He didn’t say anything for the longest and I got the feeling he was listening to me breathe.
“Are you back?” I held my breath. Will he answer or will this too be another secret, something else that we couldn’t discuss?
“Yes I’m at home, I would’ve come to you but it was too late by the time I came home.”
“I wouldn’t have cared.” Way to sound needy Jasmine. I bit my lip and fought back the treacherous tears that seemed to crop up out of nowhere.
“I can feel your sadness, it’s killing me, please stop. You have no need to be sad, I told you, I will take care of you.”
“But from what? and how can you take care of me when you’re never here?” It had to be said.
“I know it seems that way now, but you will understand once all is out in the open. Just know that we will be together always from now on, we won’t ever be apart again, so you need not worry on that score.”
How did he know that that was my biggest fear, that beneath all the worry and the doubt, was the very real fear that I will lose him; again.
“Thorn...”
“Now is not the time Milaya, I promise that I will tell you all soon.”
“Fine be that way.” I was no longer upset; his reassurances do make me feel like all will be well and just hearing his voice seems to wipe away whatever worry or doubt has been plaguing me.
We stayed on the phone for what seemed like hours while he asked me about my day and everything that had happened.
As I wound down I worried that he would hang up soon and I would lose that connection. It was getting so I couldn’t breathe without him near in some way.
“I will stay on the line until you fall asleep little one.”
Did that mean he wasn’t going to sneak into my bed tonight while I was asleep? “I can’t tonight lyubof.”
“How do you do that?”
“Do what?” from the smile in his voice I knew he knew what I was talking about, but I chose to drop it, since experience has taught me that he won’t give anything away anyway.
True to his word he stayed until I fell asleep and was still there when I awakened in the morning. “Time to get up baby, I’ll be there in a little while to get you.”
Wow, that’s a great way to start the day. Had he stayed on the line all night? Couldn’t be, that wouldn’t make sense now would it? Maybe we’d both fallen asleep and left the line open.
As he spoke I got this eerie feeling that something was about to happen. I tried recalling my dreams from the night before, but each time I went to open that door in my mind, something blocked me.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched as I sat up in bed, but one quick look towards the window didn’t reveal anything, except that really ominous looking cloud, which was really starting to spook me.
I’d been so wrapped up in Thorn the last few days since I’d been ill, that I hadn’t been paying too much attention to much else.
But now that my mind was clearing up some, there was definitely something strange going on, and I was doubly sure it had something to do with the man in my life.
I can’t exactly accuse him of manipulating the weather though, or causing those strange noises that sound like the house is about to break apart around dad and I.
“Are you okay Jasmine?” his voice calling my name jolted me out of my reverie. He didn’t usually call me by my name, but on the rare occasions that he did, it was always a shock; the sense that I’d heard him say it in just that way before.
I started to ask him about it, but in the end thought better of it. Besides, he would only evade the question anyway.
“I’m fine Thorn, just waking up.” He didn’t say anything right away, which got me worrying that he was reading my mind again, and I found myself throwing up shields in my mind. When had I learned to do that?
“You’re a fast learner aren’t you baby? But I’m the only one you can’t keep out.” There was a chuckle in his voice as he made this confusing statement before ordering me to get up and get ready.
After he hung up I sat on my bed for a little while longer, taking stock. There was most definitely something going on and it was more than my hormones.
I could no longer deny the fact that I felt strangely different in this place and it went deeper than settling into a new home.
I headed for the shower with my mind a million miles away. Some things could be ignored, or heck, even easily explained but there were others that were a little more puzzling.