by Layna Snow
It seemed like Emily agreed because she just turned her back and started walking back to Nate’s truck.
“Oh!” Tim called after, standing as he did so. “I would recommend you get another adrenaline shot pen! And try to stay away from bees in the meantime.”
Nate just muttered something, flipping the middle finger at them as he walked away.
“It was just my professional opinion. But if he isn’t concerned then I won’t be either.” Tim muttered, coming back to Melody’s side.
That brought up another good point. Caleb hadn’t noticed Nate avoiding bees. In all the time he had been here, he worked outside without a problem. He never once made a comment about his allergy.
Cay looked down at Mel, still worried that she hadn’t woken yet. “It’s alright, Caleb. It takes a while for someone to come to. See, she’s breathing peacefully now, and didn’t hit her head,” Tim explained, standing up to look towards where Nate and Em drove off. “I guess this would be a bad time to suggest bringing her to some friends of mine who are doctors?” When Caleb glared at him, Tim laughed dryly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
The events of the day were starting to sink in. Melody could have died, and someone he knew was responsible.
17
Seth walked across the room before turning around the make the trek back to the other side. His mind circling possibilities.
Nate had the opportunity to poison Melody’s water. He could have easily put something into the water bottle after he realized that Melody removed hers.
Seth could see it in his head, the different situations. Nate, putting a tablet into the bottle before putting it back. Nate, placing a water bottle with a liquid drug into the cooler.
He remembered that Nate had also stepped into Tim, causing him to knock over the cooler, mixing up the bottles.
It would be possible for him to doctor the water with something that could harm her.
The question was why. He had no reason to dislike Melody. Nate did not know her enough to want to cause her pain. He would not gain anything by her death.
But of course, she did not die. He had an adrenaline shot with him. He had the cure that would ensure that she did not die. Which left them with another problem. How did he know that Melody would be allergic to whatever he put in the bottle?
Melody was an Angel. She healed quickly and most likely had a different physiology. She would not have the same response to environmental stimulus. Her body had attacked itself when her ear was pierced, but that was the only reaction that he knew about, until now.
Were the two instances related?
“Seth, calm down. Sit.” A voice—Cay’s—requested, but Seth was too caught up in his train of thought.
The only thing that linked the two was Emily. She had asked Mel to get her ears pierced. She had been there and noticed the reaction. She might have told Nate the tale. He would know that Melody’s system rejected the silver. Was that what was in the water? Silver? Had Ian been right?
“Please, man? Stop pacing! Mel is fine. She’s just sleeping now. Tim even felt comfortable leaving!”
What would be the use of poisoning Melody, only to give her the cure? That was what bothered Seth. He didn’t understand why he would do that. Nate wasn’t a doctor. He didn’t have anything to gain by this little test. Did he wonder if she healed as quickly from this as she had when she cut her finger?
“Seth! Stop it now! Your pacing is driving me bat-shit-crazy!”
A strong hand grabbed Seth’s arm, startling him from his thought. His first reaction was to punch whoever was touching him, a response from when he was younger. But he knew that voice, instinctively knew that it was Caleb. It wasn’t a threat.
Seth halted his motion, turning his head to look at his best friend. Caleb looked just as tired and desperate as he did. His light hair was dishevelled, his eyes underlined in dark circles. Seth knew that he must be exhausted and worried. He knew that Cay wanted to solve this as much as he did. But that wasn’t what Cay was good at.
Logic was Seth’s area of expertise. It was what he was good for in their friendship. Seth fixed problems, found and weighed solutions. Seth was creative in his ways to deal with things. He wasn’t kind, or polite, or understanding. He didn’t listen to people cry and moan. He wasn’t the person that Cay was.
No, Cay might be Melody’s boyfriend—the one she turned to when she was upset, or when she needed someone to love her—but Seth could do this for them. He could find out who was targeting Melody and he could deal with them. He owed it to her.
“Get some sleep, Cay. You won’t be any help if she wakes up and you start speaking gibberish.” Seth said, looking at his friend in a way that he hadn’t in a long time. Caleb was hurting. He wasn’t upset because his favourite bar closed down or because his date cancelled. This was real fear and heartache. He was coming to the reality that someone he loved had almost died.
And now Caleb shook his head, his tired eyes pleading. “I can’t. I will just see her fall again. I need to be here, to know that she’s alright. I can’t sleep yet, not until she’s awake.”
Seth understood. He didn’t want to sleep either. He didn’t want to shut his eyes and visualize her chest, unmoving, her heart so still. He couldn’t rest while she was still unconscious.
“Alright. Let’s do something to keep our minds off of the situation then.” Seth offered, knowing that was what Caleb needed at the moment.
Cay nodded and led him to the kitchen table. They both sat where they could see Melody asleep on the couch, her body relaxed in sleep and her chest rising and falling slowly.
“Do you remember the first time Cecilia made you oatmeal apple pancakes?” Seth asked, trying to remind Cay of some pleasant memories.
“Oh yeah! It was the first Sunday I was there. She cooked them and made us sit and eat them.”
“She didn’t have to make me. I loved those things. You did too, you were just being stubborn.” Seth corrected.
