I got up and brushed my teeth, splashed cold water over my face and decided I could use a little make up. I got dressed in a long, thin white dress. It felt like it was going to be hotter today than it was yesterday. But at least the skies were blue.
Walking over to the mirror I set my makeup bag down on the table next to it, and stepped back took get a full view of the damage. My hair had grown out a lot the last six months, and now that it was washed, and dried, it actually looked pretty good. I had stopped coloring it years ago, so it was back to its natural dark blonde. Even though I had lost some weight, the dress still hung nicely on me. I ignored the two small lumps that proclaimed themselves to be breasts and moved up to my face. Stepping closer I leaned in.
I pulled back the skin on my face and glared at myself. I looked like a ghost. It wasn't that I was just pale, I looked grey. And even though I had slept very well the night before there were still dark rings under my eyes. I reached for my makeup bag and spread some cream on my face first. I applied concealer trying to disguise the tiredness. Then applied the rest of the makeup sparingly, seeing that I was actually only going to be driving all day. I picked up the mascara and leaned into apply it. It immediately brought out the deep teal blue of my eyes. I spritzed myself with a little perfume, and zipped up the bag, and tossed it back onto the bed, slipped into a pair of sandals, and left the room.
The house looked totally different in the morning light. I got a better look at the pictures on the wall, and the colors all seemed so much brighter. I walked down the stairs following the smell of food rising from the kitchen. Sounds of laughter rose up towards me.
I froze on the stairs. It couldn't be. There's just no way. I turned, almost running back up the stairs.
"Cassandra?" My name floated up to me from his lips like a song. I felt my knees get weak, and I found it hard to turn around. I could hear my pulse thundering in my ear, and as I turned around I tried to control my breathing, and let my eyes fall on his face.
"It seems like you're the one who is following me." He smirked at my slyly, taking the stairs by threes. His long legs closing the space between us in seconds.
And then suddenly, just like that, he stood before me, and my nose was filled with the smell of winter. I fought the urge to lean into him and place my face against his chest. He took my arm and led me down the stairs and into the dining room. "What are you doing here??" I asked when I finally got the use of my tongue back.
"Emily was tired last night so we pulled in. Lucy is an old friend of mine. We come here once every few months, although it has been a while this time." He led me to the table and pulled out a chair for me next to Alex. Emily and Ian again sat next to each other. I said hello and good morning to them all and sat down. Alex clapped me on the shoulder and passed me a plate of warm biscuits.
Lucy walked into the dining room pushing a cart in front of her covered in more food than any of us could eat. I gawked at her in amazement. "Lucy, how did you do all this? Did you even go to sleep last night?" I couldn't believe the amount of food that was being passed around the table.
Lucy looked at me and burst out laughing. Her eyes sparkling in amusement.
"Are you kidding me? I burn water! This is Camellias work, bless her soul. She has been with my family for years, and after my grams died I didn't have the heart to let her go, or maybe she didn't have the heart to leave me, so she stayed. She doesn't really have any family here, so we kind of surround each other if you know what I mean. She loves cooking, and things have been a bit slow here lately so she went all out. Eat up, or she will be furious. That goes for you guys too and don't give me that sob story that you're not hungry story. Eat."
I filled my plate with as much as it could hold. Not so much to be nice, though I did notice that none of the others were really touching any of the food, but more because I was ravenous. I had barely eaten anything since I had headed out yesterday. Except for junk food. I layered my biscuit with egg and bacon, and finished it off with a slab of butter, probably more butter than is actually healthy. I barely noticed the conversation going on around me as I ate. I finished as much as I could from my plate, and took a big swallow of orange juice. It was cold, tart, and fresh.
I reached for the coffee pot that was on the table, but August stopped me before I could grab the pot's handle.
"That's our thick muddy coffee again." He said, grinning at me. I melted at the feel of his hand on mine . "I asked Lucy to make you a cup of your own. Lots of cream and sugar right?" Again he flashed me his winning smile.
"Yeah, thanks..." I somehow managed to sputter out. "I don't know how you guys manage to even swallow that stuff. It looks lethal." I pushed his mug with the tip of my index finger and watched the coffee slosh around oddly inside. I cringed as he picked up his cup, another absurdly large black mug, and mockingly took a long sip. "No wonder you guys have so much damn energy. What's the deal with the soup bowls?"
