Unfaded (8 page)

              Dad and Marley went to movie that night so I stayed home with Granny and watched television. Connor still wasn’t picking up his phone and his Mom said he was out when I tried calling him at home. I didn’t know what to do. I thought about calling Eugene but ended up doing nothing. I didn’t want to come off as the crazy girlfriend, constantly needing to check up on her boyfriend when he didn’t call.

             
So Granny and I watched television with the sound down and ate popcorn. I made some tea and I patiently explained to her again about how she needed to wait till it cooled before she gulped it down. I brought some ice cubes from the kitchen to make sure she didn’t burn herself.

             
“You seem sad, Helen,” she said. “You shouldn’t be. Tomorrow we’re going to the beach and you can wear your new red swimsuit
.
Donabate
is beautiful this time of year and the weather is supposed to be lovely all week long. Maybe that handsome young man will be there again.”

             
She was talking about when Mom met Dad. They had met at the beach near Dublin and he’d gone back there every day for the rest of the summer just so he could court her. His tour of Europe pretty much ended there. He had planned on seeing Spain and Portugal but in the end, he only made it to France where they were married in a small Cathedral on the outskirts of Paris. Dad said it was worth it.

             
“I see the way you look at him,” Granny said. “But I can also see the pain he’s causing. Love is a gift, if it’s hurting, he may not be the one for you.”

             
“I’m Ok, Granny,” I said. “Just a little confused.”

             
“Is he good to you?” she said. “Does he make you feel like the only girl in the world? When he speaks your name do you get butterflies in your stomach? Does time stop when he takes your hand?”

             
I smiled. For someone who couldn’t remember my name half the time, she sure was good at reading my mind. Did Mom feel those things when she’d looked at Dad? Had she dreamed of him at night and waited anxiously until she saw him? How I wished she was still around so I could ask her.

             
“If it’s love, he’s worth waiting for,” Granny said, squeezing my hand with her frail fingers. “If it’s meant to be, he’ll be at the lifeguard station tomorrow. Nothing in the world can keep true love apart. Just wait and see.”

             
“Thanks, Granny,” I said.

             
She fell asleep halfway through a program on the Discovery Channel and I had to wait till Dad came home to help me carry her to bed.

                                          *              *              *

              I finally managed to corner Connor during Biology period. I’d missed it yesterday since I’d been so concerned about getting him his gift. The good thing about sharing a class with him meant I was guaranteed to run into him, unless he took the coward approach and skipped class for the rest of the semester.

             
“What are you doing tonight?” I asked him, pretending as if nothing had happened. “Want to hook up at Beans? I’ve got something for you.”

             
“I don’t know,” he grumbled. “How do I know you’ll show up?”

             
“Because I’m not a jerk?” I said a bit too loud and a few other students snickered. “Come on, Connor, how many times can I say I’m sorry? It’s not like I’m always standing you up.”

             
Connor nodded and I wasn’t sure if that was a yes but I decided to let it go. Normally we partnered up but today he chose Eugene and I was stuck with Ken Blightman who was also on the basketball team. But we were all at the same table so I guess it could have been worse. Connor appeared to be in a better mood and he joked around with everyone and even gave me a grin or two. He was melting, it was just taking a bit of time. Once he saw the gift I’d gotten him, everything would be fine again.

             
I just hoped this anger spell would end soon so we could get back to enjoying our lives.

                                                        *              *              *

              I had a surprise after lunch. English was cancelled. Apparently Ms. Gray still wasn’t over her cold. Since it was my only afternoon class I could have gone home but I had promised Dad I’d work for a few hours. I had no desire to go in early to the shop so I headed to the library to work on my English paper. Apparently I was the only one willing to use my free period to actually study. The library was empty. Grabbing a table at the back, I opened up my copy of the Canterbury Tales and started reading.

             
“Can I join you?”

             
I looked up and Kian was standing in front of me. My stomach did some funky little summersaults which both annoyed and thrilled me at the same time.

             
“Sure,” I said, picking up my backpack off the chair so he could sit down. “But you’ll have to be quiet.” I waved my hand around the empty room. “As you can see, everyone’s studying hard.”

             
“I’ve seen cemeteries with more action.”

             
Kian sat down but he didn’t seem to have any books. “I’m guilty like everyone else,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on studying. I just wanted to check out the books and I saw you here. If you’re busy I can leave.”

             
I put my book down on the table. There wasn’t a single girl in the world that would turn him down. “No, it’s cool.”

             
We sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of us seemingly wanting to start the conversation. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk; I was just too intimidated by the way he looked at me. I had a million questions but they seemed so unimportant. It was as if he was saying enough without even opening his mouth.

             
“What are you going to do your paper on?” I finally asked. “I’m choosing love. I know that’s cheesy but I’ve always liked the way Chaucer portrayed love through his characters. He doesn’t stick to one type and I think the world’s kinda like that.”

             
“Which kind of love would you want?”

             
My cheeks burned. “I guess a combination of all of them. I mean, I don’t believe all love is just about passion. That’s great in the beginning with the whole ‘love at first sight’ stuff but it can’t last, right? But I also like the idea of growing old with someone and having that passion turn to comfort. Who wouldn’t want to spend their life with their best friend?”

