man, would you please accompany me to Brittonia's wedding?” I asked.
Hayden was slick on his feet, turning on his heels and giving me the hugest grin. “I thought you'd never ask.”
“Right,” I gave him my best sarcasm. “So, do you have a suit?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Do you have a dress?”
“I will if we go shopping.” I jumped in place.
He laughed. “Oh, now this will be an experience.”
“I'm pretty picky,” I assured him.
“Yes,” he said. “That's exactly what I'm anticipating.”
I puffed out my lower lip.
He patted me on the shoulder. “Cheer up, grasshopper. We have all day tomorrow to shop.”
“I'll be sure to clear my schedule,” I said.
“Great. We can start at the mall. They open at ten. I'll have Elka meet us there.” He said it with such confidence, as if he'd already made the plans. I couldn't help but giggle at him as I watched him leave the room.
We made it to the downtown Hyatt hotel before ten o'clock at night and grabbed our bags, making our way to the front desk. The desk clerk was a young guy with glasses too big for his face.
“Good evening, and welcome to the Hyatt. How may I help you today?” he asked with an eager smile.
Hayden quickly glanced at the clerk's name tag. “Good evening, Daniel. We are here for the Saunders-Vandelin wedding. Reservations were made under Crow. Hayden Crow.”
I whispered to myself, “Bond. James Bond.” Hayden smirked and rolled his eyes, obviously in earshot of my attempt at humor.
Daniel typed some information into the computer. His fingers moved faster than I could blink.
“Ah yes, Mr. Crow. We have you down for two nights, one room with two queen beds. Is that correct?”
“Yes, sir.” Hayden smiled and placed the credit card on the desk. “I held it under this card.”
Disappointment washed over me. My heart sank, just as my shoulders dropped. The reaction was involuntary, and it made me angry that I'd even thought we would have anything but two, separate beds. Honestly, why was I that surprised? Ugh. I could have just kicked myself for letting it bother me.
Daniel placed two key cards and the credit card onto the desk. “Okay, you are all set. The elevators are right around this corner.” He pointed to his left. “Room 1409 is straight down the hall to the right after exiting the elevator. Our breakfast bar opens at seven A.M. every morning. A receipt will be printed and slid under your door of your final morning for the rapid check-out, and if you have any other questions, please feel free to call the front desk. Thank you for choosing the Hyatt and we hope you enjoy your stay here.”
Yes, I thought, the Hyatt, where you reserve a room with two beds and get....two beds.
Hayden took the cards and grabbed our luggage. “Thank you, Daniel.”
“Sir, would you like help with your luggage?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, no. We're quite fine. Thank you,” Hayden answered, then turned to me. “Ready?”
“I can get mine.” I bent down to grab my suitcase. “It's no big deal.”
Hayden whipped it away from me and grinned. “I got it, Pony-girl. You can push the elevator buttons.”
I held onto my purse and huffed over to the elevator with Hayden in tow with the luggage. I pushed the “up” button, folded my arms and tapped my foot, not saying a word.
“Something wrong, Evika?” he asked. My foot stopped. I hadn't realized I'd been so obvious.
I didn't know what to say. I had no reason to be upset about the two-beds thing. In fact, who knows how the heck I would have felt had Hayden really reserved a room with just one bed? I'm sure I would have just been upset about that too, angry with him for assuming it was okay for us to be in the same bed together. Then, I would have wondered what his intentions were, even though my intentions would have been the same. I'm sure I would have felt a bit undermined by him. Jeez, I was being ridiculous and I was such a hypocrite.
“Nothing's wrong,” I finally answered him. “I'm just nervous about seeing everyone again. That's all.” Lie.
We proceeded into the elevator and up to the fourth floor.
“I see.” He smirked, obviously unconvinced, looking down at the elevator floor. Ugh. What did that mean? Did he know why I was really acting that way? I decided I should just put on my happy face. I was crazy for thinking the weekend would be anything other than what we had at home - two beds. In fact, we had separate rooms. Why would a hotel stay be any different?
After a silent elevator ride up to our floor, we finally headed for the room. The room was huge and actually had decent décor. The bathroom was the most impressive, sporting a stand up shower with glass doors and a jacuzzi tub with massager jets. I made a mental note to add one of those to my own bathroom at home. I was looking forward to watching the flat-screen television after we got settled in. We often liked to find some low-budget horror film on the Sy-fy channel and make fun of it.
Hayden plopped our suitcases over by the desk at the far end of the room and hung our bagged wedding attire up in the closet. I darted into the bathroom to take a quick shower and get my pajamas on, and came out to find Hayden already in his. It was uncanny how we both slept in t-shirts and flannel pants. It felt disappointing that we were already “turning in” by ten o'clock, but we'd had a long drive, and my body felt like it had been put through the ringer.
We both crawled into our separate beds to watch television, and I thought of a great ploy to get Hayden to come to my bed.
“Hayden?” I sounded whiny.
“Yeah?”
“Can you pleeeeeease rub my shoulders? Please? Please?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, but you'll owe me.”
“Owe you?” I looked at him. “Why?” He never played that card before.
He jumped out of his bed and walked over to mine. “Because I give something way better than just a shoulder rub.”
I looked at him questioningly.
He laughed and shook his head. “Just lay down. You'll see what I mean”
I laid tummy-first on the bed, facing the TV. I felt him climb onto the bed and sit on my butt, careful not to put his total weight on me. He shimmied up my shirt - something I did not expect - then ran his fingers along the waist-line of my pants, pulling them down along with my underwear to just about the top of my ass-crack.
I gasped. “Omigod, Hayden!”
“Hey, I warned you. And need I remind you? You were the one whining over here.” He chuckled. “Just relax.” He placed his warm hands on my lower back, thumbing circles up
and outward, pressing into my skin.
At that moment, I didn't care about what was on the television. I stared at it, but I couldn't even recall what I was watching. Hayden's hands roamed upward as his thumbs pressed along my spine. He massaged my shoulders and my upper arms for a few minutes, then he drifted to the sides of my torso, almost grazing my breasts with the tips of his fingers. It was invigorating, what I was feeling through his touch. And then, I had a thought.
“Hayden,” I could hardly speak with any volume, “are you doing that thing you do?”
I felt myself and the bed vibrate as he chuckled. “Nope. It's all natural right now. Why?”
“Because....this feels....so....”
“Really, really good?” he gloated.
I took a deep breath, too relaxed to speak again, but still managed to answer him. “That's an understatement.”
He continued massaging me for almost half an hour before I fell asleep, so I'm not sure when he stopped. But I remember waking up in the middle of the night to see that I was tucked in the bed, and with the illumination of the television, I could see Hayden sleeping peacefully in the other. I felt a smidgen of discouragement fall over me before falling back to sleep.
Our wake-up call was at nine, but we lay in our beds for half an hour to watch cartoons. I, again, just stared at the television, paying no attention to the channel. I lay there wondering why Hayden hadn't just stayed in the bed with me after that massage. Would that have been so wrong? I was getting so tired of myself for dwelling on that, thinking too much and wanting things that I probably shouldn't have.
The wedding was at noon. I wasn't too sure how long the ceremony was going to be, so I wanted to be sure that we ate beforehand.
“Hey, I saw a little coffee shop down there and the breakfast bar is still open. Do you want to go get something real quick?” I asked Hayden.
