Water Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Fifteen - Tai

Darien was gone, and now Tai was at a loss of what to do. The second the bedroom door had closed behind him, she felt lost and even more afraid. When she was alone before, just knowing he was in the house provided some kind of strange security—if only because he was willing to help ease her confusion by providing information. He was a sweet guy, and that made it hard to be repulsed by him. In fact, he was nothing like any other guy she'd ever met, and it through her for a complete loop.

All of the guys from school were arrogant and stuck up. As her fellow classmates had always put it, the island, because it was so small, provided slim pickings for a future spouse. Everyone knew it, and the young men her age made sure the women were aware of how lucky they were to be chosen by them. She'd watched Alex do it more than enough times. And he totally went about it in the wrong way too. Tai frowned. Did he mean it when he said he wished he'd chosen to wait for me, to stick it out and prove his feeling were real? Not like it matters anymore. I'm dead to him—literally. No point in wondering "what if".

Not to mention the whole Darien factor. They were married, regardless of if she wanted to be or not. Being unfaithful to that title didn't sit well with her. Especially with his being so enamored. No, there was no way she could betray him like that. They needed to come to a mutual understanding of their relationship together—get on the same page, and fast.

If he had hypothetically grown up on her island with her, she'd have been interested in a heartbeat. Would he be the same guy if he was human his whole life? How much of who he was tied into his dragon nature? The dragons clearly saw women in a different light than human men. So much of their species survival depended on finding a proper mate. In some ways, Tai was flattered Darien decided she was good enough for such a role. But the breeding tool aspect made her crinkle her nose in disgust.

Darien himself had some growing up to do, but he was willing to listen and despite how she came to be in his company, she didn't get the impression he only wanted her barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. He wanted her to be more than a companion for his bed, that much was clear. She didn't believe he was in "one true love" with her, though, either. How could he be?

Still, Tai could at least thank him for saving her from a boring life—the one silver lining to the whole situation. Getting off of the island and onto the main continent was almost impossible to do. Alex's family had money, and that's why he was able to spend half the year in Oceina City and the other half on Little Oceina Island.

If she'd stayed, she would have spent the rest of her days working two or three jobs, possibly finding some kind of companionship she tolerated, and probably never feeling real satisfaction. There was no guarantee she'd find meaning or purpose with Darien, either. At least she wasn't on the island anymore. The only part of home she couldn't let go of so easily was her mother.

Darien being a dragon also added a bit of excitement to her life. Her feelings were still mixed on the issue, but there was no denying that one fact made things much more interesting.

And he was gone, leaving her with strangers. Strange women at that, who were trying to persuade her that this life was, in fact, okay. Maybe it was, but she would decide that on her own terms.

Why did she miss him?

"This is stupid," she mumbled as she went to the one part of his room she'd yet to explore—his office. He had said he left something for her on the desk, and her curiosity was getting stronger. What kind of a gift did he leave her, and what did he hope to accomplish with it?

She turned on the light, and gasped. When he said office, she had pictured a nice big desk with a great view. Maybe a bookshelf or two filled with reference books, and a few interesting paper weights. While those things were present, what startled her was the small art studio he'd put together as well. How did he know she liked to paint and draw? There was no way he could have. She hardly ever did it where anyone could see.

In the middle of the desk rested a small, black, leather bound journal, and a set of gel pens; a small blue flower lay on top of them. Now she was definitely curious. She opened the journal and read a letter from Darien in a neat, well-practiced, manuscript.

Tai,

I'm not going to try to say I understand what you're going through or what you're feeling anymore. I'm sorry I've hurt you, and I wish I hadn't. You're alone in a strange new world, and I'm going to do my best to help you get comfortable there. I don't need to be able to read your mind to see it in your eyes. Making you so sad was never my intent. I hope you understand that at least. That I didn't actively go out to ruin your life. I gave you this journal so you could keep your thoughts in a safe place and not feel so invaded. Journaling is one way to block your thoughts from me hearing them. I've done some experimenting, and I've found that what you put to paper won't pass between my mind and yours (unless of course you were just ignoring me while I was testing this theory out, in which case I apologize, and I'm really embarrassed now). Write what you feel. Write to make yourself feel well again.

I hope I can come home sooner than a week. I haven't even left yet, and I'm already missing you. You probably think that's pathetic, but I can't help it, okay? I love you, and I'm already counting the days until I get to see you again. These are your pages now, so I won't continue to gush on them.

Love,

Darien

"I wonder if it actually works," she mused as she read over the part where he said he couldn't hear what she wrote. She hoped so. It would make her feel like she could at least keep a few things secret and safe. As much as she wanted to, it was impossible for her to turn her mind off completely. Why was he so good at it, and she failed miserably when neither of them had experience with the 'gift' before? He had strong magic, he'd proven that through his demonstration, so maybe that gave him a leg up in figuring out how to block his thoughts more directly.

She lay in the middle of the bed, holding the gifts in her hands and examined them further. As she raised the flower to her nose, she smiled. It smelled sweeter than she thought it would.

Now that she was alone, all she had to remind herself that he was, in fact, real was his lingering scent on the comforter and pillow. Otherwise, it'd be easy to write the whole experience off as some sort of stress induced nightmare. Sure, she was in the city. A city so beautiful it was surreal. Having everything she could have ever asked for at her fingertips...never before in her life had she experienced such luxury. Pinching herself hadn't done much to convince her she was still in reality.

Darien did, though. For whatever reason, he was what made the new world solid.

She opened up her new journal, picked a metallic blue inked pen, and scribbled in sloppy writing:

I need to get out of here because I think I'm going crazy.