Twelve Part Two
I made my way back to the room, glancing at the clock on my phone. Crap. I was going to have to deal with Kitty's questions, and the boys were probably still in the room. When I opened the door, I was, as expected, assaulted by hundreds of questions from Kitty. I really didn't feel like answering. My mind was still stuck on Stitch, and the whole evening with him. Cam sat brooding in the corner, and Jay stood idly by his side.
“Laela! Are you even listening to me?” Kitty cried, waving her arms dramatically in front of my face.
“No, sorry. I was just... thinking.” I admitted, walking like a zombie from the kitchen to my room.
I shut the door on them, and fell onto my bed. They stayed away for a while, but I heard my door creak open some time later, and instinctively curled into a tight ball, giving the “go away” signal. It didn't work; the bed shifted as if felt someone sit at the end of it.
“Laela,” Kitty said quietly, “I'm sorry for overreacting... forgive me?”
I thought about just ignoring her, but what would that do? She hadn't done anything wrong, and I was the one that was being a pain. I glanced over my shoulder at her sitting at the end of my bed, Cam and Jay flanking her sides, all of them watching me with worry in their eyes. I nodded at Kitty, and she smiled.
“We were just worried about you. We didn't know if you guys were okay, or where you had gone. And you seemed upset, so I... did he hurt you?”
There was an immense silence. I didn't know how to answer. He hadn't hurt me physically, but somehow I felt hurt. His anger that had suddenly turned on me had hurt me. I didn't even know what I had done to deserve something like that. And that note. It was what had made him angry, but he wouldn't tell me what it was, or even who it was from. Tension filled the air as they waited for my answer.
“No,” I said finally, hearing an audible sigh of relief from all of them. “He didn't do anything.”
“Good... so what did you guys do?”
I sat up and looked at them. Cam had a dark expression on his face, glaring at me over the bridge of his nose. I flinched backward, and he noticed, changing his expression immediately.
“He took me to see the London Eye all lit up. He said it was a waste not to see it if we were already so close. So, we took a detour to see it.” I told them.
Cam eyed me suspiciously. “That's it? Why were you gone so long? The Eye isn't too far from the school.” he asked, watching me closely.
“Did you guys walk around?” Jay followed up closely.
I was starting to feel cornered. “What are you guys getting at? If you have something you want to know, ask it. Don't beat around the bush. I hate when people do that.”
Kitty straightened up. “Did he kiss you?”
I swallowed hard and felt my cheeks flush. Thankfully I was sitting in the dark corner of the room, and they couldn't see my blush. “No.” Even when the words came out of my mouth I sounded unsure about what had happened. Cam looked relieved, and his whole demeanor changed. No, Stitch hadn't kissed me, but we were so close. I had stopped it. He would have kissed me if I had let him. I know he would have. “We didn't kiss. We just walked around and looked at the lights and the shops around the river. That's all, I promise.”
Kitty gave me the “we're having a girl pow-wow later” look and left with the boys. I waited for them to leave and shut the door before kicking my shoes off and heading to the shower. I needed to clear my head. No. I needed to call Tony, and tell him I loved him. He was my forever. We had promised that. I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed his number. He picked up on the fifth ring.
“Hey babe, what's up?” he asked.
I smiled at his voice, feeling tears sting my eyes. “Tony I miss you.” I admitted, a tear slipping down my cheek. “I want to be back home where it's not so confusing.”
“Aww, baby, what's wrong?”
“It's just so confusing here! I don't know how I'm supposed to survive here away from my friends and family, and away from you. It's not fair Tony, what did I do to get sent out here!” My tears had started falling now, and I cried over the phone. “I want to be back home where everything is familiar and i'm not constantly bombarded by new information and customs and people, and all their stupid... everything! Tony.... I don't know what to do with myself!”
He sighed. “I'm sorry, baby, I wish I could come save you. I would bring you home and you could live with me, but I think your father would kill me. Is there someone up there that's bothering you?”
Several people actually. But I wasn't going to tell him that the boys here were my problem. That made me sound even more pathetic sitting here and crying about it to him. But that wasn't my only problem. I needed to tell someone that I was thinking I was beginning to go crazy. I would wake in the middle of the night from a vivid dream of some sort of alternate existence and I was feeling like I had lived hundreds of lives with the same person. That person just so happened to go to the school that I had just started, and he had nearly kissed me tonight. I felt so right when I was with him, like nothing could stop me, and that he and I were made for each other. I had begun comparing my “relationship” with Stitch to my actual relationship with my boyfriend in America. I was losing sleep over it. I couldn't sleep without a dream waking me. All my dreams were about him. Everything I did these days involved him in some way or another. But telling Tony all of this wouldn't help with my relationship problems. It's hard enough to keep up a long distance relationship, and telling him I was having dreams about another boy—whom I had just met—would kill our relationship.
