Ocean Eyes

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals."

~ J. Isham ~

The remainder of the days at the lake house, while not as eventful as the first few, were still fun and everybody enjoyed themselves. Unfortunately it rained nearly every day so we had to find time to entertain ourselves inside, but between poker and cheesy bedtime stories and scary movies we got it done.

When Gemini spilled the news to Eli that he was her mate, he took it better than we thought he would. He was taking the situation as a whole pretty well. I admired that immensely. He was trying to be a good boyfriend and he was succeeding.

Meanwhile I had not had any recent invasions of disembodied voices in my head. The only thoughts, thankfully, were my own so it wasn’t exactly quiet or peaceful, but it was my head. Nobody else’s.

Whatever was starting to surface between Parker and I—the things that I was beginning to realize had always been there—came to a standstill. I was saddened by this. It was clear we both cared about each other but neither of us was doing anything about it. Sure, we’d had our moments, but nothing had happened yet. And nobody had taken the initiative.

So, for the time being, we stayed separated.

It was the second to last day of our stay when I began feeling different. I couldn’t quite explain the feeling that was coming over me but it wasn’t good. I felt sick, but at the same time I didn’t. I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong.

All I knew was that the moment I woke up I was nauseas, there were tiny people in my head going to town with jackhammers, and my coordination was terrible as a result of severe waves of dizziness.

When I first woke up was when I knew something was wrong. The room was slanted and when I stood I toppled over to the side. I was thinking I was just sick from stupidly running out into the freezing rain, but the symptoms seemed a little too severe for that.

I stumbled out into the hallway, the room righting itself little by little. I wasn’t sure why I even thought I could tackle the stairs. Perhaps when one felt like abominable shit common sense flew out the window.

“Crap,” I hissed as my foot entirely missed the first step and sent me tumbling down the stairs. I collapsed in a painful heap at the bottom, groaning.

“June? What the hell are you doing?” Parker’s voice met my ears, and I opened my eyes to slits to see him weave and shimmer into view. I narrowed my eyes in an attempt to focus but it didn’t work.

“Something isn’t right,” I muttered, rolling onto my hands and knees. “I don’t feel right.”

His expression got worried and he crouched in front of me. “What do you mean you don’t feel right?”

I shrugged. “I can’t explain it. Help me up.”

He grabbed beneath my arms and lifted me to my feet, as if I weighed nothing. He took a cautious step back, still eyeing me.

“What?” I snapped.

“Nothing,” he replied. “Just want to make sure you can walk.”

I huffed. “Of course I can walk.”

He nodded. “Then show me.”

Right. I could do that. All I had to do was take a couple steps, right? Piece of cake. However, when I took that first step, the world seemed to slide out from under me and I headed straight for the floor again. Parker caught me and scooped me up all in one swift motion. I blew hair out of my face. “I’m getting tired of you carrying me, Landing,” I grumbled.