Sing A Twist

by Brooke T. Mays

  And there he was. Several buildings over standing in a shaft of sunlight. She felt a chill run through her. All the way across that space she had felt his regard. Their eyes stayed locked for a few moments and then the Speaker gave a slight nod of his head. He slid back into the shadows before turning and walking away.

  He wanted her to know that he was there. Had he been waiting for her? She desperately wanted to believe he was on her campus by coincidence. She certainly didn’t know much about the Speaker’s business. But really, she couldn’t think of a reason why he would be in town that wouldn’t affect her. Why would he kind of approach her in that manner? Was that a display of power? A warning? The rest of the day passed but her concentration was so poor that she learned more about the student’s and professor’s emotions than the lectures. She didn’t Sense or see the Speaker again.

  Grateful to be home, Elena spent the early evening with Monica. Jacob was working again, and Phillip was practicing with his band. He had left a note for her. “Miss you. Wake me up next time. Going to practice tonight. Can you wait up for me?” She planned on it.

  In the meantime, she was enjoying spending time with Monica. Monica had teased Elena about finding a solution for losing her backpack and phone. A wristlet. They had spent the evening window shopping online. Elena planned to sneak off and order Monica and herself one as soon as possible. The one she chose for Monica was by Vera Bradley and styled Deco Daisy. Its red color and bold pattern of an otherwise delicate flower fit Monica so well. For herself, Elena was eyeing one in blue water colors. It made her think of Evenfall. Which circled her thoughts back to the Speaker. Looking at Monica, she had to blink away tears. These simple, precious moments were what was most at risk. She could lose everything, everyone in her life if it was decided the risk was too high. Determined not to let her worry ruin the time she did have, Elena set to work catching up on Monica and Jacob’s love life - God forbid she call it a relationship. Monica had her rolling on the couch in no time. Monica and Jacob were. . . adventuresome.

  When Phillip finally made it home, Elena was fully caught up on all her notes and reading, despite being so distracted by the Speaker’s appearance, and her eyes were feeling dry from killing time watching television. She heard him at the door and met him with a smile before he had taken more than a few steps into the room.

  Even though Phillip had missed dinner and was starving, he couldn’t help but return Elena’s smile. She looked radiant when she was so happy. Putting his guitar aside, he picked her up. “Did I put that smile on your face, cher? Tell me what I did so I know and can do it again.”

  He kissed her until his guitar started to slide down the wall that he had propped it against. She grabbed it quickly for him. Still smiling, she said over her shoulder, “You came home.” His heart thumped and he forgot all about his empty stomach. He followed her into the living room. He had a thought that he might follow her anywhere.

  “If I walk out the door and come back in are you goan to kiss me like that, again?” He teased her and was a little surprised as her smile faded. He wasn’t sure exactly what the expression on her face was. A lot of things, he thought, but fear was one of them. And then she just looked fierce.

  “You’re not getting away.” He raised his eyebrows at her in question, but let it die when he realized she was leading him to her bedroom. Dare he hope? He had promised he would wait for her to come to him. Last night had physically pained him. And he wasn’t only referring to the raging hard-on he had to fall asleep with. More and more, he didn’t feel right unless he was with Elena. Even that didn’t exactly explain what he was feeling. He needed to be with Elena, and together, they needed to be happy. He had grown up with music always playing in the background of his head. Music accompanied his world. He can remember when he realized not everyone was like that. That in fact, most people didn’t always have a soundtrack playing, defining and explaining the world. As a kid, he had thought it strange. Thought how lonely everyone else must be. Lately, the different music running through his head had been changing. When Elena was sad or when they were fighting, really anytime that he felt her slipping away from him, he heard music with a more classical sound. His music had always felt like the swamp, home. Blue grass or country, sometimes with a flash of Zydeco. This other music scared him. It scared him because when he heard it, he felt like he was losing Elena.

