The tears were dissipating now and my eyes were starting to clear. All though the threats were empty, the idea of them still made me feel better. I even managed a slow half smile.
Autumn always was the best. She had been like a sister ever since my family died in a tragic accident and she took me in. She now lived two apartments up from me and was somehow always there when I needed her most. Autumn owned a supernatural store in Old Town St. Charles called The Green Vixen and was a big draw with the tourists.
In fifth grade, I asked Autumn for help with a class project about the environment. Being three years older than me, I was sure she could help. Ms. Fisk was even offering extra credit for those who went above and beyond the original assignment.
Autumn did help me and she became fascinated by all the things on earth that we can reuse. Subsequently, she was absolutely horrified upon watching a video of today’s landfills and all the waste the average consumer produces in their lifetime.
Ever since that project, Autumn had been a strong community advocate of sustainable living and recycling. She was always trying to educate me on ways to reduce my carbon footprint. She kept a compost pile on her balcony and recycled anything she could get her hands on. We even had to take those damn cloth bags to the grocery store.
An hour later, Autumn put me in the shower and began to clean up. She had called a locksmith for fear of Brad returning, even though I doubt he would care enough to bother. As we waited for the locksmith, she continued to clean my horrid mess.
She filled three bags of tissues and was just about ready to take them out when I finally came out of the bathroom. My hair was long and wavy, pulled over to one side and my green puffy eyes were free of debris. I had on black jogging pants and a black tank top.
“
Nells, you look like a cat burglar,” Autumn said as she left the trash by the door and went to fold up the red blanket on the couch.
“
Hey, beggars can’t be choosers. You’re lucky I didn’t put my pajama pants back on. The ones with the sexy girl in a martini glass all over them are my favorite.”
“
Honey, you’re lucky I don’t burn those at this point. I don’t even think the trash man will take them. They were past the point of dirty days ago. You smelled like my compost pile. No offense, you know I love you, but a biohazard suit would have come in handy tonight,” Autumn said lightly.
A swift series of knocks on the door turned Autumn’s attention. I had no intention of chumming it up with the locksmith in this state. I silently handed Autumn the money and headed for my bedroom instead.
I had officially passed the point of sad into angry. Looking at my sore puffy eyes, I sighed. How on earth had I let him do this to me? I was pretty and I knew it, I thought to myself unconvincingly. Maybe Brad wasn’t the one for me, but that just meant someone else was. My reasoning skills had recovered finally.
Brad Daniels was selfish, and arrogant. It was a wonder I didn’t see it sooner. Thinking back, maybe I did see it. He was always great to me, so I never looked further. Now, looking at him in this new light just made him more unattractive to me. It was as if I put on glasses and could suddenly see things clearer and more defined. Alas, it was a subtle comfort even knowing that I wasted three years with him.
I pushed my wet hair into a ponytail and slid on my shoes. I didn’t have the energy for any more than that. Something caught the corner of my eye as I turned to leave the room. It was a picture tucked into the corner of my mirror. I stared at the picture of Brad and me together. We looked so happy at the winery for my birthday last year in wine country. A tear leaked from my eye and I wiped it away as quickly as it had come.
Disgusted, I shred the picture into a satisfying mess and dumped it into the trash. A small sigh of relief escaped me and a smile settled on my face over the tiniest of battles I had won for myself. Once I heard the locksmith use the restroom and finally leave, I decided to head back into the living room.
Autumn placed a set of shiny new keys in the palm of my hands. “Man that has to have been the hottest locksmith I have ever seen. Mm, he looked like some kind of movie star. He was some serious eye candy and you weren’t even here to ogle with me!”
I was so tired that I didn’t even bother to enable Autumn’s boy crazy ranting. Instead, I plopped back down on the couch and switched on the television. This time, after I began surfing the channels, Autumn joined me and took the remote with a knowing look on her face.
“
Seriously Nells, if you are going to mope, at least use a better media for your focus. No romance movies! I mean it, let’s try this one,” Autumn said as she filters through the channels and set it on the television series.
The star of the show was a woman and she was ruthlessly kicking ass and taking names on television. Suddenly, feeling comforted and exhausted, I closed my eyes and drifted into sleep. That was when the dreams started, the ones with him.
A man I didn’t know approached me. I was stunned at the recognition my entire being felt at the sight of this stranger. It was if I had always known him, yet I had never seen him in my entire life.
His ash blond hair was short and messy. He flashed me a crooked smile as he approached me. His straight white teeth seemed to glow like tiny luminescent bulbs. I was sure a twinge of something like surprise or recognition flashes across his face, as he too recognized me somehow.
He was mere inches from my face, yet I was calm. Anticipation crept up my entire body as I stared into his muted gray eyes, feeling his breath on my lips. We stood that way for several seconds, just feeling the heat from each other’s proximity like tiny fires kindling from within. Then he made his move, without a single word.
He slowly wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to his well-defined figure. He leaned me into a kiss that melted me to the core. He tasted of a sweet tang and smelled like the forest. I slid my arms around his neck to pull him closer with a need I hadn’t ever known.
There was a tingling in my head and my stomach was fluttering wildly. His kisses were perfection and his skin was like fire against mine. His hands singed my skin as he ran them across my bare flesh. Then I began to notice my lack of clothing and vulnerability took over. My knees began to wobble and suddenly I opened my eyes.
There were molten red candles and the smell of rosemary engulfed me, overwhelming my senses. He sat me down gently in what appeared to be a ritual circle of some sort. Confusion set in as I looked around hastily at what seems to be a hotel room. I was about to question him when I noticed a symbol was outlined over the door just ahead of me. I got an eerie feeling and I quickly saw him leave the room before everything disappeared.
