by Quell T Fox
“No, Asha. You certainly are the right person. I’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”
“Stalker much? I think I should probably go.” I say it, even though I don’t want to. I want to stay, I want to hear more, I just want more of him.
He smiles, this bright full-toothed smile and my heart nearly stops.
“It’s comforting to see you haven’t changed, after all this time.” A light chuckle comes from his tasty looking mouth. He looks to the ground, shuffling his feet suddenly acting shy. Definitely not threatening in any sense.
He walks up to me, getting so close that I can feel the heat coming from his body. He cups my cheek with his hand and lifts my head to look at him. My mouth has gone dry, all the fluid in my body rushing to an entirely different area. As creepy as this should be, it’s not. The skin under his hand feels like it’s on fire. Our eyes locked, the intensity in his eyes has me under a spell. I can’t look away, I can’t move, I just…can’t.
“I’ll leave you for now, Asha, but I will return. You must know who you are, fully. Before you are in danger. You must keep yourself protected. I know this is a lot to take in, but you must trust me. I will come to you again. I promise.”
Removing his hand from my face, he walks back the way he came, without looking back.
My head is foggy. I can’t tell if it’s from me passing out again, all the stuff he just told me, or maybe it’s because I’m flushed from being so turned on for no reason at all.
Well, my life just got a little more interesting…or terrifying, but I like to stay positive. Walking back to my car, I decide to keep my plan of going to the craft store. I follow the exit signs and they lead me right back to the gate that I drove in through. It’s only when I am stopped at the red light waiting to turn back to the main road, that I realize who that man is.
He is literally the man from my dreams.
***
The craft store is settled in the front of the lot, right by the main entrance. A large rectangular building painted a pale shade of yellow. The front is covered in large windows plastered with signs about sales. There are other smaller buildings further in, I see a few clothing stores, coffee shop and even an adult video store, those still exist? I find a parking spot towards the back, same as always. Not that I have a choice this time, this place is packed.
When I woke up this morning, I was excited about this trip. I’d been excited about it for days. Now? Not so much. Excitement over shopping seems like nothing compared to the feelings that guy dug up. Those emotions have taken me over and now all I can feel is him, like a part of him is still with me. It’s hard to explain. But the way my body felt when he was near, why did that happen? My skin still vibrates with his energy.
The car is in park, idling, as I stare off into nothing. Was that guy crazy or is he telling the truth? I mean, is that even possible? Do people like that exist? And how does he know me? How can I be who he says I am? I’d remember something like that, wouldn’t I? My life has been ordinary, other than moving around so much. My parents are normal, I went to a normal school, everything was normal. Normal, normal, normal. I’ve always told myself that I wasn’t normal, but my life…was beyond normal. That’s always been my problem.
There are too many questions, my head is starting to hurt. I’m struggling between making a list of them all, for when I see him again, or trying to stay as far away as possible. He could be crazy. Actually, crazy. Like, hunt me down and skin me to wear me like a Halloween costume kind of crazy. Should I call the police? My head says yes, but there is something else inside me, something that is telling me to wait for him. That I should trust him. My hand moves to my cheek as the ghost of his runs over my flesh. How is my body reacting to him like this? This is not me; I don’t swoon over men. He touched me and all my worries were gone, it was just him and me, nothing else mattered. The feeling is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Being with someone has never felt like that before, let alone someone I’d known for all of five minutes. Besides my parents of course, everything always felt right with them, but that’s natural. That bond is there when you are born. It just is.
Friends weren’t something I had growing up. There were people in school that I would talk to, chat with during class and whatnot. I dated a few people in school, nothing serious, but only because that’s what everyone was doing. Highschool was a time when I really felt the need to want to fit in, peer pressure and all. I remember trying to force relationships, force myself to hang out with people. Only in my senior year did I realize that I needed to stop forcing myself to be someone that I’m not.
Being different is okay.
I used to tell myself that every single night before falling asleep until it was so engrained into my head, that I started to believe it.
Shylah Bates. The one girl I tried to be friends with, went out of my way actually, but not because I needed a friend, no. Because she was the girl that came to school in hand-me-down clothes, was overweight, glasses and braces. Girl just did not have any luck. She was the one everyone picked on, and I felt bad for her. I thought maybe it would be easy to be her friend, because she was probably desperate for one. Nope, not at all. I tried for months to hang out with this girl, outside of school and everything. It was always awkward; it just didn’t fit. I didn’t want anyone close to my life, I never did.
Until now.
This feeling, whatever it is, about this guy. Is this what I should feel towards Andrew? This guy barely said anything to me, but I have never been so unsure about my life and the choices I’ve made. He turned my life upside down in a matter of five minutes, making me question everything. Yet, he himself barely said anything.
