Authors: Jess Parry
Ash watched her sleeping.
Aching need
to touch her
coveted every fiber in him.
Reaching
out a few times to run his fingers across her face
,
o
nly to drop it at the last moment, knowing his touch would bring a memory. He wasn’t ready to give that to her again. He just wanted to watch her for a little while, to remember
their memories
without bringing them to her.
Siobhan didn’t feel the bed give
from
Ash s
itting
down next to her, letting the flood of memories wash over him. His head dropping at the onslaught of reminiscences flooded his mind.
Tender i
mages flash
ed
through his vision, but it was always the same face
he would recall
, Siobhan’s.
The phone on the desk next to her bed rang shrilly
, bolting
up,
Siobhan
grabbed the receiver to stop its screeching ring.
“Wake up sleepy head” Jason’s voice filled the silence
“I’m awake” Siobhan replied
yawning,
Jason chuckled loudly
as he listened to Siobhan’s sigh through the phone.
“Becky….Becky…get your petunia up and out of the
damn
bed girlie!” Sarah sang into the phone. Siobhan stiffened at hearing Sarah calling out in the background from Jason’s room.
“How long have you two been up?”
“I dunno, maybe an hour or two” Jason replied between fits of laughter
Siobhan knew that laugh, Sarah was tickling Jason.
“Come on Sarah…quit..” he chirped loudly into the phone as Sarah
’s bellowing
laugh
ter followed
.
“Why didn’t you wake me earlier then?”
“We thought you needed your sleep, come on down to my room. We’ve got most of the outline from today’s tour done. We just want to run a couple of things by you
,
get your input before
we email it out and check it off the list.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes”
Siobhan muttered climbing out of the bed
“Ok, see you…”
Jason choked out between another fit of laughter, angrily
Siobhan hung up the phone before Jason could finish.
“Hope I wasn’t interrupting?” Siobhan replied smartly as she took in
Jason’s
disheveled appearance standing at the door.
“Uh…no...
Umm,
we were just messing around” Jason replied quietly as a blush bloomed on his cheeks.
“Right” She
snickered
walk
ing
into the room
,
taking note
in the messed up bed Sarah
was
sitting on with the same disheveled appearance.
Anger simmered on the edge of Siobhan’s vision.
Looking
up at Jason briefly eyeing him fiercely,
she
turned to Sarah who was
now
lying on Jason’s bed. Her eyes pierced into Sarah as she let the anger flow to the forefront. Sarah’s smile faltered as the laughter died on her lips, eyes widening as she watched Siobhan flush with anger.
“You know what…I’m tired of this…if there is something the two of you need from each other, please be honest with me!” Siobhan’s voice
ringing
slightly higher on the last word before turning to storm out of the room
, only to be stopped by Jason
.
“Wait” Jason reached out
pulling
Siobhan to him
“What the hell” Sarah and Jason said in unison
staring
at Siobhan
“Are you kidding me Siobhan, how the hell could you say that?!” Sarah huffed as she jumped off the bed
“Jason is your boyfriend! You two are my best friends! It never used to bother you that Jason and I would get into wrestling matches…” Sarah scolded as she pulled her hair into a messy bun. “Why are you going all
screaming
b
anshee on us now?”
“I’m simply stating a fact.” Siobhan replied hotly, tears threatening to fall
“No, you are jumping into shit that isn’t there!” Sarah replied fiercely “I don’t get you sometimes”
“Siobhan, I love you, only you” Jason whispered softly “You are the only one for me, can’t you see that?”
“No, Jason I can’t”
Pushing
out of Jason’s embrace, turning to face him
, tears brimming in Siobhan’s eyes
“How can I? When I walk into a room where the two of you were doing god knows what!”
Tears spill
ing
from her eyes, she fisted her hands as the anger of
a possible
betrayal
vibrated
through her.
“Damn it to hell Siobhan!” Sarah screamed “Jason and I are never going to be what you just thought
of us!
I
f you had been in here you would have seen that! Hell, if you would open your damn eyes, you would see that nothing would ever be between us, but friendship!”
Storming
over to Siobhan,
Sarah
grabbed her fisted hands squeezing. “I love you like a sister and Jason like a brother. That is all that will ever be between us, Siobhan.” Sarah voice pleaded as she looked into Siobhan’s tear streaked face. “It’s just been a couple of fucked up days
,
we are all on edge with each other.”
Looking
at Sarah,
Siobhan cautiously
searching her face for some form of deception, seeing nothing but raw emotion reflected back to her. Embarrassment flooded Siobhan as the anger fled from her.
“Oh my god” Siobhan whispered closing her eyes as more tears started falling. Sarah grabbed her into a fierce hug; Siobhan rested her head on her friends shoulder.
“God, what is happening to me?”
