Swift (16 page)

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” she asked as we got into the car and headed home.

“No, not bad at all.” I smiled.

The clock on her dashboard read 4:33 p.m., still plenty of time to get ready for dinner that night. Now I felt it was safe to tell Aunt Rose about my plans.

“Blake invited me over to his house for dinner tonight,” I blurted out.

“Really? Does this mean things are getting serious between you two?”

“I don’t know what it means. It could just be an innocent dinner.” I shrugged.

“Well, I don’t think it’s innocent if a guy comes to your house at ten o’clock at night just to invite you over for dinner.”

My stomach twisted with the memory of the night before and the anticipation of seeing him again soon. I had a difficult time hiding my smile.

“He seems great, but when he left last night I started to think about it some more.  I just don’t want you to get so wrapped up in him before you leave. I don’t want to see you getting hurt. Have you thought about that?” she added, glancing in my direction.

Yes, I had thought about the consequences. My brain told me to end it, to not let it go on any longer. Then there was my heart telling me to dive right in and don’t hold back. Which one was I going to listen to? That was the question.

It didn’t take me long to get ready. I had already applied a little makeup before leaving that morning; so a little touch-up was all that was needed. I decided not to change out of my black capris and pink blouse. Aunt Rose said I looked nice, and I figured, if she approved, then it must be good enough for dinner with the Harpers. The next couple hours flew by as Aunt Rose and I sat at the kitchen table, going over some of the details for the wedding.

Then out of nowhere, something strange happened … A strong sensation came over me, a small fluttering in my stomach. Then Blake’s face popped into my head. It was like I could feel him, like he was close or something. And that’s when I heard a soft knock at the front door.

“Do you want me to get it?” Aunt Rose asked.

“No.” I jumped up, still feeling the weirdness inside me. “I’ll get it.”

I half-ran to the door, and I wasn’t even sure why. When I opened it up, Blake was standing there, looking irresistible in just a simple baby blue T-shirt and jeans. Suddenly, I felt very overdressed.

“Hi.” He smiled. “You look lovely.”

I swallowed hard before answering. “Thanks.” Then I heard Aunt Rose’s footsteps behind me, and I hoped that what was about to come would be short and painless.

“Hi, Blake. Nice to see you again.”

“You too, Rose.”

“Well, you two have fun,” Aunt Rose said as she placed her hand on my shoulder, practically pushing me toward him. I’m sure she was over-the-moon excited that I had a date … if that’s what it was. I mean, I had had dates before, but they were always forced and ended up being disasters. Something inside told me this was not going to turn out like any of my previous dates, and that both excited and scared me.

“Your aunt seems really nice,” Blake said as we walked down the sidewalk toward the street.

“Yeah, she’s the best.” I smiled.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but think about what had happened right before he knocked on the door. It was such an overwhelming feeling, like I could sense him being there. That weird, fluttery thing had happened in my stomach, and then I just knew he was near. But that couldn’t be possible, could it? I glanced over at him as I wondered.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing really. Just something really stupid.”

“Enlighten me?”

My nerves heightened, wondering what he would think, and still I wanted to tell him. “Well, before you got to my house, my aunt and I were sitting at the kitchen table going over some wedding plans—”

“Wedding plans?” he interrupted.

“Oh yeah, my aunt’s boyfriend Jack proposed to her yesterday,” I explained.

“Really? That is great news. Sorry to interrupt your story. Continue.”

I took in a deep breath. “As we were sitting there going over the plans, I had an overwhelming feeling. I felt like I could sense you, like I knew you were there before you knocked on the door.” I braced myself, waiting, almost expecting him to start laughing or to tell me I was strange for feeling that way, but he didn’t.

Actually, he didn’t say anything for a moment. He took in what I had said and seemed to be pondering it.

“See, it’s silly,” I said to break the silence between us.

“No, it’s not
silly
.” He looked over at me, his blues eyes smoldering. “It’s very intuitive, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t get the same sensation when you are around.”

That was definitely not the response I had been expecting. We stared at one another for a long minute, and I was not sure how to interpret what he had just said. What did he mean by
intuitive
? And did he really get the same feeling around me? Could that be possible? I broke his gaze and looked forward, not really knowing what to say next.

We arrived at their estate. The smell of rosemary filled the air as we entered the house. Then the memory of what had happened there just a few days ago sent a shiver down my spine. A flashback of the vision entered my mind: the man who held me in his grasp in a dark, unknown location. I shook the thoughts out of my head and glanced into the living room where the incident had taken place. The room had drastically changed since I had been there last. The walls were painted in the steel blue color, the color I had been experimenting with the moment my vision came. The white Victorian couches were pushed back to their rightful places, and beautiful oil paintings had been hung on the walls.

Abby sat on the couch nearest the fireplace, reading a book. Her head popped up the moment the door shut behind us, and she shoved the book she was reading underneath a pillow on the couch. It seemed weird for her to do that, but my mind was quickly distracted by her cheerful personality as she came over to greet me.

“It’s so good to see you again and with some color back in your face!” She smiled timidly.

“Hi, Abby.” I swallowed hard, feeling embarrassed. I had hoped she had forgotten about the way I had looked that day.

“Come in, come in. Sit.” She pointed to the couches, allowing me to take my pick. I glanced back at Blake. He was wearing that smile that showed off the dimple on the left side of his cheek. My heart sped up.

“After you,” he said, placing his hand on the small of my back. His touch sent an electric feeling all throughout my body, making me shiver ever so slightly.

I walked toward the sitting area and sat down on the couch, opposite the one that Abby had been sitting on. She took her same seat, and Blake sat down beside me, sitting close enough that our bodies touched. My rapid heart rate picked up more speed, and I tried to distract myself in order to calm it back down.

