chapter 6
Trinity was sitting on her couch watching television and drinking her fourth diet soda that evening. She was counting on the caffeine to keep her awake and doing what she could to not fall asleep. She had always had unique dreams, but this last week was one for the books. Plus, she didn’t want to risk having another one like last night.
The nightmare had put her on edge all day, to the point where she felt bad for the people around her. Anytime a student approached her while she was working, she would nearly jump out of her chair. There was also the instance where Mr. Sloket, the chemistry teacher, touched her shoulder from behind. She ended up screaming and jabbed her foot down onto his. Over and over she apologized, but he still scurried off in the end.
To top it all off, when she got to her classroom this morning, another rose was waiting for her. This wasn’t funny anymore! She didn’t even wait for the students to leave before pitching it in the trash.
She grudgingly made it through the entire school day and wished everyone a “Happy Friday” when they were leaving. There was nothing more she wanted than to leave herself, but she had to attend a mandatory meeting for the faculty after all students had been dismissed. It had just been a run through of the week to see how everything had gone, but all she could think of was getting home.
Finally free, she made it home and went around making sure every door and window was locked. Afterward, she scolded herself for being so paranoid and unlocked the back door for Nicci, in case she needed in.
Nicole never did need it, but she did end up calling. They both recapped their days before Nicole asked her if she wanted to go out to a dinner and a movie. It sounded like so much fun, but she didn’t think her nerves could take it, and told her friend just that.
Conceding to the fact that she was alone for the night, she locked back up her house before going to find dinner. Not feeling up to preparing something big, she decided to heat up a microwave chicken pot pie and veg out in front of the television.
Now she had pumped herself full of caffeine and was on her third late night rerun. She was so exhausted and her body wanted her to sleep, but she couldn’t bring herself to give in. Her eyes kept drifting shut but she always managed to jar herself back awake.
She looked at the clock and saw that it read 2:15 am. The soda was no longer working, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she drifted off. Trinity decided that if she was going to fall asleep, then she would do it on her own terms, how she wanted to. Therefore, she headed upstairs and started to change her clothes.
She finally was comfortable and stood, staring at the bed. How could something she loved so much a few days ago become something she felt so wary about now? To give herself a little more comfort, she decided to crawl in prepared. Walking into her closet, she took down the smaller of the two rods. She gave it a test swing and decided that even though it was only around three feet long, it could still do some damage, if need be. Feeling remotely better, she crawled in and hugged the bat, determined to bring it with her wherever she went tonight.
She could feel her body start to shake as she was lying there. She was so scared! Seeing your parents die once is enough to scar someone for good. Seeing your parents die over and over again can really mess a person up. Sure, at the beginning, she had flashbacks, but none were as vivid as the nightmare last night. Eventually, she let her eyes drift shut.
The moment she felt something touch her hair, she jerked back.
“Angel? What’s wrong?”
The concern did nothing to mask the huskiness of his voice and she felt the tension slowly drain from her body. She cautiously raised her head, too afraid to hope. When her gaze landed on those amazing eyes, she let out a long sigh and gave him a small smile.
Lifting her arm, she cupped his cheek and ran her nails lightly over his scruff. “It’s you!” She felt her heart rate speed up and thought how crazy it was to be this excited to see him. She needed to be careful, and not fall in love with a guy that only exists in her dreams.
When he brought his hand up to touch her cheek, he frowned down at her. “You are so cold. Come here!” He dragged her into an embrace that had his entire body engulfing hers.
She went to wrap her arms around him, but he pulled away from her before she could. “What’s this?” He sounded confused as he pulled out her makeshift weapon she had fallen asleep with. It had gotten lodged between them when he pulled her close.
Feeling silly, she tried to laugh it off. Maybe she had been overreacting a little. “You never know when you might need protection.” She couldn’t keep the smile off her face from the innuendo.
This brought forth a jubilant laugh from him. She had never seen him laugh before and decided she liked how it transformed his face when he smiled so big. Considering the whole package, she was impressed she had imagined someone so beautiful.
He removed the rod from between them and brought her back in close. After nuzzling her neck, he moved his mouth up to her ear and gently nibbled at the lobe. She moaned in response before he pressed his lips to hers. Their kiss began light and gentle, but soon she was parting her lips and he grabbed at the invitation.
