by AJ Summer
I look up at the sky to see how much time I have left before the heavens open up and drench me, but there's only one fluffy, lonely cloud floating up ahead. What the hell? That is the fastest I've ever seen a storm clear.
I open the little memo app on my phone and get comfy to read the rest of Rhuine's story.
OBSESSED
To say I'm obsessed with Rhuine is an understatement. Two months have passed since he made his usual five yearly visit. I can't wait another five for him to show up again. He said he claimed me. I'm his. So why isn't he here?
I'm playing with fire, I've already gotten burned but I yearn for the flames. I want to be incinerated by him. I know Rhuine isn't human. I know he is something far more dangerous. But I don't even care. A part of me changed the night he laid his hand on my chest. He took a piece of me with him, and left me a piece of his own. But it's not enough. I want him. And I'll do whatever it takes to get him back here.
Trent leers at me from the lunch table where he is sitting next to Melody. She's chatting animatedly about some movie she wants to go watch. She's so self-absorbed, she doesn't even notice her boyfriend is staring me to death. I lift my middle finger up and flash it at him quickly before she sees me. He smiles, but it's a stiff, quirky move. He’s obviously still pissed at me. And that doesn't help me with what I plan on doing.
Owen, Trent's buddy, who also plays football, is sitting next to Trent. A much easier target. Owen is staring at his chocolate milk like he wishes it was a soda or something. Owen has never given me any indication that he's into me, or that he even sees me for that matter, but at least he doesn't have a girlfriend.
"Hey Owen!” I call from my side of the table.
His eyes lift lazily and he looks around the table. He almost looks bored.
“Over here,” I say, waving at him.
“Oh, what's up Madi?” Owen’s shaggy hair slides into his face and he flicks it away quickly. At least he knows my name.
“Come with me, I want to show you something” I say with a smile. I gather my things onto my tray and get up to leave the table. I'm not giving him the option of turning me down.
“Where?” Owen asks.
He looks around the table nervously. I walk over to him and bend down to his ear. I hope this works.
“I've got something I want to show you,” I whisper.
I reach for his hand and pull it slowly toward me. I stroke his fingers gently over my lower abdomen right over the weird little birth mark I have. My mom always said it looked like a leaf. I think it looks like one half of a broken heart. Rhuine is going to be so pissed at me for letting Owen touch me.
“Right here.”
The whole table is watching us now and if Owen refuses to go with me I'll die of mortification. Owen clears his throat and pushes his chair back.
“Lead the way.” Owen swallows once, hard. He doesn't even bother picking up his stuff.
“Bring your bag, this might take a while,” I say with an added wink.
It won't, but the way he scrambles to collect his backpack makes it so much more entertaining. I don't even know if Rhuine watches me outside of my room. I certainly friggin’ hope so, otherwise I'm about to do something really stupid.
I dump my tray and lead the way to the male locker rooms. It's quiet this time of the day until practice starts. Owen follows silently behind me. I stick my head into the room and when I don’t see anybody I walk into the first toilet with an open door. Owen hovers in the doorway. I crook my finger at him and try to smile, all sexy and stuff. I must be doing it right because Owen trips over his feet in his hurry to get inside and close the door.
“Just relax, Owen.”
I'm just winging it now. I have no idea what I'm doing. I reach for his fly and wait. Nothing, no Rhuine. But he took a while to show up the night with Trent. Maybe I should take this slower and start with something a little more basic. Owen watches me with guarded eyes as I sneak my hand up over his fly and under his shirt. His skin is warm and smooth. I rake my nails over his chest softly and Owen shudders.
“Can I kiss you, Owen?” I ask him.
“Sure.” He shrugs on his answer.
Our heads move forward together and our lips meet. There's no fireworks, no burning. It's just a kiss. But at least Owen is a good kisser. His hands lock around my hips and he pushes me against the wall as our kiss intensifies. Still no Rhuine. I pull Owen closer to me, closing any gaps between us. Owens hands sneak under my top and over my ribs until he’s teasing my nipple into a hard little ball. His other hand joins the party and his lips move down my jaw to my neck. Kissing, sucking, pinch. Repeat. Owen lifts my thighs around him and rocks into me. I know he’s ready to take this to the next level. He's not so shy anymore. He’s a horny little devil. Do things really happen this way? This quickly? I need to slow this down somehow.
The fire alarm rings and Owen pulls his zipper down. The fire alarm? Holy shit the fire alarm! There's a loud crash outside the door and I pull away from Owen.
“Owen?”
“Yeah?”
“That's the fire alarm?” I ask, in between his kisses.
It blares loudly into the small space we are hauled up in. It's impossible to miss.
“I guess so,” Owen says, relaxing his grip on me but not letting me down.
“We should go.”
“Yeah,” he says, sounding disappointed.
Owen let's go of my legs and I pull myself together. He opens the cubicle door and walks out first. What the hell? All the mirrors in the locker room are cracked from corner to corner.
“Did you say fire alarm? It looks more like an earthquake,” Owen says, looking confused.
