by M. W. Muse
"I missed you so, so much," I breathed into his chest. "Me, too." He kissed the top of my head.
I inhaled deeply, breathing in his luscious scent, and let go. "These are for you." He handed me the flowers.
I took them from him and reached up and kissed him softly. Then he put his forehead on mine and stroked my face.
"I really, really missed you," he murmured.
After several more minutes of sweet greetings, I put the flowers in the house, and we left. I held onto his hand, his arm, his leg. It felt so good to touch him.
"When did you get back?"
"About thirty minutes ago. I took a quick shower and came right over. I couldn't wait to see you."
"What are we doing tonight?"
"I was thinking we'd get some takeout and watch the sunset again. We haven't done that since our first date."
"That sounds wonderful."
Don was glowing. He looked even better than before he left. I couldn't keep my eyes off him.
"How was your trip this time?"
"Better. No arguing, just a lot of unpacking." "Arguing?"
Don's smile faded a little, and he glanced at me. He seemed as if he didn't want to tell me what he meant by that, but he could see the concern building in my eyes.
"When I was there before, my dad had a hard time understanding why I wanted to stay here," he said slowly.
"Were you arguing about me?" I asked, barely a whisper. "Season," he sighed, shaking his head.
"Please, Don."
"You came up, yes. But the arguing was directed more toward me and my life."
"Did you talk about me this time, too?"
"Of course." He smiled at me and stroked my hand. "But you didn't argue this time?"
"No. He understands what I want, and he's not going to press it anymore. He knew he needed to speak his mind last time, and he did. We argued, and then he understood how strongly I felt about everything."
It still felt like he was leaving a lot out, but as long as he was staying, I really didn't care. If it took a fight with his dad to make sure he stayed here, then I was all for that.
dad.
"How was your weekend?" he asked while I was mulling over his fight with his
I had every intention of telling him everything about my weekend—just not right
now. But since he asked, I couldn't put it off.
"Um, well, I went to Chloe's Saturday and helped her with her Hamlet paper." "She hadn't started it yet?" Don asked incredulously.
"Nope." I laughed. "But I spent the day with her, and she got it done." "Good. How was everything else?"
I sighed. I knew what he was getting at. He wanted to know about Chrys, so I told him everything that happened at Chloe's last night. He particularly didn't react well to Chrys's reluctance to let go of me, but he quickly schooled his expression. As I started to explain what happened at work, however, his face got much harder. When I said Chrys had trapped me against a wall, I paused. Don was gripping the steering wheel as tightly as he was gritting his teeth.
"I don't know if you want to hear the rest of this," I muttered. "Yes, I do," he said through his teeth.
"You're not going to like it," I said, shaking my head. He laughed sarcastically. "I already don't like it."
"Okay. After I was trapped, I told him I didn't want him touching me. He said some nonsense about me actually liking him, and I pushed him off. We fought. He told
me from here on out he's not going to deny his feelings anymore and that he's going to be pursuing me. He said something I heard in my dream the other night, so I freaked out and ran to the bathroom. When I came out, he was apologetic for his behavior, but he was still resolved."
"What did he say that you heard in your dream?" Don asked, in an eerily even
tone.
"His exact words were 'Baby, I'm everything. I'm everywhere. You can't stop me.
You have no choice.' All but the baby part was in my dream."
"He said you can't stop him?" Don roared. There went his careful control. "Yes," I whispered.
"I can stop him! I will."
"Don, he was just yelling at me because I was yelling at him. He didn't mean it like that."
"Season, you can't expect me to ignore this. He has no right to talk to you like that, and he sure as hell has no right to touch you like that!"
"Look, I know you're not happy about this—" "I'm pissed!"
I sighed. "I know, but I've missed you. I had a horrible night and an even worse day because I had to deal with him. I want to enjoy this night with you and not think about Chrys."
Don sat quietly for several minutes, appearing to try and calm his nerves. Then he sighed. "You're right. We don't need to talk about this right now. Let's just focus on us."
He reached over and took my hand into his. He kissed the back of my hand and put our hands in his lap. I watched his face to make sure he was putting this behind him. His face seemed relaxed, but his eyes stayed narrowed until we reached the restaurant.
By the time our dinner was ready, he seemed more at ease. He was trying to be calm for me, and I knew it was difficult for him. As we drove up the winding hill to our picnic spot, he'd seemed to put the Chrys conversation behind him—for now.
I hadn't realized how much I'd missed this spot. He helped me out of the car, and I put my arms around him, pulling him against me. His head buried in my hair, and we stood there for several minutes, holding each other.
"Our dinner is going to get cold." "Okay." I groaned, and he chuckled.
He spread a blanket over the grass at our spot. While we enjoyed our dinner, we talked some, but not much. We were both so happy to be with each other that we mostly stared and smiled while we ate.
When we were finished, I shifted to sit between his legs, leaning back against his chest with my hands resting on his knees. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and put his chin on my shoulder. We sat like this while we watched the sunset, the sky a rainbow of colors cascading off the horizon.
While I gently caressed Don's legs, he lifted one of his hands and brushed my hair around to my opposite shoulder. He put his chin down but continued to stroke my hair on the other side. His touch was so soothing, the moment perfect.
