Beyond Wild Imaginings (14 page)

Chad snorted. “Well, yeah, it’s complicated, but it’s also really cool! How many people have stuff like this happen to them?” He sighed. “I don’t know, Kelly. I just have a feeling.”

Chad having a feeling was never a good thing. “Oh yeah?”

He nodded. “I have a feeling that something really big and really amazing is going to happen before all of this is over.”

She said nothing, but pondered over his words. She hoped that he was right in the sense that something big happened. She wanted to be able to bring Garren’s world back, but she didn’t like how Chad said “before all of this is over.” She didn’t want it to be over. Ever. Now that Garren was back in her life, she couldn’t imagine not having him around. She didn’t want to. It was painful to think about.

She put her hand over her heart as it started beating in a peculiar, sluggish way. She remembered how her and Garren’s hearts had seemed to beat in unison the night before. They were connected somehow, on a deeper level than she had thought. Her heart reacted to him like it had a mind of its own. She was calm and content when Garren was with her, and that was something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. She didn’t want to go back to feeling lost and chaotic. Garren was not just her imaginary childhood friend. He was something more. He was special, and she wanted to keep him by her side. Always.

Chapter Eleven

“I cannot believe what you did to Roger!”

Kelly sighed and made a slow turn toward the door as Rachel burst in and slammed it behind her. “What I did to Roger?” She snorted. “I imagine he failed to mention what a lunatic he was all night.”

Rachel huffed and crossed her arms. “I absolutely cannot see how Roger would be anything but a perfect gentleman.”

Chad sniggered, but Kelly ignored him. She finished setting the chocolate chip cookies and the juice on the coffee table and met her sister’s eyes. “Rachel, he yelled at a child in the restaurant, proceeded to tell me people with imaginations were useless, and made a spectacle of himself because he thought someone was trying to choke him when there was no one there! He was a first-class jerk, and I can’t believe you thought I’d actually get along with a man like that.”

She made a clicking sound with her tongue and rolled her eyes. “Give me a break, Kelly. We all know that you—”

“We all know that I what, Rachel?” she snapped. She put her hands on her hips and scowled. “Look, I’ve just about had it with you and your what-I-need-and-what-I-am speeches. I’m happy with who I am, and I don’t need you trying to turn me into you, which, for the record, is the last thing I want to be. So, sit down, shut your freakin’ mouth, and take your punishment.” She stabbed her finger in the direction of the couch.

Rachel scowled, but flounced over to the couch and flopped down. “This is so ridiculous,” she grumbled. “What is he doing here anyway?” She indicated Chad.

“He’s gonna play too,” Kelly supplied.

Rachel rolled her eyes again. “Great. I’m surrounded by giant toddlers.”

Kelly heard Garren make a growling sound, and she looked over at him. He was standing with his arms folded, looking perturbed. She smirked and turned back to Rachel. She rolled her eyes. “You can’t play in that, Rach.”

Rachel glanced down at her bright pink suit. “This is Armani,” she sniffed.

“Well la-de-freakin’-da. Chad, go get her something better to wear. Mr. Armani will just have to deal.” Chad headed into Kelly’s bedroom, and she turned to Rachel. “I made cookies and juice like when we were kids.” She giggled.

Rachel stared at her and leaned forward with a heavy sigh. “Kelly, seriously, what is this all about? Is this some sort of desperate attempt to get attention because—”

“Rachel, listen to me.” Kelly closed her eyes and tried to maintain her composure. She wanted to strangle Rachel about as badly as Garren had wanted to strangle Roger. Her breath caught, and she felt the tension ease out of her as Garren’s fingers caressed the back of her neck. She let her breath out slowly, and he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“What she thinks doesn’t matter, little one,” he whispered in her ear. “You are the one with the magnificent mind. She gave up on hers.”

His words warmed her heart, but it did matter what Rachel thought. She needed to remember. She needed to see what her selfishness had done.