  She started to pull off his shirt and he took that for a green light. Wait time was over. He thought if he could see his own face that this time his expression would be fierce. They struggled getting their clothes off in between kissing each other. He kept pushing her back some to look at her only to pull her to him to kiss the next part of her skin that was exposed. He picked her up and tossed her on the bed intent on finally getting his pants off. Elena bounced up and off the bed so quickly it shocked him. She often surprised him with how agile she was. Especially since there were times she couldn’t be more clumsy. Once again, she just looked fierce.

  “Sit in the chair, Phillip.”

  It was small and sat in a corner of her room. It often had clothes draped on it after she did laundry. She would hang them up. Eventually. Tonight it was empty. He went to the chair and sat down. They both couldn’t fit in it. She would have to sit on him. As she rid herself of the rest of her clothes, he had never felt so happy to be sitting in a small chair. The room was small, too. So why was it taking her so long to walk over to him? Finally, he grabbed her hips trying not to dig his fingers in too hard. He began to pull her down onto his lap putting his feet between hers, planning to pull her onto him so she straddled him. But Elena slid down to her knees slowly. It caused his hands to run up her body. When he reached her breasts he did not let go, straightening his arms so he could continue to cup them. When she had slid down, her core had run down one of his shins. He could feel the dampness she left behind. He spread his knees and used her breasts to glide her closer. He finally had to let go as she lowered her head.

  When she had gone down on him before she was always sensuous and slow. Tonight she felt demanding. He shifted his hips some to give her hand better access. Her other hand had impatiently moved his knees farther apart. As she slid her hot mouth over and down him, he reached down to move her hair out of the way. When he had it clear her eyes met his and she smiled with him filling her mouth. Her eyes slowly slid shut as she continued down on him. It was the most erotic sight he had ever seen. He knew he wouldn’t last long and tried to pull away, but Elena gripped his hip with her free hand. The other had not stopped the caressing and gentle pulling on him. He exploded in her mouth, and Elena didn’t stop until he did.

  He sat there shocked a bit. He had never finished that way with her. In fact, now that the moment was over she looked a bit shocked herself. She gestured at her night table and he quickly grabbed the glass of water on it. She drank several large gulps and blushed so hard even her chest turned pink.

  “Sorry. I’ve never done that. It caught me by surprise.”

  “You surprised me, too.” He sat forward and cupped her face in one hand. “But doan ever be embarrassed. And never apologize. The only thing you should be saying is you’re welcome, cher, because. . . Thank. You. I will forever keep fresh water by your bed. I promise. Just in case you need it. No pressure. Just in case.” His joking made her blush disappear, as he had hoped.

  “My turn to play, cher. Lay down on the bed for me.” He followed her down onto the bed but lay lower on the bed so that his head lined up with her chest. “You took these away from me too soon. I need to get reacquainted.” He began talking to her breasts. “I have missed you so much.” He kissed one. “And you. I woan leave you out.” He licked at the other and continued to speak to them. “It’s getting warm. It’s almost summer. I doan know why she insists on covering you up. Oh, doan be sad. I will talk with her. She can go topless. You can be free, da both of you” Phillip intentionally made his accent stronger, like his grand-pere’s from the stories he told. Elena laughed at him.
“Ah, see how she makes you move. So beautiful. She loves you, too. It’s true, not as much as I do. But she loves you just the same.”

  “Phillip,” Elena said somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, “I’m not going to go topless. Stop talking to my breasts.”

  “But I’ve missed them. It’s been so long without them. And I have so much to say.” He kissed his way down her body. “To every bit of you.” Although Elena cried out frequently, it was a long time before Phillip actually said another word.

  Chapter 14

  Phillip was sleeping in his favorite way, that being with Elena in his arms, when he was awakened by a wetness on his chest. Elena was lying on him and whimpering in her sleep, crying. He sat up gathering her in his arms. “Elena, cher, wake up. What is it?”

