Everlasting (23 page)

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, I reached across the seat and honked the horn. A loud blast penetrated the still night air.

Laura stuck her head from around the edge of the bales. “Hold on a sec, and lay off the horn. Just give us a couple more minutes.”

About ten minutes later, both girls ran for the car, giggling—Jenny still trying to hook her bra when she opened the back car door and dove onto the seat.

Claudia sat in the driver’s seat, the engine revved. She stared at Laura who had the driver’s door open, ready to hop in. “You’re not driving us home if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m the DD.”

Laura shrugged, then opened up the other back door and slid in next to Jenny. The boys stayed out in the field to finish off their twelve-pack, Jenny and Laura waving at them through the darkened windows. As Claudia turned the corner to leave the field, Laura slid over and plopped her head on Jenny’s shoulder…out like a baby.

N
ot making a sound
, I snuck in the house. But my knee rammed the staircase banister, and the pain almost catapulted me through the roof. I cringed and slapped my hand over my mouth, trying to hold in a strident yelp. The room seemed to spin, and I swerved and swayed, hoping not to lose my balance, grabbing my sore knee.

“Sophia, is that you?” Mom yelled from her bedroom.

I hiccupped loud. “Yeah…just me, Mom.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m…fine. Just banged up my knee a little.” I held my breath, hoping these loud hiccups would subside.

“Okay, just making sure. Good night.”

A trickle of blood ran down my knee, and I limped up the stairs to my bedroom. Frustration seized me when I couldn’t figure out why my door wouldn’t open. I grabbed clumps of my hair, looking to the ceiling, exhaling gruffly.
Why me?

I pulled on the door twice and stood there scratching my head, wondering what I had to do to get into my room. The door swung open easily after I turned the knob and gave it a slight push. I realized I could be pretty obtuse sometimes, and didn’t need beer to accelerate my faults.

My breath caught as my gaze swept over an elegant bouquet of crimson red roses. The stunning, velvet spray sat on my desk, displayed in a lead-crystal vase—a satin red bow bound around it. I walked over to them, awestruck, and stuck my hand out, reaching, then pulling back again, afraid to touch and disturb their resplendency.

As I stepped closer, a white card stuck out from the middle, drawing my attention.
From Aaron?
I bent down and inhaled the rich, intoxicating aroma of the roses. Instantly jolted, the smell hit me, unlocking vibrant memories.

I reached for the card, and the exquisite handwriting made my mouth slacken. The beauty of it stopped my heart for a brief second, then it pounded wildly, bringing a smile to my face. Tate wrote it. My hands trembled, and my insides flopped upside down when I read his beautiful message.

My dearest Ladybug,

I’m sending you these flowers to express my love for you and to wish you a happy birthday. If you look closely, these flowers hold a unique beauty all their own, but they compare nothing to the beauty that you hold, inside and out. I keep you with me every day, and know that there will never be a love as true as ours. But even though I can never have you, I will carry you with me for all eternity.

Our love everlasting,

Love, Tate Forester

Weakened, I placed my hands to the sides of my head and steadied myself, stumbling to the bed. My head reeled, and I didn’t know for sure if it was from the alcohol or from Tate’s gift. I plunked down on the end of the bed and blew my hair out of my face, staring at the breathtaking arrangement, feeling a hard lump forming in my throat.

As I sat and looked at it, something about the flowers seemed odd…something way more extreme than just your everyday, run-of-the-mill roses. So I got up and inspected them closer. I counted them…eighteen—I figured for my age. All of them had their thorns intact on their stems.

Three odd ones stuck out from the middle of the other fifteen. I pulled the first one out. The rigid petals were shaped like a nose, and I giggled, probing deeper.

I pulled the next one out. It was shaped like a set of ruby-red lips—exactly like a newborn rose bud. The last one was in the shape of a hand, and five petals jutted out like fingers. Wondering if they were even real flowers, I studied them closer.
Where had Tate gotten something so strange?
But then, with Tate, anything was possible.

Lightly touching the velvet petals, I picked up the lip-shaped one again. The petals quivered beneath my fingertips—vibrating in a strange way. My hand jerked, and I fought the impulse to fling it across the room. Even though it took my breath away, I made myself hold on to it. The longer I held it, the more it urged me to grasp it tighter. As I did so, the whole flower moved inside of my hand, and the petals opened up, looking as though real lips were about to speak.

It reminded me of one of those plastic, singing flowers that come in the little flowerpots, but this one was real. The flower coaxed and pushed my hand up to my face, and the petals caressed me, lips opening and closing—devouring. Then it made its way down to my throat, brushing me with wet, sensuous kisses. I froze in fear, but as it continued, I released and relaxed, closing my eyes, lost in its rhythm.