It still amazed her at how she could be so sexually inviting with a complete stranger. Isn’t that what dreams and fantasies are for, though? What was that saying? Oh yeah…When in Rome…
Everything was perfect, well, almost everything. They were grasping at each other and this had the potential to be another stellar dream. She couldn’t put everything she had into it, though. Not believing she was about to do this, she pulled her mouth free and tried to catch her breath.
“Wait.” Her voice had a hint of disappointment in it and she shut her eyes to block out his reaction.
“What is it?” He reached up to brush loose strands from her face before moving his fingers up and running them through her hair. It felt so good that she felt her entire body start to relax.
“Hmmm…” She couldn’t remember what she was going to say. Instead she marveled on how good his hands felt massaging her scalp. She felt her eyelids become heavier as she relaxed even more. The familiar feeling reminded her of her earlier train of thought and she was able to open her eyes and continue. “This is going to sound so weird. Is there any way we could just lie here together?”
He stilled for a moment, and she forged on. “It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed the previous times we were together. It’s just…” She paused, wondering what to tell him. Should she try to put a romantic spin on things? In the end, she rushed on with the entire truth. “I am so exhausted! I’d love to stay here with you, but I’d love it even more if we could just relax this time, maybe even sleep. Even though, I don’t know if someone can actually sleep in a dream, but we could try. That is if you want to.” She knew she had started rambling, but couldn’t stop. It was something she did whenever she was nervous. “I mean, you don’t have to, but I…”
She stopped talking when he collapsed backwards on the bed. He let out a deep sigh and smiled. “It’s like you read my mind.”
Of course I did, she thought. This was her dream, so wouldn’t his thoughts be hers as well? It was all a little too confusing to think about at the moment. She did decide to keep the observation to herself though, not wanting to pop the peaceful bubble they had created.
He opened his arms to her just like he had in the last dream. This time, the mood was completely different. It was more carefree and she had no problem draping herself over his body as she snuggled in.
Not quite ready to drift off and risk leaving, she decided to strike up a conversation. “What is your favorite food?”
A startled chuckle came out of him. “Why do you wanna know?”
"Well, we’ve already gotten to know each other pretty well in the physical sense.” In a whispered voice she added, “I know what to do to make you gasp and that your eyes roll back when I…”
He put a hand on hers to stop her fingers that were in the process of making small circles on his chest. “Watch what you say or we won’t be relaxing much longer.” His voice had turned huskier than before.
“Right, sorry.” Putting her chin on his shoulder, she flashed an impish smile. “I guess you just bring it out in me.”
When he grinned back down at her, she answered his previous question. “Anyway, I asked because I would like to know the man behind the strong hands and deep green eyes. What better way to start than with food.” She waved the hand on his chest to signify moving forward. “Hence, what is your favorite food?”
“Besides you?”
The comment made her cheeks flush and it earned him a pinch to his side.
He jerked out of the way and chuckled before grabbing the offending hand. “Hey! That was just payback for your previous comment.” His smile never disappeared as their conversation started and he finally answered her question. “Hmm…I guess steak. I’ll eat a good steak any day. What about you?”
“Potatoes.” She answered without hesitation.
“Potatoes? That’s kind of a vague answer isn’t it? It gives nothing specific.”
She shook her head. “Oh no, it fits. I love all potatoes; red potatoes, yellow potatoes, sweet potatoes, scalloped, mashed, fries…”
“Au gratin?” She could tell by his voice that he was still smiling.
“Mmm…Oh, they’re the best!!”
He adjusted himself on the bed. “Okay, my turn…favorite movie?
She thought for a moment. “That’s tough, I like all types of movies, except westerns, can’t get into western. You?”
“You didn’t answer my question, but fine…Goonies”
“Oh! That one is so good. Where the kids go on the pirate treasure hunt! Good choice.” She paused to think of her next question. “What do you like to do in your spare time?”
When he didn’t answer for a minute, she looked up at him. He was looking back at her with a suggestive look on his face that no one could misinterpret.
