Soul Seers Complete Set (16 page)

God, the things she did to me… I
don’t think there was a chance I would recover enough to go into the
restaurant.

I felt a soft, warm drop of
moisture hit my thumb as I held her face.
 
Looking into her eyes, I saw she was crying.
 
Did I hurt her?

“Oh, Ella.
 
What’s the matter?”

“Don’t mind me.
 
Stupid girls.
 
The dam bursts every time we get a little emotional,” she
said, totally
not
explaining what the
hell was wrong.

She began to pull away from me, so
I tightened my grip just enough to let her know I wasn’t letting go.
 
“Ella, please.
 
Talk to me.
 
Did I do something wrong?”

“Oh, no, Jonah.
 
Just the opposite,” she said with a
sniff as she gained some sort of control and began drying her eyes.

I just stared at her,
confused.
 
Utterly baffled and
enamored by this woman.

“I just, I never thought I’d see
you again,” she said.

Bomb.
 
Dropped.
 
Detonated.

“Again?” Jonah asked with a
befuddled look on his face.

I nodded.
 
“Is it okay if we go inside and
talk?
 
I’m less likely to become a
blubbering mess when I’m in public.”

“Of course.
 
Just… give me a moment?” he said as he
backed away and held up a finger.
 
I knew why he needed a moment.
 
I could feel his excitement pressed against my hand while we were
kissing.
 
I decided to bring the
mirror down, check my makeup, and hopefully give him a little privacy to calm
down.

The thought I excited him so much
made me smile.

Yeah, you excite me.
 
No surprise there.

With his thoughts flooding my
brain, I jerked my gaze in his direction.
 
Jaw dropped, I said, “Jonah!”

“What?”

“I heard you!”
 
Before he could argue, I
continued.
 
“Think of something
else.
 
Quick.”

Silence.
 
I heard nothing but the muted anti-noise of the enclosed
car.

“Damn,” I said out loud.
 
Not in a cursory sort of way, but
instead, a sigh of disappointment.

Um, I need to know why you said ‘again’.

A huge Cheshire Cat grin spread
across my face as I heard his thoughts.
 
I turned my entire body sideways so I could face him again
and literally felt like my cheeks would explode at the next thought running
ramped through his mind.

Wow, you’re beautiful when you smile at me.

“You think so?” I questioned.

“Think what?”

“You think I’m beautiful when I
smile at you?” I repeated him, letting him know I heard every thought.

His jaw dropped for just a split
second before he joined me in the ticker tape parade of smiles.

“You heard that, huh?” he said,
still grinning from ear to ear.

I just nodded and bit my lip in an
attempt to break the grin that was beginning to make my cheeks cramp.

“Well, it’s true,” he said as he
lightly brushed his fingertips along the top of my hand.
 
“Now, can you think of something?
 
Let’s see if I’m able to hear what’s
going through that beautiful mind of yours.”

I sat back against the plush
leather of his car and closed my eyes.
 
I began to remember our first encounter at the college.
 
Which was another odd occurrence.
 
It seems he actually did go to school
there.
 
Not only that, but the
teachers and classrooms I dreamed of actually exist.
 
However, knowing about all of it while I was, literally,
dead to the world just seemed impossible.

Ok, Orella.
 
Focus.
 
Think of something
Jonah should remember.
 
Well, of
course he won’t remember something in your dreams, moron.
 
But, think of something he should know
or recognize.

I heard him clear his throat,
ultimately ending my attempt to jog his memory… or mine.

“Nothing?” I asked.

He just shook his head, the sorrow
obvious on his face.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized as I
squeezed his hand.

“Don’t be.
 
It’s ok.
 
How about we go in and eat?”

Nodding seemed to be the only
response I could give around this boy.
 
What’s wrong with my goddamn voice?

I watched as he deliciously rounded
his way to my side of the car and opened the door for me, offering his hand
just like he did in my dreams… or, coma, really.

The restaurant was busy and rather
loud.
 
But, I loved Mexican food,
so it was worth the exchange in privacy.
 
Jonah whispered something into the hostess’ ear and she responded with
an
I-know-what-you-did
type of smile.

I began to open my mouth and ask
Jonah what was up when she led us to a room near the back.
 
Quiet.
 
Secluded.
 
Just,
perfect.
 
Dinner was much of the
same.
 
We talked about his current
art projects, which were absolutely amazing to hear about.

Then he asked me about physical
therapy.
 
Hole.
 
Swallow.
 
Now.
 
I wasn’t
ready to tell him.

Just as I thought I would be
subjected to telling him such a private thing in a very public place, the
waitress came and rescued me, even if for just a moment.

“Would you like anything else,
Ella?” Jonah asked as he grabbed my hand once more.
 
It’s almost as if he wanted the waitress to know we were
together.
 
Yet, he couldn’t read
her mind right now, so I wonder what that was all about.

“No, thanks.
 
I’m good,” I answered, hoping and
praying he would get the check so we could leave.

Thankfully, he asked for the
check.
 
I let out a huge sigh,
relieved we would be leaving soon, and caught his attention in the process.