He laughed at the expression on my face. I just shook my head, and drank the cup; normal sized cup, of coffee, Lucy had just set down before me. It was rich with flavor. I took another sip, letting the hot liquid roll over my tongue. It tasted as though the beans were freshly roasted. It was most likely the best cup of coffee I had ever tasted in my life. At the moment no other cup could come close. Not that I had traveled that much. But I was a coffee fanatic. And this was damn good coffee.
Lucy must have seen the look on my face and smiled at me.
"Camellias' family lives in Columbia. Every time they come to visit her, they bring me a huge bag of the freshest and best beans they have on the plantation. It's Camellias' families, they have owned it for generations. You're lucky, they just left yesterday morning, so you have the freshest of the fresh. Camellia roasted and ground them this morning." Lucy finally took a seat at the head of the table. She piled food onto her plate, talking and joking with her friends.
"So when are you heading out?" August asked me while stirring his coffee with a black porcelain spoon. He fixed his eyes on mine, trying to capture my full attention.
"Well, I was planning on leaving after breakfast. But that was before Lucy showed me the garden from upstairs last night. I decided as I was falling asleep I had to explore first. It looks so beautiful. Out of place almost. Did you do it yourself Lucy?" I looked at her waiting for an answer.
She seemed to puff up with pride. "Now that I can take credit for. I've had an obsession with botany since I was a little girl. I started coming here when I was about four or five. Grams loved gardening too so she used to keep me in that garden with her for hours. It was empty when we started out of course. She and my grandfather had just bought the house from another family member and the garden was a mess. So we started out in one section of the yard. And every summer since then and up till she died two years ago we added more and more. She never planted anything new without me."
Tears welled up in Lucy's eyes as she spoke of her Grandmother. "When she died there was still a fairly large chunk of the garden left undone. I threw myself into it and finished it within a year. I spend hours in there."
"It looks amazing just from what I saw last night. I'm dying to check it out. Do you mind if I go take a look?" I asked hoping she wouldn't care. It reminded me of the cover of a book I had read once as a child. All that was missing was the little stone cottage. But I wasn't complaining.
"Of course you can! It's my pride and joy! August could show you around. He never comes here without spending at least half a day in there." She turned her eyes to August. "But stay away from the east entrance. There was a poisonous spider infestation. And it's still not taken completely care of." She said it really calmly, but her eyes showed there was something more behind what she was saying, but I passed it off.
"I'll take good care of her don't worry." He reached out towards my face as though to caress my cheek, but he stopped in midair. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. His eyes locked on mine and I felt the room revolve around me. A wave of heat passed through my body. I wished he had touched me. I longed to remember how the cool touch of his skin against mine felt like. What the hell is wrong with me. Why do I feel so drawn to him?
I had known him for less than twenty four hours and I didn't want him to leave my side. As I was thinking this my eyes glimpsed the clock that was hanging on the pale green wall of the dining room. It was almost eleven already. If I didn't head out soon, I would never make it to Texas today. I felt the indecision rage a war between my head and my instinct. My head told me to keep going. To take a quick look at the garden, and not to go into the forest at all. East or west entrance. I was afraid that unless I kept moving I would chicken out completely and drive screaming in terror back to California.
But my instinct seemed in engrossed on chipping away at my mind. Making it cave in to the elephants stampeding in my stomach at the thought of spending the day exploring the gardens with August. I swirled in reverie as I was swept away into a fool's paradise. I was just imagining him holding my hand when I felt him push back his chair besides me. The space beside me suddenly empty.
"Well if you're going to come with me, then let's go, I don't think I can wait any longer." He said as I too stood up. I had a feeling he wasnt talking about seeing the garden
"Lucy please tell Camellia that breakfast was amazing. I don't think I will be able to eat for a week." I grabbed a bunch of large green grapes, totally contradicting myself, out of the enormous fruit bowl on the table. "Well are you coming or not?"
"You couldn't stop me." He grinned at me widely, threading his fingers through mine, causing my heart to do cartwheels against my ribcage.
August led the way to the back of the house. We went down four or five steps and walked down a dimly lit hallway.
As we approached the end, we came to a large heavy wooden door and he pulled back a latch. He stepped out and I followed him, squinting to let my eyes adjust to the bright sunlight.