  “Please don’t leave me, Phillip. It’s me. Remember me.” Elena’s eyes were open but she wasn’t fully awake. He could feel that other music in the air. It felt as if the song was keeping her away from him. Blocking him from reaching her.

  He began humming her song. “Sweetheart, listen to me. Hear your song from me. I’m not goan anywhere without you. Shhh. Listen to your song.” He continued humming, and finally Elena relaxed and drifted back to sleep. He held her through what was left of the night, occasionally, tightening his arms when he felt her whimper.

  As the room brightened with sunlight, Phillip felt Elena stir again. Her eyes were red rimmed and she looked about as rested as he felt. He wanted to keep her there in his arms. Just hold her and go back to sleep. This close to finals, he knew that was just a hope and a dream. Elena wouldn’t sacrifice her study time for something as trivial as sleep. He stared at her stupidly when she suggested they pack lunches and go on a hike.

  “I know a perfect place. It’s only about an hour drive.” She chewed her lip looking nervous as he continued to stare at her. “Unless that is messing up your schedule studying for finals? I don’t want to get you behind and jeopardize your grades. And I’m sorry that I messed up your sleep last night. I know I kept waking us both up all night.”

  This was not a side to Elena he had ever seen. It made him think that something was seriously wrong. “I’m not worried about my grades or my sleep. I am worried about you. You doan need to study for finals? That’s not like you. What did you dream last night, cher? What has you so upset?” And again he was surprised as her eyes welled up with tears while she laughed out loud. Phillip was feeling the need for coffee. He was seriously having trouble keeping up this morning.

  “You should see the look on your face, Phillip. You didn’t wake up with a stranger. I have been seriously thinking about what is most important in my life. And the prospect of losing it. If it won’t cause you to get too far behind, will you go with me?”

  Phillip stared at her for a long while. “You cried for me? Because you dreamt you lost me?” Phillip made no secret that he planned on keeping Elena. Her words made it sound like she would commit to him if he pushed for it. So why did he feel like she might bolt? Slip right out of his hands?

  “You, everyone, and everything. I don’t want to feel this way anymore. Can you go with me?”

  Anywhere, he thought. “I have one question,” he said. “Can we eat first?”

  Phillip filled his empty belly while Elena packed them lunch. She was gathering blankets to sit on when Jacob came down the stairs.

  “You look like hell. You still pulling doubles?” Phillip pushed a box of cereal his way when Jacob sat down with a bowl.

  “Nah. Nathaniel’s back, and we’re staffed again. I feel like I’ve been hit in my head with a brick, though. Maybe it’s all that studying I keep thinking about doing.” He eyed the bags of food and blankets Elena had gathered. “Elena, you packing up to camp out at the library? Planning to stay for a few days or do you just have the munchies? That’s a lot of food, girl.”

  “Actually, Phillip and I are going hiking, and I’m taking a picnic. There is still one casserole left in the freezer for later if you need it.”

  Phillip was glad Elena had her back to them. Jacob was gesturing to him and mouthing ‘She alright?’ Didn’t seem to matter, though. Elena caught it anyway.

  “I can take time off to enjoy the simple things in life. Just like anyone else. Even this close to finals I can find time to appreciate my friends. And don’t forget that tomorrow night is when we planned to go to the bar to hang out. So I’m not leaving you out either.”

  Her defensive tone had Jacob raising his hands. “Ok. No judging here. You go have fun. It’s good for you. Have some fun for me, too.” His tone and the wink he gave her made it apparent what kind of fun he was referring to. He got up to get a cup of coffee. He hugged her on the way. “Enjoy your day. And I’m looking forward to tomorrow, too.”

  Elena’s face had turned concerned. “Jacob, are you sure you’re alright? You’re not just tired – you’re exhausted.”

  He smiled his typical Jacob smile. It usually had the world smiling along with him. But apparently Elena wasn’t believing it. “Are you sleeping? Is there a reason that you should be this tired? Anything out of the ordinary happening to you?”