"Season," he whispered in my ear. "Mmm?"
"I love you," he said, gingerly.
My heart swelled, beating harder. The feeling of it pounding radiated throughout my body. I reached up and stroked the side of his face.
"I love you, too," I murmured.
And I did. I knew I was in love with him. There was no doubt in my mind or in my heart. Before, I'd had a very hard time believing that this magnificent creature wanted me . . . that he was mine. But now I knew he loved me, too, and that feeling was overwhelming. He belonged to me. His heart, his soul.
Don held me a little tighter and kissed my neck while I ran my fingers through his hair. Then he rested his chin on my shoulder, stroking my tresses.
In this moment, there wasn't anything else to say. I knew if I tried to speak, I'd cry. I felt a lump in my throat just thinking about the words he'd said to me, the words that changed everything for me. Even though I already knew I loved him, his love for me meant more than anything else.
Don loosened his arm and leaned back. I twisted to the side to look at him. "You're very beautiful." He stroked my cheek.
"I'm glad you think so." "I know so."
I put my hands on his face, stroking it lightly while I stared into his eyes. He was incredibly handsome, but he was so much more than good-looking. He was beautiful inside and out. I stared at him in awe.
As my fingers caressed his face, he reached up and put his hand on top of my mine, holding it to his face, staring into the depths of my eyes.
"I love you so much," he breathed. "I've loved you for a very long time. I wanted to wait until the end of summer to confess my feelings since we were taking things slowly, but after that brief scare of losing you the last time we were together, I reali
zed I couldn't wait that long. I almost told you that night, but I wanted the first time to be special. That's why I brought you back here, to where we had our first date."
He didn't give me an opportunity to respond. He gently pressed his lips to mine.
While he kissed me, my breathing grew jagged. It was only then that I realized the lump in my throat was no longer contained. I was crying.
I would always need Don as he would always need me. I knew that after tonight, I would never be the same. I had changed.
Chapter 18
"Chloe, what time is Zach picking you up?"
"He'll be here in about an hour. Then we'll head to your house before picking up Don.”
After I hung up the phone, I continued getting ready. Tonight was the double date Chloe and I had planned last week. Zach and Don got along, so that was a bonus. Since Chloe and I brought them together, I figured when Chloe and Zach broke-up, Don would probably stay friends with Zach. I didn't expect a breakup soon, but their relationship didn't seem as serious as my relationship with Don was.
And our relationship was serious. We talked about everything. I told him about my dreams and my theories, and he was always attentive and insightful. I didn't think he really believed I was going to be a goddess—other than his own personal goddess— but he was never negative about it. He knew that was what I thought, and he was there for me.
Chrys was his new, distant self. He didn't talk to me unless I spoke to him first, but he was always staring. Always longing from afar. If he was close to me, he used it as an opportunity to touch me, which I ignored, and he hated. A few times he overheard me talking to Tracy about my dates with Don, and that would either put him in a funkier mood or make him more presumptuous.
Since it hadn't rained in weeks, there were still burn bans everywhere, and it was blistering hot. The scorching weather made a movie night ideal, and since Zach had an SUV, he was nominated to drive.
I picked out a sexy outfit and put my hair up just as Zach and Chloe pulled up. When we arrived at Don's house, I got out and went to his door, but he came out before I reached it.
"You should have waited for me to come and get you," I teased.
Don laughed and grabbed my waist. "I didn't want you out in this heat. You look hot enough as it is!"
"I know," I said a little arrogantly while I twisted out of his embrace and grabbed his hand.
As we headed to the theater, I realized this was the first time Don and I had been in a car together without him driving. It wasn't dark yet, so we could stare at each other without any intrusions. Well, almost any intrusions.
"What are you two doing back there?" Chloe asked as she turned to watch us. "Nothing," I said sarcastically.
She giggled. "You're being awfully quiet." "And you're not."
Chloe turned around, and I stared at Don again. He had a playful look in his
eyes. I raised my eyebrows, wondering what he was thinking, but he just grinned.
Then he leaned over and kissed me. I realized he was doing this to irritate Chloe, but I was so into it that I eventually forgot we weren't alone.
Chloe cleared her throat. "You two should get a room!" she chided jokingly. Don pulled away laughing, but I was too flustered to find her interruption
funny. It didn't matter because we were already at the movie theater. When we got
inside, Don handed me some money. "Why don't you and Chloe get in line at the concession stand?" It was a good idea. It was already long.
The guys waited to buy our tickets while Chloe and I stood in line to get some popcorn and drinks. While we were waiting, I heard a familiar voice coming in, and I froze.
The voice wasn't as somber as it had been recently. There was laughing and joking coming from it. I didn't even want to turn around and see. I knew it was Chrys.
I turned to Chloe to see if she'd heard him, but she was trying to look around the people in front of us to see the candy selection.
"Chloe?" I whispered. "Huh?"
"Chrys is here."
Her eyes got really big, and she started to speak. I shook my head quickly. I didn't want her opening her mouth since I had no idea where he was.
She glanced around casually, like she was bored with standing in line. When she finished, she leaned her head over.