She lightly smacked his chest and chuckled. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
Laughing, he started to stroke her hair again. “That’s easy. I like to ride my motorcycles. What about you?”
“Motorcycles? Really?” That was weird. She knew next to nothing about the things and was surprised that she would develop a personality that liked them. Choosing to ignore it, she continued their talk. “Ok. Well, I like to take pictures and personally develop them.
“Interesting…” He stopped stroking her hair and immediately she missed the feeling.
They continued the rapid fire questions for a while and learned more about each other. The conversation was kept light and fun by sticking to their likes and dislikes. She had learned that he was a classic rock liking biker that preferred running to lifting weights. He also hated watching golf and thought marshmallow candy was disgusting, but did get a kick out of watching them explode in the microwave. Oh, and who can forget that he loves eating a good steak and watching treasure hunting teens?
Trinity couldn’t stop the yawn that slipped past her mouth. Green Eyes didn’t miss a beat. “Wanna try and get some rest now?”
Snuggling deeper into his side, she shrugged. “Yes and no. I like this.”
“So do I, believe me, but I don’t think I have enough coffee in the house for tomorrow if I don’t try to get some rest.”
Trinity propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. “Oh no! You’re one of those people!” At his confused look she elaborated. “A coffee drinker!”
“It’s a must with me.” He stated as a matter of fact. “I take it you’re not a fan.”
“I can’t stand the stuff!” As an afterthought, she added, “I don’t mind the smell though. That can be good at times.”
He directed her head back down to his chest. “Well then, we work out perfectly. You would never drink my coffee, but yet you could smell it all the time.”
All she could do was laugh, but it was a bitter-sweet laugh. Didn’t it just figure that she finally found a guy that she would want to wake up and smell the coffee with? Of course he would be though. Why would she ever makeup someone wrong for her?
He started playing with her hair again, and she shut her eyes to the blissful feeling. “Do you know I call you Green Eyes? I love your eyes. What I would do for eyes like yours…”
She felt him lean over and kiss the top of her head before lying back down. “Yours are perfect for you. They are beautiful. Do you want to know what they remind me of?”
Her voice cracked when she answered. “Okay.”
“They remind me of the sky right before a magnificent storm. They are full of pent up electricity just wanting to be released; strong eyes for a strong woman.”
No one had ever made that comparison before. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she whispered her thanks.
“Okay, let’s try to sleep now.” His voice was so soothing that she was almost ready, but she had to know one more thing.
“What can I call you…other than Green Eyes anyway?”
He sounded confused. “Don’t you know?”
“Yeah, it is kind of strange, but no…I don’t”
“My name is Malachi.” He paused for a minute before asking, “What about you, what should I call you?”
Okay, so she thought it was a little strange he didn’t know, but went along with the fantasy. “Trinity.”
He spoke almost distractedly. “That is a beautiful name Trinity. It’s a name given in honor of Gods three forms; the father, the son, and the holy spirit.” Lightly tugging on her hair, he got her to look him in the eye. “Now answer me this, Trinity. Is there some reason you don’t want to go to sleep?”
She returned her head to his chest so he couldn’t see her face. “It’s stupid.”
“I doubt that. Tell me.” He commanded.
Not seeing a way around it, she answered quickly. “What happens if I close my eyes and when I open them back up, I have gone someplace darker…scarier?”
“I’m not following. Why would you leave?” There was only curiosity in his voice.
Trinity sighed and looked back up at him. “There are other places than this room that a person can dream of; horrible places that I don’t ever want to see again.”
Understanding finally dawned on him. “The rod?”
She shut her eyes and nodded but opened them again when he started talking.
“How do you feel right now?”
One word summed it up the best. “Safe”
“How about I hold you while you sleep so you can’t go anywhere?” As he spoke, he maneuvered onto his side and used both arms wrapped around her to draw her closer to him. “Will this work?”
Trinity felt completely protected and nuzzled his chest with her nose. “I believe it will.”
Everything was quiet and they were both drifting off to sleep when she whispered up to him. “You know, out of all the dreams I’ve ever had…these, with you, are definitely my favorite.”
“Your dream?” She heard him ask.
“Mmmhmm.” She couldn’t get out one coherent word before everything went black.