by Sieni A. M.
Oh God.
She didn’t have to wait long for what happened next.
Chase cleared his throat and responded politely back in perfect Samoan. “My dear Aunty, I fear you’ve jumped the gun and might have scared away your niece. You see, I haven’t had the chance to propose to her yet.” And all the while his eyes were lowered out of respect, as was customary when talking to elders.
Aunty Malae’s own grew round and almost popped out of their sockets. Uncle Solo chuckled beside her, and then he tapped the hood of the car. “I like you, Mr. Chase. Drive home safe now, Lana. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Without glancing at either of them, Alana shifted gears and pealed out of the driveway. The headlights illuminated the hedges growing haphazardly on one side of the road while a deep ditch traveled horizontally along the other. Her palms were slippery on the steering wheel, and she concentrated hard not to plummet into that ditch since she was driving a right-hand drive on the left side of the road. She wasn’t around long enough when the government switched the side of the road cars drove on—from right to left—and she was still trying to get used to it. Through the corner of her eye, she examined the way Chase sat with his legs braced far apart, arms resting on his thighs. Even in the dark she noticed his masculine profile and the way his hair blew in the breeze from the open window. They drove in silence for what seemed like an eternity.
She didn’t realize she held her breath until he spoke. “I’m not ready for you to go home yet. Is there somewhere private we can go and talk?”
Her heart thudded while her mind boggled at his forwardness. She used anger to cover up her nervousness.
“You are really something, Chase. If I remember correctly, you shot out of this island faster than a centipede without giving me the time of day, and now that you’re back, you’ve been nothing but rude to me while polite to everyone else. I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me what this is all about,” she huffed. “Besides, my family’s going to wonder where I am. They’ll get worried if I’m home later than usual.”
Chase furrowed his brows and responded gruffly. “Of course.” With that two-worded statement, he whipped a cell phone from his back pocket and dialed a number.
Of course? She imitated mentally.
Speaking into his phone, his tone was strong and unyielding. “Kane, Alana and I are going for a little drive. Can you inform her family that I will get her home safely soon? Yep... You go ahead. I’ll find my way.” He hung up and braced one arm languidly over the back of her seat, shifting slightly so she was in perfect view.
Alana squirmed self-consciously. She was annoyed and confused and a little unnerved, and did he really have to turn and face her? She took stock of her appearance: a white shirt with a curry stain on the hem, a blue printed lavalava, subtle make up, and her hair in a ponytail. She probably smelled of sweat and greasy food. Nervously, she tucked a lose strand behind her ear and cleared her throat. She was irritated that he was affecting her in this way, but her curiosity had piqued.
“So, how do you know Kane?” she asked.
“He and I are old friends,” he responded flatly. “His family and I, we go way back. I guess you could say we grew up together.” His voice was distant as if he was distracted by something else.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath.
“What is?”
“Well, that of all the people in the world, Kane just happens to marry my sister, and you’re his oldest friend. And now you’re here. Back in Samoa. The coincidence is uncanny.”
“I’ll admit that I was surprised to see you.”
Alana scoffed inwardly. More like annoyed and majorly pissed off. Could he have made it any more apparent with his evil eye reaction?
She entered her village and drove towards a lookout that was concealed from the main road by wild vegetation. She often jogged to this spot in the mornings and took great pleasure in its peace and quiet. The trees hung heavily and provided a shady oasis in the daytime while at night the same canopy cast shrouded cloaks of darkness. In the daytime, the view was of a valley in every shade of green that dipped low and stretched for miles until it met the Pacific Ocean. Now the moon was the tiniest slit of a crescent in the black sky and didn’t cast sufficient light around them.
Alana parked the truck on the side of the road but let the engine run idly. Even in rest, the diesel engine was loud enough that she had to speak loudly.
“Okay, you have ten minutes. My house is a mile away, and I need to go home and clean up. I’m tired and want to sleep as soon as possible.” Alana stared straight ahead, her hands gripping the steering wheel.
Chase leaned over and turned the key in the ignition, shutting off the car with a stuttering, choking sound. The headlights went out, cutting off their only source of light. Darkness swallowed them, and Alana was forced to blink to adjust her sight. Great. Now the mosquitoes were going to have a feast.
“Alana, look at me,” Chase rumbled quietly beside her.
She reluctantly shifted to see his dark outline.
“What happened to you?” His voice was laced with concern, but she didn’t miss the edge of anger there.
Her brows drew together in confusion, and she asked with annoyance, “What? What do you mean?”
“Something happened to you since I last saw you. Something dark. It’s changed you...” he trailed off as she gaped at him.
How could he possibly know what happened to her? Did someone in her family tell him? Did she give off some kind of pity me vibe? He must have noticed the dark circles around her eyes and the weight loss. Now she was really angry.
“Who told you?” she asked bitterly.
The last thing she wanted was his pity, for him to be sorry for her and for her to come across as some helpless victim. God, she would die if he thought she was weak. Why did it matter what he thought of her? Why was she worried about how he perceived her?
“Something happened and you’ve just confirmed it. Tell me. Who was it?” he pressed.
