by M. W. Muse
“I wasn’t coming over there,” he muttered. Then an exasperated look crossed his face. “Even though I really wanted to, especially since you wouldn’t answer your phone.”
What? His comment distracted her from her train of thought. “I never got a call from you, Adin. I even told Calli on the way home that I usually hear from you by that time even when you were busy with fraternity stuff.”
“Legacy, I called you several times yesterday, and each time you didn’t answer, I got more anxious. My grandma was the voice of reason when she saw the look in my eyes that showed I was considering going over there.”
“Sweetie, my phone was in my pocket all day. I figured you never called because you were busy with your fraternity obligations.” Then she gasped. “I wonder if Medusa did something to interfere with my reception.”
“Hmm…it’s a possibility. If she’s the reason Venus is here and she knew you were over at River’s house, she could have tried to start an argument between us in hopes that I’d turn to Venus.”
“No, Adin,” she said, shaking her head. “She could have interfered in hopes that you would come looking for me…so she could try to kill you.” Legacy stared into the blank space of Adin’s room, contemplating that grave possibility.
“Sweetheart, we don’t know what happened, but now that we’re talking about everything, I think we shouldn’t worry about what could’ve happened.”
“How can being open with each other keep you safe?” she whispered as tears leaked over.
Adin wrapped his arms tightly around her. “Your safety is all that matters to me. If you’re safe, then I’m safe. Not because I’m worried about dying while protecting you, but because your safety is the only thing that matters to me.”
Adin held her until she stopped crying, and they continued to talk. They both talked, laughed, and cried, but by the end of the day, she felt more secure in her relationship with Adin than she’d ever had. She felt like they were united.
She just hoped that unity wasn’t short lived.
* * * * *
River was beyond giddy when Legacy saw him at school on Monday. She was sure it was because they’d danced together at homecoming and she’d spent the day with him on his birthday. He walked her to all her classes like normal, and they talked a lot at lunch. They were both too busy to visit during seventh period, but she did catch him checking her out when she practiced her tennis serve.
Her coach was late dismissing them, so she was still changing when the bell rang. Since it was the end of the day, she took her time. She knew Adin was going to be busy this week getting ready for the Halloween party, so he wouldn’t be coming over until late.
When she walked out of the gym, she saw River leaning against the wall by the door. She half-smiled at him. She should have known he’d be waiting.
“You didn’t have to wait for me,” she said as she walked toward him.
“I wanted to make sure you got safely to your car.”
He took her backpack and followed her out to into the parking lot. When they got to her car, he opened her door, which was right by his door. River always backed into his parking spot so that their driver side doors would be beside each other. When he got her door open, he tossed her backpack onto the passenger seat.
“Drive safely,” he whispered as he started to wrap his arms around her in a hug.
She stepped back against her car. “What are you doing?”
“I was, er, giving you a hug.” River shrugged.
“No, River.” She shook her head as she started to get into her car.
“Legacy,” River said, and she turned back to him. “I thought after the weekend you were dropping the no physical contact rule.”
“No.” She turned to get into her car, but her door slammed shut. She hadn’t touched it and neither had River, but she knew he’d caused it. She turned around and glared at him.
“Why not?” There was a slight edge to his voice. He didn’t sound mad, really. He was more shocked than anything.
“Because nothing has changed, River.”
“That’s not true. We danced Friday night, and you let me touch you at my house.”
“It was your birthday.” She shrugged as she turned to open her door.
River’s arm flew up to her car, blocking her from moving and opening the door. “It wasn’t my birthday Friday night.”
She sighed as she turned back around to look at him again. “I just wanted to dance with you.”
“Legacy,” River whispered, stepping up to her and putting his other hand on her car beside her so that she was pinned. “I have already proved to you that I can keep a healthy distance. I’m not going to act inappropriately toward you. There’s no reason to keep me at arm’s length.”
“You think pressing yourself against me while we were playing pool was appropriate behavior for friends?” She laughed sarcastically.
“No, but it was my birthday.” River shrugged with a crooked smile.
“And your birthday’s over.” She turned again to open the door, but River didn’t move his arm. She looked up at him, and his eyes were pleading.
“Please, ba—ummm, Legacy…I, er, can’t go back to how it was before,” he whispered, shaking his head and shutting his eyes.
“Why, River? Everything was great. You respected our friendship, and I didn’t have to worry about how you’d act around me.”
“Because it’s not just me who doesn’t want the no contact rule.” River leaned closer to her, putting his lips by her ear. “Why should there be no contact when neither one of us wants that?”
She put hands on his chest and shoved him away from her. “Move!” she screamed. River flew against his car and stared at her. She’d shocked him. But as he stared, a playful smile crept onto his face, and he stepped back up to her.
“You were much stronger that time. But I think you can do better.”
He threw his arms around her so fast, but unlike the night when River and Adin were fighting and she couldn’t keep up, she was able to see his arms in clear detail. They were slicing through the wind, and she could see the gusts he was creating as he moved closer to her. She threw her arms up against both of his and knocked them away. Then she pushed her hands up against his chest, and he flew back again without her exerting any force.
