The First Touch (8 page)

He smiled and replied, “I am up for it if you are.”

She smiled and opened her mouth in incredulity, “You don’t know how to give up do you?”

He smiled replying, “So is that a yes?” She smiled and looked down at her feet studying them while she thought the proposal through.
He will find you and you will not be able to stop him. You will not even see him coming, he is too fast. If you are unlucky a few hours
,
if you’re lucky and yo
u can get away from him,
then maybe a week. Be realistic
Autumn
,
your super power, or what ever it is, is completely
useless in his presence
. He is your freaking’ kryptonite and you are diner and a show; you do not have a chance.

She donned another fake smile trying her hardest not to reveal her inner turmoil to the killer
at her side
, “Alright we will walk half of the way there and then I am taking a taxi the rest of the way home, deal?”

He smiled with renewed joy
,
and replied, “Deal.” He slid his hand out gesturing for her to lead the way. She s
hook her head, starting
down the road
,
as she thought to herself,
nope, not a chance
.

She
decided
when he seemed the most comfortable or distracted, which ever came first, she
would try to run for it. A
small voice whispered in her ear,
kiss him first and then run
. She turned around and looked down the walkway. All that she saw was a pair of African men waiting for the bus on a
nearby
bench,
no escape
.

Ivan began the conversation not seeming to notice her distracted state
,
while
her mind
began
running possible escape scenarios
. “What do you do for fun?”

Her mind answered first,
listen to voices in my head
. Her mouth said, “I read mostly, though the movies are nice too.” He smiled again, in his practiced charming grin that she was already becoming accustomed to admiring.

“What kinds.”

She tried to keep a calm face while her mind flashed to the image of his eyes just before he had eaten her before. Then her mouth answered, “It used to be horror but now it’s usually just feel goods.” She crinkled her nose at the words that had escaped.

He picked it up instantly, “Used to like Horror?”

She smil
ed slightly embarrassed and explained
truthfully, “I have had a lot of nightmares as of late.”

He replied, “So your job as a lab tech is stressful?” He had a genuine look of concern on his face.

She answered, “No I enjoy it, and I work for a small doctor’s office,
usually
at night so it’s quiet. Peaceful even, I work alone for the most part.” Her mind began chastising her
smart tell him you work alone at night
.

Ivan asked, “So why the dreams then?”

She
replied and tried to sound nonchalan
t, “I don’t know. They are mostly just chase dreams anyways.”

He replied
,
with worry now evident, “Who chases you?”

She winced again knowing that she had to tell him the truth or risk agitating him. She replied cautiously, “Mostly creatures though I can’t see them
very
well
most of the time
.”

He interjected, “Invisible?” As a thought began to form in his mind, she nodded her head yes
, and her inner voice interjected,
no
,
they look just like you
.

She continued, “It becomes especially difficult to kill them when I stop to fight.”

He seemed surprised and a little disbelieving by her choice of words, “Stop to fight?”

“Yes
…well normally…” she frowned remembering her strange dream from the night before where her reactions were less than stellar. “
I can hear them. When I finally get the nerve to stop and fight them. I can usually only get in a few blows or cuts in before I
wake up.
It’s the strangest feeling; it’s so vivid that my eyes hurt when I wake up, weird, huh?”

Ivan slowed his pace consi
derably shaking his head no, asking
, “When did you start having these dreams?”

He watched her closely, and she repli
ed a little more slowly, “A
couple of years ago.”
He shook his head again and
Autumn
interjected, “I told you I was too strange for you but you didn’t believe me. I told you. I knew this would happen!” She had an edge to her voice that even she was not familiar with, as her c
ombined anxieties began to spill over
.

Ivan had a look of total horror, which she took her strength from
, unexpected
impromptu
diversi
on, and
she went with it. She
stepped out to the edge of the sidewalk and
instantly
haled a passing taxicab. To her dismay, it passed her though, and to his obvious delight since he was smiling
anew
a
t her now. His previous mood
completely erased
now
. He spoke quickly and apologetic, “I do not think you are strange, the complete opposite in fact.”

He looked at her and realized that she needed more convincing, so he added a little wearily, “I know someone who has dreams similar to the ones that you spoke of.” She stopped
her attempts to search for another taxi
then looking him dead in the eyes. Her head began scream,
no do not listen to him he is lying
to you
, but his face seemed so sincere. She asked intrigued, stepping closer in spite of herself, “How similar are your friend’s dreams?”

He stared back at her and replied seriously, “Very similar.” Then he broke eye contact and c
hanged the subject, “So you can
not watch horror films now because of them?”

She looked up at him her mind lost in thought, “No
,
I simply don’t want to encourage them.”

He retorted, “
Do you think that it is connected?”

She shook her head and replied honestly, “I don’t think so
.
I even began keeping track of what I ate e
ach night, but
no correlation. They seem to come when they want to.”