Alana fisted her hands in her lap. There was no way she was going to tell him what that creep did to her at the party. How he touched a part of her no one had ever come close to before. How ashamed she was that it had happened. How they ended up at the police station and she was forced to withdraw the assault charge. How the gossip taunted and tore her up inside. She had failed, and it hurt so badly for her to admit it. Failed herself. Failed her father. The pain infiltrated every cell of her body, leaving her strung up and vulnerable for the world to see. For weeks, she buried it deep, carefully built a steel barrier tomb over it so no one could penetrate it. Here lies Alana, the failure. Alana, the weak, the engraving would say.
She mourned for her father. Oh God, her father. She inhaled sharply and allowed the pain to take over her like a hundred jagged knives piercing her skin. Her heart broke a thousand times because she had failed him, failed to avenge his death. If she couldn’t do that for him, then she resigned to take the pain in any form it came.
She drew a hand up to her mouth and stifled a sob, quickly tamping down her emotions. There was no way she was going to allow her barrier to come crashing down in front of Chase. She would be mortified if he saw exactly what she was hiding. Alana evened out her breathing and silently thanked the heavens that it was pitch black and he couldn’t see the heavy emotions across her face.
But she was wrong.
“Alana,” he spoke softly, “I can see every line of pain that has crossed your face in the last five minutes. I can see the sorrow in your eyes and the way you’re trying so hard to hide it from me. I can see that a part of your spirit has been broken.”
Alana blanched. No. It wasn’t possible. It was too dark to make out anything in the truck, let alone how she was feeling.
“Please don’t be afraid of me,” he added quietly.
That’s exactly how she was feeling. “How?” Her quivering voice trailed off.
“I’m a very perceptive man, Alan
a.”
“Does this have something to do with your ability? With what happened to Mr. Filipo?”
She saw his dark profile nod once.
“Tell me,” she said hesitatingly.
“How I healed him? Or how I can see you now?”
“Both.”
“I will tell you something, if you tell me what happened to you.”
Alana stilled. Why was he pressing to know what happened? Why couldn’t he just drop it? He was bargaining with her, and she wasn’t thrilled about the stakes. If she let him in, she would lose what little pride she had left. She could not allow him to know the full extent of her story. Maybe she could lie, but perceptive Chase would probably pick up on that. Perhaps she wouldn’t tell him the whole story. Yes. That was what she’d do.
“Alright. But you have to go first,” she said.
Chase studied her silently. “Okay. But you have to give me your word that you will tell me. Everything,” he added firmly.
“Yes. I will tell you what happened.” But not everything. Alana willed herself to sit still and cleared her mind of anything that would signal to Chase that she wasn’t entirely truthful.
Chase sighed heavily. Perhaps he didn’t believe her, but he started to tell her anyway. Alana sat motionless, ready to listen.
“The reason I can read you as clear as day right now is because I can see your aura.”
Alana stiffened. Her heart rate picked up at this revelation and her innards did a flip flopping sensation in her stomach. Did he just say he could see her aura? Did that mean he could see what she was hiding?
Chase continued, “I can read people’s auras and because it’s a straight path to their emotions, I can tell exactly how a person is feeling.”
What? Alana did not like the sound of that. That was the last thing she ever expected to hear from him.
He hesitated before continuing. “It’s pitch black right now, but for me, I can see light radiating from you. Light from your aura.”
Alana seized and began to panic. If he could decipher her emotions through some light she was sending off, he could probably uncover her weaknesses and fears. It was about as close to being naked in his presence as she could be, and she wanted nothing more than to escape. With his knowledge, he had too much control, and she felt helpless. Suddenly, the inside of the truck became too small for his overwhelming presence, and she had to get away. Her mind screamed, Get out! Get out!
“Alana, relax. You’re freaking out all over the place.” Chase reached out to touch her arm, and she recoiled as if she had been burned.
“Oh God, no!” She choked and fumbled for the door handle.
Agitated, she pushed it open forcefully, and Alana scrambled out of the truck. She needed to put as much distance from Chase as possible. Blinking rapidly in the dark, she walked unsteadily to the lookout, the wind picking up from the vacuum the valley created and pushing her sideways. Behind her she heard the truck’s door open and shut firmly, and she picked up her pace. He was coming after her. This could not be happening, but where could she possibly go? There was nowhere to escape. She realized too late that she should have run down the main road towards home. She shuffled hurriedly along the dirt path, completely blind to her surroundings.
Chase’s deep voice carried in the wind and reached her ears. “Alana, stop, you’re going to fall and hurt yourself.”
She refused to stop. Stumbling on some rocks, she righted herself and kept going. She heard him curse behind her.
“Dammit, Alana, just stop,” he said forcefully.
His footsteps were getting closer, and then he was suddenly upon her grabbing her waist to halt her movements. Alana swung around to get out of his grasp and he let her go. She was so scared. Scared he’d discover what she truly was. Scared that he would figure out her failures. That he already had. Oh no. She reacted in the only way she knew to protect herself. Alana raised her arms and wrapped them around her head, bracing her hands like a football helmet. She must have looked ridiculous, but she didn’t care.
