Well, I promised you an update with Perfect Strangers, so here it is. Not as long as usual, but I kinda hit a roadblock there at the end of the chapter. I couldn't remember for the life of myself where I wanted to go with that. But, I'm working through it, and I promise that I'll get going on the next chapter again soon. School is putting a real damper on my writing time. And every time I get on the computer I seem to get distracted by Doctor Who, so..... yeah.
Enjoy.
Chapter Twenty Five
I looked at Stitch, the voice wasn't his either. I knew his voice, and had—still not sure why—heard his voice in my head before, and this one was different. It was definitely masculine, but not one I recognized. Who did it belong to? Stitch's finger was still under my chin, and he was looking at me more intensely now. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as his free hand slipped around my waist and pulled me into him. Everything about the feel of his body against mine felt right, familiar, comfortable, but I hadn't a clue why. Only people who had been together for years felt like this. I had only known him for a month, there was no reason for me to be feeling like this. My thoughts were scrambled when I felt Stitch's lips against mine. My body ignited in a frenzy of feelings, my mind raced, and I felt gravity tilt again. I moved closer to him, pressing myself against his lean hard muscles, reveling in the sensation of it all. His hand moved to the back of my neck, gathering my damp hair into his hand. It felt like time had stopped when he kissed me, and I could have been standing like that with him for an eternity, and when he released me, I came crashing back into the present. Our breath mingled in the air between us, his forehead against mine, staring into each other's eyes.
“Do you remember now?” he whispered.
“Remember last night? No, but I'm sure if we go at it again, I'll remember.” I joked, giggling.
He sighed, his shoulders dropping. He turned away from me, stepping across the room. “I don't understand. This never happens.” he muttered to himself.
I stared at his back, feeling guilty for ruining the moment. He continued to speak quietly to himself, so low I could hardly hear what he was saying. I glanced at myself in the mirror. My hair had started to frizz. Stitch didn't notice me leave the room and grab the moose from my bathroom; quickly I ran the product through my hair, defining my curls, and eliminating the frizz—for the most part. When I came back, Stitch was sitting on my bed, staring at the doorway.
“Nothing? Really, you don't remember?” he asked, sounding suddenly weary.
“Remember what, Stitch?” He was starting to worry me.
He sighed, and whispered so low I had to strain to hear it. “Us...”
Sitting down at my dresser, I began to do my makeup, and in an attempt to change the subject, I asked, “This morning Kitty called me, Laelais.” I watched his head jerk up, his eyes wide, staring at me. “Do you know where she heard that name?”
He sighed again. “No,”
“It startled me when she said it.”
“Why?” Suddenly he sounded hopeful. His mood swings were frightening me.
“I've been having these... dreams since I moved to England. In every dream, I'm not addressed as Laela, well sometimes it's a variation of my name, but I'm also called Laelais, but only by...”
“By?” he pressed, his eyes twinkling.
“By you. Except your name isn't Stitch either... It's Everard. Which is a weird name if you ask me.” I waved my blush brush in the air.
He was silent for a long time. “When did these dreams start?” he asked.
“When you gave me that necklace, why?”
“No reason; we should get out to the guest house, we can't make the others wait forever.” he said, standing up so abruptly, I felt as if I had whiplash.
“Oh, uh, yeah...” I said stupidly, finishing my make up.
Together, the two of us went to the guest house, and found everyone sitting in the living room watching tv without a care in the world. Cam lounged on the couch, spreading himself lazily and making room for no one. When we entered the room, everyone looked up, and Cam automatically stiffened upon seeing Stitch. I wondered what had happened after I left the room the other day; Cam seemed extremely on edge. His eyes narrowed into a glare and the room chilled. My skin tingled as goosebumps crawled up my arms. A strange sensation washed over me, making my insides feel like they were on fire for a moment, but then it was gone. I felt as if someone had done something to physically alter the environment around me, I could sense that something had just happened, but didn't know what it was. I glanced quickly around the room to find the source of my unease, but couldn't find any.
