The Misadventures of Daria Pigwidgeon (30 page)

He turns to me then, eyes haunted. “I think I was afraid for you.”

My heart skips a beat. My breath takes a pause. My eyes widen.

Sweet. Baby. Jesus.

I just freaking knew it. Didn’t I? “What do you think it means?”

He shakes his head.

“I wish I knew.” His eyes harden, trapping me from turning away. “But I do know it’s nothing good. Whatever it is supposed to mean, I get the feeling that I’m meant to stop it.”

We look away at the same time.

Silence ticks on for a moment, both pondering the meaning of his words.

I finally risk a glance at him. “Red and white…hmmm…any way that it could just mean that I should skip out on any and all political elections in the near future?”

My attempt to lighten the mood does little with the way he watches me now. I almost feel afraid. No. Wait. I kind of do and I haven’t even gone to see my family yet. Isn’t life grand sometimes? Seriously.

“So…” I pause. “That’s um…why you didn’t show up to school today then?”

He nods. “Pretty much, yeah. I did end up going in late though.” He hesitates. “Why? Did you think it was something else that made me not show up?”

“Oh.” I blush, having to turn away again. “You know me. I’m overly paranoid, so basically my mind came up with some pretty stupid reasons…”

“Hey.”

The uncertainty in his voice brings my gaze back to him. As I do, he reaches out and takes both of my hands in both of his. Is it wrong that I suddenly prefer this touching to the one his sister gave me a while ago? Heck, I know it is. But it doesn’t do anything to change the way my heart swells. Even my soul feels oddly too big for my body all of a sudden.

“I would never, ever, make the mistake of walking away from you ever again. You have to believe that rabbit, I need you too. I’ll admit I’ve been a dick in the past month. Sure I had my reasons to be stupid, but not enough that it hurt you. I’m sorrier than you’ll ever know.” He takes a breath. I lose mine. “But I’m staying put this time, no matter what. I can’t promise that I won’t be a guy in the future and probably piss you off at times. I can promise that I won’t leave you alone. I’m in this now. It’s you and me. That is if you want that…”

Wow. I mean seriously, wow. Color me in pretty much shocked in a room full of buzzing electrical sockets. I probably look a fool starring up at him in starry wonder, but I can’t help it. The feeling in my heart and soul right now is indescribable. It’s like warmth that could conquer any cold. It’s peaceful. It’s happy. I’m happy. Wow.

Tears pool in my eyes. “Chance I…I…I don’t even know what to say.” Bubbly laughter spills the tears out of my eyes. They roll down my cheeks tickling me. “Yes I want that. I want that more than I think I’ve wanted anything in my entire life.”

He smiles at me for a heartbeat before he uses his hands on mine to pull me into his arms. We cling to one another, burrowing in each other’s warmth, security. I nuzzle my face in the crook of his neck and shoulder and find solace with the purely boy scent of him. He’s all soap, fabric softener, and a little bit of peppermint. There might be dread lurking in the background, like a bad date that won’t take the hint and skedaddle, but it’s only a distant thought.

Right now, just as we are, I can honestly and irrevocability say that for the first time I actually feel loved.

And I freely give it too.

***

Like all the best moments that someone with little actual experience, they must eventually come to an end. That’s what it feels like when Chance and I hesitantly pull back from one another. The way he watches me, it’s nothing I’ve ever witnessed or been through. It’s enough to make me want to cover up or something. He doesn’t just see the girl on the outside though or the demon that hides on the inside. Somehow, without my knowing, he’s gone and explored the me that I really am all around. A girl that is clearly worth affection of some kind, that one might call love. Not me though, it’s too soon for talk like that.

But I do feel it, hard not too when his blue eyes practically shine with emotion. I wonder if I am looking at him in the same way. From the way my thoughts are becoming corny and oddly poetic, I’m going to go with you-betcha. What better way to ruin this moment and make it awkward and full of dread again?

Why talking about my pending family reunion that’s what.

It’s not my doing though. I’d avoid that topic like the plague if I could. But cutie Chance doesn’t know any better and his curiosity gets the better of him. Not that I blame him for it. He means well.

“So…about tomorrow. Should you still go through with seeing you mom and sister?”

