Appassionato (3 page)

Julie shrugged. “I don’t get it either. I love when they do interviews together because Jake manages to embarrass Duncan all the time. He’s the only one who can do that because Duncan is pretty much shameless. The last time they were on Oprah, Jake accidentally outed Duncan.”

“What?” Emma was confused. Duncan couldn’t be gay because she specifically remembered him thinking of himself as bisexual from her dreams. She blinked.
Am I really thinking I know anything about him just because I dreamed it? I must really be losing my mind
, she thought.

“No, he swings both ways,” Julie explained, unaware of Emma’s looming insanity. “Apparently, back when they were in high school, Duncan couldn’t decide whether he should date boys or girls and went to Jake with the dilemma. Jake thought up this funny idea where Duncan had to kiss both a guy and a girl. Jake said he thought that if Duncan tried both out, then the gender he liked better would be obvious. Instead of picking, though, Duncan ended up making out with both the guy and the girl. At the same time.” Julie laughed. “It scandalized their entire high school, and Duncan almost got suspended.”

“Suspended? I don’t understand.” Emma rubbed her forehead. “Why would it matter who he dated? I can see how it might have been frowned on, but still.”

“They were making out under the bleachers. During study hall.” Julie tried unsuccessfully to hold in her laughter so she wouldn’t disturb the students that were filing into the library. Emma chuckled, a smile breaking out on her face.
Oh.

“Oprah nearly peed herself on TV when Jake told this story. No one knew that Duncan was bi, and then Jake just blurted it out like it was no big deal. It was awesome. His record sales went through the roof.”

“When was this?” Emma tried to remember if any of her dreams were from when the two men appeared on Oprah. She felt a headache coming on as she struggled to visualize it.

“It was about six months ago, right after he released his second album.”

Emma nodded then grimaced as a sharp pain lanced through her temple. She gasped, suddenly feeling as though someone was watching her. She whirled around, checking the office for stray students.

“Emma? Are you okay?” Julie asked, concerned. She looked around too. “We’re the only ones here.”

Emma struggled to focus. She swore she could feel someone there with her. “Yeah,” she said thickly. “I’m okay, a bit of a headache. I think I just need my coffee.” Julie nodded and Emma sat down, taking a big gulp of her drink. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I need some caffeine to wake me up.”

“I hear ya. Just don’t take too long to wake up, your first class starts in five minutes.” Julie hugged her friend then went off to check on the students out in the library. Emma nodded tiredly as she drank the rest of her coffee, trying to shove thoughts of Duncan and Jake and kissing from her head.

* * * *

“Well, yet another night with those crazy dreams.” Jake yawned as he entered the kitchen.

Duncan looked up from his laptop. “You too?” He grimaced as Jake poured himself some coffee. Duncan leaned back in his chair, watching as Jake propped a slim hip against their kitchen counter. The other man wore a pair of ratty sweats, and Duncan swore he could see the outline of Jake’s dick through the worn fabric. He snapped his eyes to Jake’s face, hoping the other man hadn’t noticed his wandering eyes.

“Yeah, me too,” Jake sighed, sipping the hot black coffee carefully. He looked at Duncan, green eyes tired. “I wish I knew what was going on.”

“I looked her up on the internet. Look.” Duncan swiveled his laptop around to show Jake. “She’s a high school librarian. That’s her photo. Nothing else about her on the web, but her students seem to like her.”

Jake walked over and leaned close. “You mean she’s real? I mean, I had a feeling, but still. This is really, really weird.”

Duncan nodded. “She’s real.”

Jake put his cup down on the table and clicked through the high school’s website. Duncan watched his friend rub his forehead tiredly. He could tell Jake’s head was still bothering him. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair where the long strands dampened his loose T-shirt. He suddenly realized his head hurt too and rubbed his eyes.

“Headache?” Jake asked, looking up, eyes serious.

“Yeah.” Duncan replied absently then dropped his hand to massage the inside of his forearm.