Oh, it's something so much worse, but I don't say that out loud. I smile and walk past him. I know it was Rhuine, so he does watch me. I pout a little because I still didn't get to see him.
My plan didn't exactly work. I wanted to see him. But at least now I know how to get him when I need him. He didn't exactly give me his cell number. Do people like him even have cell phones? And what kind of “people” is he?
***
“Rhuine ...” His name echoes like a haunted church bell in my dream. “Rhuine, Rhuine, Rhuine,” It comes again, a fast whisper, filled with warning.
I startle awake and sit up in bed.
“Rhuine...”
This time I recognize the voice calling his name. It's him. I look around my room, but everything is just like I left it when I came to bed. A little bit hazy, but still the same. I rub my eyes but the haze stays.
“Rhuine, Rhuine, Rhuine!” he whispers fast and the haunted sound chills my blood.
I flinch from the sound so close to my ear and jostle myself awake. What the hell? A dream in a dream? I pinch myself to make sure I'm really awake this time.
“Ow.” I'm awake. I'm also a bloody idiot for pinching so hard. I'm a little freaked out about my dream. Rhuine sounded really angry with me. Maybe my plan wasn't such a good idea after all. I look up to his usual place, the roof beam, but it’s empty. I throw myself back onto my pillow and close my eyes. I'm so stupid sometimes.
Warm fingertips run from my palm to my elbow. I'm too afraid to open my eyes. What if he leaves? What if he’s angry with me and doesn't leave? I can't exactly kick him out. I don't want to kick him out. So I pretend to be asleep while he continues to stroke my arm. My bed dips and the comforter rustles under his weight as he settles in beside me. His warm body curves and melds against mine. Perfect. Like we are two pieces of the same puzzle. Rhuine's warm breath teases over my skin, stirring a whirlwind of sensation in his wake.
“You should've listened,” he says. His voice is low and smooth and terrifying. Little goose bumps thrill over my skin.
He grabs me by my hips and rolls onto his back, pulling me on top of him. His hand hovers over my heart and the organ starts thumping faster. The sudden rush of blood makes my head dizzy and tiny white spots swim in front of my eyes.
“Look at me,” he
commands.
His voice is heavier, harder, laced with something I can't quite pin point. I do as I'm told and immediately I'm wrapped in the blue blaze of calm. My skin heats up and my heart races faster still when his palm rests on top of my heart. It finally comes to a stop. I wonder if I die every time he does this.
This time light surrounds us. Everything is white. Rhuine is lying on a grassy patch with a small stream of water flowing around us. I'm not even going to entertain the thought that this is heaven, because even I'm not that delusional. It must be someplace else. My body stiffens from the normal lack of air, but unlike the last time I don't fight the need to breathe. I just let it go.
Rhuine hands slide up my back and clamp down on the back of my neck. His mouth is hot on mine and his body hardens beneath me with our kiss. My hands grope at him. Pushing, pulling. I can't touch enough of him. My body is riddled with an unexplained urgency, maybe because I know I can wake up any second and he'll be gone. My skin grows damp from his heat and our bodies slide together, creating a wicked warm friction on the exposed parts of our skin.
I pull my mouth away from his and kiss down his jaw, eager to taste his skin. I follow the last inky swirl, barely touching his jaw line now. I kiss it down his neck but his shirt is in the way. I have to use both hands but I grab the collar of his shirt and rip it down. The tiny tear giving me just enough space to see the black ink over his shoulder. I kiss and lick his overheated skin, delighting in the way his taste dances on my tongue. He grunts and his fingers dig into the flesh of my hips, searing me with his heat. I can feel the burn right through the thin material of my pajamas. Again there’s howling and moaning in the distance. A sort of complaining almost. This should worry me, why would they sound so upset? But I'm too caught up in Rhuine to pay the thought much attention.
Rhuine pulls at my shirt, I have to sit up for him so he can lift it over my head. Our bodies align and fire engulfs me inside and out. My blood is bubbly and boiling until I rub myself against him to ease the ache in my body. Rhuine pulls my mouth down roughly against his. The taste of rust and metal fill my mouth and Rhuine grunts in satisfaction. The taste of my blood seems to please him.
“I love that you stayed sweet for me. Keep it that way. It's almost time,” he groans against my mouth.
When I wake up to bright rays of sunshine the next morning Rhuine is gone. I didn’t really expect him to be here, but I really want to know how soon this time he keeps talking about is going to come.
I’ve fallen for Rhuine and I’ve fallen hard. His presence flickers inside my soul like a missing piece that has finally found its place. Only it isn’t him that was lost, it was me.
The wooden bench is cold and hard beneath my boney behind, and unlike the day before I just can't seem to lose myself in this part of the book, maybe it’s because of how erotic the scenes are becoming. Each sentence is a reminder of how close I got to Rhuine. How he turned my whole life around. Or maybe it’s because I'm getting so close to the end. To the part where I can't remember. I wish I could just remember!
The sky is now powder blue with fluffy white clouds dotting the skyline. The storm from earlier totally cleared out.