I ease back into the cushion and take one of Chance’s hands with me. “Well, I kind of have to, if we want to learn anything new that is. Why wouldn’t I?”

He leans back into the cushions, all tense, not looking at me.

“But what about what I saw in my dream? Doesn’t that make you not want to go through with it? It does for me…”

“Chance. Look at me please.” I wait until he does so. “We don’t know enough from what you saw for it to mean anything useful. Not that it or you are useless, because having some warning or another is better than not…but…I can’t just hide out here avoiding the colors red and white forever. Right?”

His gaze holds mine. “Would be it wrong of me to wish you could avoid that forever? I mean what if something goes wrong? What if-”

I hold out my free hand to quiet him.

“We can’t play the ‘what if’ game, it’ll drive us crazy if we do that. There is always a risk in anything we do good or bad, we can’t let that stop us from getting answers. I, we, need this. You and me right?”

He nods enthusiastically, his signature beautiful smile parting his lips. “Well…you know…if something does in fact go wrong, I can always be on standby. There is this thing where I like to rescue damsels. And rabbit, you qualify.”

I smile. “That sounds nice and all, but I don’t think you should. You kind of lack the abilities that require a suitable backup under the most dire extremes when dealing with demon type folk. Or you know my family. So, thank you, but I don’t think so.”

He mocks being hurt, with a hand over his heart. “Hey I have plenty of abilities thank you very much. Besides, yours doesn’t work on me. So that’s something right?”

“I meant
power
ding dong, not other type of abilities that have nothing to do with demons.” I don’t stop the laugh that slips out as I lightly smack him on the arm. “
And
, we don’t know for sure if it’s just mine or all of their
powers
yet. It’s better safe than sorry and by that I mean, it’s better you safe than not.”

“Oh come now rabbit. I do have
some
things going for me, I’m not completely useless. I want to help. Let me help. Please?”

Maybe it was the please or it could just be the way he wants to help me. In the end, I’d be grateful to have someone that cares enough to stick their pretty boy neck out there for me even if they don’t have the right juice to really be of use. Or maybe I’m just stupid. I’d probably go with the latter.

“Fine. You can help.” I pause to glare at his rising grin. “But, only as the getaway car. And, at a safe distance away that I’ll call for backup
if
it’s needed. Can you do that? If not, then it’s no game. I won’t risk you Chance. I’m sorry but I won’t.”

“Aw rabbit, you going to make me think you falling for me or something…”

I scoff. “No…absolutely not.”

A blush rises in my cheeks and I glance away. Chance laughs softly causing warmth to spread through my chest. I’m thinking he might not be wrong about that little fact. Not that I’d ever admit it to him though. To avoid further admission on either his or my part, I walk him to the door. This really consists with me hurrying over to it on my own, and holding it out to him, while trying to avoid his eyes. I almost succeed too, that is until he is standing a breath away and gently forces my face up to meet his by a light touch on my chin.

He’s close enough to kiss and yet the space between is too far away.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” He asks so softly, I almost don’t hear it.

My mind draws a blank and I have to guess. “Working?”

He smirks. “No dummy. I meant after work. Any plans?”

“Oh. Well, you know the usual. Probably just crashing on the couch with a cheesy horror movie.” I pause, skeptically. “Why?”

“So you’re not busy then.”

“Um…” I pause in confusion. “No?”

“Good. I think we should hang out for a bit. I’m aiming for something normal, like no talking about powers or nightmares. Just us being, well us, maybe I could join in on that movie or something?”

“You want to watch a movie with me?” Gulp and yippee. “Like as in a date?”

He smiles. “
Yes
. I mean a date. What do you say?”

Now I smile. “I say yes. A movie sounds like the right amount of distraction needed.”

He leans in closer to me, so close that I can feel the light stubble along his jaw as his cheek just barely grazes mine. I swear I could melt into a puddle right at this very moment. Even more so, when he turns just so, bringing his lips in the hollow between my ear and neck and whispers.

“Then I offer my power of distraction to you.”

Talk about your innuendos… A sigh slips past my lips and my shoulders sag in delight. Then he steps back, his lips just barely grazing my cheek. The need to lean into him is so strong, that I have to close my eyes. I don’t get the opportunity though, because he moves away, leaving me wanting. My eyes reopen quickly when I hear him opening the door to leave. I didn’t even realize he moved away that far.