I found it hard to breath, to even move. I felt like I had stepped into some magical realm. August pulled the door closed, and stepped onto a cobblestone path that I could tell had been worked on with much care and love. The stones were placed in a way that played with one's eyes. It seemed to swivel and swirl before me as I looked down.
"Wow." I exhaled breathlessly. I took a step onto the path, almost afraid my feet would sink into it. As soon as I stepped farther out into the garden I was hit with a wall of perfumes. It was intoxicating and seemed to come at me from every direction.
"I can't believe Lucy did all this. I have never seen anything more captivating in my life. Come on, let's go. I saw one pond from the balcony last night that I'm dying to see from up close." I stepped forward eagerly.
Taking in all the flowers that surrounded us. Huge purple Irises, spewing a golden yellow from their centers. And bright fuchsia Peonies, buttery yellow daylilies, daisies with their petals as white as snow with huge suns shining in the middle. So many different colors screamed at me for their attention. Among the flowers were birdbaths, and small waterfalls and little streams, all cascading into different ponds throughout the garden, all connected to one another.
August walked behind me, telling me the names of the different flowers that we came across, and that I didn't recognize on my own. I bent to smell each new flower we came upon. I was dizzy, almost high. I couldn't tell if it was from the heavy scent exuding from the flowers, or from basking in the mere presence of August.
He was so polite. So at ease. I kept getting flashbacks of his hand nearly brushing my cheek at the table. It made me shiver in excitement. I felt like a school girl. It was really quite ridiculous.
Suddenly, I felt his fingers, cooler than they should have been for such a warm day, wrap themselves around my own. "Cassandra, this way." He led me down a path that curved off to the right. It was enclosed by rows of brightly colored roses. Their reds, oranges, pinks, and whites seemed to glimmer like jewels as they caught the suns light on their petals. Suddenly the path opened up to surround the pond which had caught my eyes from the balcony last night. Sunlight touched its surface like diamonds, glittering and sparkling.
Huge soft pink Lotus's rested on their emerald green pads. Dragonflies and other small insects skimmed across the water. I knelt down besides it and peeked beneath the surface. A whole other world was alive beneath the thin skin of the water's surface. Brightly colored koi's swam around, bumping into each other. Theirs oranges whites and blacks creating a kaleidoscope of color.
August stood over me, looking down into the pond. I turned slightly on my heels, and looked up at him from where I squatted. The sun glowed on his face. Bringing out the jades that gleamed in his eyes. He held out his hand to me and pulled me up. For a moment our faces where so close I could smell the coffee lingering on his breath. And I imagined what it would feel like to kiss those soft pink lips...
"Come, I still want to show you the forest. There is something you will absolutely love." His voice was low and husky. He turned to head towards an iron gate that led into the forest. He didn't let go of my hand, and I couldn't let go of his, even if I wanted to.
We came to a large metal gate and he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. There was quite a large selection, but he chose one that looked really old. It was large and worn from time. He slipped it into the lock and turned.
There was a grinding sound, and then a small click and he turned the handle and pushed back the gate. He squeezed my hand and pulled me through the entrance. It had vines of some sort hanging down, and he held them aside to let me through. When he released them I realized you could barely see the gate. One had to look well to know there was an entrance there. We headed into the forest. His hand sent electric currents all through my body. His wintery smell curling through my nose once again.
It felt almost odd to suddenly be in a place where nature took over. Nothing was hand planted here. The brush was thick with trees and bushes. Twigs, leaves, and branches crackled and snapped beneath our feet as we walked. Instead of the perfume from the flowers, an earthy smell rose from the ground as our feet stirred the untouched dirt.
Sunlight slipped in through the branches and leaves above our heads. Beams of light criss-crossed through each other capturing the particles in the air. It was all like a fairytale, and August's presence besides me thrilled me to my core. I couldn't figure out what it was about him that had caught me so off guard.
Even Zack had had to fight his way to catch my attention. I had been hurt so much in the past, I had learned to put up a fight against letting people get to me.
But August, August I couldn't seem to pull myself away from since the moment he had bound up the stairs towards me a few hours before. I looked at my watch and was stunned to see it was already past two in the afternoon. I was surprised by the time, and stopped in my tracks.
