Breathless (7 page)

“
Everything okay, honey,” my mom asked with a sincere hint of concern.

“
Mmmhmmm,” was all I could manage to utter. My mind was still flooded with the images of my hazy dream. It was much more comforting that the elusive dreams I had been having for weeks, but it was also much more ridiculous. I knew nothing about Chaseyn, his intentions or his personality. I felt silly for having such intense feelings for someone I knew so little about.

“
I’m okay, mom,” I said with a bit more effort to sound truthful. “I just fell asleep. I’m fine now.”

“
You should go to bed if you’re tired, Lia. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”

Her words echoed in my head. As far as I knew, we didn’t have any plans, but considering the house was now my own personal prison, I could imagine the types of things that she and I would do together—cleaning, baking, watching more movies. Before I could think too much about what the day held in store, I pushed myself up from the chair, wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, and shuffled back to my room.

When I arrived, I was overtaken by a cold chill. My curtains tangled with the wind that was seeping through the partially opened window. I was sure I had closed it earlier, but I decided that it might just have been a thought rather than an action. Better late than never, I decided, and I pushed the pane closed. In the shadow beneath the chokecherry tree, I could see him gazing up at me. My heart stopped for a moment, and my stomach did a flip. I wondered how long he had been there or if he had even left. I didn’t want to consider that he might have been waiting there for the past hour while I lay asleep in the chair. He caught my gaze and pointed one finger vigorously to the center of his chest and then up to the open window where I stood. It was a universal symbol. He was asking if he could come up to my room.

Chapter 10 - Much Later

“
No,” I whispered. “You can’t come up here. My mom would kill me.”

He shook his head, then made his gesture more clear. This time, when he pointed to himself, I noticed something in his hand. He wasn’t asking to come up, he was signaling something else. Looking down at the window sill, I saw the edge of a thick twine rope dangling to my floor. It led outside to where Chaseyn was looking up at me. He could see I had finally clued in and was tying something to his end of the rope. With a light tug, he indicated that I should hoist the small package up to my room.

Slowly and carefully, I manipulated the rope until, if I stretched my arm out at full length, I could just reach the tiny box. My fingers twisted and lurched until I had a firm hold, and then I let the rope drop to the ground.

Curiosity overcame me, and I wrestled with the black satin bow before managing to peel the lid off the brown cardboard box. First, I lifted a note from the package.

Wear this. For me.

C.

With his instructions clear, I pulled a red velvet bag from beneath the note and opened it cautiously. Inside, I found a delicate silver cuff-style bangle with a large chrysanthemum-like flower carved from silver protruding from the bracelet’s center. I had never worn much in the way of jewelry, but it was impossible to escape the allure of this phenomenal piece. Immediately, I anchored it to my slim wrist, a perfect fit.

I glanced down to thank Chaseyn and ask him why he had given me such a lavish token, but he was gone. I decided to leave my window open slightly, hoping I would hear if he returned. I lay awake for a long while, listening for the sound of his footsteps on the gravel path and contemplating his gift, but eventually, my eyes drifted closed.

That night, my dream returned, but it was different, less obscure. Usually, the atmosphere was dark, and I could never make out exactly where I was. I just knew that I was searching for something but could never quite grasp it. This time, I knew exactly what I was searching for. A bright light formed on the horizon, and I walked through a colorful garden knowing what I would find when I passed through the gate. Chaseyn was there, waiting for me with arms wide open, and I fell into his embrace. We stood there for a long while, swaying to music that only we could hear. I felt safe, warm, loved. And then, I woke with a start. For the first time, I could remember all of the details of my dream, and I was engulfed in an incredible feeling of ease. It was as if a weight was lifted from my shoulders, and I was finally at peace.

The sun was glaring through my window, and the scent of cinnamon raisin French toast wafted through my open door. I scrambled to my feet, and inched them into the fuzzy slippers at the side of my bed. I wrapped a fleece housecoat around my body and walked to the door. Just as I neared the bottom step, I remembered the weight around my wrist. I ran back to my room quickly and tucked the silver bangle safely inside my dresser drawer. While I would put it back on the minute I stepped outside of the house —I didn’t want
him
to think I didn’t like it— I couldn’t stand the thought of answering what would inevitably be fifty questions from my mother about the elaborate token.

“
Hey, honey. I thought I could lure you out of bed with the smell of a hot-and-ready breakfast,” my mom said when she saw me come around the corner into the kitchen. She seemed to be softening a little.

“
It smells great, mom. Can I help with anything.”

“
Nope. I’m just about done here. Have a seat,” she said, pointing to the breakfast bar. She started doling out bacon, eggs, and French toast on to two plates before pouring two tall glasses of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

“
Thanks, mom.”

“
So,” she said sheepishly. “Where’s that beautiful bracelet I saw peeping out from under your duvet when I looked in on you this morning?”

“
Oh. That,” I said, wracking my brain for an appropriate response. “It’s nothing.”

“
Nothing? It looked like something to me. Until last night, I never even knew this boy existed, and now, he’s giving you jewelry. Honey, you should have told me you had a boyfriend. Is that why you were late Friday?”

I didn’t know what to answer first, where to begin. So, I went with the truth.

“
First, it really is nothing. I wasn’t even going to keep it; I barely know him. He asked me to try it on, and I forgot to take it back off. That’s all,” I said, the words coming out a mile a minute. “He just started at school on Monday, so I barely know him either. It’s hardly appropriate for him to be giving me such lavish gifts. And, yes. I was dancing with him on Friday, and I lost track of time. It was that simple. Is that everything?”

