Authors: Jessica Miller
“It wasn’t that at all, from the first time I saw you, walking on the sidewalk you enchanted me Melina. Then when you got hit, I came back to save your life. I couldn’t just let you
die
. Then we spent time together and I fell for you, I love you,” I said desperately. I was just trying to make her understand by that point.
“I don’t—I can’t…I need a break. I need some air,” Melina turned to walk inside and I followed after her as she shrugged on her coat and told Jayden that she’d be right back. I started to panic when I realized she was going out there where it wasn’t safe.
“You can’t be serious Melina. You’re going out on the street after what I just
told you
?” I asked her and she brushed me off.
“I’ll be careful not to go into the street, I don’t even have a scarf with me,” she said before she stormed out. I watched helplessly as she walked out.
*****
I went into the kitchen to set the groceries down on the counter. Jayden walked out of his room with a long, thin, white box that had a red bow on the top.
“Where is Melina? I have something for her that I made,” he said with a small smile on his lips. As I stared at the box I knew exactly what it was. The white scarf she was wearing; it must have been why she had such a happy expression on her face the first time I saw her.
“I’ll go and get her, she just went around the corner,” I said and then hurried out of Jayden’s apartment. By the time I got downstairs and outside there was no sign of Melina anywhere. I couldn’t let this happen to her, she simply
could not
die. The sense of urgency I felt was palpable, it saturated the air around me wherever I walked. I circled Jayden’s block three times before I started to branch out to the surrounding four blocks. I couldn’t find Melina anywhere and I was beginning to get desperate. Especially as time was progressing like a freight train down a steady track.
Even though Melina knew about her fate, no matter how careful she was, a variation of the accident would happen again and she
would
die after all. That was how it went. I wondered if I should go back again and fix things in the past.
When I heard a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning that signaled a new wormhole, I realized that I was too keyed up. I needed to calm down. Creating a pathway into the past would not be helpful at that point. It would more likely just make things more tangled.
I kept walking, my eyes in search for red hair and a red coat. I turned a corner and realized that I was at the sports bar. My eyes glanced over to the other side of the street and I saw her. She was upset this time and walking with heavy feet. I felt a brief sense of relief until I heard the roaring engine of a bright yellow Jaguar as it barreled up the street. The guy in the driver’s seat didn’t seem to be paying attention to the road and he was swerving all over the place.
I acted before I could watch what would happen. I created a portal quicker than I ever have before and jumped over to the other side of the road. Just as the driver veered to the right and jumped the curb, I grabbed Melina and jumped just as quickly to my place in Midtown. We appeared in my foyer and she was frozen against me. Her hands clutched my coat with a death grip and I held onto her tight, my arms wrapped around her as we both recovered from the shock and rush of adrenaline that the near death experience brought us.
“Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay,” I said and Melina nodded her head woodenly against my chest.
“We just teleported…we teleported and you saved my life,” she gasped with blind shock in her voice.
“Yeah…I told you I was here to save you. But I’m not going to leave you Melina. I love you and I want to be with you,” I said.
Melina pulled back a fraction and she looked up into my eyes with her wide blue ones. She studied my face for a long moment as I looked back at her with sincerity.
“I was just scared that…I was just scared that you would leave me once you managed to save me, that we’d amount to nothing,” she said with a shaky voice. I shook my head no.
“I have never told another woman that I love her before, apart from my mother. I don’t say it to you lightly. I do love you Melina and I want to be with you,” I said earnestly and she gave me a watery smile.
“Good…because I love you too,” she said and I smiled from ear to ear.
“Are you sure?” I asked her and she laughed, but then nodded.
“I’m sure,” she said and then I picked her up and twirled her around in a circle before I set her down and pressed my lips to hers. The reality of my having saved her set in and I grew ecstatic.
“You’re alive! We’re here together!” I said enthusiastically. She giggled as she wiped her eyes of unshed tears.