“Ahh!” River half-yelled, half-laughed as he hit his car. He stood up, staring at her. “That was much better, baby. Want to go for three?” he said, stepping up to her again.
She put her hand on his chest. “If this is your idea of foreplay, you’re sick!”
“Mmmm…” River’s eyebrows raised as a crooked smile formed on his face. “Is that what we’re doing here? I thought I was just helping you with your abilities.”
“What you’re doing is proving my point! You can’t handle physical contact with me. I set aside the boundary for twenty-four hours, and instead of being grateful for what you got, you’re cocky because you think I gave in.”
River sighed, shaking his head. “No, Legacy. I didn’t think you gave in. I just thought you were letting it go. I honestly did. When you corrected me just now, I admit I got a little carried away, but when you shocked me, that distracted me. I just wanted to see if you could harness it.”
Legacy leaned against her car and folded her arms. She just stared at him.
“You did a good job, baby,” he said timidly. “You harnessed it, shocked me, and didn’t even cause any clouds to form in the sky. You kept your energy centered and focused.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to touch me, River,” she whispered through her teeth.
“I’m sorry, baby. It’s hard enough sticking to that rule when I think you want me to.” He stepped closer to her. “But it’s next to impossible sticking to it when I know you don’t want me to.”
“I’m not playing with you, River.”
“I know, Legacy,” he sighed. “You’re fighting our bond, but you’re not winning. I can feel your energy. When
I get close to you, it’s like you’re drawing me in.” He stepped closer, and he was breathing heavily. “I could feel your energy before…at times, but now that I’ve ascended, I can feel you everywhere. Oh, Legacy, it’s amazing how good you feel.” He shut his eyes.
“If I feel so good to you now without you touching me, then it shouldn’t be a problem keeping your hands to yourself,” she snapped.
River chuckled, but then sighed. “Nothing compares to the feeling of your touch,” he whispered, opening his eyes and staring at her.
“I’m going home.”
He stepped aside so she could get into her car. She drove home irritated at River for his behavior. But for the first time, she didn’t worry about talking to Adin about it. With their newfound understanding, she was eager to talk to him to see what he thought about her harnessing her abilities.
But she also wondered if Adin felt this energy that River talked about, and if so, how long had he felt it?
Chapter Six
Since Adin was busy preparing for the Halloween party—and midterms—he left their costume selection up to Legacy. She and Calli had spent the first part of the week brainstorming on ideas, but didn’t have much luck. After coming up empty, they decided to venture out in hopes of finding inspiration, and they were at a costume store when Calli found the perfect idea.
“Legacy! Here’s a Grecian goddess outfit. You and Adin should go as Greek gods!”
“Hmmm…it’s not really dressing up if I go as myself.” She laughed at the thought, but figured it’d be a cute idea. They rummaged around the stockpile and found one for Adin too.
After she’d purchased the costumes, Legacy and her BFF headed back to her house.
“So, have you heard anything from Zach?” she asked Calli. She figured Calli would have said something if she had, but it was her responsibility as a best friend to ask.
“Er, yeah.”
“What?” Okay, she hadn’t been expecting that.
“He, ummm, called to apologize for his behavior at the football game and for not escorting me to the dance.” Calli shrugged while she watched the road.
“When did he call?”
“On Sunday.”
“Why are you just now telling me this?”
“Because it doesn’t matter,” Calli said as she glanced at her.
“What else did he say?”
“That he missed me and wanted to see me.”
“What did you tell him?” Legacy wasn’t sure how she felt about this revelation.
“I, er, told him I needed to think about it.”
“Have you thought about it?”
“Yes. I’ve thought a lot about it. I miss him, but I don’t want to get caught up in seeing him again. I think I still need a little time before I’m ready for that.”
“Calli, if you think you need time, then you should tell him that.”
“I probably will.” She shrugged. “How are things with you and Adin?”
“Really good. I told you about our fight and the things we talked about the next day. It has really helped.”
“I’m not talking about the serious talk stuff.” Calli chuckled. “Have you two…you know…” She trailed off suggestively.
“Umm…no.”
“Have you gotten close?”
She felt herself blushing. Though she usually talked to Calli about everything, she hadn’t really talked to her about any of the specifics of her intimate relationship with Adin. But she didn’t see a reason not to indulge her BFF a little. “Yeah,” she breathed, “the other night, but then Lissa came home.”
“Wow.”
She shrugged, but smiled.
“So how did it, er, happen?”
Legacy proceeded to tell Calli about the zipper incident, and she understood her initial embarrassment. As the story progressed, Calli’s eyes grew.
“Oh, Legacy. You weren’t kidding when you said you two have come close to doing it.”
“Yeah.” She shrugged again. “I think it’ll happen soon, but I need to figure out a way to keep my cool. I mean, I don’t feel nervous, but it seems like every time things get…you know…there’s a heat wave.”