I awoke with a start, an aching in my chest, for him. Damp with sweat and slightly disoriented, I slid out from Autumn’s sleeping form and headed into the bathroom. The porcelain tile was cool on my bare feet and I suppressed a shiver. Mind over matter, I told myself as I tried to ignore the temperature of the chilly morning.
I stripped and stepped into the piping hot shower to try and erase the memory of my mystery man. Instead, I just craved the taste of him on my lips, the sweet tang left to linger. It felt so real, so vivid. My skin goose pimpled at the mere thought of his hands on my skin. His eyes so cold and icy, penetrating mine, were intense and made me weak in the knees.
I was so drawn to the mere idea of him that I couldn’t seem to process the rest of the dream. I should be worried about the ritualistic look of the dream. The candles, the smell of rosemary, the strange symbols should be bearing down on me with a disconcerting force. But I couldn’t focus on this. All I could think about was the way my being recognized his. It was as if I was a puzzle and he was the missing piece to putting all the pieces together.
Struggling to keep focus, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy cream towel around my curvy silhouette. I was all nerves as I quietly headed into my bedroom and slipped on some clothes. Once I was dressed and warm, I went to the kitchen. After pouring myself a glass of juice and savoring it sweet tangy taste, I went back to the couch to wake Autumn.
“
That is totally wicked, Nells!” Autumn exclaimed after hearing about my dream in excruciatingly colorful detail.
“
I wasn’t even there and I can feel goose bumps on my own skin. I haven’t had a dream that hot since I saw Angel appear on Buffy,” she continued gushing.
“
It was totally bizarre. I was wallowing in my own self-pity for days, and then suddenly all I can think about is him. I wish I knew who he was because I haven’t even seen him before. Now I can’t get him out of my head,” I explained as a shiver slid up my spine.
“
Maybe he isn’t real. It could be your mind telling you to move on. With that, I agree.”
“
I don’t know, it felt so real and the dream is haunting me.”
“
Let’s go for a run. It’s early and I don’t have to work for a few hours yet. Maybe we can head down Jefferson Street and hit Picasso’s for breakfast. I could sure use a latte. I am wrecked and I didn’t even drink last night,” Autumn suggested, looking at me with her wide blue eyes.
“
Sounds great, I have to do something to dull the senses and get back to reality. Then I have to go talk to Pete. He is going to be pissed. I haven’t been to work in days and I will probably be fired for sure,” I commented.
“
Yeah, but I think the concert
tickets go on sale tomorrow and you so owe me Nells,” Autumn suggested convincingly.
“
I know, and I promise!” I answered.
“
Are you sure? What if Pete fires you?” she asked.
“
I planned on buying us tickets anyway. It should be a wicked hot concert,” I said with a twinkle in my eye and a smile on my face.
“
Ok, I am so excited!” she gushed.
“
So yeah, really could use that cup of coffee now,” I said changing the subject.
“
Let me change, I will be down in five,” Autumn said as she turned to leave.
“
Super, I will get my shoes on and see you in a few,” I answered and headed back to my room.
I brushed my wet hair out and pulled it into a ponytail. I took a few deep calming breaths before I drew myself together. Sliding my ID and debit card in my pocket, I grabbed my keys and locked the door. My timing was perfect and I ran into Autumn just outside my apartment.
“
Are you ready?” she asked.
“
Absolutely, I need to burn off this dream before it consumes me.”
I followed Autumn out of the building and into the frosty morning air. Our pace was slow at first and then picked up speed about a block down.
The run was surprisingly energizing. The thud of my heart was in sync with the crush of the pavement beneath my feet. Autumn seemed to sense my internal thoughts whirling at high gear. She slowed to a steady run behind me in a comfortable silence. It was blissful and I felt at peace, blocking all thoughts but the scenery around me.
The rows of trees shimmered from the recent rainfall and I reveled in the vivid colors of fall. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes adorned most of the porches as we passed. I loved this time of year, when summer ended and it was not quite time for the cold harsh Missouri winter.
We didn’t slow down until we approached the uneven cobblestone of Main Street in front of the coffee shop. The coffee shop was bustling with business people and coffee enthusiasts. The smell of fresh brewed coffee lingered in the air, thick and sweet. Julia was working the register as we approached and I smiled at her.
“
Hey Julia, how’s it going today?” I asked while pulling my debit card from my jacket pocket.
“
Great. Only two hours left until my shift is over. Then I am headed to art class,” she said pointing to a stack of art supplies heaped in the corner.
“
Autumn and I really loved that last piece you did on perspectives. It was brilliant. You should display more of your work here. You would make a killing with your talent,” I said encouragingly.
Julia blushed at the praise. “I put a few pieces up at The Green Vixen last week and Autumn already sold two of them. The money really helped pay for some of my art supplies. I am already at work on some new pieces.”
Autumn piped up, effectively changing the subject back to our original mission.
“
Can we get our usual?” she asked, motioning for me to put my debit card away. She pulled out her own card and handed it to Julia.
“
Two tall nonfat caramel macchiatos with extra foam coming right up,” she replied with a smile before turning to fix our drinks.
We thanked her and bid her farewell before taking our drinks in hand and exiting through the warm entryway into the frosty fall air. I let out a sigh of contentment as I sipped my drink and the smooth caramel notes lingered. Autumn made a similar gesture and we headed back at a moderately paced walk, coffee in hand.
The small depression era houses lined the streets in maroons, greens and whites. Everything lining old town had character, unique in their own way. It was their idiosyncrasies that make them part of the eclectic city. We passed a few streets before reaching our destination. We climbed the stairs in silence and headed back to our respective apartments.