  Jacob looked like he was ready to blow her off, but something about what she said must have changed his mind. “I argued last night. With a customer. Stood there about to blow any chances of tips from probably every other customer, too. I was so angry. It suddenly hit me - how I was acting. Then, like a bubble popping, I was able to shake it off.” He gave a short laugh. ‘I guess I can be in bad mood every once in a while. But I never let it affect my tips. How did you know, Elena? What made you ask if something unusual happened? And do I really look that bad?”

  Phillip watched Elena’s face close down as she took a step back. Part of him wanted an explanation, too. Then again, Elena was always perceptive. It was one of her qualities that he admired most. He got ready to bail her out, but was too late.

  “I live with you Jacob. You never seem this exhausted. Is it a surprise for me to wonder what the reason could be?” Phillip listened carefully to Elena’s words. She didn’t answer the question directly. She did that a lot. The two of them continued to talk it out, Jacob accepting what Elena said. After all, not one word was untrue, but she never answered how she knew Jacob was so exhausted. Phillip hadn’t known. He reminded himself Elena was intuitive, perceptive. There didn’t have to be a deep, dark secret. He had been staring at her, and she finally looked up and noticed his regard. She blushed and looked away. Well, it didn’t have to be dark. It hurt. Her keeping a secret from him.

  Jacob announced he was heading back upstairs for more sleep, and they said their goodbyes. Elena looked at Phillip again. She came to him and hugged him tightly. Looking up into his face, she told him she loved him. Her eyes were all he could see, and he felt lost. He loved her, too. “Don’t be unhappy, Phillip,” she murmured before she kissed him.

  “You always know how I feel.” He said after the kiss ended. He watched her face start to close down. “I have always liked that about you,” he quickly added. She smiled in relief. “Are we ready to go now?” He grabbed the bags and the cooler she had packed as they headed out the door.

  Chapter 15

  It would take less than an hour to drive to the park she had in mind at nearby Canyon Lake. It wasn’t the closest park by any means, though it was almost a straight shot with only one turn before they got there. Elena was content to let Phillip drive. It gave her a chance to sit back and think about the similarities she had felt in Phillip and Jacob. Both had experienced times of anger and aggressive actions very unlike them. Both occurrences had connections to the bar. She already knew someone had used Voice on Phillip. A very scared part of her wondered if the Speaker was involved. She was probably being irrational. It wasn’t like him, if only because she knew he wasn’t this sloppy. When he used Voice, there was no shaking it off. Unless he somehow set it up to stop after a certain amount of time. She didn’t doubt that he had that power. But why would he do that? What would be the purp
ose?

  “You goan to share with me? What’s goan on in that beautiful mind of yours?” Phillip interrupted her thoughts making Elena feel guilty. They had been driving a good fifteen minutes in silence, and she had meant this day to be for the two of them to spend time together.

  “Sorry, Phillip. Yes.” She paused to gather her thoughts, chewing on her lip. What could she safely say? Was she only kidding herself? If the Speaker was involved maybe the time for secrets had passed. It could already be too late. She could tell him everything and at least have this short time in complete honesty with him.

  Apparently, she was taking too long. “Yes? Yes, what? You mean yes, you are goan to share with me? Yes, you know your mind is beautiful. Yes, you also wish the console wasn’t in the way so you could lay your head down in my lap. ‘Cause that’s what I was thinking. See, it’s easy to share your thoughts.” His grin and words had a lovely visual running through her head.

  She smiled at him and turned down the radio. “I want to share what’s on my mind. But now that you mention it, the console really is in the way.” Grinning, Phillip signaled to pull over stating he could fix that problem. She put her hand on his arm to stop him, now smiling and laughing with him. “Seriously, I do want to talk to you. The story Jacob told us sounded very similar to a few times with you. Neither one of you has much of a temper, yet you both seem to have recently had. . . episodes, I guess, where you have lost it. You both felt the same. And it seems to be connected to the bar.”