I picked up the one shaped like a nose, and it moved the same way, running its tip along my body, inhaling and exhaling and making a soft sniffing sound. The hand came into play also and ran along my body, embracing me, massaging, leaving a heat as hot as fire burning in its wake.

Before I could blink, Tate appeared before me, the glow of a halo encompassing him, beautiful and mesmerizing. He was shirtless, dressed only in faded blue jeans, his hard abs shifting my heart into high gear.

My eyes appraised him, unable to pull away. “Oh, Tate. You’re here.”

He put his fingers against my lips to quiet me. “Shh, don’t say a word…just be.”

I stood silent and watched him. He took the three flowers from my trembling hands and opened his mouth. One by one he swallowed them whole, unfeeling of the thorns that tore and ripped at his mouth and throat. My hand flickered up to my lips, and I gasped. A few of the crimson petals fluttered to the floor and landed like drops of red blood below him.

“Don’t.” I reached for him, helpless.

He swallowed. “I’m fine, Sophia. I can’t feel, remember?”

A few seconds later, the flowers breathed life into him—a living human being. He came alive with color, breathing and feeling, his shadow from the glowing, autumn moon dancing on the hardwood floor that surrounded my desk.

He yanked me into him and gripped my shoulders hard, leaving my skin white from the imprints of his fingers. His mouth fell hard on my pursed lips. I eagerly searched for him, impatient and yearning. My body throbbed…intense.

He pulled away. “You feel so good, Sophia, just like I knew you would.” Tears glistened in the corners of his laughing eyes.

“You can feel me, Tate?”

He devoured me again. “Yeah, these flowers gave me the ability to taste, smell, and feel…everything that I couldn’t do.”

“Is this it?” I paused. My pulse pounded in my temples. “Is this what you meant by other alternatives? Oh, Tate…you’re alive. We can finally be together! You’ll be free from the Livids, now, too.” I threw myself into his arms.

He held me for a long time, then pulled me back into reality. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Ladybug, but it’s only temporary.” He smiled and caressed my chin with his thumb. “This, too, shall pass, and I’ll go back to being just an entity. But don’t look so sad, we have all night, and I intend to enjoy every second of it.”

I doubled over, taking a punch to the gut when he said this. But he grabbed my hand and hungrily led me to the bed. “Don’t worry. Just be glad I was given this chance to enjoy you, if only for a little while.”

“But will you be okay? What about the Livids? I worry about you, even though I need to keep you out of my mind. It’s so hard.”

He brushed the hair and the tears from my face. “Don’t, Sophia.”

He flung the sheets back, and, just like the gentleman that Tate always was, he held his arm out as an offering for me to get in first. With romance swimming in his eyes, he smiled, and I timidly smiled back, my eyes fluttering down to the floor, trying hard to wipe the despair of him having to leave again off my face.
Straighten up, Sophia, this is Tate, and you need to be happy, and enjoy the time that you do have with him.

He slid in next to me, and his eyes smoldered as he took in my body, almost as if it were the first time he had ever seen me. It astonished me at how warm he was, to have life running thick through his veins. His breath came in hot, moist patterns and his lips brushed at my shoulders, his fingertips…tickling, pulling down the straps of my white tank top.

With painstaking slowness, he brushed his lips, his teeth grazing my shoulders, his fondling hands gliding over every inch of me. He inhaled deeply, capturing my every scent, trying to commit it to memory because he knew this moment was fleeting.

I answered back, returning his passionate kisses, my body urging him, wanting more. But Tate stopped me, subduing the tension, letting me know I would stay unblemished.

He then pulled me up from the bed and took me in his arms. We danced in the middle of my bedroom floor to no music, just his beautiful humming that left me enthralled and entranced. The feel of his warm hands and arms holding me, and his balmy breath on my face were too much to take in. I rubbed my hand over his hot cheeks to make sure this was real, to make sure I wasn’t dreaming all of this.

We danced for hours under the moonlight streaming in through my window, then we got back into bed. I rolled over to him and weaved under his other arm to cuddle up close, feeling his racing heart next to me, keeping perfect rhythm with mine. “I don’t think I can handle you leaving me again, Tate. I’d just started getting used to us being over, and I…I thought I was doing a pretty good job of forcing you out of my mind, until now. After this, I know I won’t ever be able to stop loving you or thinking about you.”