“Did you hurt yourself?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Duncan replied. “Why?”

“You’re rubbing at the same spot, and it looks like a bruise or something.”

Duncan frowned and looked at his arm. Jake was right. “What the hell?”

Jake sat down next to him, leaning closer to see the spot on his arm better. “It’s on both arms.” Jake pointed to Duncan’s other wrist.

Duncan pushed the laptop out of the way and laid his arms on the table, palms up. “What is going on?” he asked, staring at the faint outlines of—he had no idea.
Something
on his arms. He glanced at Jake then looked down at his friend’s arms. There was something there, too. He needed a closer look. “Wait, let me see your arms, too.” Duncan gestured to Jake.

Jake frowned but put his arms on the table. On both forearms, clearly visible against his lighter skin, were the outlines of similar shapes. “Shit! Is it an allergy?”

Duncan squinted. They almost looked like geometric patterns. The ones on his arms were exactly the same—a circle interspersed with what looked like vines. He swore the designs grew clearer the longer he looked at them. “Look, they match.” Jake rested his fingers on Duncan’s left arm. “They’re the same on both arms.”

“Jake,” Duncan said, voice low. “What the fuck is going on?” His head hurt, and his arms were itching now, too. “What the hell are those things?”

Jake shook his head. “I have no idea, man,” he began to say then broke off, clutching his head at the exact moment that Duncan’s head throbbed violently. Both men gasped, then as suddenly as the stabbing pain began, it disappeared. They looked at each other then down at their arms. The patterns were fully visible now, like tattoos etched in black ink on their skin.

“Whoa,” Duncan muttered, rubbing at his arm.

“Hey, my headache’s gone.” Jake looked at Duncan. “What does it mean that my unexpected and mysterious new tattoos are exactly the same as yours?”

“I have no idea, but I’m willing to bet that Emma now has a pair just like them.” The two men stared at each other, freaked out. Then Duncan sat back as a thought occurred to him. “You think she’s okay? I mean, the headaches were really bad, and then they just disappeared, like magic. She’s probably at school teaching right now.”

Jake sighed then ran his hands through his wavy hair. “I don’t know, man. I hope so. Hell, I can’t even believe we’re actually entertaining the thought that this is real and not just some vague collective hallucination.” Duncan put his arm around Jake, sensing that Jake needed the physical contact as much as he did right now. Whatever was going on, Jake was his best friend and that would never change. He did his best to ignore the warm scent of Jake’s hair and the incredible smoothness of his skin as he pulled the other man as close as he could.

He felt Jake relax, reassured by Duncan’s easy affection. Duncan frowned. In fact, he could almost feel Jake inside his head, as though they suddenly had a weird kind of emotional telepathy. He wondered if Jake was having the same sense, and then their eyes met and Jake smiled shakily then blushed. Duncan inhaled sharply, feeling a stab of attraction suddenly course through him. Jake’s eyes widened, and his smile faded. With a sudden sinking sensation, Duncan realized that Jake could sense his emotions too.
Shit!
Jake’s eyes darted away.

“Jake,” Duncan began, desperate to reassure his friend. He cleared his throat. “Jake, look at me.” Duncan willed the other man to turn back toward him. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I want you to know...” He stopped, not knowing what to say. He reached out and grasped Jake’s arm, running his fingers over the mark on his smooth skin. “You’re my best friend.” Duncan’s voice cracked. “I don’t want you to worry, nothing will change that, I promise. I don’t know what’s going on either, but you know I love you.” Duncan ran his thumb over Jake’s tattoo, ignoring the other man’s trembling. He didn’t know what he’d do if Jake left because of this supernatural weirdness. He pulled back, worried he was being too forward.

