Following Bliss (The Quest series) (10 page)

He flashed back
to their last night before the lunch time fro-yo incident. Shelby had been wearing
a sexy turquoise-blue halter dress that was slightly formfitting. With a glass
of wine in hand, she had walked over to him as he was sitting on the couch, a
look of intensity in her eyes. He could see it so clearly even now—it was like
he was experiencing the moment all over again. She set her wine down and sat on
top of him, her legs straddling his body. He had put his hands on her thighs,
gripping them firmly as she leaned down to kiss him, her tongue tempting him.
As his hands dug into her thighs, she let her hands linger all over his body,
his face, his neck, stopping to kiss his ears, her tongue gently licking him as
her hot breath sent chills up his spine. She sat up at that moment, her hands
on his face looking at him and said, “You’re amazing. Don’t ever forget that. I
am so blessed to be sharing this moment with you.”

Daniel was so
overcome with emotion that he grabbed her, pulling her into him, kissing her so
powerfully it took his breath away. His hands covered every inch of her body;
he had to feel her in every way he could. Then, she pulled away again, kneeling
down in front of him. Her eyes looked up into his as she slowing began to unbutton
his pants, taking her time, never breaking their gaze. Daniel’s heart rate
increased and his breath turned heavy. He wanted her, all of her and he could
feel she wanted him.

“Sync your
breath up with mine,” she said softly as she began stroking him. Daniel did as
she asked without question. She was a goddess to him and in this moment he
would follow whatever she asked. As they kept their gazes fixed on one another,
breathing in unison, Daniel felt energy swirling in his root chakra at the base
of his spine. He could feel it growing larger as it swirled, the intensity of
his pleasure rising beyond anything he had ever experienced before.

“Hey! Watch out
idiot!” a driver yelled at Daniel, blaring his horn.

Daniel was so enmeshed
in remembering that night with Shelby that he had almost walked right into
oncoming traffic. The connection between he and Shelby was so overpowering, it
was even affecting his ability to function when she wasn’t around. Daniel had
to remind himself why he was in Maui in the first place. This was his big
break, one that he wanted to be fully present for. Day-dreaming about his time
with Shelby would have to be reserved for a later date.

# # #

“And yee-ah, and
yee-ah!”

Shelby yelled
along with the other women in the StudioNia classroom, following the petite
instructor Trixie’s every move. Trixie was Shelby’s favorite instructor—with
short auburn brown locks, dazzling green eyes and the best taste in workout
fashion Shelby had ever seen. Shelby had been practicing Nia for several years,
being particularly drawn to it because she both loved dance and being able to
get her anger out with a yell every now and again.

Nia was a dance
class that combined elements of martial, dance, and healing arts all together.
It was also the only workout class where she could get dressed up and sweat.
Today, she was wearing a short, multicolored tank dress over capri leggings,
earrings, and her heart charm necklace. She tried to get Kathryn’s attention to
see how she was doing (she had only been to Nia a couple of times prior). But
Kathryn—who had been overtaken by a Nia clothing sale and was now covered in head-to-toe
purple lycra—didn’t notice, she was so intently following Trixie. Kathryn had
actually been the one to convince Shelby that what she needed was a good sweat
session at Nia after the argument with Daniel, balancing her masculine and
feminine aspects to make her forget about what might potentially happen now
that he was in Maui with Kaley Hamilton. Shelby had agreed only because she had
spent the past day since he left feeling very uneasy.

Why hadn’t she
said she was sorry? She didn’t know Kaley Hamilton. Everything she had heard
through
Hello Portland
about Kaley were simply rumors. And even if it
were true, it wasn’t her place to tell Daniel about it. He needed to figure things
out for himself. Shelby wanted to go to Daniel, wrap her arms around him and
tell him how sorry she was. But now he was in Maui, and there was nothing more
that could be done.

“You’re not in
control. Whatever is meant to happen, will happen,” Kathryn had reminded her.
And she knew that, but it didn’t stop the gnawing in her gut.