I ran my fingers over his chest, tracing them in a figure-eight pattern, still reveling in the fact that he felt so warm and good and…human. “And every time I do, I get scared, knowing I’m chasing you away, and you’ll be gone.”

“Maybe you should…chase me away, I mean. I shouldn’t have even intruded tonight, but…I can’t stay away, either. And I wanted to see you for your birthday.” His eyes pierced me with his hurt. “But we can’t continue on like this forever. You’re living in an emotional roller coaster, and I don’t want that, Ladybug.” He coddled me, kissing the top of my head. “As much as it hurts, it would probably be best for both of us.”

I rubbed my temples, gathering my jumbled thoughts. “Then you’d be gone forever.” The gloom, once again, engulfed me.

He hesitated, his jaw tightening. “You do what’s best for you.”

“Do you know how much time you have left?”

He deliberated for a moment. “The way I got it calculated, I think I have a little less than six weeks.” A peculiar tone stuck to his answer. “You’ve been doing a good job at keeping me here longer. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.”

“At least I know.” I closed my eyes and swallowed, breathing him deeply into me. “What about the Livids? Are they always after you?”

“They come around, but not as often as you’d think. Lidia is doing a good job. I’m not the only one, they have many ghosts they are trying to capture.”

I lay there, quiet, wrestling with my turbulent thoughts. It wasn’t long before Tate drifted off to sleep and started snoring. This was the first time in over ten months that he slept like a real person.

I didn’t ask him how long the life of the roses would last in him tonight, because, just like always with Tate, I juggled around the truth. Instead, I closed my eyes and snuggled into the curl of his body, inhaling the smell of his shaving cream and enjoying the warmth and sound of a living, breathing body beside me.

T
he next morning
I woke up late, my head throbbing, squinting at the light that had infested my room. I flew up in bed and ran my hand over the cold place beside me, crumbling at its emptiness. Tate was gone, only the sweet smell of his shaving cream lingered in the sheets and my memories of last night. Then it hit me, today was my birthday.

I got up and walked over to my desk to admire the roses that still sat on my desk.

A sharp breath cut at my throat, and my hand flew to my mouth.

The roses were black, their crimson color gone and their wretched heads wilted, hanging down and sorrowful. I reached down, touching them, but the frozen, rock-hard coldness of them wrenched my hand back. Each and every petal of the fifteen that were left were covered in shimmering ice crystals. Even though I barely touched them, they crumbled beneath me, their black pieces littering the floor.

I picked up the crystal vase. A large crack ran down the side of it. My chest tingled as I smoothed my fingers down the length of it, inspecting and trying to understand what had happened.
Had
someone come into my room sometime through the night and destroyed it?
Maybe Aaron had been here and in a fit of jealousy, broke it.

I heaved it into my pink trash can, and it shattered into a million pieces, the flowers disintegrating into nothingness. At the exact moment the vase shattered, a pain ran through my head and down my entire body, rippling like a lightning bolt zigzagging through me. At first, I was sure a shard of crystal had pierced me, but there were no signs of blood. The pain left as fast as it came, so I never thought anything more about it.

I dusted off my hands and left my room, closing the door behind me.

L
ater that afternoon
, Aaron called. “Dress in your finest, Sophia. I’m taking you to one of the swankiest restaurants in Great Falls. Be ready in two hours.”

Aaron had been staying with Dave Timbers since he came back this last time. He said he felt awkward being under the same roof with my parents when we weren’t married.

At seven sharp, Aaron stood on my doorstep. “Are you ready to go?” He grabbed my arm to pull me closer and kissed my cheek. Then looked me up and down, a scowl drawing his face tight. “We have to hurry, I’ve got seven-thirty reservations. You look a little plain for where I’m taking you. I was hoping you would have dressed better.”

He looked me over again before I opened the door and lowered myself down into the leather seat of his sports car. The ivory party dress I wore hit right above the knees. Its low neckline accentuated a string of pearls softly displayed around my neck, and a black cardigan sweater was draped over my arm. I carried a black leather clutch that I had bought last night at the mall.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, keeping my face stable, and closed the car door.

When we pulled into the restaurant parking lot, Aaron grabbed my phone off the console. He thumbed through it, glancing at my phone calls, contacts, and texts. “Looks good.” An amused smile slanted across his face, and he tossed it back to me before he opened his door. “Maybe you were a good girl last night.”

I looked at him, squinting my eyes, hoping to keep my annoyed look from smudging my makeup, and followed him inside. A black-tied waiter led the way to a quiet table in the corner of the quaint restaurant. Classical music played in the background, and for a fleeting moment, sadness washed over me, blurring my vision.