“Rachel,” she began again, “do you remember the game we used to play when we were kids? At the playgroup?”

Rachel frowned. “That was forever ago, Kelly. How do you expect me to remember that far back?”

She sighed. “Just try, okay? Remember, we all had imaginary creatures called guardians? We pretended they lived in a magical world where we’d go to have adventures.” At Rachel’s blank look, Kelly’s stomach knotted. How could she have just forgotten like nothing had ever existed? The same way she had, she guessed. She had all but forgotten too.

“Look.” She tried a different approach. “I know you’ve been worried about me, Rachel. I know you’ve been trying to help me, but you’re really not doing any good. What I need to do is go back to a place where I felt happy and safe. I want to forget all of my problems and play like I’m a kid again just for a day. Don’t you ever want to go back to being a kid? When everything was so much simpler?”

Rachel looked like she was debating for a minute, but she finally nodded. “Well, of course. Everyone wants to be a kid again.”

Kelly felt a small measure of success. Progress was being made. “Okay, well, I think it will help me get out of my depression if I just throw all my cares to the wind and play like when I was eight. It’ll be fun, Rachel. Please just do it for me, okay? You were always my favorite playmate when we were kids. For once, don’t worry about your Armani suit and your diamond jewelry. Just remember what it’s like to be silly. It’s just me. I promise I won’t laugh at you.”

Rachel stared at Kelly for a long moment, but her shoulders finally slumped in defeat and she expelled a large sigh. “All right, fine.” She looked up at the drawstring pants and T-shirt Chad was handing her and she snatched them. “But we have to play Hot Lava first. That was always my favorite.”

She rolled her eyes and hopped up onto the couch. “You can’t touch the ground. The entire floor is boiling hot magma. If you touch the ground, you’re out.” She giggled. “We used to play this on monkey bars, but I guess my sparse furniture will have to do.”

“Can we play Duck, Duck Goose too?” Chad asked as he climbed up onto Kelly’s arm chair.

“We don’t have enough people to play that,” she scolded.

Once Rachel had come back wearing her suitable play clothes, everyone got started and spent the greater part of an hour leaping around on Kelly’s furniture.

Rachel had been stiff at first, and hesitant, but as time went by and Kelly and Chad laughed harder, she began to loosen up. Soon they were sitting on the floor around the coffee table eating cookies. Garren had watched the entire scene unfold from his place in the doorway of the kitchen. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded, smiling a little to himself. Kelly hated that he had to stand there and have everyone pretend like he didn’t exist. She missed having him close. She missed feeling his touch. It was strange. The more she interacted with Garren, the more she craved him.

“What is with this juice crap?” Rachel asked suddenly, peering down into her cup. “Don’t you have any rum? Or vodka?”

Kelly frowned at her sister. “Nice, Rach. When was the last time a little kid drank hard alcohol?”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “We’re playing like we’re little kids, okay, but no one ever said we had to act like them. Seriously, sis, if I’m gonna keep this up, I need to spike the apple juice.”

Chad chuckled. “I second the motion.”

Kelly sighed and shook her head. “Unbelievable,” she muttered as she stood up. “Bunch of alkies.” Laughter followed as she made her way into the kitchen. She looked at Garren as she approached, and his smoldering violet eyes held hers the entire way.

He stepped aside to let her pass, then slipped into the kitchen behind her, grasped her around the waist, and pulled her into the room out of everyone’s line of sight. Kelly squeaked and giggled as Garren enfolded her in his arms, and she sighed in contentment. He smelled like incense, which didn’t really make a whole lot of sense to her considering she didn’t burn any, and she really doubted there was a lot of incense burning going on in the Creative Realm. She imagined it probably had something to do with the fact that she’d always liked the smell and that her subconscious had configured it into him when it had decided to turn him into a Gothic hottie.

She bit her bottom lip and felt herself blush. She looked up at him and shook her head. “I don’t know what to do with you, Garren.”

He grinned. “Kiss me.”

