What the Heart Knows (11 page)

“You love me?”
            
“Yes
.
Damn it!”

The car jerked to a stop a
s
he hastily pulled into her parking place and turned off the ignition. He released his seatbelt and leaned over to wind his fingers in her hair as he spoke in hushed tones.

“From the moment we met I’ve been helpless to resist your siren’s call. I don’t know what you see in me or why you’re willing to look past my many shortcomings, but I am grateful.  I have a lot to tell you tonight, and I’m not sure how you’ll feel about me when I’m done.”

“Oliver, I l
—
”

“No, wait until after you know everything before you say those words to me.”

He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before he moved away.  She sat in stunned silence as he exited the car and came around to the passenger side to help her out.  Each step they took filled her with more fear as her mind became overrun with wild scenarios.  By the time they reached her apartment her nerves were stretched taut like a bow. She unlocked the door, and walked over to the couch where she sat with her hands in her lap and waited for him to lock up and join her. 

Instead of sitting, Oliver paced the floor in front of her.

“You know my wife died a few years back in a car accident, but what you don’t know is I was the one driving.”

“What?”

“It was raining, and the car beside us swerved into our lane.  I veered to the left to avoid hitting them, and we hydroplaned. There was nothing I could do once the tires began to spin.
Our
car crashed into the guard rail and went off the embankment and into the water below.” 

His face lost all color and he trembled as he continued to wear a hole into her carpet. His green eyes were dazed, and she knew instantly he was somewhere else.

“I knew the minute we hit the water our time was limited. But the impact slammed my head into the window. I was dazed. By the time I could move my limbs the car was half submerged, and sinking like a stone.   I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to Hannah, only to find her unconscious and slumped in her seat. I leaned over to try to wake her
,
but she was out cold. The water was up to my neck, and I took one last deep breath before we were fully submerged. I tried to free her from her seatbelt, but it wouldn’t budge, and she wouldn’t wake up. Tiny bubble
s
shot from her nose and I knew she was breathing in the water.  I never felt so helpless in my entire life.  I struggled with the seatbelt until my lungs began to burn and my vision started to go black. Self preservation took over and I swan to the surface… and I left her there.”

Her jaw dropped. What did you say to a story like that? A part of her was horrified that he’d left Hannah, but what sense would him drowning make? Unlike Romeo and Juliet there was no reason for their tragedy to end in a two
-
person death count. She glanced up and felt her heart bleed. Oliver stood in the middle of the floor with his head down and his gaze trained on the floor. His shoulders were slouched and the air of defeat and depression was almost tangible.  She’d never seen him look so broken.

“Oliver.” She stood from her seat and walked over to stand beside him in the middle of the room.  “Look at me.” Juni placed her hand beneath his chin and lifted his head.

“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t cause the accident, and you did all you could.”

“Did I?” he asked. He glanced up at her with tear
-
filled green eyes. “If I loved her as much as I claimed I would have stayed down there with her
.
I
nstead I swam off like a coward, and that’s something I have to live with for the rest of my life.”

“Oliver.” She sighed. “Honey
,
you can’t carry this weight around for the rest of your life.”

“Why not? It’s what I deserve.”

“You can’t really believe that.” 

“A part of me really does.”

“And the other part?”

“Realizes how irrational I sound.”

“I understand how hard it is to be the one who survives
,
Oliver, but it’s no more your fault that your seatbelt didn’t jam th
a
n it is mine for receiving a transplant on time when some of my friends didn’t.” She smoothed his hair back from his face and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
“This does nothing to change the way I feel about you.”

“But I
—
”

“Shh. I love you
,
Oliver Young
.
T
hat means accepting everything about you. Between the two of us we have enough baggage to fill an airplane. Perhaps that’s why we understand each other so well. I like to think we were brought together to heal.”
 

“Even with the craziness going on you still believe that?” He pulled away from her hands to gaze into her eyes.

“Don’t you?” she asked.  His hesitation made her nervous.  Hadn’t he just told her he loved her in the car?

“I’m not sure what I believe anymore.”  Oliver shook his head and took a step back. The action felt like a slap to the face.

“So, what you said in the car means nothing now?”

“What? No, you’re misunderstanding me.”

“Then clarify.”

“How we got together? I’m not sure if it was truly coincidence or designed.”

“Does it matter?”

“It might.”

“I don’t see it that way.”

“We have no clue why we were brought together. I can’t be the reason you
’
r
e
hurt.”

“You’re getting a little ahead of yourself, don’t you think?”

“No! I think you’re being way too nonchalant.”

“Madeleine said we needed to stick together.”

“She also said things were hazy.”

“I don’t want to fight with you about this
,
Oliver.”

“I think it might be best if I left.”

“Are you fucking kidding me
,
Oli?”

He flinched, but nodded his head yes.

“After everything that’s happened
,
you’re going to leave me here by myself
?
”

“It’d be the best decision I could make.”