“We are, all thanks to you…I’m sorry I made it difficult though, I shouldn’t have left Jayden’s apartment. I should have stayed inside,” she said with a sniffle and I hugged her again.
“As long as you’re here now, as long as you’re here,” I said.
*****
Melina and I teleported back to Jayden’s place where we had dinner and he gave her the scarf he’d made. Melina absolutely loved it. I respected his ability to make her smile.
After dinner I didn’t want to take any chances. I teleported back to my apartment with her and she sat down in the living room with a ton of questions for me.
“So…how long have you been able to time travel?” she asked curiously. I shrugged.
“I was always able to do it; I just didn’t know how until it just…
happened.
Same thing with teleporting. I was always able to make the little cracks in time, I just didn’t realize it or hone in on it until I was thirteen,” I answered.
“Can your parents do it? Do they know about you?” I shook my head.
“They have no idea…though sometimes when I think back to my childhood I think my grandfather was able to do it. He was always off on ‘business trips’. He always said that I was special, too, that I was just like him,” I said. Melina’s eyes widened a fraction as she took in the information.
“Well not even your parents know, I guess I can’t be too mad at you for not telling me before,” I chuckled.
“I don’t think they would take it well at all. I never told anyone because I was scared of becoming some lab rat, or worse,” I said. Melina nodded thoughtfully and she got up to walk into the kitchen for ice cream.
“So…if we had a baby boy then he’d be able to teleport and time travel like you?” Melina asked cautiously.
“Now that you mention it…my grandfather only had two girls and my mother’s sister only had daughters. And I’m the only child of my parent’s.” I said. “Maybe it’s some weird trait passed on to boys in our family.”
“Interesting,” she said. I watched Melina scoop out some ice cream into a small glass bowl, then put the carton of chocolate ice cream with cookie and brownie dough back into the freezer.
“So what do you think about all this, really?” I asked her. She shook her head.
“I think I’ve overcome the shock and I’m coming to terms with it. After all I’m a little bit stuck with you,” she said as she ate a spoonful of ice cream.
“You’re stuck with me?” I asked and she smirked.
“Well yeah, it’s not like I’m leaving you. I love you, and you did travel back in
time
to save me from dying so we can be together. Right?” I smiled. She was right. Though I hadn’t fully realized it at the time that’s exactly why I went back.
“You read me like a book. What can I say, it was love at first sight for me,” Melina laughed and I watched her finish her ice cream. I wanted to make sure she was done before I threw her over my shoulder and took her to my bedroom. Melina giggled the whole way over and I plopped her down onto the bed.
“I’m so glad it’s Friday, because I don’t think I’ll let you out of here for a long, long time.” I said. She quirked an eyebrow at me.
“Is that a promise?” she said and I smiled devilishly before I attacked her with tickles. Her laughter turned into moans as I pressed the bulge in my pants right against her core and nibbled on her neck. I pushed her sweater up and then kissed the soft skin of her stomach, waist, and hips which were moving restlessly under my hands. I unfastened her jeans and then pulled them slowly down along with her panties. When her clothing hit the floor I spread her legs and then put my mouth against her slick folds.
Melina’s hips moved restlessly as she rubbed herself against my mouth. I flicked my tongue against her clitoris relentlessly and she tangled her fingers in my hair as I worked her towards orgasm. Melina came swiftly and she shuddered as waves of pleasure coursed through her.
We undressed each other quickly. Neither of us could wait to be lost in the other. I spread her legs and then pushed myself into her sweet, warm depths. She clenched and squeezed around me impatiently and I grit my teeth as the pleasure shot through my cock and up from the base of my spine all throughout me.
“Uhh,” I breathed and she squeezed me again. I groaned and began to move, thrusting into her until she was calling out my name. We both came together.
I wasn’t sure how it could have gotten any better with Melina, but it had. As we lay beside each other, spent, I whispered to her.
“So do you want to go to Italy tomorrow after your rehearsal?” I asked and she looked up at me strangely. I gave her a pointed look and realization dawned on her face.
