Milayna (27 page)

“Romantic.”

“Romantic, huh? Hmm. Are you trying to seduce me?” I teased. Sort of teased, really. He had me in knots. I wouldn’t have minded a little seduction. Or a lot.

Chay put his mouth next to my ear. His breath skimmed across my skin, pulling goose bumps from it. I felt his lips move when he spoke, and I shivered. “No. What I’m trying to do is romance you.”

Oh, wow. He has invaded me. Completely inserted himself into my life, my thoughts, my heart. He doesn’t need to romance me. I’m his. Already his.

“Uh-oh. Did I just hear you right? You’re a romantic?” I leaned closer to him. Our mouths were a fraction a part. Not touching, but hovering next to each other, our breaths mixing.

“Why is that so hard to believe?” He pulled back and looked at me.

I sighed. “You were kind of… well, distant and closed off when we first met.” I swirled my fork in my pasta. “Muriel called you dark and brooding. I wouldn’t have pegged you for the romantic type.”

“Huh.” He picked up his cup and took a drink of Coke.

“What?”

“You were talking about me to Muriel,” he said with a lazy grin.

“Don’t get an inflated ego.”

When we finished eating and left the café, we walked past a street vendor selling handmade jewelry. Chay picked up a hammered silver cuff bracelet with a heart engraved on it. He paid the vendor and slipped it on my wrist. I sucked in a breath as his warm hands slid the cool metal against my skin.

Surprise and happiness stole my words. I licked my lips and a small, tentative smile touched them. My hand shook when I reached out to trace the heart engraved in the silver. My heart swelled to the point that it pressed tears at the back of my eyes. “A souvenir of your first trip to the Waterway,” he murmured, kissing the hollow behind my ear.

“I can’t… it’s too expensive.”

“I want you to have it.”

I still looked at the bracelet, moving my finger over the heart again and again. “Thank you. It’s beautiful, but it’s not a souvenir of my trip to the Waterway.” He gave me a puzzled look. “It’s a reminder of my day with you.”

He pursed his lips to hide a grin and looked down at the ground. “I like that.” He took my hand and kissed the palm before threading our fingers together, pulling me toward a large, metal sculpture. Situated around it were benches and large containers overflowing with fall foliage and brightly colored flowers.

“What are we doing?” I asked when he stopped and stood staring at the ground.

He held up a finger for me to wait. “We are waiting for… that.” He laughed when I jumped as geysers of water shot out of the cemented area around the sculpture and created a screen between us and the visitors on the other side. Colored spotlights shone on the water, creating a rainbow.

I stuck my hand into one of the water walls surrounding us. “Wicked cool.”

“If you think that’s cool, wait until tonight.” One side of his mouth tipped up in a grin. “You want a better look?” he asked quickly.

“No!” Letting out a small scream, I fisted my hand in the front of his shirt just seconds before he pushed me into the cold spray. I pulled him in with me.

We stumbled over each other’s feet, trying not to fall and embarrass ourselves, all the while laughing loud and unrestrained. I loved seeing the openness on Chay’s face, hearing his deep laugh, seeing the skin crinkle at the sides of his eyes.

“You weren’t supposed to get me wet too!” he said, still half laughing. He pulled me against him and kissed me quickly.

“You didn’t think I was going to be the only one walking around in uncomfortable, wet jeans did you?” My jeans made a sucking sound when I pulled them away from my skin.

“I didn’t think you’d know what I was going to do in time to grab me.”

“I saw your tell.” I shrugged.

“My what?”

“Your tell. The slightest movement a person makes just before they do something or when they’re lying.”

“And what’s my tell?” he asked, looking at me. The water still sprayed around us, soaking us both.

“Depends on what you’re going to do. Just now, you shifted your weight. I knew you were going to push me in because your shoulder tensed and your weight shifted to give you leverage.”

“So what are my other tells?”

I looked down, spreading my fingers over one of the colored lights, watching the water and light dance on my skin. “Your eyes darken just before you lean in to kiss me.” I tried to keep my voice from quivering like my insides were. Goose bumps covered my skin, and I hoped he thought they were from the cool water splashing over us rather than me thinking about how his kisses made me feel—all warm and gooey and like my world had tipped. “That’s my favorite.” I looked up at him, and his eyes darkened. “Yeah, just like that,” I whispered as his lips lowered to mine.

***

Chilled from the cool water, we climbed a grassy hill in a park near the water sculpture. I squeezed as much water from my hair and clothes as I could and stretched out on the lawn to let the sun dry them. We lay in the grass with the large autumn sun beating down on us and talked. And laughed. And talked some more.

Once we were dry enough that our shoes didn’t make squishing noises when we walked, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the small art galleries and shops.

“What are you doing?” I giggled at the look on Chay’s face as he regarded an abstract painting in one of the upscale art boutiques. He tilted his head from one side to the other, studying the random shapes and colors.

“Honestly?” He stepped closer to the painting and narrowed his eyes. “I’m trying to figure out what it is.”

“It’s abstract. You aren’t supposed to know what it is.” I nudged him with my shoulder.

He laughed; the sound bounced off the walls of the mini gallery, echoing in the sparse space. “If I’m going to pay that kind of money for something, I want to know what it is.”

“So you’re the type of guy who likes velvet paintings of dogs playing poker?” I teased.

“Something like that. I wouldn’t mind a photograph or two.”

“There are some really pretty prints a little further down.” I took his hand and pulled him to the photographs on display.

Chay gave them a cursory glance and shook his head. “Nah, not for me. Maybe if I did this.” He placed his hands on my upper arms and guided me in front of the photographs. “Yeah, that’s a photo I could get used to.” He snapped a quick photo with his cell phone.