“Bull shit!”  Her body flushed as she moved to stand in front of him.  “If you think you’re getting off that easy you’ve got another thin
k
coming. We’re going to talk this out, and come up with some kind of plan to figure out what’s been happening. If this things feeds on guilt you’re offering up a buffet.”

Her words seemed to break through his anger as he blinked and became still.

“For all we know it’s working on you right now.”

Desperation filled her as she ran to the couch and grabbed her purse. She dumped the contents on the cushions, grabbed a bundle of sage and her lighter. She stood, lit an end and worked her way around the house. She focused on healing and reclaiming her home as she went from corner to corner with Oliver trailing behind her. Ten minutes later they were back in the living room.

“How do you feel now?” she asked.

“Lighter.” He shook his head.  “Like I’m thinking my own thoughts
.
I always assumed the negativity was coming from my subconscious, but now …”

“We have to figure out what this thing is and how to stop it.”

“I know
,
Juniper.”   Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “I’m sorry for pulling away.”

“I think it’s pretty clear whatever this thing is, it wants to keep us apart.” She closed her eyes
and
focused on his steady heartbeat. She refused to give him up without a fight.

“I don’t know where to begin to start this search,” she said.

“Same place you can find information on everything else, the
I
nternet.”

“We’ll get through this together, right?” she asked.

“Yes, we will.”  

****

Juni closed the door behind Oliver and breathed a sigh of relief. She was on information overload.  Her feet felt like bricks as she trudged into her bedroom, stripped down to her skivvies and collapsed on to the bed.  She hadn’t felt this drained since she had the heart transplant. The wayward thought made her struggle against the approaching oblivion of sleep. Afraid of some sort of paranormal attack, she fought to stay awake before falling victim to her weariness.

*
***

The moment she opened her eyes she knew something was wrong. She was in a black sedan with Oliver at the wheel. Rain pounded onto the roof and the road in front of them.

“It’s really coming down out there,” she said.

“I know. I’m glad we’ll be home in the next fifteen minutes. People tend to lose the ability to drive when it rains.”

“Lose? I’d say half of them never possessed the ability in the first place,” she said. 

Juni found herself laughing even as the panic set in. She knew how the story ended, and she had no desire to experience it in person.  They said if you realized you were dreaming you should be able to wake yourself up. 
Wake up! Come on!
Wake Up! This is just a dream!
  She chanted the words over and over, but nothing happened. She attempted to lift her hand to bang on the car window, and found she was paralyzed. She watched in slow motion as the car beside them veered into their lan
e
. Oliver jerked the wheel to his left, and the black sedan fishtailed
,
careening out of control as it slammed into the guardrail.

  There was a moment of resistance, and then they were airborn
e
.  A scream was torn from her throat and pain shot through her body as her head slammed against the glass. Unlike Oliver’s wife she was wide
-
awake when the car hit the water and began to fill. No matter how many times she told herself to take slow even breaths she began to hyperventilate as the water crept higher up her body. When the water reached her chin a brown haired woman appeared before her. With golden skin and beautiful green eyes, she was a vision with a kind voice.

“Let me help you.” She reached out her hand and grasped the seatbelt that kept her held hostage, and paused.

“We’re in your mind
.
I can only assist you if you give me the power to do so.” 

“Do whatever you need to.”

An almost evil gleam lit the mystery woman’s eyes and she had the feeling she’d sold her soul to the devil.

“Done.”

The world around her began to spin and her lids drifted closed.

“You should be more careful
.
Y
ou don’t want to end up like Oliver’s wife did
,
”
w
ere the last words she heard.

Oliver sat across the table from Juni at their favorite greasy spoon and fought back a frown. He observed her from over the top of his menu. The two of them had been dealt a shitty deck last night, but her actions made red flags pop up like daisies. Her mannerisms, outfit, even her voice were slightly off. Like there was someone inside working her controls, yet unable to imitate her accurately. Normally he’d chalk it up to a bad day. With
all that had happened recently,
he’d be a fool to ignore abnormal behavior. He glanced down when she looked up, and pretended to read.

They’d spent the past three hours in the library skimming through books on the paranormal, spirits, and ghosts. When their stomachs growled and their brains felt filled to the brim
,
they decided to break for lunch. All morning Juniper had seemed to be in a daze, but now it was getting worse.

“Are you guys ready to order?”
t
he blonde waitress asked as she returned and stood at the end of the table.

“I think so.”   He glanced over at Juni who nodded her agreement.

“You go first
,
babe,” he said.

“I’d like a wasabi burger with fries.”

His heart skipped a beat as he stared at the imposter in front of him.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked.

“Yes… why?”

“Because you’re allergic to wasabi.”

For a moment her face filled with fury before it smoothed back over.

“I’m so exhausted I’m not thinking straight.” She gave a chuckle that sounded fake and brittle to his ears.
“I’ll just have a cheeseburger with everything and French fries, and a root beer.”

He bit his tongue to keep from telling her she liked her burgers with cheese and ketchup only. It was clear his Juni had left the building. Who was here with him now, and where the hell was Juniper?