Weighing of the Heart (Volume 1)

by Jessica Florence

  Oh, dear Lord, she was going to have a quickie with the super dancer boy next to her. My eyebrows came up and she let out a giggle before continuing to dance with her soon-to-be lover boy. I looked around for Tristan as we left but I didn’t see him. I didn’t feel him either. He must have already left.

  Chapter 5

  Leander walked me out to my car. He didn’t really say much as I got in the car. Before I left, I rolled down the window. “Hey, are you okay?” I asked him. He looks at me and smiles.

  “Yeah dove, I’m good. I’ll see you at the apartment ok?” He made me feel a little better. I still thought something is wrong with him, but if he wanted to talk about it, he would. So I headed home.

  As the doors to the elevator closed at the apartment complex, someone’s hand stopped them. I felt him and my body came alive. Tristan stepped into the elevator. He pretended to be surprised.

  “Well, isn’t this a surprise. I wasn’t expecting to meet you here,” he said. I had to laugh. Dear Lord, don’t give him another thing for me to like.

  “It’s weird we keep meeting like this,” I played back with him.

  “I would say it was destiny.” His voice had changed; was he still playing? I looked at his face and he looked so intense. I shook with tingles. Images of us together, rolling around in the sheets, sweaty, and hot crashed through my brain. His hands ravishing every inch of me. I was internally purring at the thought.

  Then the doors opened. He coughed and gestured for me to exit the elevator. I stopped and unlocked my door. I walk in and turn the lights on in the living room then over to the fridge. I needed something to cool me down.

  “Do you want something to drink?” I asked him.

  “Sure. I’ll take water, thank you,” he answered from somewhere in the apartment. I got us some glasses of water and turned around to find him. He was standing in front of my book collection. I walked over and handed him his glass.

  “Thank you. So I take it you really like ancient cultures,” he asked. I blushed. I had every book possible that dealt with things Egyptian and Greek, from children’s learning books to fictional novels.

  “Yeah, you should see my room! I guess you could say I am obsessed. I’ve never been to any of those places, but maybe one day.” I looked at the books and sighed. I’m not sure when that day would come, but hopefully before I’m old and crippled.

  “I’ve been to both; I have a lot of family in Egypt,” he said.

  My mouth fell open as I stared at him. I couldn’t help the shriek that came out of my mouth. “Oh, my God! That is so cool!” I went to sit on the couch and he followed me.

  “What is it like?” I asked abruptly. He laughed at my excitement.

  “It’s hot and sandy. The ruins are nice to see, although the people who try to sell t-shirts and stuff to the tourists in front of the pyramids would offend the gods. But what can you do?” I laughed at the thought.

  I continued to stare at him, waiting for more information. He went on.

  “Egypt is my home. I collect Egyptian antiquities. I would love to show you sometime.” I was internally screaming like a little girl. This was so cool for someone who was into this stuff as much as I was.

  “I would love to! I love this stuff, although I’m not sure how it all started. Ever since I was little, I fell in love with everything Egyptian and Greek.” He just nodded at me like he knew the feeling.

  “I knew people from Greece as well, very strong people. All about honor and being remembered.” He looked as if he was going through memory lane in his head. It must be nice to have met such diverse people.

  “That definitely sounds like the people of ancient Greece. Would you like to see some of the art pieces I have found?” I’m not sure I should take him to my room, but I just wanted to show him all of the stuff I had. It somehow felt important. He looked at me with those intense eyes.

  “Of course.” I stood up and walked towards my room. I could feel him following close behind. I opened the door and took in my little art museum with him. I heard him intake a deep breath.

  “Thalia,” he said. His voice sounded so desperate. Desperate for what, I didn’t know. I didn’t turn towards him because that would be a dangerous combination. He and I, plus comfy queen bed, would definitely end up with us doing it like they do on the Discovery Channel.

  He walked around and just stared at everything. My cute Venus de Milo lamp on the nightstand and the tan material hanging from the canopy rails of the bed. I had little statues of my favorite gods and goddesses covering my dresser.