I could feel my insides melt at his words. “Be serious,” I said on a laugh.

Is he being cheesy or is he really this romantic?

When the sun started to set, we found a bench overlooking the water and sat to watch. The sky was streaked with magnificent colors of red and gold shining through puffy, white clouds.

“It’s pretty here. Thank you for bringing me.”

“I can’t believe you’ve lived here all your life and you’ve never come until today.” Chay looked at me and ran a finger up my arm.

“I know. We always travel to another city or state to do the touristy things. I never thought there were places to go right in my own hometown. I’m glad I’ve never been here before, though. I liked seeing it for the first time with you.”

He cupped my face with his hands and kissed me as the last of the sun’s rays slipped behind the horizon and the Waterway lit up around us like a Christmas tree. It was beautiful. The multi-colored lights made the water look like a floating rainbow.

“Now we take the boat ride I promised you,” Chay said, pulling me gently to the dock.

We boarded the boat and found a spot next to the railing away from the other passengers, watching the lights as we floated down the river. A band played in the small dance area and music filtered outside, the sound mingling with the gentle lapping of the water and the far-off conversations of people walking along the water’s edge.

“You’re right. It’s beautiful,” I told him.

He leaned forward and touched his lips softly to mine, running his fingers through my hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He kissed me as soft music carried on the breeze from the dance floor.

Pulling back, he looked at me and smiled. “Let’s dance.”

“That’s okay. I’m not much of a dancer.”

Dude, give me a reason to press up against you and I’m there. But dancing? I’d trip and take us both down like the Hindenburg.

“You’ll be fine.” Chay gently tugged on my hand. “I’ll show you how. As slow as the songs are, you’ll only have to sway.” He pulled me to him. His gaze held mine, expression serious. “Dance with me, Milayna. I want to hold you. Feel you against me. Whatever you’re afraid of, whoever you’re afraid of, I’m here. I’m not letting you go. Please.” He placed his lips against my temple before leading us into the cabin.

His words reached down and wrapped themselves around my heart and, at that moment, I was sure there wasn’t anything I would have denied him. I followed him to the dance area. It was a small room, with large windows giving a view of the water and the lights twinkling on shore. The band played slow instrumentals. The floor was full of couples dancing close, murmuring to each other as they swayed in time to the music.

Chay led me to the small, wooden dance floor and wrapped his arms around my waist. I circled his neck with my arms and breathed him in. We moved to the music, looking at each other, not speaking. It was intimate and sensual, being so close to him. His hands moved slowly up and down my spine, and I threaded my fingers through his silky hair.

“What are you thinking?” he asked quietly.

“That it’s been a perfect day. And that I don’t want tonight to end,” I whispered. “What are you thinking?”

“That I can’t remember when I’ve been this happy.” He ran a finger down the side of my face.

We danced until the boat docked an hour later. We would’ve stayed and ridden again, but we’d been on the last boat ride of the night. The shops on the Waterway were closing. Slowly, the lights were flickering off, taking some of the magic with them.

Chay and I walked hand in hand down the cobblestone lane to the parking garage where Chay’s car was parked when a stabbing pain in my stomach doubled me over. Then my head started to throb.

Not now. Not tonight. Please, just one normal night.

But the feeling didn’t go away. It intensified. The stabbing pain spread like a rash, blanketing my body in unbearable pain that took over my senses until that was all I could focus on. My fingers pushed on my temples, trying to push away the searing pain in my head. I tried to relax and the let the vision take over, but I was in too much pain. I tensed against it.

“You’re having a vision?”

I nodded, still clutching my head. It felt like someone was inside my skull with a blowtorch.

Red light. Water. Woman.

“What do you see?”

I shook my head. The pain was too intense to speak. The twisting in my stomach squeezed the breath from my lungs, and the burning in my head and across my skin was almost unbearable. My vision jumped in time with my heartbeat, which was speeding at an incredible rate.

Water. Blood. Woman.

Concentrating on the images, I tried to block out the pain. I rolled my head and shoulders to relax my neck and back muscles. Chay guided me to a bench and I sat down and bent forward with my arms around my knees, while he gently massaged my shoulders.

Tour bus. Woman. Blood. Bridge.

The images were coming too slow. They weren’t giving me enough information.

“A woman and a tour bus,” I said through clenched teeth. “I don’t know if she is getting on the bus or is already.”

“What does she look like?”

“Brown hair and glasses. She’s wearing a green blouse. That’s all I can see.”

“Okay, what’s the tour bus look like?”

“Like a bus!” I yelled. “Sorry.” I rocked back and forth on the bench, my arms still wrapped around my knees. My stomach felt like it was tied in knots. I could taste the metallic taste of blood in my mouth where I’d bitten my cheek to keep from crying out. Bile rose in the back of my throat, burning it.

There were a lot of tour buses. The Waterway was a huge tourist attraction. The streets were crowded, full of groups of people boarding their buses and strolling down the cobblestone streets to their cars.

Bridge. The woman. Headlights. Squealing tires.

“The bridge. Something is going to happen to her on the bridge.”

Falling. Water bubbles. Blood swirling.

“C’mon.” Chay pulled me off the bench. I stumbled forward. I could feel her falling, feel the sting of the water when she hit it. See the blood swirling, mixed with the air bubbles in the water. I shook off the feelings and followed him.

“I can feel it,” I panted, trying to keep pace with his longer strides. I pushed through the pain of the vision. It was so intense that I wanted to lie down on the cobblestone and curl into myself.

“What?”

“What she’s gonna feel if we can’t find her.”

We ran toward the bridge. I stumbled several times, trying to keep up, when hot, searing pain stabbed through me, stealing my breath.