“Well yeah. I just wanted to go home. I didn’t want some weird lady trying to buy me with food.”
Seth smiled. Cecilia was always smart. She might not have been well educated but she had realized early on that the way to their hearts was through their stomachs. She had made sure that Seth came home on time by promising pie. She had convinced them to do their homework by bribing them with cookies. And it had worked. It showed that she cared, and Seth had loved her for that.
“It worked, though. You ate half the pancakes! I had to give some of mine to Cecilia so that she wouldn’t have to make more!”
The memory was a good one. It was the first time that Cay had accepted them, the first time that he actually ate at the table. He had been brooding for that first week, but after eating the breakfast, he started to open up more.
“Yeah well I wasn’t the one who ran away. Yeah, she told me about that. You were a troublemaker before I got there!” Caleb said, his joy evident in his response.
Seth shook his head. He had been a bad child. His mother never cared about what he did so he often hung around with the wrong crowd. Cecilia put a stop to that quickly. Just like she put a stop to Caleb’s hissy fit. She could never really keep him out of trouble though. Trouble seemed to be Cay’s calling in life.
“Do you really want to discuss who gave her more distress? You were the one who came home drunk when you were fifteen. I thought that Cecilia would beat you right then. And you had different colour lip marks on your face and clothes!”
Caleb nodded, his smile cocky and pleased. “Oh yeah, the Bickerson sisters. That was a good night.”
Seth could only laugh. Cay had been very comfortable with the ladies, even early on. Seth had some interesting experiences with women too, but he didn’t talk about them. They didn’t matter.
He didn’t feel anything towards those girls. He had seen them as experience, as if they had owed him for the problems that life handed him. It wasn’t until Cecilia had a talk with him that he realized
that women deserved more respect; that he deserved more. He also realized that he was letting her down. He would never let someone down like that again.
“You really care about her, don’t you? She’s not just another girlfriend to you.” Seth said, not bothering to phrase it as a question.
Caleb just nodded, not needing to ask in order to know who Seth was talking about.
“Yeah. Melody is really special. She seems to just get me, always trying to make sure that I’m good. And her curiosity about life is infectious. I didn’t realize how much I’ve overlooked. I mean, I’m sure other girls are great…but I’ve never gotten to know any of them. Never let them get to close but she just burrowed under my skin and refused let me overlook her. She just is who she is, a girl with a great heart and a smokin’ body! And her sassiness is great too. “
Surprisingly, Seth had to agree. He pretended to be annoyed with her arrogance, and at first he was, but now he thought it was somewhat cute—not that he would have ever imagined that he would describe someone like that! He liked that she kept him on his toes, always asking questions. She often did things that made him laugh—something he hadn’t been able to do in a while.
But for all that she gave him, he gave nothing in return. He wasn’t made the same way that Cay was. He couldn’t be the boyfriend he would want to be. And for that, he would keep his distance. She was Cay’s. He deserved her.
As if reading his mind, the object of their fascination and worry stirred. She stretched one arm above her head, her body bowing languidly. The small groan she made went straight to his dick, as did the sight of her arched body.
She would be awake soon, and Seth felt the need to know that she was alright.
Without thinking, he stood and walked over to her, kneeling down beside her to run a hand over her head. Her lips were back to normal, and he had a feeling that her tongue would be as well. She had started breathing better after they got her inside. She had moved into a restful sleep just before Tim had left.
Seth ran his hand down her cheek, feeling for temperature as much as he was simply enjoying the warmth of her skin. It was so smooth, so soft, he couldn’t make himself stop. He didn’t want to.
Mel stretched again, nuzzling into his hand, her lips pulling into a contented smile. A sound of bliss escaping her curved lips.
Seth smiled down at her, happy that she was feeling good enough to smile. Glad that she seemed to like his touch. He didn’t care about consequences at that moment. He was just enjoying himself.
“Cay?” she asked, continuing her graceful stretch. And jolting Seth out of his desires.
He quickly moved his hand back, pushing up and away from the couch in order to let Caleb in. The other man shot him a concerned look before going to his girlfriend’s side. And Seth just felt like an outsider.
He couldn’t stay here any longer. He had to do something. Had to get rid of this frustrated energy. He had to go to the gym.
Without looking back, Seth grabbed his gym clothes and went downstairs. He didn’t need to see their happy relief, their cuddling and kisses. That would just remind him that he wanted to be there too, holding her and comforting her.
18
Fuck, fuck, fuck! Was life always this dramatic? Caleb held Melody’s hand, stroking his thumb along the back of her hand. Fix one problem, get another. Life sure is a bitch.
“What happened?” Melody asked, her voice strained. “Wait. Can I have water?”
Caleb nodded and stood to quickly get her a glass. He knew that she must be thirsty. She hadn’t drunken anything since her anaphylactic shock. Her throat must still hurt.
Bringing it back, he manoeuvered her so she was leaning against his chest. She took a long sip before putting the glass back on the table. “Did something happen at the game? I remember part of it, but it seems part of the day is unaccounted for. Did someone take out my memory?”
If the situation wasn’t so dire, he would have laughed. Or kissed her. She was just so cute.