“Wow, this is crazy…we can actually do that,” she said and I laughed at her expression.
“Yeah, we can go wherever you want to go, you name it,” I said and she grinned.
“Then let’s go to Italy tomorrow, I’ve always wanted to see Rome,” she said just before she pulled my head to hers for a scorching kiss. I groaned and she broke the kiss to look at me questioningly.
“Kissing me like that won’t get us to Italy; we might have to sleep in tomorrow instead,” I said, and she smacked my lightly on the chest.
“You know, this means I get to pull out my bucket list of places to visit and you have to take me to each one,” she said. I smiled.
“Yes,” I said.
THE END
Bonus Story 5 of 20
Leslie ran her fingers through her curly brown hair as she sang in the shower happily. She did a little dance as she lathered the shampoo into her locks. She was excited, clearly. A very special person was coming to visit and she had been counting down the days and the day had finally arrived. This man was very important to her and she was determined to show him a great time.
Robert Wolfe, her stepbrother, was a man that everyone adored. He was always standing up for others, and was strong and courageous. Not to mention he had killer looks. The ladies couldn’t get enough of his dark hair, bold golden eyes and strong jaw. The lady killer part Leslie wasn’t too pleased about, but what could she do? In any case, she loved Robert, and despite the distance between them he always supported her however he could.
Leslie arranged to take the week off from work so that she could properly dedicate her time to him. Robert, who was in the Navy, was protecting their seas, and risking his life every day. The least she could do was take that week off to de-stress him. The decision to take so much time off was one that her fellow co-workers scratched their heads at. But what did they know? They didn’t understand how she felt about him and how he was a rock in her life.
Leslie stepped out of the shower taking a towel to the curly madness that was her hair and then to her bare body. She glanced at the clock; she wouldn’t be picking up Robert until later that afternoon. She would be going to lunch with one of her co-workers, Max, who happened to also be a very good friend of hers. Leslie stepped out of the steamy bathroom and went to her closet to pick out her outfit. Meanwhile she texted Max letting him know that she would be on her way to the restaurant soon.
Leslie stood in front of her large collection of clothes wondering what she would wear. This would be the first time Robert had seen her in four years and she wanted to look her best. Removing the towel from her curvy damp figure and throwing it to the floor, the fresh-scrubbed, naked lady sashayed around her walk in closet gravitating towards the back of it.
“Hm, I’m thinking, dark blue,” she said as she whipped out a long, dark blue sundress. She was happy with the spring weather where the sun was out but not blazing and the air was fresh. This weather was perfect weather in her eyes.
Stepping back into her room, Leslie slipped on her underwear before slipping on the soft fabric of the sundress. She proceeded to do a very natural look for her makeup and settled on black sandals. Finally, she regarded herself in her full body mirror, and silently gave herself a nod of approval.
Leslie heard her phone ringing on the soft mattress and walked over it to answer the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, I’m here. Where are you?”
The man on the line was Max, Leslie pulled her phone away from her ear to look at the time on her phone. Her eyes widened realizing she had spent too much time getting ready and she was late. However she didn’t feel too bad, it was necessary she took her time. She wanted to look her best.
“Sorry. I’m coming now.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said with a sigh as he ended the call.
Leslie grabbed her purse and exited her apartment, giving her sleeping grey cat a quick pet before leaving. Luckily, the restaurant that Leslie had chosen was not far from her apartment.
Leslie walked into the modest restaurant and looked around for her dark haired co-worker. She saw him at a corner table with his back turned to her.
She cautiously approached the tall male, not 100% sure if that was indeed the man she was here to see. Leslie took a quick peek at his face erasing the doubt that it might not be him.
“Max,” she said with a smile as she took a seat in front of the brown-eyed male.
“Finally,” he said with an annoyed look in his eyes as he took a sip of his coffee.