Ivan asked, “So the films?”

Autumn replied
,
slightly ashamed, “I think it’s mostly the way that the movie reminds me of them. They are excellent hunters though those creatures, dark and raw.” He winced at those words, she had hit a nerve and she knew it. She changed the subject this time, attempting to keep him calm.

Her mind pulling
her away while
,
her words closed in on the only connection that she had ever had with another regarding her dreams. “So what’s your friend’s name?”

He swallowed and replied, “Serena.” Autumn’s eyes widened as her shock gave way
he
asked,
in alarm,
“What is it?”

She lied
,
her heart rate tripling
, “Nothing.”

He caught it and asked again a bit more slowly, “What is it?” She shook her head and did not answer. He asked again
,
sounding concerned now, “
Autumn
what is it?” She looked at him slowing her pace now, her defenses beginning to drop.

“I think I might have...your going to think... It’s hard to explain...forget it.” Her head drooped in defeat, and she did not meet his eyes
, this was a mounting pressure that she was not prepared to share with anyone, not even a creature of the night
.

He did not let it drop though picking up the clues easily, “Have you dreamt about someone named Serena?”

She looked around announcing
, as her head finally snapped
, “Alright I am going to tell you something that will probably freak you out. So I want yo
u to take a deep breath or what
ever it is that you do to calm yourself down.” He stopped walking and so did she looking around as if she was thinking of bolting.

His intensity was startling; this was especially worrisome for her
,
since his reaction to her first confession in her vision had been so severe. She would not be able to out run him, no mater how fast she was. She needed another vision; if she just knew how he would react, she could tell him without fearing the outcome. Right now, his look alone was sending her into a panic.

Her mind raced thinking of how she could get comfortable while still standing there with him. Proximity that is what she needed, if she was close enough then maybe she could feel the feeling of excitement again. Perhaps she could go back to the opposite state to have a vision, since she
obviously w
ould not
be
calm
ing
down.

Immediately she put her hand up, then hesitated in mid air, and asked, “Can I touch you?” His eyebrow shot up but he nodded hesitantly. She stepped closer placed her hand on his chest and listened closely to his heart
,
beating quickly in his chest. Nevertheless, as she expected he was not breathing, and she commanded softly, “Breath.” He complied without hesitation, his eyes never leaving her face.

As she waited
,
listening to his heartbeat and felt the rise of his breastbone as he breathed
in and out
. She looked up to
wards his face finally. He
stared back at her with a new hunger in his eyes. Her hand stiffened at the change in his face. Then she relaxed it again
,
when she realized that his pupil dilation was completely harmless. Well, as harmless as a Vampire could be. Lust she was sure of it, strong and potent. It was a little unnerving though to have someone or something so beautiful and powerful looking at her in such a way.

She added trying to keep her voice steady, “It may take me a few moments so I will need you to be patient ok?” She closed her eyes trying to
work herself up
without waiting for a response from him. He waited patiently without a sound, watching her completely relaxed on the outside.
His mind on the other hand,
raging with the passion that his body was struggling to hold back
, while the fire in his chest increased three fold with the proximity to his
prize
.

He had been so close to missing her before. If she had not fallen on him, if she had not touched his skin, he would have walked right past her. He stared at her beautiful ivory skin, bent his head down, and took another whiff of her hair. He listened closely to her pulse slowing
down, and thought to himself,
What
was she doing?
Truthfully, he did not care, just standing here so close to her was reward enoug
h for the discomfort.
P
erhaps she was trying to convince herself to kiss him
. He smiled to himself at that thought, though
he already knew that she was not likely planning on any such treat
.

She was trying very hard to
focus on him, and the feelings that she had felt in the coffee shop, in hopes of recalling the vision. W
hen the words
,
kiss me but only if you want to
, flashed in her min
d again and h
er face scrunched up at the words and she tightened up as her heartbeat increased for a moment before evening out again. To her increasing frustration with the situation, she c
ould not get it to
speed up enough to trigger a vision. He was just too strong; all her mind could think about was the last look in his eyes and how good his chest felt under her fingers. Her mind was pulling in two different directions causing a mind numbing equilibrium that stretched on
…
forever. His smile and his beautiful face,
it was too late
,
probably wouldn’
t have a vision for days now
,
she thought bitterly.

She looked up at him and smacked his chest suddenly, t
hough he barely seemed to
register. She withdrew her body
,
irritated, “I can’t do it with you here, you are too unsettling,
you
block it or something.”

He seemed completely confused now, “What?”

She huffed,
furious with herself for her bodies reaction
in spite of her vision
, “Nothing, walk me home.” He wa
s about to continue the
prodding
, but he stopped short. His eyes suddenly
darted around the walkways, narrowing in upon
a m
an standing across the street.