“No, nothing like that. There was something in your water that made you sick. You lost consciousness.” He said, unsure of how to phrase it so that she would understand. Seth was good at this shit.
“Oh! Where did you find it?”
Caleb could only shake his head. This was not going well. “It’s not something you find. It... well you couldn’t breathe anymore, and when you don’t breathe you can no longer be aware of.. well things.”
Melody leaned back against him, tipping her head up to look him in the eye. “Why wouldn’t I breathe? Was it because of the conversation? I did feel unwell when Emily told me that I should… Oh! I forgot to apologize! I am really sorry. I did not mean to break your chest—at least that’s what I think she called it.”
This time he did laugh. He shook so hard that he had to wrap his arms around Mel to make sure that she didn’t fall off the couch. “You didn’t break my heart. I mean, you did terrify me when you passed out, but that wasn’t your fault. That was Nate.” he said, leaning in to press his lips gently against hers. He didn’t want to pressure her, besides, it felt nice to brush her lips with his. But he almost lost the chance. Nate almost killed her. If it was Nate. But really, who else could it be? Ian? That was almost laughable. Though, this wasn’t a laughing matter.
Just the thought was enough to make Cay angry. Why the hell did it have to be Nate? They had fucking trusted him, letting him in the house and around Mel. He was dating their friend. He was becoming a friend.
Fuck!
Cay shook his head. He really needed to get more creative with his curses. If he was going to get pissed off this often he had to do it well.
“Nate got me sick?” Mel asked, interrupting his thoughts.
Damn, he didn’t want to have this conversation. He didn’t know how to tell her about what happened, didn’t know how to explain allergies to her. He needed Seth for that, but of course Seth had stomped off.
“We’ll talk about that later. How are you feeling?” She seemed mostly back to normal, he hoped that was true.
“I feel fine. Thirsty still.” She said, eyeing the water.
“Drink some more then,” he suggested.
Mel shook her head, looking away from the glass. “It didn’t work at the game. It just made my throat itchy.”
“Kitten, that won’t happen with this water. I promise. There was something in the water before, something that made you feel that way. This will be different. Please drink.” The last thing he needed was for her to get dehydrated. Though, shit, that might scare Seth out of his self-imposed exile.
She grumbled something under her breath and got the glass again, this time drinking half the glass down.
“Cay… don’t get mad but I need to ask you a question. Where is Seth?”
Why would he be upset? He didn’t care if she asked about Seth. He was actually glad that she seemed to be interested in knowing where he was. She had avoided him for the past few days. She wouldn’t even look at him when Cay was around.
Did Seth say something stupid?
“He’s in the basement.”
Mel looked away, a sadness in her eyes. Had she hoped that Seth was here? “He waited here until you woke. He was actually the one who was beside you when you asked for me.”
“Oh, so he left? Why?”
“Damn now that’s a loaded question. I don’t know. I think he was upset that you wanted me. He’s having a hard time figuring out what he wants.”
Mel tilted her head, a little like a curious puppy. “Is this about me?” She asked. Then seemed to catch herself. Her eyes got wider, and she looked guilty. “Oh no! I didn’t mean to suggest that he would want me. I am sorry. I’m not supposed to mention that. I didn’t remember. Please don’t be angry.” She pleaded, turning her body into his as if that would distract him.
Of course the feel of her breasts pressing against his chest was a hell of a distraction. He would have taken full advantage of her lips so close to his if he wasn’t worried
about her fucking health. Oh, and the fact that she had some fucked up ideas as to what would make him mad.
“What are you talking about, Kitten? I don’t care if you ask about Seth. I’m actually happy that you care if he likes you. I’m the one who invited him into the relationship.” In fact he was running out of excuses to push them together. Fuck, yesterday he had actually stayed late to do extra work so that Seth would have to eat alone with her, before taking extra time at the shitty bar, getting hit on by women who weren’t Melody, so that they would spend more time together. At least this time he didn’t get drunk!
“But… you aren’t angry at me? Then why haven’t you tried to engage in intercourse with me?”
Cay didn’t think he heard that right. No, that couldn’t be what she said. “What?” Hearing it again didn’t change the fucking words. “I wasn’t avoiding having sex with you! Hell, I’d have jumped you ten times by now but that wouldn’t be right. We need to talk. Should have talked before. And I didn’t want to distance Seth further. He really should be in this with us.”
“But,” she started, confusion colouring her words, “it isn’t fair to be in a relationship with more than one person. I watched a show about it this morning—Jerry Springer. I also looked it up on the interweb last night. The google told me that a relationship is between one male and one female… although now it is acceptable for same genders to be together. How does that happen?”
“Umm.” He didn’t really know what to tell her. He did not want to explain gay sex to her. She’d want specific details and he really didn’t want to go into all that. “That doesn’t really matter. You don’t need to know that right now. Let’s get back to the relationship thing. It is fair to me. It wouldn’t be fair if you were doing it without me knowing.”
Mel shook her head, confusion plain on her face. “That didn’t seem to make the couples of the show happy. The tiny blonde woman attacked her boyfriend!”