A Touch of Souls (Immortal Souls) (5 page)

The bed dips under the weight of another body and I wonder if maybe Hunter came back and decided to sleep in my bed with me.
I have such a good boyfriend
. I snuggle closer and I feel a pair of warm strong arms encircle me.

"I'm here, Angel. It's me, Dimitri," his voice is soft, light, warming. What I'm feeling must be a dream, but as I drift off to sleep, I know I'm safe in the arms of Dimitri, not Hunter.

Pulling myself out of sleep, I notice first that I'm cold and alone in bed, when once I had been warm in the protective arms of Dimitri. Maybe I had dreamt him? Maybe it was my imagination and they had me on more pain pills than I realized?

Hey, are you awake?" I instantly recognize Hunter's voice and flush at the thought of being caught dreaming about Dimitri.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better than I did yesterday, uh, was anyone here when you got here?"
Embarrassed at even the thought of Hunter walking in on Dimitri sleeping in my bed with me. As far as he knew, Dimitri is just some guy from school. He didn't know that Dimitri had saved me from a man who wanted to do God knows what to me, and that I had been at his place prior to my wreck.

"No? Uhm, look Gwen, I have some pretty terrible news, the nurses wanted to tell you but, I think it would be best coming from me," his voice betrayed his raw emotion as he tried to push the words from his mouth into the impending silence.

"If there's bad news about my wreck, I want my mom to be here with me when I hear it. She should be here soon right? Can't it wait?" I questioned, looking up at him, wondering how long it would be before my parents were here to care for me.

"Actually... It can't wait, there was an accident," he stuttered, trying to look anywhere but at my face. "A plane crash, the plane was carrying your parents on it. There were no... No uh... No survivors."

I looked away from his face, away from the tears rolling down his cheeks. "This is some kind of sick joke, right? Right, Hunter?!" I practically screamed at him. I shut my eyes against the tears threatening to spill over. I wanted to deny it, to know that what he was saying wasn't the truth. Because it couldn't be, there was no way that my parents could be dead. People died all the time, but not my parents, there was no way this could have happened. They must have had the plane number wrong, and my parents are safely seated in a plane coming home right now. As much as I wanted to believe they were okay, something in me knew that they weren't. That this was the truth and my parents were truly gone.

I don't know how long I sat in my bed crying, tears pooling on my pillow, with my sheets pulled up to my chin, but when I looked up Hunter was gone, and in his place stood Dimitri. Dimitri, in all his beautiful glory, simply watched me with guarded eyes. He knew what had happened. It was apparent in the pity on his face. Suddenly, I didn't want to be around Dimitri. I didn't want his pity, I didn't want him to look at me and see some helpless girl who needed saving. I just wanted Dimitri to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Why are you here?" I wondered aloud, the question had been nagging at the back of my brain since he walked in for the very first time. I understood he felt bad about my wreck, but that didn't explain why he came back. Why would he stay when he knew I was going to be fine?

"I felt bad, I was the reason you left upset and got into that wreck. I wanted to be here to make sure you were okay," he tried to reason with a small sad smile. So he was here simply because he felt obligated to be? Well, I certainly wasn't going to stand for that!

"Look, you did absolutely nothing wrong. I left in a perfectly peachy mood," I spat my sarcasm filled words in his direction. "I got in that crash because I was too stupid to look both ways, okay? So whatever obligation you feel toward you having to be here, or whatever pity you're feeling for me? Forget it, okay? Just forget it and leave." The words tasted bitter on my tongue. All I really wanted was for him to come closer, to assure me that everything was going to be okay.

"Guinevere," the way he whispered my name made my heart melt, I heard the hint of an accent that I couldn't place, but it was beautiful nonetheless. "I would never feel pity for you. I feel a lot of things for you, but not pity, never pity, Angel."

Struck dumb by his words, I didn't know what to say. He knew that my parents were gone but he didn't pity me? He didn't look at me as some helpless girl who had just lost her parents? Grappling for something to say, I found that all words failed me. The only thing I could manage to do was look into his deep violet eyes, and yet, they told me everything words couldn't. He was sorry for my loss, and he
did
feel a deep sense of guilt for my accident. But in all honesty it was my fault.

As if reading my mind, he whispered, "It wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could do."

Turning away before Dimitri could see the tears in my eyes, I wondered if maybe Dimitri felt that same connection I did whenever we were together. Did he feel like there was something else between us than just mutual tolerance?

"Gwen..." his words were cut off by the door to my room slamming open. Jerking around as fast as I could without injuring myself, I saw the cheer squad standing in the doorway. They were all in their cheer uniforms, and Candy was in mine! She wasn't a damn cheerleader! She sure as hell wasn't the head fucking captain of MY team!

"Why is
she
here?" I demanded, looking straight at the cheer coach, Ms. Jeffreys.

"Gwen, you know competition is in a week, there is no way that you are going to be able to compete, you know that," she replied with a smile that looked more like a grimace, as if it wasn't her choice to take Candy in.

"Why would you hold more try-outs so soon after my wreck?!" I shrieked. They were being impossible! I could have been dead and all they cared about was their stupid fucking competition!

"Actually, they didn't. I volunteered.
Out of school spirit!" Candy sneered at me, then turned to the beautiful boy standing in the corner. "Oh my God! Dimitri! I've been calling you for like ever!" She practically skipped over to his side before looping an arm through his and french kissing him right there for every one to see. I looked away in disgust at the scene unfolding before me. Dimitri may not have been my boyfriend, but it still hurt like a bitch to see her rubbing all over him in my hospital room.

"Candy, not now," Dimitri growled.