Man, I
really
need to get a freaking grip.

I stay frozen in spot, with a completely dumbfounded expression I’m sure, and watch as he steps through the door. Before he disappears, he softly calls out to me. Then before I know it he’s gone without so much as a backward glance. It’s not until I’m cuddled in bed with the dream of sleep pulling onto me, that I realize what he said. I’ll give you a hint. It definitely wasn’t elephant shoe rabbit. Get it?

Man, I am so not going to be able to fall asleep now. Or maybe I will.

I can just bet that the dreams will be off the charts…and yet the morning dawns all too quickly leaving no trace of a remembered dream in sight. Typical. The plus side? It brings me closer to my date night with Chance. I’m practically a giddy school girl when I race into work, and even still as I get through a boring Saturday shift making sandwiches. The cranky customers and screaming toddlers can’t bring me down today. And neither can the funny looks Toby would give me every so often.

Nope.

No one can penetrate the bright and shiny feeling that is me today.

The feeling lingers all through the day and into the evening. It even stays when I bounce around and help Toby close the store. Oddly, it swells to an all new high when I step outside to find Chance in the same intoxicatingly position he’s taken up the past two nights. Everything but him fades away as I’m guided to the car. Somehow I manage to climb inside without decking my head on the roof. There is a momentary breathlessness until Chance climbs in beside me. He holds my hand the whole way home.

We climb the garage stairs hand in hand, not once falling down even though we don’t watch where we are going. We separate once inside though as I command him with the responsibility of making the popcorn and the picking of the movie so I can take a lightening quick shower. The entire time I’m under the scalding hot spray, I can’t stop myself from thinking that he is just in the other room while I am undressed. It makes my fast movements rather jerky. I soon finish and try to dress myself up in something comfortable and still slightly attractive without coming off as I’m trying. Basically I settle for tight-ish grey comfy pants and a light pink camisole. I even leave my hair down, which I never do by the way.

Sheesh, being a girl is tricky.

When I finally walk out into the living room, the scent of heated butter is strong in the air. My mouth waters, but that has less to do with the popcorn, and all to do with the stretched out six foot form of Chance Harris on my sofa. Just like I asked of him, he got everything all ready for us, including a warm throw blanket. My heart swells to the max with every step I take that brings me closer to him. I sit down beside him and we position ourselves until he’s all but holding me in his arms.

My face presses into the firmness of his chest. He starts the movie. I forget the popcorn.

About twenty minutes into the remake of Dawn of the Dead, I somehow find myself lying on my side with Chance behind me. His strong arms gently hold me close, his breath tickling the hair at my nape. My eyes have long since closed. For new entertainment, I play with the fine hairs of his arm that drapes over my hip. The longer I play, the more I notice little things. Like the fact that every time I pass my fingertips over one tiny freckle, he shivers. And when I don’t wait for the shiver to pass, goosebumps rise up on his skin and his breath hitches just the slightest bit.

The knowledge that I’m causing him to feel something, anything, is intoxicating, overwhelming really. It must be for him to, because after a few minutes of this, he sits up so that his other arm can trap mine to his chest. This causes me to get turned around so that I’m half facing him. My eyes flutter open in surprise. They narrow down to his half-closed lids, and it fascinates me how dark the blue of his eyes are at the moment. It doesn’t take me long to figure out why.

Time slips to a slow crawl, yet too fast at the same time. I watch as Chance brings his face much closer to mine than it was a second ago. His breath becomes my breath. Our noses gently bump as the closeness becomes closer still. Then there is a pause, lips barely touching. Pure agony and joy surge up inside me in one violent storm tearing a gasp from my parted lips. I ache to close the distance between us, to make us one, but I don’t have to worry. Chance is the cure to my ailments.

He closes the distance, completing us.

I surrender to the mixture of strength and tenderness of his lips. My free hand takes a life of its own, wrapping itself into the soft silken waves of his hair, while the other remains tightly held in his. My body clings to the warmth of his. Needing no guidance from the hold his free arm has around it. I’m alive with heat and chills all at the same time, like my body can’t comprehend the degree of something that could be happiness and pleasure all rolled into one.