"He saw me," she muttered.
I growled under my breath. This could not be happening! Don and I hadn't talked about Chrys since the night Don returned from his dad's, and I told him about Chrys's intentions. From the sound of it that night, Don wasn't dropping the conversation, but there really wasn't a point in bringing it back up. Until now.
It was our turn at the counter, so we snatched up our popcorn and sodas and stepped to the side to wait for our dates.
"Where are Don and Zach?" I asked Chloe, when I realized neither of them was in line at the ticket counter.
"Er, I don't know."
Not thinking, I scanned the crowd, searching for Don. Mistake. Chrys was staring right at me, waiting for me to look at him. Our eyes met for half a second, and he started to smile, but I kept scanning the room, searching for Don.
"Chrys just saw me," I whispered to Chloe. "He probably thinks I tried to find him after he spotted you."
"Don't be silly, Season."
"Chloe, I told you about what happened. If Don knows that Chrys is here, he's going to flip!"
"Well, Chrys does look hot. And that guy he's with, talk about ridiculous! They must be related."
Leave it to Chloe to focus on their looks. "He said something about family being in from out of town," I mumbled, still searching for Don.
"Hi, Season." I heard from behind, but it was not the voice I wanted to hear. Chloe jumped and spun around.
I slowly turned around. "Hi, Chrys."
"Wow. You look gorgeous," Chrys said, staring at me, his longing expression front and center.
"Thanks."
Chrys shut his eyes and shook his head. "Umm . . ." He opened his eyes again. "This is my cousin, Brent."
"It's nice to meet you." I went back to scanning the room. "What are you looking for?" Chrys asked.
"Hmm?" I was still searching, not making eye contact with Chrys. "Hey." I heard Don say, coming from behind me.
I twirled around to face him. He had a half-smile on his face, and Zach was laughing.
"He just beat me playing air hockey," Zach said as they approached. "No one's ever beaten me before."
"Really?" I asked nervously.
Don noticed the tone in my voice, and his brow furrowed. As he stepped up to me, he saw Chrys and Brent standing behind Chloe and me.
"Looks like every time we leave you two alone, men hit on you," Zach said as he put his arm around Chloe.
"Hi, I'm Chrys Gorge." Chrys introduced himself, sticking his hand out to Zach. "I live next door to Chloe."
I watched Don's face as Chrys spoke. His expression turned to stone right in front of me. He clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes. This was not going to end well.
"Don't," I mouthed to Don. "Please."
He walked up to me and put his hand on my side to move me behind him so that Don stood in front of Chrys.
"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you, then," Zach responded.
Don stuck his hand out to Chrys, and I watched from behind.
"Don Davis," Don said in a grave tone, and Chrys's eyes opened slightly wider, then narrowed.
"Chrys Gorge."
The two of them glared at each other and shook hands slowly. While they were sizing each other up, Zach and Brent watched in confusion.
Don stepped right up to Chrys, and I closed my eyes. So not good. Chrys would be in the hospital, and we were all going to jail.
"If you don't start showing her some respect, I'm going to tear you apart," Don said as calmly as he could manage.
"If you don't back off, you'll get your chance sooner, rather than later." Chrys wasn't calm.
Don laughed without any humor. "It's not so much
fun having someone in your face that you don't want there, is it?" He paused. "This is your only warning," he growled.
Don dropped Chrys's hand and turned to me, putting his arm around my waist and kissing my forehead. He started to lead me off when Chrys spoke again.
"It was a pleasure meeting you," he said with heavy sarcasm.
We kept walking, but Don turned to look at him. "The pleasure's going to be all
mine."
I was sure I wasn't the only one who caught the double meaning in that phrase!
But at least Don didn't beat him to a pulp.
We got into the movie and took our seats. "Are you okay?" I asked Don.
"Me? Why?" He sounded puzzled.
"Because you looked like you were about to kill Chrys." "I'm fine. Are you okay?"
"I guess so."
"That's all that matters to me. Besides, I'm not going to let him ruin our date." I smiled at him, and he leaned down and kissed me.
Once the movie started, it was very dark in the theater. Don and I had our hands on each other's legs, caressing each other. By about halfway through, our hands on our legs had become too much for either of us to bear. I leaned in my seat and looked at Don while I breathed heavily. He stared right back for a few seconds, but then he couldn't take it anymore. He shoved his other hand into my hair and kissed me.
And we did just that throughout the rest of the movie.
When we stood up to leave, I saw Chrys and Brent sitting in the back of the room. Chrys couldn't have had a clear view of Don and me during the movie, but he could've seen enough to make out our actions. I glanced at Don to see if he'd noticed. And because he had a smug expression on his face, I knew he had. Surprisingly, Chrys sitting back there didn't bother me. He needed a reality check.
Don and I went to the car, but Chloe stayed with Zach while he was getting a refill on his drink.
I leaned against the car and gazed at Don. He put both his hands on the window on either side of my face, pressing against me. He kissed my neck and made his way up to my ear.
"I've had a wonderful time with you this evening." I put my hands on his waist and panted, "Me, too."
Don chuckled. He was enjoying my response more than his own actions. I couldn't allow that..