“I love how the room turned out. The color looks amazing.” I nodded, looking around and admiring how the dark blue walls allowed the beautiful paintings to stand out. “The paintings are beautiful.”

“Yes, my brother is very talented,” Abby said as she glanced around the room.

“Wow, you painted these?” I asked, looking toward Blake, hoping my mouth was not hanging open as wide as I felt it was.

“He didn’t tell you about his many talents? You will have to ask him about those someday,” she joked. “My brother is too modest to brag about himself. He needs a little push.”

He glanced at me and shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Meredith, so lovely to see you again,” Annette said, coming from around the corner to my right.

“Hello, Mrs. Harper. It’s nice to see you again, too.” And it was. The moment I saw her, her presence put me more at ease.

It was strange that I was nervous with just Blake and Abby around, but they always seemed to talk cryptically when I was nearby and I was never able to crack their codes.

“Oh, please, call me Annette.” She smiled. “Dinner is ready. Please join us in the kitchen.” She turned and waved us on to follow her.

Abby and Blake stood, and I quickly shadowed their movements. We followed Annette down the long hallway and past the bathroom I had spent recovering in last week. My stomach turned over, remembering the pain from the headache and the terror from the images I had seen. I turned my head forward and pushed the memory from my mind.

We entered the brightly lit kitchen. It had also changed from the last time I had seen it. The pale yellow color that Abby had painted as a sample covered the walls, and there was now a table sitting at the far end of the large room.

“I thought we would eat in here. It seems less formal than that stuffy old dining room,” Annette said, taking off her apron and laying it on the island.

Blake pulled out a chair and then glanced at me. Was he pulling out a chair for me? No one had ever done that before. Well, except once, when Roger did it as a joke. I thanked him and allowed him to push it in for me as well. The table was all set with plates, silverware, and a spread of roast beef, potatoes, broccoli, and rolls. It had been years since I had had a dinner like that. Maybe since my parents were alive.

Just then Samuel entered the kitchen, giving me a warm smile. “Meredith, we are so glad you could join us.”

He walked over and was the last one to take his seat at the table. Annette asked Abby and Blake about their days, and each of them rambled on as we passed the food around the table. Blake had mostly worked on the yard and had begun re-staining the outside shutters black. Abby had spent her day re-painting her bubblegum pink bedroom to more of a neutral tan. It was nice to sit around a table with more than just me—or occasionally, Aunt Rose—at it. It felt nice to be in a family setting, sitting there and listening to them all discuss their days.

“What about you, Meredith? What did you do today?” Annette asked, glancing in my direction.

“Oh, um, I went dress shopping. My aunt is getting married, and I’m the maid of honor.” I smiled.

Annette and Blake shared an awkward glance.

“How nice,” Annette said, turning her head back toward me. Then I watched as she shot a quick glance at Abby, who was looking distant as she twirled her fork. Have I said something wrong? I wondered.

We all ate dinner, and the air was full of conversation, mainly between the four of them, though they occasionally asked me a question or two, forcing me from my usual quiet. As dinner ended, Blake invited me outside to the backyard, saying he wanted to show me something. I thanked Annette and Samuel for a wonderful dinner and followed Blake out the back door. We walked across the yard and down a set of stone steps. There at the end of the path sat a wooden bench that opened up to a small clearing. He took a seat, and I sat beside him, leaving a small distance between us.

“It’s beautiful out here.” I leaned back and looked up toward the stars.

“Yes, it’s my favorite spot on the estate.”

It was quiet for a moment, and I looked back at Blake, catching him in a fixed stare ... on me.

“Meredith, I need to tell you something, and I’m hoping it’s not too soon. I have tried to find the right way to tell you this, but I’m afraid there’s no other way than to just say it.”

I didn’t like where this was going. My throat felt like it was being strangled. I wanted to speak in order to quiet his voice, fearing what he was about to say. I hoped he wasn’t about to say anything cheesy, like he had feelings for me. Dread filled my mind, and I closed my eyes, hoping that he would not say what I thought.

“Meredith ...” he began.

“Stop,” I choked out, finding my voice again. “Just don’t say anything, please.” I opened my eyes and found him staring down at his hands, refusing to meet my gaze.

He couldn’t tell me he had serious feelings for me. That just couldn’t happen. I had plans. Well, I had plans to make plans. And Blake didn’t fit into them. In a few weeks, I was leaving and was probably never coming back. Plus, Blake and his family were just in Marblehead temporarily, and they would be leaving soon, too. What did we think was supposed to happen between us? That we’d start a long-distance relationship only after spending a few weeks together that summer? Yeah, like that would really work out. Even though I knew there was something special between us, I had to call it off. It would be better that way, before any real feelings got involved.

“Blake, whatever it is you are about to say, just don’t. We both know this isn’t going to go anywhere. It’s just horrible timing. Soon, we will both go our separate ways. It’s just not fair to start something like this.”

He glanced up toward me with a mangled expression, confused, almost, like he had no idea what I was talking about.

Oh no, had I just said too much? Was he
not
about to say what I had thought?

Then Blake rearranged his face and opened his mouth to speak. “You’re right. It is horrible timing.”

With the awkwardness between us, I felt that I should leave. There was nothing left to say. “I think I should go.”

“I think that would be a good idea.”

“Please thank your parents again for dinner, and tell Abby goodbye for me.” My voice broke on the last few words. I stood up to leave and walked around the side of the house to the front yard and down the circular drive. On the way home, I kept wondering why I felt so sad when I had been so sure that that was what I had wanted.