             
“Love throughout the ages,” Kian said. “I like the idea that there is one person in the world that is your soul mate. The one person you can’t live without. You live and die and breathe only for them. Even if you lose them in this life, you’ll find them again later on in the next.”

             
“There are a lot of people in the world. How would you know if that person’s the one? What if they’re on the other side of the world? You might live your entire life and never meet them.”

             
“That’s what fate’s about,” Kian said. “And that’s what I’m doing my paper on. People are destined to find each other, no matter what the odds and consequences.”

             
“Do you believe in fate?” I asked.

             
“Yes. Do you?”

             
Staring into his blue eyes I wanted to nod my head. How could I not look at him, thinking about how familiar he was and how I was completely positive I’d known him before? Was this what he meant? Were there people out there we’d met before that we were bound to recognize even if we’d never known they existed until that very moment? Would that be destiny? But what if fate had come knocking on my door but I had made my choice? Did that mean I would be destined to be unhappy for the rest of my life?

             
“You’re really thinking about that,” Kian said with a slight grin.

             
“Sorry,” I said. “And yes, I am. I guess it makes me curious. You seem so familiar to me. I’m wondering if what you’re saying is true.”

             
“Perhaps we are soul mates,” he said and my stomach nearly pulled itself right out of my body from the flip flops and aerobics. The blood in my body spread into my cheeks. I reached out and picked up my book to try and distract myself but my fingers were shaking and in my haste I knocked the copy of the Canterbury Tales to the ground. Both Kian and I reached out to pick it up at the same time, our fingers brushed, and an electric shock burst through my body, making me gasp. The fluorescent lights above us flickered and went out. The small corner of the library grew dim and shadowy.

             
Kian picked up the book and put it back on the table. I rubbed my fingers self consciously.

             
“You’ve got a lot of energy,” he said. “It’s just pouring from your body. Let me see your hand.”

             
“Huh?”

             
Placing his hand on the table, palm upwards, he waited. “Come on. Take my hand. Let me show you something.”

             
I reached out and placed my hand charily in his. Although there was no second spark, it was almost as if I could feel the electricity running underneath his skin. His hand was warm and strong, relaxed and powerful, comforting and sensual. As his fingers closed over mine, my senses buzzed and all the hair on my head vibrated and my skin went goose bumpy.

              “This is a big secret,” he said. Turning my hand around in his, my palm faced upwards and he ran a finger along my skin.

I shivered.

              “Our bodies are full of energy,” he said. “We can use that energy to do amazing things. We can heal ourselves and others. We can understand emotions and read thoughts. Just by simply sharing energy.”

             
I swallowed hard. “How do we do that?”

             
“Like this.” Placing his other hand over mine, he ran his fingers over my wrist and palm. At first I didn’t feel anything except the gentle touch of his skin. But suddenly it was there. It was as if something slight and fuzzy was pushing its way into my skin. As he held his hand over mine, I could feel the energy as it began to travel from my hand to his and back again. My body began to grow very warm and calm.

             
“Can you feel it?” Kian’s voice was low and breathless in my ear.

             
“That’s amazing. How are you doing that?”

             
“It’s easy when you know how.”

             
“Can you show me?”

             
“I am.”

             
The energy grew stronger as it rushed through my body. I could hear a heart beating in my ears and I wasn’t sure it was actually mine. A rush of feelings swept across me, happiness, content, sorrow. Kian was sad, I could feel it.

             
A memory jumped into my mind, clear as if I’d experienced it myself.

             
A hot night, bodies wet with sweat and humidity. A body pressed hard against mine. Fingers running through my hair, pulling me closer. A body warm and smelling sweetly of cinnamon. A soft caress across my cheek. A voice, heavy with emotion. Cheeks wet with tears. Sorrow. Excitement. Worry.

             
I’ll never give you up, no matter what happens. I’ll find you again. Wait for me. Another life is just a moment in time.

             
Fear ripped through my body. Gasping, I pulled back, breaking physical contact. Pulling my hand towards my chest, my eyes caught his. Whose thought had that been? Mine? His? I wasn’t sure.

             
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Sometimes that can get a little intense.”

             
I nodded. My vocal chords seemed to have taken a vacation.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” he said. “Come with me someplace.”

              I couldn’t take my eyes away from his. He seemed to look past my skin and into my very soul. I wanted to reach out and brush the bangs from his face just for an excuse to touch him again. The butterflies in my stomach suddenly turned into fire ants but it wasn’t a bad feeling. It took my breath away but I still wanted more.

             
“I’m sorry,” he said, reading my expression and thinking it was bad. “I shouldn’t have asked that.”

             
“No,” I said. I stared into those blue eyes. Even in the dim lighting I could see the spark burning inside them. “It’s not that. I mean, yes, I’d like to go somewhere with you. What did you have in mind?”

             
A smile grew across his face. “I’ve got the perfect place. I’ll pick you up around noon. Dress warm.”