  A black jackal statue sat in the corner of the bottom of my bed facing the whole room. He was my little protector dog. He was always my favorite out of everything I found. Tristan seemed to be staring at it like he couldn’t believe his eyes. They were kind of hard to find. I turned towards him completely, taking my chances.

  “So what do you think?”

  He still looked shocked. I knew it was a lot but I figured he would appreciate it. He finally turned his gaze to me. I wouldn’t dare read into what I saw in his eyes. There was just no way. He walked over to me and ran his hand down my cheek.

  “It’s amazing. It makes me feel like I’m home.” I was so thrilled to have pleased him so much.

  “I’m glad you liked it; I figured you would. It seems like we have that in common,” I said to him. He was still fixated on me. I wanted this. It felt so right. Being with him in here, it felt … safe? Familiar? I pushed back the thought. I needed to stop with this familiar crap. I didn’t know him; if I did, there would be no way in hell I would forget it.

  He seemed to be craving me just as I was craving him. His head inched close mine as his hand lifted my chin towards his.

  “Thalia.” My name came out of his lips as a praise. I couldn’t get enough of him using my name. It was like he was a lone worshipper and my name was his prayer. I closed my eyes, so ready for this.

  “Hey Thalia, I gotta use your bathroom. Then we can get this party started again!” Lacey’s voice broke through my lust fog.

  “Hey dove, where are you at?” Leander’s voice now came through.

  Damn it, Leander! I really was going to smother him in his sleep! He had the worst timing ever! I pulled back immediately.

  “In here. I was just showing Tristan my obsession.”

  Leander came walking in. “She is a little crazy with this stuff, huh?” he asked Tristan, practically grinning. You know what? That jerk, somehow, I don’t know how, but I bet he is breaking us up before we kiss on purpose! Tristan turned his head towards Leander and just rolled his eyes at seeing his grin.

  “It’s amazing,” he said breathlessly. It made me smile. Now it was Leander’s turn to roll his eyes.

  Lacey came busting through the door. “So I vote we eat the cake Leander got you, play Dance Central and drink some wine. What do you say?” She was so cute.

  “Sounds good to me. I could use burning the extra calories before bed.” Even though I think I would rather burn calories another way with Mr. Sexy next to me.

  “I’ve never played, but I’ll try.” My head whipped towards Tristan words. He would play? Wow!

  “I’m not sure you guys want a piece of this but I’ll out dance y’all any day,” Leander said as well. This was going to be fun.

  We all walked out to the kitchen where they have a little cake set up for me. I started grinning from ear to ear. I felt so loved. Once I got closer I saw what was on it. It was a picture of me the night after I got my job at the art museum.

  I was wearing a tight black dress, my heels were long gone, my hair was a mess, and I was standing on the bar holding a bottle in the air. I was so trashed that night.

  Well, my dream job became a reality that day.

  My mouth was open as if I was screaming something. I started laughing at the picture. I didn’t really remember much after that. It was one hell of a night, though. Lacey added some candles and lit them for me.

  “Happy b-day, babe!”
she said as she winked at me. Hmm, what should I wish for? Maybe I should wish to win the lottery. I looked to my right and saw Tristan’s beautiful face. I knew what I wanted. He smirked as if he knew what I was about to wish for.

  I closed my eyes and made my wish as I took a deep breath and blew out my candles. Everyone cheered; then Leander started to steal the candles off to suck the icing off of them before me! I smacked his hands and we fought for the last candles. “Back off, bitch!” I giggled at him.

  We both reached for the last little green candle and I got to it before him. I dangled it in his face.

  “Loser!” I yelled at him. He just laughed and took the ones he had into his mouth. I sucked the icing off the candles and felt a fire to my right. I look to Tristan only to see him staring at the candle in my mouth. My face turned as red as a lobster.

  I ran away to get some utensils and plates for us. Leander grabbed us some beer and the wine from the fridge. I came back to the cake and cut each of us a slice. We all stood around the counter and ate our cake.

