Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) (18 page)

There was a
loud knock at the door separating our rooms.

The door swung
open before we could answer it. “You lazy asses are still in bed? We have to
leave in an hour.” Emma, who was dressed and freshly showered, jumped onto the
mattress, lying down on the other side of Lucas. “Hey nice chest, Luke. Never
would have figured you for a muscle guy,” she said with a wicked grin, wiggling
her eyebrows suggestively.

“I’m starting
to get a complex,” he mumbled only for me to hear.

“Hey, Emma, I’m
right here, could you ogle bare-chested guys when I’m not around?” Derrick
walked into our room, giving her an evil look.

“Okay, I think
I’ll put my shirt on.” Lucas leaned over to pick up the one I bought him.

“Isn’t that
cute, they match,” Emma said, starting to annoy me.

“Let’s get
ready.” I scowled at her, hoping to shut her up.

Lucas and I
took turns changing in the bathroom. I put my hair in a ponytail since we were
in a hurry.

As I came out
of the bathroom, I asked, “Who’s up for stopping for breakfast?”

“Me!” all three
of them yelled at the same time.

After a long, leisurely breakfast, we were
late getting home, so I was dropped off at work.

“Don’t forget
my stuff, Luke, and remember, I get off at nine.” I climbed out of the car and
shut the door.

“I won’t
forget.” He kissed me through the open window.

I waved to
Derrick and Emma and headed inside.

Zack, Marcy,
and I worked on concession together. Listening to their banter helped me get
through the day. Because of my late night, I was tired and not really in the
mood to talk.

“So Sarah, how
was the concert?” Marcy asked, two hours into my shift.

I handed
popcorn to a customer and then turned to her. “It was amazing. I’m so glad Emma
talked me into going.”

“What concert?”
Zack asked.

I listed the
bands we had seen, just as a new customer stood in my line.

A few hours
later, I heard Marcy say in a singsong voice, “Here comes your boyfriend.”

I looked up and
saw Lucas opening one of the big glass entrance doors. He was early. I perked
up instantly. A slow smile spread across my face as he headed toward us, and a
wave of giddiness shot through my stomach.

“Her
boyfriend?” Zack hissed, leaning toward Marcy. “You told me that she didn’t
have one.”

Her eyes
narrowed. “Chill, she didn’t then. They got together last week.”

Marcy and I
gaped at him. “What’s the big deal Zack?” I said. “So you didn’t know I had a
boyfriend. Do I have to tell you everything?” Even though I felt guilty for not
explaining when he asked me out, I wouldn’t admit it.

He shook his
head. “No, of course not, I was just surprised.” He stalked back to his
register, where a woman and two cute little girls with matching pink outfits
were waiting.

“Hi,” Lucas
said with a big smile as he stepped up to the counter.

“Hi.” I turned
to Marcy. “Lucas, you remember Marcy from school.” He nodded at her. “And this
is Zack, he goes to Washington High.” I gestured to Zack, and since he was two
registers away and serving a customer, he bobbed his head slightly in Lucas’
direction.

With the
mention of his name, Lucas’ smile disappeared. I regretted telling him about
Zack’s odd behavior.

“So did you
have fun at the concert, Lucas?” Marcy asked, after she handed a man his
change.

Luke looked
away from Zack and smiled at her. “Yeah we had a great time. It was a late
night, though you look tired,” he said, glancing at me.

“She is, she
almost dozed off in the popcorn machine, twice,” Marcy said, nervously laughing
at her own joke.

Lucas went into
the games room while I finished my shift. As I was pouring a drink for a
customer, Zack came up to me. “Why didn’t you tell me that you had a boyfriend
when I asked you out?”

“I don’t know.
I said I had plans, I just forgot to say with whom,” I whispered, handing off
an order.

“Never mind.”
He smiled. “He seems nice, are you guys in the same grade?” he asked, and I
nodded.

“Someone’s in
your line, Zack,” I informed him. He punched my shoulder playfully and went
back to his register.

My shift ended
a few minutes later, and I left to find Lucas.

“I’m ready,” I
said, approaching him as he finished off a game of air hockey.

We walked out
hand in hand, waving to Marcy and Zack as we passed.