Too many questions and no answers. If and when dream boy finds me again, I’ll decide. I’ll decide what to do, to stay away or open up about everything I am feeling. I know me, I know that I will never be okay with all these questions being left unanswered for the rest of my life. So, I at least need that answered.
All right, enough. I need to get it together and stop acting like a teenaged fan girl. I have shit to do, and I’m going to do it. I have a business to run, after all.
Letting out a long breath, I scrub my hands over my face and turn the key, shutting the engine down. I plan to spend a lot of money in a very short time, because shopping makes all girls feel better.
***
There is an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway, on the side of Andrew’s jeep. Same make and model as my car. Most likely the nurse, she has good taste. I pull my car up behind the jeep because I don’t want to block the other car in. I’m surprised she was able to make it here already; I know it isn’t always feasible, especially in such a short amount of time. I expected us to go a few days without having someone here to help.
Grabbing a few of the bags, I walk inside, dropping my keys onto the counter. I put everything else down against the wall near the basement door, deciding to make the trip down once I have all the bags inside. The lights are off in Abe’s room, but I pop my head in anyway. Empty. There are voices coming from the other side of the house. I follow them, curious to meet Abe and the nurse. I’m not a people person, but I am nosey.
The bathroom door is slightly ajar, the light is on and there are two voices inside that I don’t recognize. The voices are both male, I assumed the nurse was a female, but you know what they say about assuming. It makes an ass out of u and me. Male nurse, huh? Good for him. When I round the corner, Andrew is making his way down the stairs, buttoning his shirt. Multitasking, it’s a skill that I lack.
“Everything okay?” I ask curiously.
“Hey babe. Yeah, everything is okay. Grandpa isn’t feeling good. He just blew chunks everywhere, including on me. Maybe the car ride.” He gets to the bottom landing, turning to face me. He puts one arm around my hip and pulls me close to him. I look up at him and smile, his eyes smiling back at me. He moves in and places his lips on mine. A sweet and gentle kiss. “I missed you
today. How was your shopping trip?” He asks as he lets me go and takes a step back.
“Great, that place was worth the drive. Wanna help me get the rest of the stuff?” I ask, turning on my heel.
He follows. “Sure, I do.”
It’s almost dinner and we decide on pizza. Yes, again. I told you, I won’t get sick of it. Just as I’m hanging up the cordless house phone- yeah, we have one of those, came with the house, Abe comes walking out of the bathroom followed by Josh, his nurse. Andrew gave me the run down on him when we were bringing in the rest of the bags from the car.
I hear Abe grumbling something under his breath, but it seems he doesn’t have teeth and I can’t make out a single word. He’s headed towards his room, probably wanting to sleep already, I cut him off because I want to introduce myself.
“Hi, Mr. Davenport. I’m Asha, Andrew’s girlfriend. I hear you’re not feeling well, I’m sorry. “
He looks at me with aged grey eyes. His face is round and full of wrinkles, reminding me of one of those dogs, a Bulldog, that’s it.
“No, now git outta my way so I can get to bed.”
What a delight.
I move out of the way, sweeping my arm out in front of me, motioning for him to pass.
“All right Mr. Grumpy, no need to be rude. It was her idea for you to be here, you best remember that.” Josh’s voice is cheery and higher pitched now that it isn’t muffled behind a door. He’s a few inches taller than me, shaggy sandy blonde hair, light eyes, not much older than me. His face is round and sweet-looking. You can tell he enjoys a donut or two.
“Hi, I’m Josh by the way. Abe’s nurse. Once I get this old geezer into bed, I’ll come out and we can chat a bit.” Extending his hand for me to shake.
“Sounds great. See you in a few.”
***
Before heading up to bed, I peek in on Abe to make sure he is okay. He’s snoring loudly, so he’s breathing, that’s good. Josh helped Abe get into bed, then stayed to chat for a while. He was scheduled for another hour, but we told him he could go home early. There wasn’t any reason for him to stay.
Andrew and I pigged out on pizza, drank beer and watched movies. I enjoy simple nights like this, when there is nothing to worry about.
“We’ve been here over a week and I still haven’t taken a bath in that tub upstairs.” I say disappointedly, as I trudge up the stairs.
“I’ll remind you tomorrow.” He puts his hand around my waist and guides me to the bedroom.
I hecking my phone one last time, before plugging into the charger and silencing it for the night.
Still nothing.
CHAPTER 9
I’m on my way to the grocery store because candy is needed. Tomorrow is Halloween and it slipped my mind, not sure how that happened. Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. I’m shocked that I haven’t made a bigger deal of it. I’m not sure how it will be around here, in California it was a big deal. Everyone, and I mean everyone would dress up. There would be parties two weeks before and two weeks after. Not that I went to them, because I didn’t, but I’d hear them going on for most of the night.
