Infinite

Chapter 11: Before the Storm- Part 1

Houston, Texas, in the Clarke Home, Friday, September 26th, 2030, at 6:15 am

Lucas

I roll over in bed and reach my arm out for Rachel, but she's not there. I try to listen to the house, but I don't hear anything. I check my watch on the nightstand.

6:15. There's no way she's at work yet.

Just then, I hear the bathroom door open and Rachel comes out. She's wearing black dress pants that hug her hips and make her long legs look like they go on forever. Her top is teal colored and has fitted sleeves that stop at her elbows. The neckline is rounded, accentuating her breasts. The top itself is plain, but Rachel looks wonderful. She has her hair curled into long ringlets that fall over her shoulders, and her bangs are curled back into her hair.

She smiles at me when she sees that I'm awake, and walks over to the bed. I can hear her heels clicking along the wooden flooring, and she looks much taller.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" she asks sweetly as she kisses me on the lips.

"No, you're always as quiet as a mouse," Rachel makes almost no noise when she walks around and when she sleeps. Sophie told me that whenever they would go on family trips, she and Rachel would always share a bed, and Sophie would check if Rachel was still breathing because she was perfectly still.

She sleeps like death.

I remember laughing so hard with Rachel's family as Sophie described it. I smile back at her and touch her cheek. She gives me another kiss on my nose and starts to head towards the door.

"I am going to make you breakfast." She winks at me and rushes out the door.

I feel my heart jump into my throat as I remember the jewelry box that I shoved into the silverware drawer. I leap out of bed, throwing the comforter onto the floor. I put on a pair of pajama pants, tripping out the bedroom door. I don't have time to grab a shirt.

I tiptoe down the stairs and stop when I can see Rachel in the kitchen. She hasn't opened the drawer yet. I watch her move around, grabbing ingredients from the fridge and setting them down by the stove. She grabs a cutting board and a knife, and a few bowls from the cupboard. My heart starts to pound as I see her walk over to the silverware drawer at the end of the island. She stops to admire the pink roses sitting proudly on the counter. She touches one of them gently and smiles wide for a moment, until her face falls.

She looks very sad all of a sudden.

Rachel shakes her head, as if she's trying to shake out a bad thought. The sound of spoons rattling fills the house as she pulls it open. Her eyes widen as she stares into the drawer. She smiles slightly as she reaches in and pulls out the black velvet box I stashed in there out of panic.

She looks around the room for a moment, to see if I'm there. She can't see the stairs from where she's standing in the kitchen. She looks back down at the box and gingerly opens it. Her face lights up as if there's a lamp shining on her from inside the box. She covers her mouth with her free hand and closes her eyes.

I slowly walk down the rest of the stairs, and Rachel jumps when she sees me.

"Lucas! I'm sorry..." She starts to close the box and put it down.

"No, it's for you," I chuckle and walk over to her. Hey eyes look me over slowly, and I remember that I'm not wearing a shirt. I can feel my cheeks heating up again. "I sort of forgot to put that with the rest of the stuff," I say as I gesture towards my arrangement of flowers and snacks. "You came home right as I was finishing setting this all up, and I tossed the box in the drawer," Rachel giggles at me and rubs her forehead.