Once we were in
the car, Lucas turned to me. “He likes you, you know.” The engine roared as he
started it, and he pulled out of the lot.

Although he
didn’t say his name, he was obviously referring to Zack. “I know, he’s asked me
out a couple of times. He’s a nice guy, though. He seemed upset at first when
he saw you, but he was fine by the time I left.”

“I thought you
were going to tell him that you have a boyfriend.” His voice was strained, like
he was trying to control his anger. If I wasn’t so sure he knew how I felt
about him, I would swear he was jealous.

“He knows now.”

Lucas stared at
me; his eyes were filled with irritation. Just as I thought he was about to
speak, he turned away and focused on the road, gripping the steering wheel.

“What’s wrong?”
I asked him, weary of his silence.

“Nothing, it’s
just…since he likes you, maybe you shouldn’t spend time with him.”

“We work
together, what am I supposed to do? Quit?” I snapped, unable to hide my
annoyance.

“You could work
at the restaurant.” His lips turned upwards into a crooked grin, but he kept
his eyes on the road.

“Are you
serious, you’re not jealous, are you? I just told you that I love you. How
could you be jealous of some guy at work because he asked me out a couple of
times? Are you going to tell me to quit school, since Pete asked me out? Not to
mention the guys in the past. There’s not a lot, but there are a few. Should I
quit school, Lucas?” I was yelling now, but it couldn’t be helped. When someone
treated me like a child, I usually acted like one.

His hands
tightened on the steering wheel. “Will you calm down? I just think you should
try to keep your distance. I’m not jealous; he just gave me a strange feeling.”

“Listen to me.
You will not tell me who I should, or shouldn’t, talk to. I am not a child, and
you are not my father.” Feeling frustrated, I leaned my head against the
window, glancing out at the streets passing by, and noticed we were almost at
my house.

Out of the
corner of my eye, I could see him glaring at me. “No, I’m not your father, but
I am someone who loves you and wants you to be safe.” Although he didn’t yell,
his tone was like ice.

“Why would I
not be safe?” I asked, puzzled by his whole reaction.

His expression
went blank. “You don’t know him that well.”

“That doesn’t
mean I’m not safe.” His face was still blank, and I knew he wouldn’t explain. I
decided to soften my tone since I really didn’t want to fight with him.

“I don’t know
why you think I’m not safe. He wouldn’t hurt me, okay? He’s a nice guy who got
a little jealous because he has a crush on me. That’s all.”

He took a few
deep breaths, turned to me, and mumbled, “Fine.”

After we pulled
into my driveway, Lucas took my bag out of the trunk. I met him on the front
porch, and we walked in together. He pulled away when I tried to hold his hand.

My mother came
rushing towards us as we stepped into the living room. She gave me a big hug,
and the smell of ginger filled my nose. “Oh honey, we missed you. Did you have
fun?”

“Mother, I
spoke to you on our way home today, remember?” I pulled myself out of her grip.

“I know, but
it’s nice to see your face.”

“So Lucas, did
you have a nice time?” my dad asked, leaning on the edge of the couch.

“I did, thank
you. I thought of bringing you both back a souvenir, but I didn’t think the
bands were your taste.”

“You’re right,
but it’s nice that you thought of us,” my mom said, smiling.

“Hey, Mom, I
took some pictures, do you want to see them?” I held up my camera with the
photos of us in our separate rooms.

“Sure.”

As she scrolled
through them, I explained each one.

“It looks like
you had a lot of fun.”

“Thanks for
letting me go, it was awesome,” I said, giving her another hug. “We’re going up
to my room so I can put my stuff away.”

Upstairs, Lucas sat on the couch and turned
on the TV.

“Are you going
to give me the silent treatment all night?” I asked him when I was finished
unpacking. I tossed my overnight bag under my bed, giving it a shove with my
foot so it wouldn’t stick out and trip me in the middle of the night.

Sitting down
beside him on the sofa, I gave him a nudge with my elbow.

“I’m not,” he
murmured, eyes still on the screen. Yeah, that was convincing. We sat in
silence. I didn’t want to speak first, but the quiet was driving me crazy.