Halloween. The time for everyone to pretend they are something that they aren’t. To embrace the bad, gross and ugly. To indulge on way too much candy. Scary movies. What is not to love? Comfort for me comes around this time. It’s a time when everyone puts their guards down, even just a little bit. Taking a night to just be free, letting imaginations and creativity run wild. If every day were Halloween, the world would be a better place. No judging, free candy, friendly people, dark and spooky. Ugh, a girl can dream.
The neighborhood around here doesn’t seem like it will be too busy. There aren’t many houses in walking distance, and I haven’t seen a child since I’ve been here, but I would hate to have a kid show up at the door and have nothing to give. Besides, whatever we don’t give away, I’ll just eat after. Win, win situation. I love seeing kids dressed up, so proud of their costumes and excited about candy. Something so simple, yet meaningful. As adults we don’t remember a lot of our childhood, but we always remember holidays, this one being the most fun.
When I was a kid, I loved Halloween just as much as I do now, but for different reasons. I loved dressing up, mostly in costumes that would freak people out. I never wanted to be the princess or the fairy. I wanted to be a bloody clown or a zombie with half of its face missing. I enjoyed creeping out the other kids. Maybe my parents shouldn’t have let me do that, but they let me express myself however I wanted. During school Halloween parties, they did make me tone it down though. Knowing that they’d be the ones to get called into school if I showed up in something that made the other kids hide or cry. It happened, more than once while we were out trick-or-treating.
Dumping the candy into a large orange bowl, I leave it on the counter by the door, on the side of the sink. The counter reminds me of a squared J. The tall part running along the wall, the bottom part is where the sick is, and then that little hook that moves back up makes the most convenient space to p place things when entering the house. Since it runs parallel to the dining room wall, and just long enough to not be too much. I promise myself not to eat too much, because I need to save it for the kids. At the store, I even found myself a cute pair of devil horns. Not my first choice but the best I can do on such short notice. I leave them by the candy bowl, so they’ll be ready for me to put on. I have a bad habit of misplacing things.
Walking into the living room, the three guys are sitting on the couch, mesmerized by the movie on the TV, it’s a black and white film, one I’ve never seen before, Abe’s choice. I watch them for a few minutes, wishing I had a camera. This would make for a nice photo. As much as I don’t care about the sentiment of family, I care about art. After a few moments, Andrew realizes I’m staring. He tells me that Chinese food is on the way, also Abe’s choice. Not complaining, though.
I move into the dining room, because I have no interest in watching the movie. Picking up one of the old wooden dining chairs, I move it closer to the window. From this side of the glass, it looks as though it should be warm outside. Clear bright blue sky, shining sun, but it’s not. Hopefully, it warms up a bit tomorrow or the kids will freeze their tooshies off. I’m playing a game on my phone when I hear a sound that causes me to look towards the door.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.”
Josh takes another chair, and sets it across from me, facing the window. I don’t enjoy small talk, but I have to see Josh on a regular basis, so I try to be polite and act like I care. Josh started working at the nursing home only a week before Abe moved in, he was one of his first patients. He tells me that as grumpy as he is, he’s always enjoyed working with him. Reminds him of his own grandfather who passed away a few years back. He seems like a nice guy and Abe certainly likes him, he’s nicest to him. I’ll probably be a bitter old lady when I’m that age, so I can’t blame the guy.
Soon enough, the doorbell rings and I jump out of my seat, Josh is mid-sentence. Sorry, but food.
After dinner I head to the couch, hoping to take it over for a bit. Josh is helping Abe in the shower and then he’s off to bed. It’s amazing how early this man likes to go to sleep. I’m scrolling through social media, trying to busy my mind but it isn’t working. There is one specific thing that I can’t get off my mind…well, person. I wonder what will happen, if for some insanely crazy reason that he is telling the truth. Then the other part, ya know? The sane part. Yeah, that part tells me that he’s the crazy one and that I am out of my mind for even giving all this stuff a second thought. But, what if? What if I could leave this boring, normal life behind and start something new? Kind of like I do all the time, but this is different. This would be so different. What if I could be friends with werewolves? If these immortal thingies are real, then werewolves must be. Vampires? Gargoyles? The possibilities are endless. Sounds like a life that I could settle into. Yes, I realize how fucking weird that sounds.
I look behind me towards the kitchen and I see Andrew sitting on one of the wooden stools at the island. He’s eating a bowl of cereal, because about an hour after Chinese food you’re just starving again. His back is towards me, he can’t see me staring.
Andrew.
He’s a great guy. This life is not for me. This life is boring. I need more. I’ve always needed more, and I know that. Nothing has been able to fill this emptiness that I feel. There is a part of me that is never fully satisfied, craving something but I don’t know what it is. Won’t know what it is, until I see it. Well, I think I’ve seen it. Felt it, and I want more. No matter where I have been or who I have been with, there is a tiny void and I want something to fill it. A small darkness that has never seen the light but wants nothing more than just that. A little bit of light.