“No... well not really. They're just... overly interested in me.” I said. It was the truth. Well, half of it anyway. “I don't know what to do. I don't have you here to keep me out of their sights. I miss you. Tony I... I love you.”
“I love you too, Laela.” I could hear his smile while he spoke. “I miss you too. It's not the same here without you. Everyone feels it. We all wish you could come back. Any of us would take you in in an instant, and you know it.”
I smiled through my tears. I wanted to tell him I was coming home next week, but I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. “Thank you, hun. That makes me feel loads better.”
“That's what I'm here for. I love you.” there was some inaudible noise in the background and Tony sighed. “Sorry, I've got to go help my mom with dinner preparation for tomorrow. Shoot you a text when I get the chance. Love you.”
“'Kay, love you.” I had a hard time smiling while I shut the phone.
I glanced up at the clock. I had an hour before Rush would call. It wasn't unusual for Tony to help his mom with dinner at four on most days. They ate a lot. Big Italian families always did. Most of the time I would eat with them, and now I found myself missing Bambi's cooking. She was always so kind to me from the first time Tony took me home to meet his family. She had been so extatic that Tony had found a “bellissima giovane donna.” I loved helping her prepare meals. It was something Tony and I did most afternoons before we did our homework. A knot in my stomach tightened and my longing for home increased. Rush's call would only make it worse. I missed that loveable giant. Suddenly my door opened again and I heard Kitty whispering my name loudly.
“I'm in here,” I moaned, swiping at my wet cheeks with the backs of my hands.
She took one look at me and knew there was something terribly wrong.
“Tell me exactly what happened tonight. This doesn't look like a 'nothing' to me.” Kitty said, dropping to her knees where I had collapsed against the wall. “I'm here to listen.”
Another wave of tears rushed down my cheeks. “Nothing happened. Really. I'm just missing home. And... well... Stitch and I nearly... we nearly kissed, but nothing happened. I stopped it before it started. And then... we got back to his bike and there was this note. I don't know what it said, but it made him really angry. I thought we were going to die with the way he was driving; don't ride with him if he's angry.” she chuckled, and I smiled. “He was so upset. I didn't try to read the note, but he ripped it to pieces in the elevator. I was afraid of him for a brief moment.” I paused to hiccup a sob. “The dreams are getting worse Kitty. They aren't just dreams. It's like I'm living theme now.”
She stared at me, drinking in all the information before saying anything. “So he tried to kiss you, but you wouldn't let him, and then he found this note. It made him... you said angry, but I sense more like furious. He wouldn't shift moods so quickly if whatever was on the note hadn't gotten under his skin more than normal. He's just not that kind of guy. I've known Stitch since primary school. I consider him to be one of my best friends.” she paused, watching me, and then glanced up to the ceiling as if she could see through the floor. “Do you want me to talk to him?”
I curled my legs against my chest, staring at her over the top of my knees. She didn't say anything, just watched and waited for an answer. After a space of silence, her phone rang loudly, echoing off the walls of the bathroom. She jumped, clamping her hand over her leg before fishing it out of her pocket. She looked at the screen, and then at me a sort of nervousness about it.
“Go ahead.” I mumbled, “I'm expecting a call soon anyway.”
She nodded and rushed out of the room faster than I had ever seen her go before. She answered in a hasty whisper, and her voice was lost around the corner as I thought I heard her say Stitch's name. With a sigh I slid the rest of the way down the wall until I was laying, curled up, on the floor against the door of the shower. I stayed like that for a long time, just staring at the cabinets across the room from me. My phone buzzed against the linoleum; I reached out and pressed the speaker button.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Heya Laela!” Rush's voice filled the room. “How you doing little darlin'?”
“Not so good, but that's not what this phone call is for. It's for you. How was your day?”
Grainy silence filled the room for a time. “Same ol' same ol'...” he paused hesitantly. “No major... changes.”
