Highlander's Curse

by Numees Collins

  As she got more and more excited, she started rocking and pushing herself deeper into his mouth. His naughty finger was circling her forbidden entrance, driving her mad with anticipation. Yet, he made sure not to do anything she was not ready for. The anticipation was more than enough to get her off right away.

  Connor sucked harder and when without a warning, he pushed the tip of one finger inside her tight little opening, a massive orgasm hit Anthea. She screamed his name, pulled at his sandy hair as the waves of pleasure ran through her, maddeningly delightful.

  When she opened her eyes, he was smiling at her - pleased with his work. His lips shiny with her juices.

  "I made sure you would not forget me when we are apart," he spoke smugly.

  She would not. She couldn't even if she'd want to. He had rocked her world, changed everything she believed in. Anthea had not been honest with him, though. He still thought he had powers, that she was capable to change things in his destiny, that her magic could make things better in his life. She had no magic. Even if stories were true and there had been women with powers in her bloodline, all she could do was sensing certain people's pains. That was not magic, and for sure not blessing. Anthea knew, although Connor claimed not to believe in magic, deep, very deep inside his heart he hoped she was the solution of his curse. He had sung about it in his new songs.

  As she stepped into the train, a scary idea crossed her mind. She was not sure whether the tales of Connor's ancestor and the witch were true or a beautiful fantasy, but she was intent to make that story repeat. Like that mysterious witch, she needed to disappear from his life. How hard would that be? She could change her phone number, delete her profile from social media and that was it. It was easier to vanish today in the twenty-first century than ever before. as she waves goodbye to him, her heart sank. She was not ready for this, yet, she thought it would be for the best. Maybe he really needed his old life back. He talked about it so often these days—bringing back his band, playing his music with them again, getting back on his bike. The one thing he did not mention was bringing back his ex-girlfriend. And that thought did not give Anthea rest. Maybe her role as his inspiration was done. Maybe she needed to let him go back to his past.

  Chapter 8

  It had been two weeks since Connor had heard from Thea. Her phone was off and she had not been online. He had tried to find her home address, but there was no one with her name. Was this a big joke? He spent days sulking. The only productive part of his day was playing his guitar and writing music. He could not complain on the lack of inspiration - be the reason of it his happiness or sadness.

  After a little bit of thinking, he had refused the band's offer to join them again. He was not even quite sure why he did that. Either he was mad that he had lost the one woman who suddenly had become the center of his universe, or his initial desire to bring back his pre-accident life had lost its appeal. Some things were not meant to be brought back after all. He knew it now. Some things happened and passed and as long as he was trying to keep hold of that past, he was going to lose what was waiting for him in his future.

  Kelly had been trying to call and message him lately. It was as if Theaˈs words were coming true one by one. Everything he had lost was coming back and knocking at his door. Now it was up to him to open that door and let it in and for the rest of his life to think that he had lost a dream he believed in because of his family curse or to find a new door.

  "Are you planning to spend the rest of your life sulking?" Grandpa knocked at his door.

  Connor realized it was late afternoon already and he was still in his bed with his guitar. As days passed by, he was getting lazier and gloomier. He was almost ready to give up and accept that whatever curse there was, it worked! Maybe things would feel much easier if he finally admitted that he had no power to change them.

  "Yup," Connor agreed. If he had hoped that Grandpa was going to take no for an answer and leave, he was wrong. The man was stubborn as hell. Another family trait. "Alright, come in." Maybe he did need some scolding.

  "Oh, boy, you look like hell," Grandpa said not sparing his feelings. He opened the window to air the room. Connor was somehow mad even at the sun and tried to keep it out of his self-imposed prison. "If you're planning to die on me, please solve your issues with your ex-girl and ex-band before that. They keep on calling me when you reject their calls."

  Connor did feel a little bit guilty for putting his grandfather in this situation. He couldn't help it, though. Right now, nothing had any meaning for him.

  "I'm sorry, Grandpa," he shook his head.

  "I don't need you to be sorry, son. I need you to finally get up and take the reins of your life in your hands," Grandpa shook his head. He was obviously getting frustrated with Connor.

  "How? She's simply vanished. She doesn't need me anymore and you said it yourself it's a curse. It was bound to happen anyway," Connor hated that he sounded as if he had given up. Was this how he wanted his story to end? Another broken heart to blame that damned Aengus MacLachlan for everything that went wrong with him? How was the dead guy to be blamed if Connor was not moving his butt to even go out of his room, let alone be in charge of his life?

  "I cannot understand today's youth," Grandpa shook his head as he barked a laughter. "Man, you make great music and you've met a good girl who has inspired you to get up and get better. And still, you think if she's not picking her phone she has vanished? It's not the phone and not even the curse, Connor. Where is your role in your own life then?" Grandpa did not say anything else. He just left leaving Connor with the heavy decision.

  Connor lay in his bed composing for another day. Ironically, he could not even thing or sing about anything else. The new song was just bursting out of him, as if the words were written long ago and it simply downed on him right now. He was singing about a highlander's curse, but he knew it was not about a guy in the past who had betrayed his heart - his song was about himself.

  This time, when he got up and grabbed his crutches, he suddenly knew why all of this had happened. He was back to the same situation where he believed Aengusˈ story had ended—with his girl gone and no way to get in touch with him. If back in the past it had been the woods and the vast lands that hid her from him, now he had only the gadgets and Internet to blame. Connor suddenly knew he was not going to give up. He knew one solution that was obvious as bright daylight. He needed to take the train, travel one hour and even if he'd end up knocking on every single door in her town, it would not take him as long as a lifetime without her.