When Daniel sent
the text that he had arrived and the place was gorgeous, she couldn’t help but
feel a bit melancholy. She wanted to be there with him.

As Celine Dion
belted out:

“There were
nights when the wind was so cold
That my body froze in bed
If I just listened to it
Right outside the window”

Shelby found
herself getting lost in the music, her body somehow effortlessly following
Trixie’s.

“But when you
touch me like this
And you hold me like that
I just have to admit
That it's all coming back to me”

Her body
shivered as she flashed back briefly to her last full night with Daniel before
their argument. The heat of his breath on her neck, the way his hands knew
exactly how to touch her, the smell of him on top of her—it was as if the
Universe had created him just for her. She felt the stirring in her yoni, and
she tried to refocus her attention on her dancing.

They hadn’t had
sex—although Shelby felt they had definitely made love—because they both agreed
1) they had plenty of time for that, and 2) they wanted to be wholly and fully
committed to one another before they took that step. Shelby had stopped having
sex without a deep and meaningful connection after her early twenties. She
noticed that when she had sex without a meaningful connection, it felt like a
violation to her body in some way. That somehow her body knew that no man
should enter her unless their connection was fully in alignment as spiritual
and physical beings. It was something she simply knew. It felt wrong to have a
man inside of her when it wasn’t the man she felt she was absolutely meant to
be with in that moment. Daniel seemed to understand—sharing that he too was
done with careless sex and was seeking a more meaningful connection on all
levels before moving into anything more.

But, that didn’t
mean it was easy for them not to go there. Their chemistry was full-on passion,
meaning they had to be mindful of their intentions when it came to penetration
in those heated moments. And Shelby knew that in the back of her mind was the
uncertainty of what would happen once Daniel returned in two weeks. His life
could potentially be totally different. For now, she had to do her best not to
spend too much time worrying about Kaley Hamilton, while still allowing herself
to lust after Daniel. Not the easiest thing in the world for a girl to do.

After the Nia class,
she and Kathryn grabbed a coffee at Case Study Coffee, and then decided to head
down to the Saturday Market.

“So, did it
help?” Kathryn asked, as she pulled her brown curls back into a ponytail.

“It did, until
that damn Celine Dion song, that is.”

“Oh man, I know.
When you touch me like this, when you hold me like that. I was doing my best
not to get all worked up about Scott right then and there.”

“I know, right?”

“Amen, sister!”

They high-fived
and giggled. Scott had come up with this ridiculous yet catchy word rule that
whenever someone said, “Right?”—and in Portland that happened often—it had to
be followed with an “Amen.”

“But seriously,”
Shelby continued. “The chemistry between us is so off the charts, it’s taken
everything I’ve got to not sleep with him. I just couldn’t before he went to
see Kaley Hamilton, anyway.”

“Sweetie, Kaley
Hamilton can be as big of a cougar as she wants to be, but if Daniel feels it
like how you’re feeling it, you’ve got nothing to worry about. And you know,
I’ve got to remind you, what we think about we bring about, so stop manifesting
that Kaley the lioness is going to devour your guy.”

“I know, you’re
right. I’ve got to shake this negativity. It’s not good for me and it’s not
helping the Universe deliver to me what I want either.”

“Speaking of
non-physical deliveries, have you heard anything more from his mom?”

“No, she’s been
pretty quiet. For some reason, I feel like she’s there in Maui with Daniel. I
know she’s trying to help him and something about our connection has opened him
up more. I’m hoping she’ll be giving the messages exclusively to him from now
on. And I hope she isn’t too angry that I didn’t follow her wacky advice to
invite myself to Maui. Whomever’s life had to be saved, will have to be saved
by her or someone else. I did the best I could,” Shelby shrugged, unsure of
what more she could say or do.

“Well, you’ve
got to admit, it’s pretty cool that you were communicating with a non-physical
being on the other side. Whether or not she was sort of a nag.”

The two of them laughed,
as they made their way down to the Saturday Market.