I stood up and
locked my bedroom door so I could put on my pj’s. Choosing a tank top and boxer
shorts, I went into my walk-in closet and changed.

Now that I was
comfortable, I sat beside him again, wondering if he would ever speak. It was
quiet in the room except for the cheers from the game show he was watching.

“Are you going
to pout all night?” I was annoyed at myself for speaking first.

He finally
turned his head from the TV and frowned at me. “I’m not pouting.”

“You haven’t
spoken to me since we got here. Seems like pouting to me.” I crossed my arms
and stared at him.

He took a
second to look at me, his gaze falling to the skimpy top and short boxers. “I
think I’m going to head home.” He stood up and started walking to the door.

I grabbed a
pink hoodie from the arm of my chair and put it on, suddenly feeling the need
to cover up. As his hand touched the doorknob, I said, “Lucas, stop.”

He turned
around. “What?” His eyes were blank, his voice cold.

“Talk to me, I
don’t want you to be mad.” I really hated how distant he suddenly was. Just
last night he told me that he loved me, and now he felt so far away, I couldn’t
reach him.

He sighed,
coming back to sit on the couch, pulling me down to sit beside him, taking my
hands in his. “I don’t want to be mad at you either. But I really get a strong
feeling that you should be careful when it comes to Zack. Please take me
seriously. It has nothing to do with jealousy. I trust you. And I know you love
me. But I don’t trust him.” He pleaded with his eyes. I thought about it,
trying to keep my anger at bay. I’d always had a problem with being told what
to do. My parents never really did, they always treated me equally. Well,
except recently.

“What is it
that you’re worried about?” I asked him, trying to understand his problem with
Zack.

He paused,
searching for the right words to explain. “I don’t really know, I just think
you should be careful.”

Lucas was
asking me to trust him, and I did, so I thought of a compromise. “I can’t quit
my job. But I will try not to be alone with him if I can. I still say he’s a
nice guy, and he wouldn’t hurt me. But I trust you, so I’ll try.”

“Will you let
me drive you to and from work when I can?”

Again, I was
shocked by his sudden overprotective attitude. “What? That’s stupid, what’s
going on?”

He smiled, but
since his eyes were still blank of emotion, it wasn’t convincing. “Well,
nothing really, I just like to be around you.”

I didn’t
believe him, but given the dreams he had about me, he had a right to worry. So
I decided to do what he asked. On the plus side, I would be able to see him
more often. “I don’t think it’s necessary, but I’ll humor you.”

He smiled and
kissed me, leaning in to whisper, “Thank you.” His breath tickled my ear,
sending shivers down my spine.

When I was able
to think clearly again, I remembered something. “I work noon to five tomorrow,
can you drive me?”

“I can pick you
up after work. Do you think your parents would drop you off?”

“And what would
my reason be? I have a car, remember?”

He thought for
a minute. “I’ll try to be here, I’ll call you if I can’t.” He smiled and
wrapped his arms around me. “Does this mean I won our first fight?”

I pulled back
and glared at him. “No, it means I still don’t agree with you. But I’ll suck it
up so you won’t be mad at me.”

“I’ll take
whatever victory I can,” he said, laughing softly. I played with a stray strand
of dark hair that curled around his ear as he leaned in to kiss me.

My door burst
open. We pulled apart to see Alex standing in my doorway.

“Hello?” I
said, annoyed. “Don’t you knock? How the hell did you get in, I locked it.”

He smirked at
me, shoving his fingers through his sand-colored hair. “Oh please, I’ve had a
key for years.”

Stomping over
to him, I yanked the key out of his hand. “How dare you? If you ever come in
here again, I will kill you, I swear!”

He smiled. “You
may be older, but I’m bigger. Should I tell Dad what you’re wearing in a locked
room with your boyfriend?”

“What’s wrong
with a sweatshirt?” I asked, hoping he would shut up and go away.

He looked down
at my legs. My sweatshirt covered my boxer shorts and it looked like I was only
wearing the hoodie. I lifted my shirt to show him the shorts and grinned. “Nice
try.”

“Sorry, he
won’t buy it. Door’s locked, and how did you change with him in the room?”

We could have
argued all night, but Lucas intervened. “Alex, is there something you wanted?”