“You ok?”

“Yep, just peachy,” I answered
flatly.
 
I think he could tell I
was lying, but he didn’t push.

As we waited for the check, I
began to remember our horseback ride together and the vision of him on Skip,
galloping down the trail at sunset.

After several moments of
remembering our riding excursion, I suddenly realized he was staring at me with
nothing short of a stunned look on his face.

“Ella!
 
That’s from my dream!” Jonah gasped.

“What dream?” I asked, worried he
may not have seen what I was projecting to him.
 
“Did you just see what I was thinking about?”

“Yes,” he answered as he threw a
wad of cash onto the table and began to stand up.
 
“And we have a lot of talking to do.”

He seemed angry.
 
I hope what I thought about didn’t
anger him.
 
How could it have?
 
Or, why?
 
It very well could have just been my imagination.
 
And surely, he couldn’t be getting mad
at that, right?

“I’m not mad, Ella.
 
I’m actually excited and confused and
just… well, you’ll see.”

“Where are we going?”

“My apartment.
 
There’s something I need to show you.”

I stopped just short of the
restaurant door, causing a couple behind us to dodge my halting form and make
their way around us.

“What?” Jonah asked, worry in his
voice and facial features.

“Your apartment?” I asked in a
rather kid-like voice.
 
Truth was,
regardless of what I dreamed about in my coma-like state, I’ve never been with
a man before.
 
And, all girls know,
going to a man’s apartment, alone, at night, is just asking for it.
 
Especially when that man was as fucking
sexy as Jonah.

He grinned as he wrapped his arm
around my shoulder and said, “I’m glad you think I’m sexy, but, as much as I am
attracted to you, that is not my intention.
 
I promise.”

I took his words to be true and
followed him out of the restaurant, sighing in relief once I sank down into the
Charger’s bucket seats.

Jonah’s apartment was literally
two blocks away.
 
Not even enough
time for us to think of what was happening.
 
I could tell he was excited and extremely nervous about
something, which continued to leak doubt into my mind about going to his
apartment alone.

Get a grip, Hugh.
 
For one, he said that wasn’t his intentions.
 
And two, you’re a friggin adult for crying out loud.
 
Geez!

Jonah chuckled and I then realized
he heard my own internal monologue chastising myself for being a pussy.
 
Wait, maybe I shouldn’t use the word
pussy.
 
Might give the wrong
impression.
 
With that thought, I
had to chuckle at my own thoughts.

We pulled into the complex parking
lot rather fast, as if his ass was on fire and his apartment was the only place
to quench his cheeks.

Grabbing my hand and quickly
helping me out of the car, he practically ran up the stairs to his apartment
door.

“Now, promise me you won’t freak
out and we’ll talk about this before you run for the hills?” he asked with a
stark look on his face.

“Jonah, you’re starting to scare
me,” I said quietly, backing away from him slightly as I thought of being in an
apartment with a man I thought I knew well, but in reality, had only met today.

Without letting my hand go, he
gently tugged me back toward him and hugged me.

“Damn.
 
I’m so sorry.
 
I
never meant to scare you or worry you.
 
I’m such a shithead.
 
I
just, I don’t know how to figure all this out, Ella.
 
The only way I can see how to explain it is to show you a
picture I drew several nights ago,” he clarified as he held onto me tight.

My face was buried in the
nook.
 
You know, that snug little
area on a man’s chest where you can burry your face and know that the entire
universe now centers around this comfortable connection.
 
I breathed in his scent and felt his
heart pound beneath my ear.

Finally I looked up at his face,
riddled with concern.
 
Probably
worried I would bail on him.

“Okay, Jonah.
 
Show me your drawing, please.”

With that, he unlocked the door
and led me into his apartment.

Ella stepped into my apartment,
looking around as if my place would tell her more about me.
 
My apartment was a nice size with
typical living room furniture, perfect for young bachelors such as Jay and
I.
 
Leather couch, big screen TV
with video gaming systems, a small dining room table cluttered with books,
bags, and school stuff, and a kitchen which looked rather bare, save for the
Gatorade and beer bottles lined up on the counter.

“In here,” I said as I tugged at
her hand, leading her further down the hall and into my room.

A flutter played in my stomach at
the thought of bringing her into my bedroom.
 
I could tell she was nervous about the thought as well.
 
Then, I flicked on the light and
allowed her to step into my space.

An involuntary gasp left her lips
at the sight before us.
 
Just above
my headboard, framed and lit like a professional work of art, was my drawing of
her.
 
She was riding a horse, which
I could tell by her thoughts was actually her horse named Cora, and laughing as
the wind ripped through her hair and clothes.

“Jonah,” she whimpered and I could
tell she was hardly able to control her emotions.

“Ella,” I responded as I came up
behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.
 
The fact that I could touch her made my heart expand out of
my chest like the Grinch from Whoville.

“You said you dreamed of me and
this is from your dream?”

“Oh, Ella.
 
How do I explain this?
 
Just remember you promised to listen first.
 
Ok?”
 
I sighed heavily as I dug for the courage to continue.