As they entered
the market, the smell of caramel corn and chicken kabobs filled the air. They
both looked over at one another and said in unison, “Food!” and quickly headed
over to the part of the market where all of the food vendors were located. It
was a nice crisp October day, and already vendors were doling out holiday
wares—both for Halloween and Christmas. All of that goodness would have to wait
while Shelby and Kathryn ate. Shelby found a chicken tamale at Dona Lola’s and
wandered over to where the tables were while Kathryn searched for something she
could eat that followed all of her various food restrictions. Shelby was
grateful that she could eat whatever she wanted within reason. She practiced
yoga a few times a week and went on hikes on the weekend, and that seemed to
fit her body perfectly.

Shelby found a
couple of seats and sat down to take in the scene while waiting for Kathryn. An
older woman in a corner booth caught her attention. The woman was dressed in a
simple white top and a long pink-and-white skirt, her golden hair streaked with
gray and pulled back into a low bun at the nape of her neck. She was looking
right at Shelby, her face well-lined with what looked like years of a
fascinating life. Shelby could not stop looking at her. Her booth was
non-descript, but for whatever reason, Shelby had to go talk to her. She stood
up, leaving her tamale on the table, and walked over to the strange woman.

“Well, hello
there,” the woman said in a thick Croatian accent.

“I’m sorry for
staring, but I couldn’t look away.”

“You were
called. I can see all the angels around you. Come, sit here.” The woman patted
the chair in front of her.

“Are you a
psychic or an intuitive?”

The woman smiled
slightly.

“I am simply a
woman who knows things. The people who are drawn to me are the people who I am
meant to share this gift with.”

Shelby was still
standing. Was this just some ploy to make money? She looked around for Kathryn,
but she was nowhere to be found.

“I—I have a
friend,” she turned and looked around again, pointing.

“It’s no use,
you will not find her. Your angels are directing you now, especially this one
woman who has a very strong presence with you.”

Shelby turned
back to face the woman, sitting down in front of her.

“There’s a woman
with me?”

“Yes, she’s here
on your left, on your feminine side. She’s whispering in your ear a lot,
encouraging you, giving you messages, warning you too. But you know this already,
don’t you?”

Shelby swallowed
hard. “How much will this cost?”

“Whatever you
feel like donating. This is not about money, my dear, this is about sharing my
gift. We all have gifts, and it’s our responsibility to share them. When we do
not, we cripple up and die. I am 88 years old, but you would not have guessed
it would you? I use my gift.” She smiled broadly now. “And it provides for me
everything I have ever wanted. Now, would you like me to continue?”

“Yes, yes
please.”

“This woman, she
is connected to you in some very deep way—maybe past life, maybe karmic—that
does not really matter. Right now, what matters is that you hold on to
something very important to her. You are entrusted with the care of someone she
loves very much. Do you understand?”

“I do. But why
am I the one—“

“This is not of your
concern dear heart. You are a very powerful soul and your soul agreed long
before you came here to come together with this person, and you two would save
each other.” She grabbed Shelby’s hand, turning it palm up, tracing the lines
with her other finger. She looked back up at Shelby. “You know that’s what love
does don’t you? It is never accident when this happens. It is always divine and
it is always so both souls can ascend to the next level. But you…” The woman clucked
her tongue. “You and this other are stubborn. Think you know it all already.
His heart is broken when this woman left, yes? And you, you keep yourself so
busy so you don’t have to feel the love, even though it courses through your
veins.”

Tears began to
stream down Shelby’s face.

“This woman is a
gift to you and to the other. She is a guide for you on the path. Listen to
her. Follow whatever she say.”

“Even when she
says I should fly to Maui uninvited to see him?”

“Yes, even then.
She is trying to help you both. She’s been trying for years to bring you
together. Now it has happened and divine will is taking place. You two are too
independent, too untrusting of love. It will be work, but you must trust the
path. Always trust the path.”

The woman closed
her eyes. She dropped Shelby’s hand. When her eyes opened they glowed a
spectacular, iridescent gray color.