  After everyone was finished, we went into the living room. I took a big gulp of wine. I would need it if I was going to dance in front of Tristan again, although the idea of seeing him dance for me this time would be enjoyable. He seemed to be a good dancer while we danced but he would definitely have a challenge dancing against Leander.

  Leander was great. He and I would play for hours sometimes. It was a great workout too. Lacey would come over and keep me company while he would be away sometimes. She loved doing the girly songs.

  “All right, let’s get this party started!” she said as she walked to the Xbox to get it all set up. I was getting a little nervous. She walked in front of the TV and swiped her hand around to get the game going. Then she turned to us.

  “So what do you say we do girls versus boys?” Lacey beamed. I looked at the boys. They both had a look that said bring it on. Leander looked at Tristan, who nodded. Then looked back at Lacey.

  “Oh it’s on!” He smiled and looked at me.

  “Ladies first.”

  Lacey got excited. “Oh I have the perfect song to start off with!” she shrilled. I undid my shoes and tossed them out of my way. No way was I doing this in heels. I grabbed another quick sip of that liquid courage while she chose the song. As soon as I saw what it was I laughed.

  The speakers started to fill with “S&M” by Rihanna. We got cat calls from both boys behind us as we started doing our Snatch drag in’s, anemone’s, and kitty pushes. I gotta say we were doing pretty awesome. We were getting Flawless on every move!

  As soon as it was over, I turned around and pointed at them.

  “Beat that, suckers,” I taunted. They were both looking like they wanted to laugh but wisely held it in.

  Lacey joined in. “Let’s see what you got boys.” They scoffed at the boys comment. They stood up and selected their song. Lacey and I sat on the couch and watched them.

  “You’re a Jerk” by New Boyz started playing, and they both went straight to breaking it down.

  My mouth fell open watching Tristan do the moves flawlessly. He was holding his own against Leander. He moved like a dancer. He wasn’t spastic or choppy at all. I just sat there mesmerized by him until they finished. They both had a smug look on their faces when they finished. Thankfully, I was able to pick my jaw off the floor before they turned around. I was glad they were acting like friends.

  Lacey hopped up and held her hand out to me. “I’ve got the perfect song to kick their asses with. And it’s not even a chick one. You ready?” she asked me. This sounds like a challenge, but I had this. I grabbed her hand.

  “Let’s do it!” I accepted the challenge. She helped launch me off the couch and onto our little dance floor. She swiped her hand around to choose the song. Finally she made her selection. And I was so ready for it.

  “I’m Sexy and I Know It” by LMAFO on hard came on. Leander started laughing.

  “This is gonna be good,” he said through his laughter. We started dancing and I put everything I had into it. We did everything perfectly again! Every little wiggle was to perfection! As soon as it was over we gave each other a high five.

  “Damn, we are good!” I said breathlessly. I turned around to see both guys with their mouths on the floor. Good.

  “You guys must be playing while I’m away, because DAY YUM!!” Leander said.

  He stood up. “All right dude, I got the perfect song to crush these little sissies. You got your A game?” he asked Tristan.

  He stood, and cracked his neck. “Always; let’s smack that ass.” He winked to me as he said it. I laughed. He was pretty funny. Leander chose the song then took a deep breath and jumped up and down to shake it off like he was Rocky before a fight.

  “ OMG” by Usher came on. This song was really hard and he chose to do it on hard too! I kind of feel bad for Tristan; he had no clue what he was committed to.

  They started to dance and once again I was blown away. He was perfect. I think he even did a little better than Leander. I was floored. Seriously? Was there anything this guy wasn’t good at?

  As soon as they were done Lacey spoke. “All right, dance gods, you win. Let’s just have fun now. I wanna dance with your sexy ass.” She grabbed Leander’s hand and chose a song.

  Tristan came over and sat next to me. I was still shocked. He just laughed as soon as he looked at my face.

  “What? You thought I would do badly?” I just shook my head.

