by Joshua Laack
Chapter 25
It was almost eight when Andrew parked on the street and headed into the house. There were no fancy cars parked anywhere that he could see, but that didn't mean anything. More often than not, he knew that she just ran. If he could move that fast, Andrew would run too.
His parents were in the living room watching TV. Andrew stopped and chatted for a few moments, but he was anxious to see if she was waiting. He grabbed the plate of leftovers that his mom had left in the refrigerator for supper and then headed to his room.
The sight of her lying on his bed was still an amazing thing to behold. Seeing her there, Andrew knew that if he ever could live forever, he would never tire of seeing her, or of being with her.
Johari's face lit up just as Andrew's did when he entered the room. To her surprise, she felt more for Andrew than she had ever expected to. He was such an amazing person who had gone through so much and come out on top, stronger than ever. There was also mystery around him. He could do things that no other had ever been able to do and that intrigued her enough that she wanted to be with him so she could try to figure him out.
Johari sat up on the bed to make room for Andrew and for the plate of food, though she glanced at it and shuddered.
“That smells terrible. I don't know how you can stand to eat anything that you do. If you could smell the food the way I can, you wouldn't touch the stuff.” Andrew grinned at her.
“Smells good to me.” She shuddered again as Andrew took a bite. He realized that it didn't smell as good as he thought. He wasn't sure why because it was one of his favorite dishes that his mom made, a broccoli and chicken Alfredo. He finished the plate in a hurry, trying not to smell what he was putting in his mouth.
“I'm gonna go brush my teeth,” he said as he finished the plate. Johari nodded her agreement. As Andrew stood up to go, he decided he should take a quick shower as well. He didn't want to be away from her all that long, but it couldn't hurt to smell nice all over, not just his mouth. “Actually, if you don't mind, I am going to take some me cleaning time too.” Johari nodded again and he grabbed some clean sleeping clothes to change into after the shower. As he left the room, Johari picked up the book on the nightstand and opened it to the first page.
In the bathroom, Andrew was about to brush his teeth when he felt sick. He stood there for a moment, trying to swallow, but it didn't help. He rushed to the toilet and knelt there for a few minutes before he was done. He felt much better with the food out of his stomach. He stood and rinsed his mouth with water. Then he brushed, flossed, rinsed with mouthwash and then with water again, just to be on the safe side. Then he hopped into the shower. He was planning to hurry, but the hot water felt so good that he spent a few more minutes in the shower than he had planned to. When he climbed out, Andrew felt refreshed and cleaner than he ever had. He slipped into into his comfy shorts and tee shirt.
She was waiting on the bed. Andrew looked down at her there and smiled. He was so lucky.
“Did you get tired of the book?” Johari shook her head.
“No. I finished it. It wasn't too bad, though not as imaginative as some of the fantasy books I have read over the years, like The King of the Golden River.” Andrew hadn't even heard of the book, but it wasn't surprising, considering the number of years she had been reading. What did surprise him was that she had just finished a four hundred page novel in about twenty minutes. He wished he could read like that. Though, it meant that reading would no longer give him the break from the real world that it did at the moment. Though, if he were like her, Andrew doubted he would need a long break from reality.
She patted the bed next to her. Andrew started her way and then hesitated.
“Do you get sick?” Johari frowned and shook her head.
“No, why do you ask?”
“I didn't feel well at lunch and I was sick over my supper.”
“Aw, that's too bad. Don't worry about me. Come here.” She patted the bed again. Andrew slid onto the bed next to Johari. She curled up next to him and caressed his arm as they lay there chatting. “Do you feel better now,” she asked?
“Yeah, I feel fine. Maybe there was just something wrong with the food.” She nodded and then leaned over and kissed him lightly. She pulled back as if to see if he felt alright with that and he pulled her right back to him. Kissing Johari was the best experience in his life. Andrew wondered if Johari felt the same since she had lived long enough to experience many more things the world had to offer.
Johari's mind was struggling to focus beyond the kiss. This was unusual for her since she was capable of thinking about several things at once. For whatever reason, he overwhelmed her thoughts. It was the best thing she had experienced in all of her years to escape for a moment from the constant thoughts. She wondered if it was this incredible for Andrew.
When Andrew needed to breathe, they cuddled and talked about more random things for a while. Then as he began to get tired and to feel less like talking, Johari began to tell him stories from her past, things the world remembered differently than she did, or didn't remember at all.
She talked about life in the village where she had grown up and she told Andrew a little bit about how she had been watching over him for the last couple of years. He was beginning to lose focus during all the soft talking, but it was so interesting just to hear her talk that he struggled to remain alert. Johari laughed at him.
“Don't fight it.” She said with a chuckle. “You need to sleep. We can do this again tomorrow night, and every night for as long as you would like.” Johari began caressing his hair as she talked on about different things. It wasn't long before he was sound asleep, lost in the world of dreams. Once there, he wished more than ever that he had remained awake with Johari, where it was safe and the world was all as it should be.