“I’ve been dreaming of you for six
years,” I said, causing her to turn and look at me as I spoke.
 
“I may not have known your name or
whether you were real.
 
But, you’ve
been in my dreams since I was nearly eighteen.
 
Every night, I had a dream of beautiful amethyst eyes and
every morning when I woke, my heart tore in two.”

Yep, here comes the
waterworks.
 
I could see her eyes
begin to swell and tears start to brim around her eyelids.
 
If she cries, I will surely lose my
man-card and sob right along with her.

“You don’t have to say
anything.
 
I just needed to let you
know why I feel so drawn to you… why we have this strong connection,” I
explained as I gestured between the two of us.

“Jonah, I have something to tell
you,” she said as she walked away from me and sat on the edge of the bed.
 
I could tell she was shaking so badly
that she had to sit down and compose herself.
 
I was so worried I was scaring her.
 
I had to do something to comfort her.

“Oh, Ella.
 
You’re shaking.
 
Come here,” I said as I sat beside her
and wrapped her in my arms, hugging her close and allowing her to cry into my
chest.
 
As much as I hated to see
her cry, this felt real.
 
This was
her and she was really here, allowing me to comfort her without the
repercussions of vanishing into thin air.

“I’ve… God, how do I say this?”
she said out loud as she sniffed and wiped her nose with her hand while backing
away from me ever so slightly.

I know, very ladylike.
 
But, I don’t care.
 
I have to tell him this.
 
I
have to get it off my chest.
 
Her thoughts made me care for her even
more.

“A little over six years ago, I
was in a bad car accident.
 
A
really bad car accident that broke several bones in my body and banged me up
pretty good.”

I just stared at her, puzzled as
to why she was telling me about a car accident from so long ago.
 
Then it dawned on me, as if someone
literally knocked me over the head with a bat.
 
The time…

“Did you say… six years?” I
gasped.
 
She just nodded.

“You asked why I was taking
physical therapy.
 
The reason is
because I’ve been in a coma ever since the accident.
 
I only woke up a little over a month ago.”

With this information, I stood up
and looked down at her.
 
I was
speechless.
 
I didn’t know what to
say or do.
 
Here she was, pouring
her secrets out and effectively explaining to me why I’ve been in utter
desperation to find her for six years.
 
Yet, how was I supposed to absorb this bit of information?

“Jonah,
I…”

“Wait,” I interrupted, not
unkindly, as I held my hand up and closed my eyes.
 
“Let me think about this.
 
Ok, six years ago, you were in a car accident that left you
in a coma.
 
And you woke up a
little over a month ago?”

She nodded, a tear trickling down
her cheek with the worry I would not understand the next part.

The next part of what?
I thought.

I kneeled in front of her and
grabbed her face, forcing her to look at me.
 
“Ella, please don’t cry.
 
We’ll figure this out… this connection.
 
We’ll figure it out.
 
Don’t be sad.”

“There’s more, Jonah.”

“Then tell me, love.
 
Talk to me,” I said with tenderness,
needing her to know I would understand.
 
Needing her to know that I would never turn her away.

“The day I woke up, before I did,
I dreamed of you, or envisioned you.
 
I’m not quite sure what it was really.
 
But you were there and you were… you were mine.”

With those words, she looked
directly at me.
 
A huge grin slowly
made its way across my features.
 
So, she knew me as soon as she saw me.
 
The thought that we were on the same level made me sigh in
relief.
 
“I was yours, huh?”

“We had only met that day, but it
seemed like I’d known you for forever.
 
We spent such a wonderful day together, eating lunch in the courtyard,
throwing on the wheel together, horseback riding, a shared meditation trip to Manua
Kea Summit, even your Charger.
 
I
experienced all of it.
 
You even
kissed me.
 
And then, I woke up and
I thought for sure I would never be able to pick the pieces of my heart up off
the floor.

“I thought for sure you were just
a dream.
 
That I would never again
see you, touch you, smell you.
 
When you walked over to me in the Lavendine studio, I seriously thought
I had gone back under.
 
Now?
 
Now I don’t know what to think.”

“Don’t think.
 
Let’s not think.
 
At least, not now.
 
Let’s just enjoy and be thankful that
we’ve finally found one another,” I said as I laid my head in her lap.
 
She took the cherished moment to run
her fingers through my hair, causing a delightful groan to leave my chest at
the feeling of her touching me so intimately.
 
I grasped onto her tighter, tucking my hands beneath her ass
and savoring the warmth of her embrace.

“Please don’t take this the wrong
way and don’t feel like you have to say anything in return.
 
But, I’ve been dreaming of you for six
years.
 
You’ve been mine all that
time, yet I’ve never been able to touch you, to hold you like this, or to tell
you that…” I trailed off as I sat up and looked directly into her
eyes—contemplating whether I should say the words I’ve been feeling for
so many years now. I wanted to tell her I loved her. But, would that be too
much? Would I ruin the perfect connection we had right now?

With those three ever-important
words rambling through my mind and never actually being spoken from my mouth,
the love of my life got up and walked out.

The End of Part Three