She looked stunned. I’m not sure she was expecting so much truth. She paused from pouring maple syrup on her heaping mound of French toast to look me in the eye. Her jaw fell open, then closed.

“
Was that so hard,” she asked. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been this open, Lia. I miss it.”

I was struck off guard by her response, so I stuffed my mouth full, giving me time to think.

“
I miss it to, mom.”

We ate in silence. It was quite a breakthrough for 9 a.m., and we needed time to recoup before taking the next steps. I wasn’t sure what my mom had in store for us today, but I knew it would be another 24 hours before I could confide in any of my friends. It had barely been 17 hours since I had last talked to Addie, but it felt like an eternity. So much had happened that I wasn’t sure how I would get it all in before first period.

I cleared the table and cleaned the kitchen while my mom showered and dressed. I knew my grounding wouldn’t last another weekend—she was already starting to crack.

“
Lia? Do you want to head to the mall? I thought maybe you might want to get some new things for winter,” she shouted between bouts with her hairdryer. It was a nice gesture—one she hadn’t offered in ages—so I was more than happy to accept.

“
Sure, mom. Sounds great,” I shouted back, running up to my room to dress. I pulled the shiny silver cuff out of my drawer and wrapped it back around my wrist. It felt right, like it was made specifically for me. I smiled. Just then, the phone rang. My mom answered, and I could hear her tell the person on the other end that I had two minutes to talk and that was all. She hollered for me to pick up. I was hoping to hear Addie’s voice on the other end, but instead, I was greeted by a warm, dark baritone.

“
Do you like it,” he asked.

“
It’s perfect,” I replied. “But, you barely know me. It seems sort of special.”

“
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to find you,” he said in response. “I know we just met, but there is such a strong connection. I want a part of me to be with you always. But, you have to go now. It’s been at least two minutes.”

He was right. My mom was standing in the doorway looking at her watch.

“
I’ll talk to you later,” I said. His response surprised me.

“
At six, right. Your mom said that would be good. ‘Til then,” he said, hanging up the phone.

I was in complete shock.

“
I asked Chaseyn to join us again tonight for dinner. He seemed very sweet, and it sounds like we both need to get to know him better,” my mom said, sensing my confusion. “I hope you don’t mind.”

My stomach did a flip once her words sank in. On the one hand, I was excited to see Chaseyn again. On the other hand, my mom would be there. Suddenly, I felt slightly nauseous. Still, I managed to nod and grin. I clutched the bracelet, and felt the heat searing my cheeks.

“
Maybe we should go now,” I said, grabbing my wallet and stuffing it into my pocket. “Yeah. That would be best.”

My mom was chatty the entire drive to the mall. Normally, we would sit in awkward silence. I would scour my brain the entire time, hoping to find some way to fill the empty space. There was no need for that today. She was rambling on about everything from the new Thai sit-down restaurant near the food court to a nightmare patient she tended to yesterday morning at the clinic.

Once inside, she dragged me from store to store, forcing me to try on at least a dozen shirts in pretty pastel shades that made me want to vomit. Soft and girly seemed to be the fashion trend this spring, and I wasn’t biting. But, she was insistent—despite our recent dispute and my resulting grounding—on treating me to something new. I settled for a pale gray blouse with nominal frill and a pair of dark denim slacks. I had a sudden interest in at least making myself presentable, and I saw this as an opportunity to tweak my wardrobe in the direction of sophisticated chic. I couldn’t say why I cared, but I thought it was a look that would appeal to Chaseyn. He had a dark edge, but he was laid back and casual. Think James Dean in color.

“
Chaseyn will love that,” my mom said, reaffirming my thoughts as though she were reading my mind.

I just smiled, and tossed a second blouse on the counter. Another one that I was sure would impress Chaseyn. Addie would, of course, be impressed too, but her opinion was secondary in this equation. The notion wasn’t lost on my mom, who laughed at my sudden interest in enhancing my appearance. I felt my cheeks get warm. My mom wrapped one arm around my shoulder loosely and ruffled my hair with the other. She hadn’t done anything like that since before my dad had died. It felt weird but good. I couldn’t suppress the huge smile that was forming across my face as I quickly raised my right arm and tousled her hair in much the same way. She had forgotten that, unlike when I was eight and could barely reach the top of her shoulders with my fingers outstretched, I was now two inches taller than her and could easily repay the unwanted favor.

“
Hey,” she shrieked, running out of the store into the crowded mall. I grabbed my bag and chased after her, hands raised in the air in a threatening manner. I had been dreading spending the day alone with my mom, but to my surprise, we were having a great time. Circling each other in outside the door, we each got in a few good tickles before calling a truce.

“
Let’s eat,” my mom stated, and she guided me toward the food court. She didn’t have to say anything for me to know that we were going to put the Thai restaurant she had been rambling about earlier to a massive taste test.

“
Anything you want,” my mom said as we perused the menu. “Today is a special treat.”

She didn’t have to say any more for me to know that she was having more fun than we had enjoyed together in years…since Brad. Even longer…since my dad. The past week had been flurry of unusual activities. From Chaseyn’s first day at Evergreen High School to my grounding, so much had happened in the past six days. Despite the immediate tension between my mother and I following Friday night’s shakedown, we had grown immeasurably close since. Chaseyn seemed to be the common denominator. Something we could both agree on.

“
So,” my mom began so teasingly that I feared what would come from her mouth next. “Do you like him?”