Like he needed to twist her arm. She raised herself up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her body nestled perfectly against his like they’d been sculpted to fit one another, and time stopped for her in that moment. Time seemed to stop every time he kissed her. It was like the universe aligned, her life fell into place, and everything made sense as long as his lips remained on hers. It was magic. Pure and simple.

“Kelly, what are you doing in there?” Rachel shouted suddenly. “Did you have to hire a bartender? Come on, I’m not getting any younger! Or any drunker!”

Kelly pulled away from Garren and smiled up at him. “The natives are getting restless.”

He dipped his head so that his mouth was against her ear. “I’m getting restless,” he whispered. “I have half a mind to tell you to scrap this entire thing, kick your sister and friend out, and let me explore these feelings I have for you in greater detail.”

Her face flamed, and she took a step away from him just to be safe. He was too sexy for his own good. “Garren, I swear…”

That devilish grin was back on his lips within seconds, and it never failed to make her stomach flop and her heart twinge with affection. “How am I supposed to understand my human emotions if you don’t let me explore them?” He raised a sly eyebrow.

She stared at him, then backed away, shaking her head. “You are dangerous,” she stated. She headed to her pantry and located an untouched bottle of rum. She felt him come up behind her, and she whirled, pointing the bottle at him. “Back, devil boy!” His chuckle may as well have lit her on fire for the way she burned.

“Kelly, are you talking to someone?” Rachel said.

She started and gave Garren a pointed look. “No, just myself.” She waved her finger at him and headed back out into the living room, hoping she didn’t look too flustered.

“It’s about time,” Rachel grumbled. She snatched the rum and started to pour a healthy amount of it into her juice.

Kelly made a face. “Bleh. Rum and apple juice?”

Rachel shrugged and passed the bottle to Chad, who took a chug directly out of it. Kelly couldn’t help but laugh. She glanced at Garren over her shoulder. He was back in the doorway of the kitchen and watching her with an intent and very heated expression. She fought a shiver.

“All right, let’s get this show on the road,” Rachel said. “What other torturous games do you have planned for me?”

Kelly looked at her sister and debated for a moment before looking back at Garren. Meeting his eyes was all it took to decide her. “Stand up.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Yes, ma’am.” She set her rum and juice down, stood, and saluted sarcastically.

Kelly pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Funny.” She motioned for Chad to stand also. “Okay, here’s the deal. I really want you to try to remember the game we played when we were kids, Rach. With the guardians. Don’t you remember? We always had so much fun.” She was trying to make light of it, but it was extremely important to her that she get Rachel to remember. “Remember, we each had one, and we would dance in a circle with flowers in our hair and sing a rhyme?”

Rachel’s eyes widened. “That’s right! Oh yeah, didn’t they all have wings or something? Oh wait, my guy was really hot, wasn’t he?” She frowned as the memories started to come back to her.

Kelly chewed on her bottom lip. “Yeah, see! You do remember!”

“What the heck was that guy’s name?” She shook her head. “I haven’t thought of that game in years.”

“Well, let’s play,” Kelly blurted out. “We can just wing it, okay? Like…let’s say we’re trying to find their world again after all this time.”

Rachel stared at Kelly, sighed, and shook her head. “I have a very strange sister.”

Kelly snorted. “Come on, Rach! Would you just humor me, for once?”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, but I’m gonna need another shot.” She grabbed the rum bottle and downed some of it, then turned back to Kelly. “Okay, fine, what do you want me to do?”

“Believe,” Kelly whispered. The word left her lips before she could stop it. She looked over at Garren. All traces of his playful mirth were gone. His face was serious, somber, and maybe even a little hopeful. He took a few steps into the room.

“Kel?”

“Sing the song of Guardians who live beyond the skies.” She launched into the rhyme, hoping it would spark some memory in Rachel. Chad joined in to help her out, taking Rachel’s and Kelly’s hands in his. Rachel looked bewildered and confused, but to her credit, she didn’t run out and tell them they’d lost their minds.