“What are you doing?” She heard the puzzlement in his voice.
She took several steps away from him. “I’m blocking my aura or halo or whatever it is you can see,” she responded sharply.
How dare he violate her personal space by deciphering her emotions? Curse him for having the ability to read into her vulnerability like she was an open book. She tried to recall every time she was in the same room with him and how she would have been feeling at that particular moment. He would have picked up on the attraction she felt earlier when he arrived at the house. Oh God, the shame.
She heard his low laugh. Was he making fun of her? The nerve! “Are you laughing at me? How can you possibly think this is funny?”
“You’re trying to hide your aura from me?” he asked with a smile in his voice.
“Yes! Now can you please go away and leave me alone?” she whined.
“Alana.” She saw his dark figure approach her. His presence under the cushion of ebony trees was so overwhelming, so looming. She cursed the black cocoon they were wrapped in and trapped under. She felt vulnerable without her sight and wished she could see his face.
“Your aura... It’s not around your head.”
What?
“Then where is it?” she demanded desperately.
Chase slowly stepped closer to her. Alana felt warmth radiate from his body, and she inhaled his crisp, musky scent. Raising his hands, he gently grasped her arms that were wrapped tightly around her head. Alana tensed, her pulse picking up at his proximity. He removed her arms gingerly, his touch searing heat through her skin, and lowered them slowly until they rested at her sides. He took one of her hands in his, his large one swallowing her own. Alana lifted her gaze in confusion and searched his features in the darkness. Raising their hands together, he gently placed her palm over her chest where her racing heart lay.
“Here,” he spoke softly.
He removed his hand, and Alana’s breathing hitched at his closeness. She was soaring inside even though her feet were planted firmly on the ground. Drifting momentarily from a feeling she could not understand, she forgot why she was upset earlier.
And then realization dawned on her. “Have you been looking at my breasts?” she asked horrified.
Chase chuckled on an exhale. “No, Alana.” His voice was laced with amusement. “Your aura’s light is powerful and radiates outwards to cast a soft glow around your body. The strongest light emanates from the pulse of your heart.” He paused, and her guard lowered. Slightly. “But lately, that light hasn’t been as vibrant,” he added quietly. She cast her eyes down; she knew where this was leading. Chase’s voice turned to concern. “Something happened to you. Someone hurt you. It’s still affecting you, and I want to know why and how.”
Alana turned her head away and shriveled where she stood. She did not want to have this conversation. She remained silent for several heartbeats, finding some relief in the dark, even if he could see her. Chase stood quietly, sensing her inner turmoil, and allowed her some space.
“Look,” she finally said. “The idea of your reading my emotions... Honestly, that scares the hell out of me. A lot. I don’t like it. It’s unnerving and disconcerting, not to mention the fact that it completely violates my privacy.” She swallowed thickly. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise to not press further. I’m dealing and I want you to know that. My family has been put through enough, and it’s better for us all to carry on preparing for the wedding...for me to be there for my sister right now. I’m fine and the best way for me to continue like that is if you keep your distance after tonight.”
Alana felt Chase still at her words, the atmosphere around them quieted. She sighed heavily and continued. While the branches of the banyan trees above swayed silently as if it too were listening, Alana recounted the night at the party. She told him about the man who approached and assaulted her, but purposefully left out the details. She conveyed the fight she and Manu put up
, how they ended up at the police station, and finally how she withdrew the assault charge. Chase stood motionless and listened intently as Alana’s voice surrounded them. She became aware of his tense demeanor and the air straining around them. When she was finished speaking he remained still. Several minutes passed like this, and Alana became anxious to break the bruising silence.
“I’m fine, Chase. Really, I am,” she reassured.
“You are not fine,” he answered back, his voice threaded with suppressed fury.
Alana drew in a shaky breath. Please, she pleaded wordlessly, let this go.
Chase straightened and measured her silently. He finally nodded in comprehension. His voice was hoarse with tension. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
Turning towards the direction of the truck, Alana let out a sigh of relief. She was suddenly tired and wanted nothing more than to curl into bed and drift off to sleep. Chase gently grasped the small of her back to guide her through the dark. By now her sight had adjusted to the dark, but she was too listless to protest the assistance. Without a word, he led her to the passenger door and she climbed in. Chase entered the driver’s side and adjusted the seat to accommodate his height before he started the engine. They drove to her home in silence, but her mind was anything but. Her head began to throb as she recalled everything that had occurred that evening.
Chapter 13
Pulling into the grassy driveway that snaked its way around her home, Chase turned off the car and shifted so he was facing her. The house was dark and devoid of the happy company that was present hours earlier.
“Alana.” His serious voice drew her attention so that she turned to face him. “I want you to know that I respect you, and I wouldn’t do anything deliberately to hurt you. If you want me to back off, I’ll back off. But this doesn’t mean that I don’t condone what that bastard did to you. That was wrong, and I’m sorry he hurt you.” He exhaled loudly. “I can see just how much it’s affected you. Just please...don’t be uneasy around me.”