“Sorry,” Leslie said as she flashed her best apologetic look before flagging the waitress down. “I’m picking up Robert after this so I have to look my best,” she said with a small smile. Turning her attention to the waitress, Leslie ordered a pastry and small coffee before returning to her brunch date with Max.
“So you’re very excited,” he said as he raised his eyebrow at her.
“Of course I am, and I could do without your judging face,” Leslie said with a sigh as she checked her phone for any messages from Robert. None so far. She wondered what he was doing.
“I’m just saying, you know those types of guys have mental issues being in the army and navy, they see a lot of messed up stuff.”
“Well I would too if I had the pressure of protecting a whole country on my shoulders,” Leslie snapped back. These comments of Max were beginning to get under her skin. Max hadn’t seen a hard day in his life and he was judging someone else.
“Look I’m not trying to offend—”
“That’s exactly what you’re doing Max, why are you so against me having him stay with me?”
Leslie didn’t get it. Ever since she told Max that Robert was coming to visit and how excited she was, his mood had been sour. She couldn’t understand his distaste for a man whom he had never met and knew nothing about it. Meanwhile, Max lowered his eyes feeling bad about his attitude towards the visit. The truth was his feelings for Leslie had gone unnoticed for the 5 years he had known her. He couldn’t help the surge of jealousy that erupted in his body at her excitement about Robert’s visit. She even forgot that Max’s birthday would clash with Robert’s visit.
“I’m sorry,” Max said after the uncomfortable silence between them.
“Apology accepted, now can we please have a nice brunch?”
Leslie dug into her pastry and refused to let Max’s insensitive words get to her. Even so she couldn’t ignore the nagging uneasiness in her heart.
Would Robert be okay?
*****
Leslie sat in her car driving towards the train station to pick up Robert. During the silent ride she had questioned her friendship with Max. Sure she knew he was a judging person but not against her. His attitude had spoiled her mood somewhat. Even so she would have to try not to let his words get to her because in a matter of minutes she would be seeing Robert.
Leslie pulled up to the train station parking lot and looked in the mirror in the sun visor to check her appearance. The nervousness began to rise in her stomach as she sat in the car alone with her thoughts. Would Robert be happy to see her? Would things be awkward? What would they even talk about? All these thoughts were making Leslie nervous for this week long visit.
“Ah, what am I nervous for? I’ve know this man my whole life,” Leslie said to her own reflection, shaking her head. This was clearly normal jitters. She was thinking too much about things.
Leslie stepped out of her car after a few minutes and checked her face and clothes one more time before heading towards the main area of the train station. She joined a few others who were excitedly waiting for the arrival of the train. Leslie stood next to the tracks and followed their path with her eyes. The cool breeze from the large mass of water on the other side of the tracks washed over her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the salty air before the loud noise of a horn echoed in the air.
Leslie took a deep breath and watched the large, heavy train approach closer. She took a step back from the edge of the platform as it was coming to a stop in front of the station. Leslie could feel the excitement in the air grow as the train came to a complete stop.
Simultaneously, all the doors opened and the train employees exited the train first to usher the passengers out. In a matter of seconds, passengers began to flow out of the doors causing a large crowd to form. Leslie, with her short stature, attempted to look through the sea of people to find her stepbrother.
The amount of bodies within the area grew to be too much and Leslie found her back pressed against the wall.
“Shit,” she said biting her lip as she pulled out her phone and saw that Robert had texted her. Leslie quickly texted Robert back saying that she was at the train station and that he should stay in one spot so she could find him. She then gripped her phone in her hand and began to push through the crowd to go to the center of the station. As she tried to get through the swarm of people chatting and hugging one another, she was accidently pushed. Leslie felt herself stumbling backwards and couldn’t catch herself in time. She prepared for the impact but it never came.
Surprisingly, Leslie felt strong hands at her back catching her as she fell. She blinked a few times trying to figure out why she hadn’t made contact with the ground. Eventually, she looked up to find a familiar face looking down at her with a toothy smile. The 6’1” navy officer helped her to her feet and playfully brushed off her shoulders.