"What? What's wrong? What did you see?" He had said it with such concern I was taken back a bit. Something about spiders crept into my mind and I thought maybe that's what he meant.
"Oh no, nothing. I mean, I didn't see anything. It's just that...Well...it's getting later than I wanted it to be. I was hoping to be out of here already." I fidgeted from foot to foot as I spoke to him.
"Oh." He whispered, his voice dripping with disappointment. I looked up at his face, and my heart skipped a beat. He looked so sad.
"It's not much further. Another few minutes. I promise it will be worth your time. Besides, where are you off to in such a hurry? Yesterday you said you didn't really know where you were going. There's a fair in town. Well a little out of town, but it's the last night. We decided to stay another night to go. Why don't you join us? I know Lucy would love it. She really likes you. And I don't want you to go yet." He said the last few words so quietly I could barely hear them. I was afraid I had not heard right.
I felt myself answer before I could even think it through. "Of course I'll stay." I almost regretted saying yes until I saw the smile that spread across his face. It lit his face up in a way that tugged at my heart.
What the hell? I thought to myself, the previous regret evaporating into the breeze that blew through the forest. I really don't have anywhere that I have to be.
"Good, now come on, we're really almost there. I bet I will have to drag you away later." He took my hand again, and pulled me onwards. After a few minutes we came to a stone wall. Another heavy iron gate stood locked, keeping out the unwanted. Again he pulled out his keys. He saw the questioning look in my eyes and grinned at me.
"Lucy and I really go way back. I have my own set of keys. If I ever come here and she's not in, she allows me to feel at home. She's a wonderful friend, probably one of my best and closest, aside from Alex and the twins." He unlocked the gate and we entered the enclosed wall. I gasped as I saw the scene unfold before me.
There before me stood a small stone cottage. It too was surrounded by an array of flowers, many of the same in the garden by Lucy's house. Though it was much, much smaller, and didn't have any ponds, it was no less enchanting. He walked down the path to the cottage and used his keys again to open the door. I felt a bit awkward about going into the house when Lucy hadn't actually given us permission.
"Are you sure Lucy won't mind. I mean, she is here. Shouldn't we get permission first?" The thought of being alone with him in a room made my heart thud inside my rib cage. Walking through the garden and the forest just felt less intimidating. I feared being alone with him behind four sturdy walls. With a bed in the vicinity most likely. I felt my hands begin to shake.
He must have felt the one he still held, quite firmly, tremble in his grasp.
Because he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Trust me, it's ok. We don't have to stay, just take a look around. You wont regret it. Then we can head back. I bet your hungry again. Lucy will be furious. I didn't even bring a bottle of water for you to drink. Let's see if there is some in the fridge here. She usually keeps it stocked for special guests." He winked at me, washing way all the doubt in my mind. How could I be afraid of him? He was a total gentleman. Even if I threw myself at him he probably would deny me.
"Well ok, if you're sure she won't mind, I guess it won't do any harm. We're already here, and you already unlocked the door." I stepped through the doorway and immediately fell in love with the cottage.
It was a little more up to date than then the main house and actually larger than it had looked like from the outside. The room we entered was a living room, spacious and inviting. It had a huge L shaped sofa that look plush and comfortable. It sat before a stone fireplace, and a huge flat screen television. The windows were large and let the room bask in the early afternoon sun.
August walked into the kitchen which the living room opened up to. There were stairs leading up to a second floor. I looked at them, and then at August, wondering if I dared go upstairs with him to check out the second floor. As if he read my mind, he laughed quietly and shook his head. "Go check it out. I will find some water and something small to eat if possible. Come down when you're ready." I nearly sighed in relief.
I walked up the stairs, not knowing what to expect. The downstairs was very large but from the outside, the house hadn't looked like it even had a second floor. As I stepped on to the second floor landing I understood why. It was just one large room. The ceiling was quite low, and I assumed that August might have had to slouch slightly to walk across it.
To my immediate left was a small table and two chairs where a couple could sit and have tea together. The ceiling had four enormous skylights that were actually the only windows in the room, but I imagined that if they were opened they would probably give a wonderful amount of fresh air.
To my right, there was a small loveseat, in a beautiful silk gold, and I reached down to brush my fingers across it, it was just as soft as I had expected.
