Clementine (26 page)

Chapter
31

The little boy tugged on the girl’s pigtails, knowing he’d get a rise out of her. She loved her blonde pigtails; she told him over and over that her mom braided them every day before she came out to play. He didn't know why, but in his young eyes her pigtails were perfect. They were so much brighter than his own dark brown hair. The two children grew up a few houses apart from one another, and even though his friends protested, the small boy always let her tag along when they played hide-and seek  or cops-and-robbers.

“Why does your mom call you Clementine?” the little boy wondered aloud as they walked back to her house.

“That’s just what she calls me. She says I’m her sweet Clementine,” the girl answered softly before running up to her mom who was waiting for her by the mailbox.

(♫13)
Later that night, or rather early the next morning
, Addison and Holden lay in bed together. On their sides, half tucked into the blankets, it seemed as if every last intricacy of their relationship had been simplified. They’d remained silent for the last half hour, drinking one another in tacitly. Holden had one hand tucked under his pillow, supporting his head, while his other hand caressed Addison’s skin. His warm touch moved across her bare arm, serving as an anchor between them.  She felt adored and if she were given the option, she knew she’d give up everything in her life to get to remain in that moment for eternity.

She watched his gaze fall hungrily over her skin; each spot he studied felt as if it were on fire. She would’ve grabbed
the blanket and covered hersel
f
–
his gaze made her feel even more expose
d
–
but the look of adoration in Holden’s eyes fueled her confidence. 

She let her hands roam his body, dropping from the peppering of hair on his toned chest to the smooth abs that rested below. She could tell he’d been kayaking without his shirt on the past few weeks; his chest had a warm tan and looked as hard as it felt under her touch. Her gaze followed her hand as it traveled up to his heart, appreciating the quick beat she felt below. She liked knowing her touch was affecting him the same way his was affecting her. Her eyes shot up to his face, finding an enigmatic smile spread across his beautiful lips. He looked so sincere and innocent laying next to her. Yet, the wanton way he roamed her body was anything but
. Nothing could distract her from his hand kneading into her body, drawing her desire to the surface once again.

His hand moved down her thigh, dripping with intense energy and residual need. She knew round two, or rather round four or five wasn’t too far off. He set her skin alive under his touch, and apparently they both hadn’t had their fill yet
, which was why she was surprised when he momentarily rested his hand on her hip, pausing his electrifying path down her body and giving her mind a slight reprieve from his searching strokes.

She gave him a confused glance.

“Everything okay?” she asked.
He’s probably just tired.
He didn’t offer a reply right away, which only increased her worry. His eyebrows furrowed and his gaze concentrated hard on her collarbone, as if it held the answer to some great riddle. She knew he was having an internal debate and she prayed it wouldn’t ruin their perfect evening.
Please don’t say you regret it.

A
few more moments passed before he finally spoke.

“Do you think we
decide our own fate, Addison?” he asked, breaking the silence with a question she wasn’t expecting. Her hand was still placed over his heart and she could feel his heartbeat speed up as she tried to think of an answer to his philosophical inquiry.
Why is he thinking about fate?
Before she could formulate her response, he continued.

“I know that you came back to Austin and to Hyde Park on your own terms, and I drove to Houston after you left on
my
terms. That was each of
us
deciding that we weren’t done yet, not
fate
. But then I also think back to that day in the coffee shop. That first moment I saw you, I felt like I had already known you, and yet we had never met before...” He ran his hand through his hair, looking up at the ceiling to collect his thoughts. “When I saw you that day there was this instant familiarity, as if I’d seen your face millions of times before. But I can’t help thinking it’s something more than what I can understand. Because I do know that, that day you left and I thought I’d never you again, I felt like you had stolen a part of me. A part of the story that was incomplete, and there was nothing I could do about it but wait for fate to bring you back.” He still gazed at the ceiling, leaving Addison an unhindered view of his profile. She concentrated on studying his features, hoping that if she focused intensely enough on how divinely handsome he was, the tears threatening to fall in response to his endearing words would recede.

“I know that with all that we’ve gone through, it seems completely nor
mal to love you as much as I do, to adore every inch of you as much as I do in this moment. But I can honestly say that the second I walked out of that coffee shop, my need to be with you had already taken root. I know that seems ridiculous, I didn’t even know you...or so I thought.”

“What do you mean, or so you thought?”
She couldn’t stop the tears now. They trickled down her cheeks in slow succession and Holden reached up to lightly wipe them away with his thumb. He gave her a heart stopping kiss before turning and opening the top drawer of his bedside table. Addison couldn’t see what he was doing until he turned toward her with a photo in hand.