I glared at the phone. Why did I get the feeling that everyone back home was hiding something? First, Tony had been weird when he called a few days ago, and now he's suddenly cheery and normal again. Then, I get Rush—one who normally tells me everything I ever wanted to know—acting nervous and secretive. Something was wrong.
“What aren't you telling me, Rush?” My voice went sharp with accusation.
More silence. “Nothing, nothing you don't already know.” he said.
What did I know? I wasn't sure, but I wasn't going to push it. “How was practice?”
He sighed, seeming grateful for the subject change. “Tough, we're getting a new coach soon, and he's been coming to practices now and then, and the man is crazy. I swear, I've never wanted to die at the end of practice, but lately, I've wanted to more than once.” he chuckled. “O'fah and I could hardly stand after the workout today.”
“O'fah? Really, that surprises me. He's super ripped.” I thought of the Samoan boy on the football team. He was always the strongest defender, with Rush coming in close second. But thinking of O'fah not being able to stand was something unheard of. He pushed himself hard during his own workouts, so this coach must have been crazy. “It must have been bad then.”
“You have no idea. Some of the team idiots decided that they would go out and smoke a joint or two before practice today, not a smart move. Mostly because they got caught, and they sucked majorly. Coach kicked them off, so we're picking up two of the Juniors from JV to fill their place. Kai and Jason are the ones that Coach wants. But, of course it's not really his team anymore, so he doesn't have much of a say.” He sighed heavily. “I just hope that the new guy can see in those two what Coach sees in them now.” There was someone speaking in the background gruffly. “O'fah and Xavier say, and I quote, “Tell sexy face we say 'hello' and that 'we love her.'” ”
I started laughing. “Well tell my lovelies that I love them too. Miss them immensely, and wish they would call me too instead of making you do it for them.” I heard him relay my message to the boys, and listened to their retort and found myself laughing again. I missed the boys on the team. I had, as Rush had pointed out, been adopted onto the team as something of an advice therapist of sorts. “Is there anything else you want to talk about, Rush?”
“Only how much I miss you, and wish you had been mine and not Tony's.” he sighed.
I sucked in a breath and trapped it in my throat. My night just kept getting weirder. Rush had been my best friend since elementary school. I had always known him, and watched as he went through girlfriend after girlfriend, and came to me after every one, knowing I would be a friend and comfort him. I had always thought our relationship was perfect, but now it seemed like it wasn't enough, or at least he thought it wasn't. I had always been able to see myself with Rush, and often people would see us together, and hardly knowing us at all, tell us that we were a cute couple. He would always laugh it off, but I got embarrassed. When I met Tony, everything changed, but our friendship was still the same, if not stronger. Rush had always shared his secrets, and the juicy tidbits of his dates with me, and I sat, listening, but somehow jealous, and only now did I realize why. I did like Rush. He was an amazing kid, and any girl would be lucky to have him. But I also realized why his relationships never worked out. He was caught on me.
“Rush... I... I don't know what to say.” I stammered.
“Promise you'll give me a chance. That's all I want. A chance, and if it doesn't work out, then hey, at least we tried, right?” he sounded hopeful.
What was I supposed to say? I was still with Tony. I couldn't break up with Tony on the off chance that my relationship with Rush would be better. It was insane. But... I could promise him a chance. It didn't have to be immediate.
“Alright, deal.” I said, “I'll give you the chance when the time comes.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Rush, hun, I'm in a different country. Don't know if you noticed,” I laughed, and he laughed as well. “That's what it means.”
“Fair enough. Well, I should let you go, don't want to keep you up too late.”
I smiled, yawning and realizing how exhausted I was. “Thank you,” I whispered. “Night, Rush.”
“Good night, sexy face.” I could hear his smirk as he hung up.
With a deep sigh I found myself sinking into the floor, my eyes getting heavy, and then there was black.
“I've heard she and that man have been seeing each other more often now.” the voice of an older woman floated through the bookshelves I stood next to. I pressed my ear to the books, curious to hear more. “It's just not right for a young woman of her position. She's a charlatan. I've heard the family business is going under, but she hasn't told him yet.”
“You don't say!” exclaimed another woman. “That poor man. She's going to lead him right into a trap, and he'll have to support her extravagant lifestyle because she'll never change.”
“I've heard,” cut in the voice of a younger woman. “that she's been sleeping with him.”
There was a uniform gasp, and a shift in the chairs and fabric of many dresses. I contemplated moving a few of the books on the shelf to get a look at the gossipers, but a hand on my shoulder pulled me away.