In the center of the room, stood another oversized bed. But this one was round, and very low to the floor, surrounded by a thick extraordinarily carved golden rim and it looked like it was something an Egyptian princess might sleep on. It was almost out of place, yet it was still absolutely beautiful, and complimented the room perfectly. There was a dark almost blood red blanket thrown over the mattress and several large pillows were strewn absently across the bed.
Against the farthest wall stood a bath tub, almost identical to the one in my room back at the main house. But it was slightly, larger. Enough for two people to sit more than comfortably in it together.
As the thought ran through my head, I felt August standing behind me. He was so close I could feel his breath on my neck. His body seemed to radiate a coolness that sent shivers up and down my spine, causing goosebumps to rise all over my skin. Being so close to him, in such an intamite setting made me dizzy with desire. It had been so long since I had felt the warmth of someone close to me. Even though Zack and I had not actually been broken up all that long, we hadn't been intimate for many months before I had officially ended it. I found it hard to move, to pull myself away from him. I was almost hysterical.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" He whispered hoarsely behind me. I turned my head only slightly, afraid of what I would do if I turned around to face him. I was startled to feel his hand on my face. Gently turning me to face him. He pushed the hair from my eyes and cupped my face in his hands. I couldn't tear my eyes away from his.
"Your so very beautiful Cassandra." He leaned forward a fraction, waiting for my response. As though I was magnetically forced to do so, I felt my eyes slide closed, and my body lean towards his.
It seemed as though an eternity passed until I felt his lips graze against my own. He kissed me gently at first, and I breathed in sharply. His lips felt so hot, compared to the cold touch of his skin. Feverishly hot. I breathed in sharply. I had expected them to be cool as they had been when they had briefly brushed against my hand yesterday in the diner.
I felt waves of heat pulsate through my body. Every part of my mind told me to stop, but every part of my soul told me to keep going.
He kissed me softly at first, but slowly became more fevered, more heated. He parted my lips gently and softly mingled his tongue with mine. He tasted slightly of coffee, and something else, which I couldn't quite define. I felt like I was floating. My hands clenched into fists, and unclenched again. I slowly moved closer to him and I felt him pull my body against his.
My arms, taking a life of their own, wrapped themselves around his torso. I could feel his body through his shirt, the muscles hard and defined. I had to control myself from sliding my hands beneath his shirt to caress the skin of his strong back.
I don't know how long we stayed locked together, but I suddenly realized we weren't kissing anymore. In fact when he had moved back from me, the air around me suddenly felt empty. I slowly opened my eyes. He was still standing very close to me, but he had slightly leaned back.
He was staring at me with the most profound look on his face. Impossible to read. I was left speechless. I felt a mix of emotions bouncing around with in me. My whole body was shaking, and I couldn't bring myself to speak a word. I longed to run down the stairs, out the cottage door, back through the forest and the garden, grab my things and drive off screaming from fright.
"Your lips taste like rain." He whispered slowly. Defining each word with his beautiful warm pink lips. His hands slowly found their way back to my face, and I tilted my head into it. It helped to cool the heat that threatened to take over me. His fingers leaving tingling trails across my skin.
"If we don't leave this room, right now, I will do something unworthy of someone like you. Please, come, let's go back to Lucy's it's starting to get dark." His voice was barely a whisper, his eyes almost glowing, in the last shards of daylight.
I swung my head up to the skylight and breathed in sharply in shock. What?!
How long had we been standing here kissing? It couldn't have been but three thirty at the most when we got to the cottage. I looked down at my watch and realized it was past seven in the evening, closer even to eight. I couldn't grasp the idea of where time had gone to. It felt like we had kissed for a while yes, but not three hours.
"Yeah, I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you." I felt myself foolishly stumbling and tripping over my words.
Something annoying that always happens to me when I'm nervous. I felt embarrassed and almost childlike. Of course he wants to leave. He must think I am easy or something. Great Cass. You have a way to make yourself looking like the village idiot.
YOU ARE READING
Blood & Winter
Vampirgeschichten#128 in new stories!! And # 513 in adult!!! It maybe nothing for yall.. but for me that's amazing!!! "Cassandra, listen to me. Cassandra!" I felt him slap my face. My eyes flew open, and I saw his two, beautiful green eyes only inches from my own...