“Hey, no, you know I love you back.” Jake grabbed Duncan’s hand, stilling the movement. Duncan felt warmth curl inside his body at the roughness of Jake’s voice. “I’m not going to leave.” Duncan closed his eyes, the wave of relief he felt overwhelming him. He listened to Jake breathe in and out, slowly and deliberately calming himself down. Duncan turned the other man’s hand over and clasped their fingers together, familiar with Jake’s meditation strategies. Duncan quieted his mind too, concentrating on Jake’s fingers, the hum of the laptop sitting on the table. Then, just as he was about to open his eyes, he felt confusion. It wasn’t his. It wasn’t Jake’s. He sensed the other man’s presence in his mind like a comforting weight, strange and familiar both, but this new emotion wasn’t coming from either of them. He gasped and Jake gripped his arm tightly. Duncan’s eyes popped open just as he felt the confusion in his mind give way to shock. He guessed that Emma had suddenly figured out what was happening.

* * * *

Emma gasped, trying to recapture her train of thought. “You okay, Ms. Bell?” one of the students asked.

Emma couldn’t remember the girl’s name. All the kids’ faces suddenly blurred in the wake of the stabbing pain she felt in her temples. Her forearms itched, and she rubbed at them absently through her blouse. “I’m okay.” She tried to think. She glanced at the clock set in the far wall above the stacks. Five minutes until she could dismiss the class. She winced at the glare of sunlight streaming in through the squat windows set near the ceiling.

“Let’s pack up early today,” she said as another flash of pain stabbed behind her eyes. Her arms were starting to really bother her, and she felt lightheaded. Was she having an allergic reaction? She thought back over what she’d eaten that morning while the students gathered their books, excitement at the early dismissal from class running through their voices. Emma sat on the edge of one of the student’s desks, praying she wouldn’t pass out. What was wrong with her?

“Emma? Are you feeling all right?” Julie asked. Emma jumped. She didn’t expect her aide to sneak up on her like that.

“I don’t know, Julie.” Emma rubbed her forehead. “I think I’m going to go sit in the office for a minute. I have a terrible headache. Would you watch the students for me? I dismissed them early.”

Julie nodded. “No problem. And at least you don’t have another formal class until after lunch.”

“Yeah, I forgot about that. Thank God,” Emma said, relieved. She got up and went to the office, carefully maneuvering through the desks covered with piles of ongoing tasks. She ignored the looks the others threw her way. Portia waved at her, but Emma pretended not to see. The ESL teacher and his aide watched as Emma stumbled then got up to come help, but she waved them away. She needed to sit down for a moment. It felt like she was threading her way through an obstacle course just to get to the bathroom. She snagged her now cold coffee from her desk as she weaved past, and then she was at the bathroom.

She opened the door and put the coffee on the sink counter then ran cold water over her hands. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Her arms still itched. She rolled up the sleeves of her blouse then bent down to run water over forearms. She closed her eyes in relief as the water soothed the itch, then forced them back open as she realized there was something on her skin.
What the hell?
She frowned, headache forgotten for a moment. It looked like she’d gotten tattooed. On both arms. She jerked away from the water, peering at the black circle and vine-like lines suddenly inked on her body. Her heart sped up, pounding uncomfortably as she swayed on her feet. What was going on? She grimaced and rubbed at the marks, but they didn’t come off. She grabbed a few paper towels and sat on the toilet, scrubbing at her arms, but she didn’t succeed in doing anything more than irritating her skin.

Eventually she gave up and sat there, trying to think through the headache. She let her mind drift, remembering the dreams she’d had the night before, especially the last one that was so vivid. She didn’t have any trouble recalling that one. She felt her face go hot. Even though the dreams were strange, she felt oddly comforted, as though the two men really knew her. As though she knew them. As though they were her friends and she could turn to them for comfort. She grimaced. Her mind had obviously cracked from the migraine or whatever the hell was wrong with her. A sudden stab in her temples made her gasp, and her arms began to throb, not itching any longer but burning. She almost cried out, trying not to throw up, and then as suddenly as the pain began, it stopped.