Aaron ordered his glass of sherry, and I ordered a glass of iced tea with lemon. “This place looks nice.” I glanced around, watching the fancily dressed people, the aromatic smell of seafood wakening my nose.

The waiter took our order of filet mignon and crabbed stuffed prawns while the candle flickered in the center of the table, making Aaron look older as he rested his chin on his steepled hands. “So, how much school do you have left?”

I snickered, smoothing the white linen napkin in my lap. “I’ve just gotten started, Aaron, you know that.” I took a drink of my tea. “I’m only a little over a month into it.”

“I know, I’m teasing. It’s just that I think I’m more anxious than you are for wanting this last year of school to fly by so you can graduate. You know I want you as my partner.” He finished off his second glass of sherry as the waiter brought our food.

My silverware clattered together as I picked up my knife to cut my filet mignon. “That’s not possible, no one’s as excited as me.” I stuck a piece of steak into my mouth. “Time always moves at a snail’s pace for me when I’m waiting for something big to happen.”

After we were done eating, the waiter brought a sterling silver plate cover over to the table. “Dessert, madam?” He poised the plate above the table, a sly smile glinting on his thin lips.

“No, thank you, I can’t eat another bite.” I shyly dabbed at the corners of my mouth with my napkin. “It was delicious, though.”

“Set it down here, sir.” Aaron motioned, clearing a place in the middle of the table. “She might change her mind.” He gave the waiter a quick wink and looked at me from the top of his eyes, throwing me a sexy smile.

I looked at him curiously, wondering what he was up to.

The waiter gave Aaron a tight smile, turning to go. “Very well, sir.”

“Sophia, you know how much I love you, don’t you?” Aaron sedated me with his burning eyes.

“I think so.” I looked down and fiddled with my fingernail.

“And you also know that I’m planning on you being a partner in my firm, right?”

I nodded my head. “If I’m smart enough to make it through college.” I blushed and let my hair brush over my face, the self-consciousness making me wonder if I really was smart enough.

“But did you also know that I want to be with you for eternity?” My heart jumped at the word
eternity
. That word was only reserved for Tate. “Happy Birthday, my love. Will you marry me?” He pulled the silver dome lid off of the plate to reveal a five-carat diamond engagement ring perched in a glass case, a small light shining down on it.

My chin trembled. “Oh, Aaron.” He gently placed my quivering hand in his and slid the glittery, scintillate stone onto my fourth left-hand finger. “I don’t know what to say…it’s beautiful.” I sat staring at it, stunned.

“You don’t know what to say?” He gave me an astonished look, digging for an answer. “How about, yes?”

“Oh…yes…yes I will! I’m just so overwhelmed. I had no idea this was coming.” My face grew hot and my stomach fluttered with a thousand butterflies. A scalding heat radiated through my chest.

But the thing that stunned me the most was my thoughts of Tate…there weren’t any. He never did enter my mind. I was filled with Aaron and our future together.

After I said yes, a black tuxedoed quartet gathered around our table as a violin played and they sang us a beautiful love song. When they were done, the rest of the patrons clapped and congratulated us. The night went by in a blur, and for a minute, I thought it was just a dream.

B
efore I climbed
into bed later that night, I brought out my journal from my desk drawer. I opened it, my hands shaking. The diamond ring glistened from the light of my ceiling fan, the prism colors catching my eye as a sob escaped my lips.

I flipped through the pages. My last entry had been July twentieth. Oh, how things had changed since then. In my last entry, Tate and I had had our fight at Party Cove, and we had broken up because I thought that Tate didn’t love me and had a zillion other girlfriends. Wow, was I way off base. Today was September twentieth, a whole two months later and a world of difference between then and now.

September Twentieth,

In the time it takes for one heartbeat to beat, my life has changed. The last time I wrote in you, I had just broken up with Tate. Since that time, I learned that he, Mandy, and Matt were all three killed in an automobile accident and were ghosts. As crazy as it seems, I wasn’t all that affected by it. Some people probably would have went crazy, but me…the only kind of crazy that I went…was crazy in love. Tate was my world, but in the end, there was no way I could keep him.

So, I’m writing in you tonight to tell you that I did find another love. It will never compare to the one that Tate and I shared, but then again, there will never be anyone that can compare to Tate. I must move on and progress with my future. My grade-school crush, Aaron Stuart, asked me to marry him tonight. I didn’t hesitate, I said yes. And for the first time in a long time, Tate stayed on the back burner of my mind. I’m thinking that finally…finally, I can put him to rest.