“Nothing a good shopping spree, hot bath
plus a
good night’s sleep won’t cure!” Sarah whispered back
Reaching
out for Jason, who was standing to the side with his head down
, Sarah pulling him
into the hug. “Come on group hug, everyone shares the love!” Sarah sang shrilly.
A gurgled laugh escaped Siobhan’s lips; she reached behind her to pull Jason closer to her.
“I’m sorry” Siobhan whispered
“No harm, no foul” Jason whispered
kissing her as he brushed the tears from her face
.
“To hell with the report, let’s get the hell out of here for a while!’ Sarah whooped
“I think that would be good.” Siobhan replied
“Then it’s settled, let’s go spend some money!” Sarah called as she stepped over grabbing her purse before pulling Jason’s door open.
“Come on people, the day’s a wasting away and I have a yen to ring up some charges on the parent’s charge cards” Winking she gave a wicked witch laugh
walking
out into the hall.
“We good?” Jason asked softly
“We are so good” Siobhan replied
turning
her face up to his and kiss
ing
him
A low moan fell from Jason’s lips as he closed his eyes “Can we let Sarah go shopping and just stay here?”
“No, silly” Siobhan laughed
pulling
him out into the hall.
Standing
on the street outside the hotel, they turned to each other grinning. Sarah clasped her hand into Siobhan’s while Jason strolled next to Siobhan with h
is
arm around her. Without
a destination, they wandered into the busy city.
Strolling
into the
stores
they passed
where
something would catch their attention. Siobhan and Sarah tried on clothes, modeling for Jason who sat in one of the many chairs with another guy waiting on his girl.
He would laugh heartily at some of the outfits Siobhan and Sarah came out wearing. Sarah did some damage at a boutique. She even managed to get Siobhan to buy this racy black lace bra set that she swore would make Jason swoon. Siobhan blushed madly as the sales clerk rang it up, laughing when Sarah jumped onto Jason’s back to keep him from peeking.
“Hey, you know as your boyfriend, I should have been the one to say if that surprise you just bought was something I would like?”
“Seriously! Jason, I know you will like it, now drop it and just wait until Becky decides to show it to you.” Sarah replied sarcastically as she looped her arm through Siobhan’s.
“I say we head back to the hotel, shower
as I have some major other peoples odor on me then
go get some dinner?” Sarah announced as she loo
ked between Siobhan and Jason.
“Give me dinner and then you guys can do whatever you want…” smiling wickedly as both Jason and Siobhan blushed.
As they rounded the corner
leading them
back to the hotel, they didn’t see the mist slowly weaving its way to them. The temperature
dropping
several degrees
,
they shivered
unconsciously
in the cool air. Siobhan looked around to
find
the
now
darkened street
abandoned
. She didn’t remember passing these stores earlier,
sneaking a glance
over to see Jason taking in their surroundings cautiously.
“Um…Becky…where the hell are we?” Sarah asked sheepishly
“I thought we turned this way to get back to the hotel” Jason replied as he pulled out a map to retrace their steps.
Looking to her right, Siobhan saw a little store with an open sign
turning she
headed towards it.
“Come on, let’s at least go inside where it’s warm while we get our bearings” Siobhan said as she pushed open the front door.
A bell echoed overhead signaling to the owner someone had come into the store.
“Aye, be right there” an older voice sounded from somewhere in the back of the store.
Looking around Siobhan saw trinkets scattered everywhere. It looked as if every ounce of space within the small store was occupied with something.
“Well isn’t this quaint” Sarah mumbled under her breath
Hushing her, Siobhan
started walking down one of the little aisles
, eying
a chest sitting at the rear. It wasn’t anything particularly pretty or eye catching, but it seemed to call to her. The lid creaked as she opened it. Inside were several folded items of clothing, nothing interesting. Just as she was about to close it, deep burgundy color peeked out from the bottom catching her eye. Reaching down, she pulled out what looked to be a shawl. It was handmade, that much she was sure of, but the design was exquisite. There were patterns inside the patterns on it. Throwing it around her shoulders she turned to her friends.
“What do you think? This is beautif…”
Before Siobhan could get the last part out, the front door flew open. Gushing wind swarmed into the space, seeking her out. It blew past Jason and Sarah, wrapping itself around Siobhan, lifting her hair in
a crazy
frenzy around her. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone,
turning quickly Siobhan watch as
an old woman
started
walking towards her mumbling under her breath.
“What are you saying?” Siobhan tentatively asked
The old woman was slightly hunched over; wearing a long skirt that skimmed the floor, a sweater
hanging across her thin shoulders
it
was
a size
larger than her frame. Her silver hair was wrapped into a tight bun on the top of her head. A web of wrinkles creased over her face as her steely blue eyes bore daggers at the front door.
“A protection to keep evil out” the woman’s gravely lilting voice replied. Taking her eyes off the front door, a sharp intake of breath escap
ing
her lips as she looked at Siobhan