I've spent the whole afternoon reading through this small piece, trying to remember as much as I could. Rhuine's eyes had some weird enchantment in their gaze and most of the time my memory was sketchy when it involved him. Mostly, I was just so wrapped up in him that nothing else mattered. I didn't know I'd get to a time when memories were the only thing keeping him alive.
Joey is sitting on the top of the two steps that lead to the entrance of Green Hill. His long legs are stretched out in front of him. His head tilted back and his arms stretched out behind him to hold him in that laid back position. His eyes are closed and his music is blaring in his ears. I can just hear the lyrics to one of my favorite metal bands.
For some reason I can't stop looking at Joey. He looks great, so laid back, relaxed. Sexy as sin. Because what I'm doing is exactly that, sinning. I don't want to be anywhere else but here right now. The sun is setting and his lower half is covered in shadows, leaving his top half in a soft glow. He kinda looks like an angel. Which is ridiculous. I'm sure Angels don't do drugs, listen to metal and rob toy stores. Joey's eyes stay closed while I watch him. He’s humming along softly to the song. It sounds more like a rumble in his throat. It reminds me so much of the growl Rhuine use to make in the back of his throat that I almost turn around. I should just leave. But I've never had a chance to really look at Joey. I've never wanted to look at him this much, but he might leave Green Hill soon and I'll never get the chance again. I want to take enough mental pictures of this fascinating boy, before it’s also too late.
The chords in his throat constrict and he swallows, his mouth parts a little as he lets out a breath. I freeze, this is total creeptasticness I’m pulling off and if he opens his eyes I’ll skyrocket into crazy-and-weird territory, but Joey just goes back to humming. I focus on his throat. Looking for his pulse point, but it's hidden under his hoodie. I've just had the weirdest idea. It’s another one of my wishful thinking moments. But seeing as I'm already classified as a nutter...
I climb over Joey quietly, placing a leg on each side of him. I know as soon as I touch him, his eyes will fly open and my creepy watching will be over, he might even push me off in his surprise. But once an idea gets stuck in my head, it rarely leaves until I do something about it.
I open my hand and splay my fingers. I'm aiming for the beating heart in his chest. Surely if I touch him unexpectedly, he'll get a fright? I crave the feel of a wildly beating heart. It's the only way to tell you are truly alive. When your heart kicks heavy in your chest, pumping blood and adrenaline through your veins. All I have is a steady thump, never moving forward.
I lean forward slowly, quietly and lay my palm on him. I press down hard, waiting to feel the wildly beating organ. I haven't felt an excited heart running wildly in so long I'm starting to believe everyone is like me.
Joey's eyes fly open and I flinch. He jumped a little after the initial contact, but he scared the crap out of me with his stoic face, and I knew what I was going to do! Joey's eyes dart left, then right, then back to me. He looks really uncomfortable by my closeness. My eyes are glued on his. Even though he seems to be looking for a way out of this, he isn't doing anything yet.
“I didn't scare you?”
I'm confused as to why he didn't knock me over in his frightened state. Where’s the flinch? The sudden gasp? But most of all I want to know why I can't feel his heart?
“Madi, you are like an elephant, stomping around, huddling over me. I knew you were here. Were you checking me out?” Joey's little dimple is out again and his eyes dance in the fading light. Most of his top half is covered in shadows now.
“I wasn't checking you out. I was checking your pulse, your heart. I can't feel anything.” I flex my fingers over his chest. The tips curl into the soft grey shirt he’s wearing under his hoodie. My skin likes it here, but my body demands I step back. I belong to another. Rhuine's claim has bound me to him. For some reason I don't feel the normal guilt I feel when I'm close to another guy though.
“You didn't scare me,” Joey says. He wraps his fingers around mine and moves them from his chest, he drops my hand slowly. I lower my head and nod.
The next moment my back touches the cold step and Joey is hovering over me. A wicked smirk dances on his lips and his eyes are daring as he watches me. My heart continues its steady beat, but my breath hitches and I inch my face closer to his. I want him to kiss me. I crave it. Joey’s gaze holds mine and I stop breathing, hoping that if I keep still, he’ll make the move I so desperately want. There’s a nagging little voice in the back of my head, telling me that I should move away from Joey, that I belong to another. But right now, right here, my body doesn’t feel weighted with longing or guilt for a guy that left me alone to deal.
Joey’s breath is hot on my lips. His brown eyes drill into mine. The brown dept
hs swim with promise I know I can never let him keep. His hand curls into my side, probably bruising the flesh. Joey looks like he’s at war with himself. What is he afraid of? I know what I want. I want to forget, pretend that maybe I am crazy and Rhuine was just an imaginary friend. As soon as I think that thought, his blue eyes flash in my mind and I turn my head, breaking the spell that Joey’s brown ones had me trapped in.
“Now, that's how you scare someone and I don't even have to feel your heart to know it. It's written all over your face,” Joey chuckles then moves away from me.
Bastard! Damn him for being so observant and damn him because he made me think he was serious. I adjust my clothes and immediately miss the warmth that came with his body. Now I'm not only crazy but sexually frustrated as well. I don't think it can get any worse.