The Essence of Nature

6- The Mall

I woke up on Jeriard's lap inside the house, and I yawned and stretched as my eyes came into view of the mesmerizing green eyes that belonged to none other than Jeriard. He smiled and rubbed his hand against my cheek, which made me blush. "Sarafina left," he whispered as he slowly got closer to my face and kept his eyes on my lips.

"Oh, really, where did she go?" I asked, quickly getting off of his lap.

He scratched at the back of his neck and looked around the house. He shrugged and said in response, "I don't know, but you want to go shopping?"

I placed my finger to my chin as if I was thinking, and blurted out excitedly, "Sure!" I smiled and Jeriard let out a small breath of relief.

I jumped off of the couch, but on my way to the door I tripped on a throw pillow. I heard Jeriard laugh and he was suddenly towering over me. He put out a helpful hand for me, but I waved it away and pushed myself up onto my feet.

I proceeded toward the door as a smiling Jeriard followed me. He opened the door of his red Porsche for me. My mouth hung open at the sight of that brand new looking car. Jeriard smiled and waited so I quickly slid into the passenger's seat.

Jeriard walked over to the driver's seat and buckled up. He turned on the car and the engine roared to life. Jeriard laughed once again for my eyes were full of admiration. He pulled out of the driveway and I waved at the willow tree that I had recently climbed on or tried to. Yes, I know it's weird to wave at a tree, but I like that tree a lot.

Once we were on the highway, I looked at Jeraird and he smirked at me. What was he up to? Suddenly, the car accelerated and my back was now fully touching the seat, it was impossible for me to move, but I managed to place my hand on top of Jeriard's, which was gripping the steering wheel.

Jeriard glanced at me. "Please, slow down," I whispered as a tear rolled down my cheek. My lungs felt restricted and I was internally freaking out.

He turned his attention to the road and the car gradually slowed down. I felt air come back into my lungs. My whole body collapsed forward onto the dashboard of the car. I felt heat rise up inside of me and I shook uncontrollably.

I felt the car come to a stop, but I didn't have the strength to move. I heard Jeriard sigh, which made me cry and my jeans became wet and damp with my tears. "I'm sorry," I whispered. I felt like I let him down.

"Stop. You shouldn't apologize. It's my fault, I shouldn't have done that to you," he said strongly.

I tilted my head so that I was able to see him. His jet-black hair fell slightly over his radiant green eyes, his mouth was squeezed shut in a straight line, and his hands gripped the wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "It isn't your fault, because you didn't know," I tried to reassure him.

Jeriard slammed his fist against the car wheel and I jumped. My heart started to race. "I shouldn't be making you sad. I know we just met, but I feel so close to you already that I feel like I've known you forever," he angrily mumbled.

"I understand, Jeriard," I placed a hand on his and felt him relax a little bit, "I feel the same way, but the reality is that we only just met so we are just beginning to learn about each other, about our fears, our likes, our dislikes, our pet peeves, and everything about us..." I place my head on his broad shoulder, "So give it some time and soon we will know everything about each other and then you have permission to be angry at yourself for making me sad."

He sighed and completely relaxed, letting go the steering wheel. He turned to me and smiled sincerely, clapped his hands together making me jump in surprise. "Let's get going! You need clothes," he announced, opening the car door and stepping out into the parking lot. I laughed at how he ruined the moment we were having.