“You okay, Laela?” Cam asked.
“Oh,” I gasped. The disturbance was suddenly clear. It had come from Cam, I knew it. I could feel it. But what was it? “I'm fine, yes. Sorry.”
“Don't apologize, there's no need.” He smiled, and then Stitch moved out of the corner of my eye. “What's the plan?”
Smiling, I pushed the strange feeling to the back of my mind and focused on the present. “We're going to one of my favorite places that hasn't been completely destroyed by what happened with Tony. I've always loved going there, ever since I was little. You actually get to go to two of my favorite places today. So, without further adieu, let's go.”
I turned and left the house, heading straight for the garage. Luckily, my car was big enough for all five of us. When we entered the garage, Stitch smiled, eying my car under the tarp. I stepped up to it, turning to face the others.
“This, while it isn't really a place, per say, is one of my favorite places to be. It's my escape from the everyday.” I pulled the tarp off as if revealing an ancient treasure.
As expected, the boys lit up instantly, and babbled loudly about how amazing the car was, and how jealous of me they were. They approached it quickly, Stitch staying at a distance since the car hadn't proved such a joy the second time, hovering over the car, but never touching it. Kitty smiled and admired it from a distance, standing by Stitch's side. While the boys admired the car, I slipped around to the drivers side and stepped in. With this, the others quickly piled in, Cam fighting—and winning—for the front seat. Jay Kitty and Stitch slipped into the back. When the engine roared, Cam and Jay shivered, smiles creeping across their faces.
“Jay, you act like it's Christmas,” Kitty said, staring at her boyfriend with a look of concern. “It's just a car.”
“It's not just any car, Kitty. This is a 1969 Dodge Charger. Classic muscle cars of America, and this one seems to be in prefect working condition. It's a collector's item Kitty. This—this is like sitting on a deposit of gold.” he said, breathlessly. “I can die happy now.”
“This is all it takes to make you happy enough to die? Jay, that's sad.”
I giggled; those two were just so cute. As I watched them through the rearview mirror, I caught Stitch's eye. He smiled and winked at me making my heart flutter. Though not the quietest drive, Cam asked where we were going at least twenty times, I enjoyed sharing it with my friends. We rolled up to the gate, after having driven well into the more lush parts of the area, and I handed the gate keeper a five dollar bill.
“Welcome to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.” I said. “I know you guys probably think this is a weird place to consider one of your favorites, but I love just being out in nature and having a good time! My family used to come here every weekend. There was always something new to see.”
I parked the car, and we all stepped out.
“I'm going to get eaten alive.” Kitty said, her voice was flat, clearly unamused. “You didn't tell me I needed to wear sleeves.”
I glanced back at her. She was wearing a bright purple halter and white shorts with gladiator sandals. She had a point. I probably should have warned her. I smiled apologetically, it seemed like all I could do at this point, and then tossed her the bug spray. I wasn't dressed much better, but I had been here so many times, it didn't seem any different to me. Giving them a second to douse themselves in bug spray, I practically skipped off into the lush trail, humming to myself. I took in a deep breath, and my whole body felt reguvinated as if the air had cleared away all the awful feelings and confusion. I had clarity of mind, and suddenly I realized something. The air felt... tangible. Like I could reach out and grab it. I stopped in my tracks, staring at the path ahead of me, expecting to be able to see the air, but I couldn't. I spun in a circle, nearly toppling to the ground, trying to figure out what was different. Nothing looked like it had changed. Sure, it was humid, but it was always humid. I had grown up in it, I was used to humidity. But why did this feel different?
The others had stopped behind me a few steps, staring at me strangely.
“Is this what you come here to do?” Jay asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
The looks from the others were different.
They looked at me as if they knew what was happening. What I was feeling. Why I was feeling this way, and I wanted to know too.
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