Sophia Bandell (soon to be Stuart)

Aaron and I set our wedding date for June twenty-first. I would graduate on May twentieth, so I would have a month to put the final touches on my fairy-tale wedding.

T
he next evening
, Aaron, Josh, Kristy, and Meyer joined Mom, Dad, and I for a Sunday dinner. Aaron and I had decided to wait and announce our big news at the dinner table in front of all of them. It killed me to keep secrets, I didn’t do well, and I found it hard to contain my excitement. The slow wait to announce the news managed to drag the day down to a ponderous crawl. When the time came and everyone sat down around the dining room table, I perked up again. I sat on my hands to keep them from shaking in anticipation.

Earlier, Mom had taken off the checkered tablecloth and replaced it with one of her Sunday linens from the hall closet, spreading it out on the long table. She pulled gently on one end to even it out. “This will be a nice touch to celebrate your birthday dinner.”

I smiled at her, placing two gold candelabras, complete with tall red candles, in the center of the table. Little did she know that this dinner would consist of more than just a birthday meal, I was going to make mouths drop.

I patted her shoulder. “It looks nice, Mom.”

After we’d finished our meal, Kristy got up to tend to a fussy Meyer sitting in his bouncy seat on the floor beside her.

Clearing his throat, Aaron stood up, tapping his fork on his wine glass. “Can I please have you sit down, Kristy? I need everyone’s attention. I have an announcement to make.”

A small gasp escaped Mom’s throat. She sat her lemonade down on the table, the ice cubes clinking against the glass. “What is it, Aaron?” Her face contorted with a quizzical expression.

Aaron took my hand and pulled me up to stand beside him at the table. He groveled in his front pants pocket, searching for the ring, keeping it hidden. “As you all know, last night Sophia turned eighteen, and oh, what a birthday it was.” His eyes twinkled as he looked at me. “But what you didn’t know was that I asked her to be my wife.” Gasps and startled comments came from everyone around the table.

“And I said yes!” My smile, too big for my face, crinkled my eyes into thin slits when Aaron slid the brilliant ring onto my finger. I became lightheaded. It happened each time I saw the massive size and beauty of this radiant ring, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.

“Oh my, Sophia.” Mom jumped up from her chair and ran over to take me in her arms. “I can’t believe it! Married? This is absolutely wonderful! Let me see that ring.”

Mom’s tears rushed down her cheeks, and she pulled my hand to her, admiring my ring. Dad, Josh, and Kristy gathered around us, too, each taking their turn to congratulate us and to admire the big stone.

“So, when is the big day?” Dad sat back down and lifted his coffee cup to his lips. That was about the extent of his celebrating.

Aaron brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. “We’ve decided on a month after Sophia graduates. That is, if I have your permission, Mr. Bandell.”

“Why of course, Aaron. I couldn’t ask for a finer son-in-law.” A slight catch hooked in Dad’s voice, but he grinned large at the two of us.

Mom gathered us both in for a hug. “Oh, Sophia and Aaron, I’m so happy for the both of you. Let’s all have some cake.”

M
onday morning dawned
, and I flew out of bed. Claudia, Jenny, and Laura were going to collapse at the sight of my huge rock. I was going to ask them to be my bridesmaids. Claudia, of course, would be my maid of honor. My sister-in-law, Kristy, would be a bridesmaid, too.

I pulled my car up right beside Claudia’s in the school parking lot. “Claudia, wait up.” She plodded her way up to the school doors, and I jumped out of my car, running to catch up to her. Not wanting to brag, I wasn’t going to bring up my ring or engagement. I’d see if she noticed.

“How’s it going? Did you recover from your birthday?” She looked straight ahead, never noticing.

“Sure did. It couldn’t have been better…. Uh-hum, but you’ll never believe what happened.” Who was I kidding? I couldn’t go two minutes without telling someone about my happiness. I flashed my hand in front of her face, wiggling my ring finger. “Aaron asked me to marry him!”

“He did?” Her voice filled with reverence. “Wow, you’re going to get married?”

“Yes, and I want you to be my maid of honor.”

She grabbed my hand to get a closer look at the ring. “It’s big, looks expensive.”

Just then, Jenny and Laura came over to our lockers. Jenny grabbed a book off of her top locker shelf. “What up, girls?”

Laura let out a curdled scream like she had just seen a spider, then threw her hand over her mouth, looking around to make sure she wasn’t in trouble. “Where did you get that boulder on your finger, Sophia? It’s amazing.”

“Aaron asked me to marry him. On June twenty-first, I’ll be Mrs. Aaron Stuart.”

Both girls gathered around to admire it, while I beamed, my face flushing, unable to contain my happiness.