“Miss Fairbanks, your father is looking for you.” An elderly gentleman said.
I had seen him when I arrived this evening. He must have been one of the butlers. I nodded politely at him, and exited the library in front of him, holding my head high and back erect. My eyes wandered around the hallway looking at the paintings and sculptures that were present, and when I reached the top of the grand staircase, I looked down it, keeping my chin high as my nurse had taught me since the day my mother died. I was beautiful. I needed to always present myself at my best, and now, after listening to the women in the library, I wasn't sure what my best was.
My father waited for me at the base of the stairs, chatting with another man at the party. I glanced around the room, searching for him again. I had been hiding out in the library between looking for him, and now it seemed like he wasn't going to arrive. Walking with my head high, I made my way down the steps toward my father. The man he was talking to was young, and attractive; he smiled up at me as I approached, his blonde hair shining under the light. Politely I returned his smile, nodding slightly. I knew my father was searching out prospective suitors. He was anxious for me to be married off, but I had a different plan for myself. I was running away. I was running to somewhere that corsets didn't exist, there was no such thing as proper manners, and stupid women didn't gossip about me.
“Darling, we're leaving. I've sent for the coach.” my father said firmly.
I bit my lip to keep from saying something rude. “But father, the night is still young. Why would you want to leave so early? I've hardly had a dance yet. My card isn't full.” I was making excuses to stay. Anything to see him.
He chuckled, his cheeks turning red. He had been drinking. “I am an old man my dear. Parties such as these tire me.”
“Perhaps you could go ahead, and Anna will stay with me. You can send the coach back for us in an hour.”
The young man chuckled. “Quite a lively one, Mr. Fairbanks. And indeed as beautiful as you described. If you aren't opposed, I could bring her home. My father and mother are with me, I assure you she will be in good company, sir.”
My father shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Hmm, I suppose I could leave her with you Mr. Lockewood, she is in need of decent company these days.” he agreed, nodding to our butler who brought his coat.
He kissed me on the cheek and wished me a good night. I watched him go, standing at Mr. Lockewood's side. When my father had left, Mr. Lockewood's bright blue eyes were smiling down at me. He held out a hand politely.
“If you don't mind, I would ask that I have the pleasure of dancing with you this evening.” he said, smiling.
I linked my arm through his, glancing once again around the ballroom. “Certainly,” I replied, following as he lead me onto the immense floor.
Couples danced around us in uniform, and it didn't take long before we joined up. We swayed with the crowd, dancing exactly as they did. Mr. Lockewood told me of his father's business and what they did, and I had to strain to keep myself from yawning. As we danced, and other men cut in here and there, I was stolen away after a song by a strong pair of arms that I had longed to feel all evening.
“Sorry I didn't arrive sooner, Miss Fairbanks.” he said, smiling down at me with perfect emerald eyes.
My cheeks flushed. “But you're here now, and that's all that matters. You've saved me from a dance with that awful Mr. Grennivitch.” I told him, attempting to do my best at a glare. “He's been asking my father for my hand since the beginning of last month, and every chance he gets to dance with me, he takes. I've spotted his name on my dance card five times this evening.”
He chuckled, leading me around the dance floor. “Then I suppose I should have arrived earlier to entreat your father for your hand.”
My footing slipped, and I fell into his arms. I could hear the tittering laughs of the younger girls at the tables with their nurses. My face burned.
“Excuse me? Are you meaning to tell me you wish to seek my hand in marriage?” I asked, straightening up, and dancing gracefully again.
He nodded, and lead me off the dance floor and out onto into the gardens where we could be alone. When he was certain we couldn't be seen, he put his hand on my cheek, caressing it with his thumb.
“Laila, I've loved you since the moment I saw you, and I only hope you can love me someday too.” he told me. “I know this is completely out of line, but may I steal a kiss from those lips?”
My heart raced. “You have my permission to steal a kiss whenever you please.” I said, speaking before I had time to think.
He smiled. “I'll hold you to that.”
He leaned forward, and his lips met mine, and the world exploded with color and heat. When he pulled away, I lost my strength, falling into his arms. He held me close, saying nothing.
“Everard...” I mumbled into his chest.
I heard his tears. “Laelais.” His arms buried me into his chest. “Stay with me forever. Forget this. We can find a way to destroy the curse. I will kill him. I promise you I will.”
Oh... OH!! It was Vance, wasn't it? THAT JERK! He put a stupid curse on them and now they... that sucks.
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