  With his guitar as his companion for this journey, Connor MacLachlan took the train. As the doors closed and the vehicle carried him away to his dream. Maybe he wasn't sure how he was going to find Anthea. He wasn't even sure whether he was ever going to be able to recover completely or restart his career as a musician. Connor MacLachlan knew one thing though. He had found love that was worth risking all of it and fighting for it. He wasn't coming back until he found her. If one family trait never failed him - that was his stubbornness. And right now, Connor MacLachlan felt like a warrior filled with determination and fueled with love. What could possibly stop him now?

  Chapter 9

  "Is this him?" Cait shoved a piece of paper into Anthea's face. The paper was ignored. Now was a good day to interrogate her on whatever it was. She pushed it aside without looking. Who could possibly be on that torn piece of paper that could be an interest to her. Nothing was interesting to her anymore. From the look of it, the paper was a poster or some event announcement.

  "I don't know," Anthea muttered.

  "You will know if you look," Cait insisted. "Is this your guy?"

  "I don't have a guy," Anthea said shaking her head still stubbornly refusing to look at it.

  She never knew she could be so stubborn. She could simply look at the poster, say something and be done with it. But no, she had to argue until Cait—the one last friend she had left in her life—would get tired of her and walk away. Maybe stubborn
ness was a contiguous disease that one could get falling for another stubborn person. Or it was just the result of being foolish and letting go of that one person she cared for. Either way, Anthea did not see a cure for her newly acquired disease.

  "Don't be silly, please," Cait said. Her friend was intent on not letting her live her boring life today. "This guy has been playing in the pubs and bars in the town every night saying that he is searching for his girlfriend who has disappeared on him. He calls himself the Cursed Highlander. Does that ring any bells? Hello?"

  It did. Anthea finally dared to look at the poster from the corner of her eye. There was a picture of Connor sitting on a bar stool with his guitar in his hands—proud and beautiful as always.

  "Alright, that look answered my question." Cait jumped off her chair and pulled Anthea's hand. "Come on now, we're gonna go get pretty and attend a nice concert tonight."

  "No, no and no," Anthea said as she tried to remain on her seat. Cait was much stronger than her, though. She regretted that she spent more time in front of her laptop than in a gym to avoid such humiliating situations. "I did leave him for a reason."

  "Alright," Cait said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And I believe you did not even think to explain that reason to him, did you?

  Of course, she had not. She had run away as a coward. She had been so confused about all those stories of magic and curses and his expectations of her to have powers to reverse the curse that fleeing and hiding had seemed the one right thing to do. She had failed to think about him and how he would feel about her vanishing into the thin air. For some weird reason, she had thought that he'd be happy without her—back with his band and his ex-girlfriend. Yet, here he was searching for her.

  "I don't know what to say to him," she objected for one last time before Cait forced her into the pub later that night. It was quite crowded and she hoped he would not notice her.

  His eyes met hers the moment Cait pushed her in. Anthea's breath caught. How could she even think that it was going to be possible for her to forget him? His voice sounded beautiful. Once again, Anthea had that odd feeling of sensing his feelings as clearly as her own. She could hear two hearts beating, two hopes blazing with a new spark, two torrents of emotions mixing into one overwhelming sensation.

  He sang three more songs, then announced a short break. The crowd cheered but immediately turned back to their drinks and talks. Anthea's whole body trembled with excitement as he walked toward her. He still used his crutches for support though he seemed to be doing much better. She turned to find Cait and ask her to stay by her side. Her friend had betrayed her. She had found a guy and was cheerfully chatting with him.

  Anthea opened her mouth to say something but he stopped her, pressing his palm to her lips silencing her.

  "Just listen," Connor said. He looked into her eyes and Anthea doubted her ability to listen or comprehend. It had been so easy to leave him when he was away. Now, as he stood next to her, she knew there was a connection between them so strong and deep that she could not break it no matter how many curses worked against them. "I do not care now many ancestors of mine have believed they suffered a curse. I am not sure if there is magic or curses in this world. Hell, I am not going to let any of those to determine my life, Thea."

  They both fell silent for a moment. He had come to find her. He needed her—not a witch to undo his curse, not a healer to help him recover—just the girl he liked.

  "I guess everyone else had fallen into that trap. The curse is fueled by us believing in it, is it not? I refuse to believe it and I refuse to try to fight it. Cursed or not—this is what I am. Please accept me and do not hide from my anymore."

  She wanted to scream "yes," to yell so loudly that everyone in the pub could hear, so that her lungs hurt. No words came out of her mouth though. Minutes ran by and all Thea could do was stare at him and smile. Then she felt tears in her eyes.

  "Thea? I want to take that as a yes, but I need to be sure. Thea, say something, anything."

  She was beaming like a fool, unable to pronounce a simple "yes." She nodded weakly, then a bit stronger, and eventually her head was bobbing up and down uncontrollably and tears falling down her cheeks.

  Connor grabbed her waist, lifted her easily with one arm, leaned on one of his crutches and started turning so fast that everything turned into a blur. When their lips touched, she knew this moment was the one true magic she believed in, the feeling was intense as never before. Both had put aside their fears and prejudices. This moment was theirs and theirs only—none of the old stories, none of what had been foretold mattered. He had come to find her and that was all that mattered. Cursed or not, Anthea knew together they could overcome it.

  Later that night, when Connor was back to playing his music, Anthea felt that another soul—an ancient one so far away from them—was smiling with relief. She hoped it was Tara's restless soul that had finally found peace. Anthea smiled back and promised to live and love for all those dreams that had been unfulfilled for so many years.

  THE END