“I haven’t felt any heat waves this fall. Maybe it’s just right around you.”
She had a point. She could always try to figure out how far the heat wave extended, but in that particular moment, she doubted she’d care enough to want to put on the brakes to find out.
“You could ask River what he thinks about it.”
“Are you insane? No way. Besides, now that I know more about my change than he’s supposed to know, I’m worried he’ll figure it out. His mom already wants him to figure out how I was able to shock him when he fought with Adin. If he figures out how, he’ll figure out why.”
“I guess that’s true.”
She and Calli hung out the rest of the afternoon, and she continued to vent about everything. It felt as if they hadn’t had any alone time in ages, so it was fun being by themselves.
The next day at school, however, River was right there with them as they talked freely, so of course he heard Legacy and Calli talking about the Halloween party.
“How are you doing your hair tonight?” Calli asked her at lunch.
“Umm, I’m thinking about leaving it down and naturally curly. I think it’d look cute with the leafy vine that I’m going to wrap around my head,” she said, glancing at Calli, but seeing River’s eyes angled in her direction.
“Oh, Legacy, that’d be too cute!”
“What’s going on tonight?” River asked nonchalantly.
“Adin is taking me to a Halloween party. I’m going as a Grecian goddess.”
River sighed through his crooked smile, and she could sense he was envisioning her in her costume. “You’ll look beautiful,” he whispered.
She shrugged. “It’s just a costume. I had a hard time coming up with something. It was Calli’s idea.”
“Are you going as any particular goddess?” River asked, leaning closer to her.
“Myself.” She smiled.
He grinned and nodded.
By the end of the day, she was eager to get home and get ready. She had only seen Adin briefly throughout the week, so she was really looking forward to spending the evening with him.
She put on her white, flowing gown, gold sandals and accessories, and fixed her hair just like she’d told Calli she was going to. She also wore earth tone makeup to play up the Mother Nature aspect of her costume.
When Adin knocked on her door, she slowly opened it. As soon as he saw her, he laughed, stepping up to her. “You look perfect!” he threw his arms around her and held her tightly.
“So do you,” she said, laughing.
And he did look perfect. His costume matched hers, and he’d left his hair natural too.
“Come here!” Lissa yelled from the living room.
“She wants to take our picture. She’s already gotten several of me by myself.”
Legacy and Adin walked into the living room and posed for photos. When they were done, they headed to the party.
And a college party, it was. It was so crowded and loud that it was hard to hear any of the conversations. But she met all his fraternity brothers at Zeta Omega and several of the women from their sister organization Zeta Nu.
After they mingled for a few hours, she and Adin went outside to get some fresh air. There was a small campfire in the backyard, so they found a boulder to sit on that was by the woods but close to the fire. Adin sat behind her and rubbed her shoulders while they talked.
“How did your midterms go?” she asked as she leaned back against him.
“I passed. How was your school week?”
“Uneventful.”
He chuckled. But as he continued to gently massage her shoulders, his breathing changed. He slowly brought his lips to her ear. “You look beautiful, my Grecian princess.”
She caressed Adin’s knees as she turned her head to smile at him. When she did
, he slowly traced his lips across her cheek until his lips touched hers. He kissed her softly.
While they kissed, she suddenly thought about the conversation she had with River about her energy. She pulled away from Adin and smiled. “Um, can I ask you something?” Great, she felt herself blushing.
He chuckled and stroked her cheek. “Anything.”
“I know that I shocked you when you were fighting with River, but do you feel any other electrical energy coming from me at other times?”
Adin leaned his head down to her and rubbed his lips against hers. “I’ve always felt sparks,” he whispered as he kissed her.
That answer was good enough for her! She twisted toward him and wrapped her arms around him as they kissed. She’d never tire of the way he felt in her arms or tasted on her lips. He was her addiction. They hadn’t been kissing too long before she heard voices by the campfire, so she pulled away from Adin.
“Someone’s coming,” she whispered as she opened her eyes. When she did, Adin looked shocked. “What is it?” she asked, concerned.
Adin didn’t answer, but his shocked expression morphed into irritation. Legacy frowned at him. What was wrong with him?
She turned around and saw a small group of people walking beside the fire. As she scanned the group, she gasped, a pain shooting in her chest as she locked her eyes on the source of Adin’s sudden demeanor change.
Venus.
Adin squeezed Legacy tightly to him.
“She’s here,” she breathed. She only looked for a fraction of a second, but that was long enough for her. Legacy hadn’t seen her in months. Even her newfound understanding with Adin hadn’t prepared her for this possibility.
“I’ll be right back,” Adin muttered as he started to get up.
“No!” she whispered, turning toward him and pulling him back down. “Let’s just pretend like she’s not here.”
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered back. “I—”
“Shhh…” She put her fingers up to his mouth, shaking her head.
She wasn’t sure how she looked because she was trying to maintain her composure, but she wasn’t sure if she was fooling him.