“Robert,” Leslie said slowly as her brain came to the realization that Robert was standing right in front of her. He was finally here and her brain couldn’t formulate proper thoughts.
“Why are you looking so shocked?”
Robert laughed and reached over to pull her into a tight hug. Leslie’s hands went up slowly to grab onto the strong back. Her eyes closed as the scent of his cologne filled her nose. He smelled like fresh water and not at all like he’d been traveling for six hours.
Leslie looked up and met the golden eyes that seem to sparkle in the sun. Her mouth was slightly agape as she felt herself fall into the eyes looking back at her with confusion and a slight hint of concern.
“Leslie, you okay?” said Robert.
Leslie snapped out of her trance embarrassed by her behavior and pulled away from Robert’s tight embrace.
“Yeah, sorry,” she said. She looked into his eyes. “It’s been a while hasn’t it?”
Robert nodded with a smile as he took her hand and led her away from the crowded people. Without hesitation, Leslie followed Robert as he led her to a grassy area near the station. He had come to a stop and faced her once again.
“You don’t know how happy I am to be here, I really needed this,” he said as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder.
Leslie felt shy then and looked down at the pavement. She was feeling far more nervous than she let on but she wasn’t trying to show that.
“I’m happy too, and I can’t wait to show you a good time,” Leslie said with smile as she reached over and shyly took his warm hand into hers. Leslie led the Navy officer to the parking lot towards her car.
“How was your trip?”
“Well there was a crying baby, the attendant kept trying to get my number, a couple behind me was going through a break up and the meal gave someone food poisoning and they pretty much demolished the toilet.”
Leslie stopped walking and looked back at Robert who had just told her these things in an unbelievably calm manner. After a moment she let out a laugh and found that she couldn’t stop. Robert’s modesty was amazing considering how rich he was, the fact that he took a train instead of a first class flight really said something.
“Yeah it was pretty great,” Robert said as he began to chuckle at the string of bad luck that occurred during his trip. He had a thing for scenery; he wouldn’t have seen the tress, mountains and things of that nature from an airplane.
“That’s pretty hilarious,” Leslie said, calming down finally. She continued their short journey and finally reached her black sleek Mercedes Benz. Robert whistled as he let go of her hand and admired the car.
“Someone is doing well for herself,” he said as he ran his hand through the recently cleaned car. Leslie chuckled and unlocked the car and shook her head; working as a paralegal had its perks.
Robert threw his bag in the back seat before entering in the passenger side of the vehicle. Leslie soon entered into the driver’s side and looked over at Robert who was already messing with the stereo buttons.
She smiled at his curiosity; he sensed this and looked over with questioning eyes.
“What?”
Leslie shook her head as she started the car, ready to depart the train station. She found that the nervousness she felt earlier had completely dissipated.
*****
The sun had begun to set as Leslie drove them to her favorite bar. Robert was all for getting a drink after his hectic train ride.
After finding a parking spot and stepping out, Leslie found the bar to be bustling with women in tight dresses and men in suits. This was a slightly more upscale bar so the crowd often looked fancier than how they would at a regular bar. Leslie looked over at Robert who was in awe of the bright lights and party people loitering in the front of the bar. She decided that his all-black everything attire would suit this bar nicely; in fact he had a tall, dark and handsome vibe going for him.
In the midst of her lustful thoughts, Leslie felt a large hand plant itself on her shoulder. Startled, she looked up at Robert who had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“What are we waiting for?”
Leslie wasn’t sure if at that moment she should be worried about the look in his eyes.
“Nothing, let’s go,” Leslie said, hiding her concern with an equally mischievous smile. She made her way to the bar.
Leslie was not surprised by the looks Robert received from the women nearby. He was a handsome, single man and his golden eyes seemed to see into the soul. Leslie would have to make sure not to let her jealousy show.