  “You’re amazing. Like wow.” I just stared at him like I was star struck. He smiled at me. He definitely liked that I thought he was amazing.

  We both sat comfortably next to each other as we watched Lacey and Leander do “Gangnam Style.” He even danced with me to Daft Punk’s “Around the World.” I had a blast hanging out with him. We danced together like we were a team, but I had to say that Leander’s and my dance to “London Bridge” by Fergie was the best dance by far. It was epic. About an hour later, we decided to call it a night.

  It was around two in the morning and I was starting to yawn. Lacey gave me a big bear hug goodbye and a kiss on the cheek to Leander. Tristan and Leander shook hands goodbye. I smiled, that was nice. I walked him to the door after Lacey left.

  I stood with him in front of the elevators. “Thanks for celebrating my birthday and for making sure I was okay earlier.”

  It was still embarrassing that I fainted but honestly, who wouldn’t? You see a guy from your dream in real life and he is just as jaw-dropping hot in real life. Anyone would fall down.

  “I enjoyed it. Thank you for having me.”

  Oh, I wanted to have him for a late night snack, breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He looked happy; his smile was breath-taking. Even the smirk. I didn’t know what else to say. I wanted to see him again. I took a deep breath and found my bravery. “I would like to see you again. “

  “Do you now?” He was teasing me. It made it hard because it just made me want to say, ‘No, not really, I lied.’ But I did, so whatever.

  I nodded at him. “Yes.”

  “Then see me you shall. I’ll call you on Monday.” I tried not to frown at the thought of not talking till Monday. Well I guess technically, it was Sunday morning. I’ll live. He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips, his gaze never leaving mine. I think a whimper came out of me. I felt his warm breath on my hand, I instantly was super turned on. It was like a switch, and now I wanted to tackle him into the elevator, which was opened behind him. “See you soon, Thalia.” He let go of my hand and backed into the elevator.

  The doors closed seconds later and I was stuck where I was. How did this guy come into my life and, no more than 24 hours later, I am a puddle on the floor over him? Even Greg, or the other few guys I’ve been with, it was never like this. Tristan lit me on fire. I got my feet unglued from the floor and went back into the apartment.

  It was quiet. Everything was turned off except the bathroom light. I walked passed Leander’s room to say g
oodnight. He was passed out on his bed, just in his boxers on top of the sheets. I shook my head. He could fall asleep so easily.

  I went into the bathroom, cleaned the makeup off my face, and took my hair out of its scrunchy prison. As soon as I got into my room, I shed my dress and climbed into bed. I snuggle into my comforter. I’m not going to lie; I was kind of excited to see if Tristan was going to be in my dreams tonight. I fell asleep in record time.

  Chapter 6

  I felt him. It’s that same feeling I get when I’m around him. I was so aware of him but I didn’t see him. I looked around but I couldn’t find him. The scene we were in before surrounds me. Trees.

  “Who?”

  I turned towards the noise. It was that same owl with the golden wings. I just stared at it, confused. “Who?” it said again. I wasn’t sure what to say to it. Did it want to know who I was, who I was looking for, who it was? I didn’t know!

  “What do you want?” I asked it. It just turned its head ninety degrees to the left. That was kind of creepy. I knew they did that but it was still creepy. “Who?” it repeated. Seriously?

  Where was my sexy dream hunk? There are so many other things I would rather be doing in a dream than talking to a bird. “Screw this.” I turned around and started walking somewhere, not sure where, but anywhere was better than being here.

  “Turn back now.” That wasn’t the same voice of the bird. That was a female voice, but a voice with a menacing tone. I turned around to see who it was just in time to see the bird flying at me. I put my hands in front of my face to protect myself as I fall back.

  “Oof!” Seriously! I am going to have to sleep on the floor if I am going to have these dreams often and they make me fall out of bed. I rubbed my sore bottom and just climbed back into bed. Leander rushed in again.

  “Are you ok?” He looked more concerned than yesterday.

  “Yeah I’m fine; I fell out of bed again. I had a weird dream.”