"Sweetie, you don't have to stay here just because you feel guilty about her car accident. It's not your fault she didn't respect that I am your girlfriend. I can't believe she has you staying here just because you made her cry when you wouldn't cheat on me," she looked over at me with a triumphant smile before turning back to the rest of the cheer squad standing in the doorway, stunned. "Come on, guys. You too, Dimitri. You don't have to stay here."

"Yeah, you're right," he muttered before walking out of the door.
I'll come back later, Angel. I promise.
Dimitri's voice echoed in my head through closed door.

Once the door was shut and I was safely alone, I let it all out. I cried about my parents being gone, I cried about my car accident. I even cried over Dimitri, which was totally stupid after the
way he had treated me. I can't believe I thought he stayed there because he wanted to be. He had really only felt guilty. Were him and Candy a real thing? I guess they had to be after the way she shoved her tongue down his throat, he sure wasn't trying to get her off of him.

Hearing a knock at the door, I tried unsuccessfully to dry my face off with the pathetic sheet covering me, before I saw a head full of black curls pop in. Next
came the curvy body of my best friend, Jayne.

Chapter 4

"Oh my goodness!
Baby, what happened?! Wait, nevermind, I know what happened. You probably don't want to talk about it. SO why don't we talk about something else? How about that sexy guy who I hear has been here since you arrived? You know, the one with freaking PURPLE eyes?" Jayne waggled her eyebrows at me at the mention of Dimitri. But he was the last person I wanted to talk about right now.

"I'm still with Hunter, Jayne. You know that, and besides, Mister Yummy is completely taken by Candy, the life stealing bitch" I groaned. I should not be interested in
him, I should be focusing on my wonderful boyfriend, not wanting to give my left pom-pom for Dimitri to want me.

"Gwen, you can't fool me, we have been friends for like ever! I know there is something. He is here even when your own boyfriend isn't! What the actual fuck?"

"He is here only because he feels guilty about my wreck. Which, by the way, I don't even understand," I sigh, before I realize something that I must have missed. "Wait, how did you know about him? Is he here right now?" It had been hours since the little scene that began with Candy stealing my life and ended with Dimitri leaving like he was her servant.

"Yeah, he was here when I walked in. He was outside arguing with that she-devil about him leaving with her. I actually think he dumped her," she winked suggestively at me.

"Oh..."

"Yeah, well hey, I have to go. I literally just got back, and came straight to see you. I have to go unpack all of my things. But listen girl, I love you okay?"

"Yeah, I love you too. Thanks for coming and seeing me."

Resting my head back on my pillow, I wondered why Dimitri would have been arguing with Candy. Did he really dump her? Would he come see me again? Questions filled my head, and I knew I wouldn't have any of the answers until Dimitri came and saw me again.

Not too long after I cleared my mind, I heard a soft knock on the door and a petite nurse came in holding a syringe. Walking up to me, she didn't say a word as she put my pain medicine into my I.V. I felt the familiar pain and then tingle as I felt my mind go numb. There was no more Dimitri or Candy. No more complicated feelings. Just a black void that I welcomed with open arms. I didn't want to think anymore.

The shutting of a door jolted me out of my sleep. My room was dark with the exception of the mute T.V. on the wall. Watching the mystery person walk in, a pair of violet eyes seemed to glow in the dark.
He came back,
I thought happily with a content sigh. As I watched him walk to my bed, I could almost see the wings that he has every night he appears in my dreams.

"You're being sent home tomorrow," he whispered softly in my ear. His hot breath sent excited chills running through my body. I mumbled a response that I couldn't even understand, as I waited for him to take up his space in my bed. Realizing that he was sitting in the chair, I rolled over on my side to face him. After all the day's events, I knew that he wasn't really there so I decided to just go ahead and take a risk.

"Where are your wings?" I whispered quietly and giggle as though i had just said the funniest thing in the world.

"What?!"
Dimitri demanded. Anger and unbelief flashed through those brilliant eyes and I immediately felt bad because I only wanted to make him happy. If I couldn't do it in reality, at least I could in my dreams.

"Your wings, you always have them in my dreams.
So why not now?"

"Your dream?" his voice filled with awe at this new discovery. Just as I was about to reply, I felt the tug of unconsciousness pulling at me, and pray I didn't just tell the real Dimitri that I dream about him.

Waking up in the morning, I can't help but feel a little excited about the prospect of going home, but then I remember home isn't really home
with out my newly deceased parents.
What am I going to do with out them there?
Pushing that thought aside, I tried to remember what happened yesterday. I remembered all the cheerleaders coming to see me, and Candy had taken my place. Was she trying to steal my life? At least I had Hunter. Hunter... My solid ground through the crazy ride my life had become.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" I hadn't even realized anyone else was in the room, but as I looked up, sure enough, Dimitri was standing in front of the door with his glorious arms crossed across his august chest. Looking him in the eyes was hard, but I forced myself to seem proud and unafraid of what he may think of me.

"I was thinking about how YOUR girlfriend is trying to steal my life," I snarled at him, putting all of my not so fake anger in it. I despised him so much at this moment. But at the same time I knew that I could quite possibly love him.

"Candy isn't my girlfriend," was all he said before stepping out the door and letting a nurse come in, leaving me speechless at the pleading undertone of his words. The nurse looked desperately between me and the closed door before deciding it was better left alone and turning to me.

"Sweetie, the doctor says you can go home today, I am so sorry to bring this up, but since your parents are... uhm... Gone, who would you like for me to call to come and get you?" Before I had the chance to answer, the door swung open and Dimitri walked in.

"I'll take her," he volunteered. I shot him a warning glance before turning to the nurse.
Had he just been listening outside the door? Why?!
My mind demanded to know how he knew the exact moment when to come in and volunteer his help. His help was the reason I was here in the first place.