He passed it to her and Addison’s world froze. She was looking at a photo of herself around age four sitting next to a group of neighborhoods kids. They were all holding popsicles, smiling up at the
camera. Next to Addison was a seven year old version of Holden.

Addison looked from the photo back to Holden.

“What is this?” She sat up in bed, pulling the sheet up to cover her chest.
What the hell is going on.

“There’s something I
’ve been waiting to tell you, Addy… Before my parents came into the wealth they have now, we used to live in a different house…we only lived there for a year when I was seven, right when we first moved to Houston. There was a little girl who lived a few doors down. She always wanted to tag along with the bigger kids in the neighborhood. Everyone used to hate when she slowed us down, but I thought she was nice and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I let her play with us.”

“Oh my god, Holden.”

I can’t believe this.

“When I went to your house in Houston your mom
recognized me and asked if I was related to Mitchell and Joanne Taylor. I told her they were my parents and she filled in the gaps. She gave me that picture of us all sitting together that summer. I can’t believe that you were that little girl, Addison.”

“
Holy shit.” Addison clasped her hand over her mouth, studying the photo. A moment later she finally spoke again.

“
How did you and my mom not say anything? This is crazy, Holden!”

“She knew it was my story to tell and I just wanted to wait for the right time. We’ve had quite an interesting few weeks…”

Addison absorbed his words, taken aback by the intensity with which he shared them with her. She knew from the beginning that she’d felt an instant pull toward Holden, one that she couldn’t explain, to hear him confessing their past made her feel breathless.

She’d
written off her desire for him as simple physical attraction, not wanting to read too much into her body’s fundamental reaction to him. However, now that she thought about it, the feeling she experienced when she first saw him was something much stronger than she’d allowed herself to previously believe.
It felt like we’d been separated for decades, living two separate lives and I was just waiting for him to return to me.

She scooted an inch closer to him so that her head was tucked under his neck. He curled his arms around her in response, wrapping his entire body around
her frame.

She took a deep
breath, and finally spoke, “My grandmother used to tell me these stories of how two people would meet, and if they were meant to be together their souls would entwine; forever sealed as one. I know it sounds crazy, but whether or not these two people physically ended up together, their souls still remained entwined. And my grandmother said that even after they passed away, their souls would find each other again, that they were just manifested in two different people, maybe in a totally different time,” She laughed embarrassedly, realizing how ridiculous she was sounding, but Holden didn’t say a word. He ran his hand along her spine as if encouraging her to continue.
This is insane… right?

“I know it feels almost presumptuous to think that out of everyone’s
love, that you and I are somehow ‘fated’, but maybe everyone has this love. Maybe everyone meets their soul’s partner but because of reasons beyond their control they sometimes don’t end up together. People say you aren’t meant to be with just one particular person, that destiny couldn’t possibly exist, but what if everything we’ve experienced was fate trying to bring us back together? I know how hard it was to get to this point, how much we fought to be together, and I know how easily someone else could have given up when we didn’t.”

She paused to swal
low and gather her thoughts. “When I saw you at the coffee shop I wasn’t stunned at how handsome you were, I was stunned at the instant pull you had over me. If souls are reincarnated Holden, you and I have lived a hundred lifetimes and maybe in every one, we’ve found our way to one another. You’re my one person; you’re my fate, Holden.”

“Addison
...” The intensity with which he sighed her name let her know he felt the same way. Their love was inescapable and predetermined. When their souls met lifetimes ago, they’d been fixed together for all of eternity. It seemed they were simply living out one lifetime of a never-ending story.

She pulled her head from the comfort of his neck
, finally daring herself to look at him. His warm brown eyes found her pale green ones and in that moment her love for him felt eternal.

To my mom who encouraged my writing & has always been my biggest fan. Words cannot describe our bond.

To my family & friends.
I love, love, love you.

To Caitlin for taking the time to edit this novel when it was still in the rough stages.
I could never have finished it without you.

To my Lance who has put up with many of my “just listen to this part really quick”
throughout this whole process, you are my Holden. I love you.

Special thanks to Amber at
barefootblonde.com
for allowing me to use that beautiful cover photo!

R. Jean Wilson attended the University of Texas, with an emphasis on just about everything. She
now resides in Austin where she shares her life with her family, friends, and puppy.

Find her on Instagram: Imaginetherest

Follow her blog: Justimaginetherest.tumblr.com