Perigee Moon (20 page)

“Does it hurt today?” His face was hard with rage, but his eyes were sweet.

I nodded. “Yes.”

He reached into the bag and pulled out a handful of strange looking leaves and a thermos.

“What’s that?” I said.

“Some herbs, mainly eucalyptus leaves, and tea,” he mumbled, focused on the greenery between his fingers. He unscrewed the cap to the thermos and handed it to me. “Drink. It will make you feel better.” I took a sip, the herbs instantly fusing me with energy and warmth. It wasn’t like any tea I’d ever tasted. It was wonderful. I gulped it down greedily, its healing power overwhelming me, then wiped the back of my hand across my mouth.

He rubbed the leaves between his hands and then blew into his cupped palms. I glanced up to Tyler, confused, and he shrugged. Alex murmured something I couldn’t quite understand into his hands and then placed his palm and the leaves over my eye. I closed my lids and breathed. The warmth from his hand seemed to infuse the natural oils into my skin. The fragrance was cold, refreshing and incredibly soothing. Within seconds the throbbing had eased and a gentle tingling sensation took its place. He pulled the leaves away and tossed them back into the bag, wiping his hands on his jeans.

He smiled. “Better?”

“Yes. What did you do to it?” The throbbing was nearly gone and Paige gasped from across the room. “What?” I asked defensively running my hands across my face. With my luck I’d had an allergic reaction and now it looked worse.

“The bruise…it’s almost gone.” Paige covered her mouth in shock.

Alex laughed and rocked back onto his heels. “Eucalyptus has healing properties. It’s something my mother taught me years ago.”

Tyler
stepped forward for a closer look but kept his distance from Alex. “I’ve never seen Eucalyptus do that.”

Alex shot him a sharp look. “You practice much medicine?”

Tyler
shook his head and took a step back obviously intimidated. “No.”

“Well than I guess you wouldn’t know.”

“Thank you,” I said, ignoring their confrontation. I wasn’t in the mood for boys and their hormones.

Alex leaned up and kissed me, his lips brushing mine for the briefest instant and then took a seat on the bed beside me. Heat blazed through me and my face burst with a bright red color, the warmth stinging my cheeks.

Tyler
groaned. “Well that’s my cue. Come on Paige.”

Paige seemed stunned, standing across the room with her thin arms folded across her chest.

“Do you need anything else Rowan?” It was clear she was hesitant to leave me. Neither Tyler nor she knew what to think about Alex.

“I’m fine guys. Thanks for stopping by.”

Tyler
stopped at the door and looked back at me after his eyes flashed to Alex. “Don’t forget what I said Rowan.”

“I won’t.” I knew he was just looking out for me, but there was no way he was turning me against Alex. Sure he was turning out to be a little eccentric, but I loved him. I was hopelessly in love with him.

Once Tyler had closed the door I sighed and fell back onto the bed. Alex chuckled and stretched out beside me. He ran his fingertip down the side of my face, tracing the line of my jaw. I shivered.

“Is something wrong?” His smile fell as he scrutinized my face.

“Tyler thinks I should be scared of you. I don’t think he likes you very much,” I said.

Alex just laughed. “Well you shouldn’t be scared of me. I will never let anything happen to you again. I promise you that. As for your friend Tyler”–he shrugged–“the feeling is mutual.”

“You don’t even know him.” I sat up and folded my arms across my chest.

He sighed and sat up to join me. “You don’t see things very clearly Rowan. If you really saw the way he was looking at you just now, the way he was touching you, you wouldn’t chastise me for a little jealousy.”

I knew he was right. I knew how Tyler felt about me, but that didn’t mean I was ready to give up his friendship.

“We’re just friends, Alex,” I said.

He smiled and slipped his arm around my waist to tug me closer. My pulse quickened and so did my breathing.

“I know that,” he said as he leaned in, his lips brushing against my jaw, my neck, my throat. “I know because I’m the one who gets to do this.”

My eyes closed and my entire body went hot. I struggled for focus.

“Do you think he’s right? Are you afraid of me?” his voice was like music dancing across my skin.

All I could do was shake my head mechanically. My entire body was quivering. And it wasn’t from fear.

“Alex what’s different?” I asked.

He pulled away surprised. “What?”

“I don’t know…you just wouldn’t let me in before. And now…” I shrugged. “Now…things seem different. You’re not fighting this anymore. Why?”

“I was under the impression that this is what you wanted. Did you change your mind?” His eyebrows raised and he grinned.

“No. I was just curious. That’s all.”

He shrugged and laid back on the bed to stare at the ceiling, delicious cords of muscles standing out on his arms as he folded them behind his head. “I just decided that this is what I want. And nobody is going to tell me that I can’t have it.”

A little understanding flooded through me. So there was something stopping him before, or rather someone.

“I want to meet your Aunt. I want to see where you live.”

He pressed his lips together and ran his hands over his face before he mumbled through his fingers, “No.”

“Why not?” I said.

“That’s never going to happen Rowan. Just let it go.” He pushed himself up to stand, firm as oak, unwilling to budge.

“Maybe if I meet her she’ll like me. Maybe I can win her approval and then this won’t be so hard,” I said, but had to make myself stop when I saw him mechanically shaking his head.

“That’s not it Rowan. It could be dangerous if I took you there. For both of us. It’s not that my Aunt doesn’t approve of you. She’s just looking out for my well-being, and it’s not safe for me to be here.” He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut like he’d said too much.

“How is it dangerous for you to be here?” I couldn’t understand. But I needed to.

“It’s dangerous because if certain people found out I was here, they would do to me what they did to my mother.”

I leaned back on my elbows for support, my head spinning.

“Alex, is your family part of some sort of cult or something?” It felt a little ridiculous to ask, but then again it didn’t. The fact that he’d never ridden in a car before, not to mention the fact that he was nothing like any other seventeen-year-old boy I’d ever met. His interests, the way he talked…he was right when he said he didn’t belong here. Something was going on and I was running out of ideas. I was tired of guessing.

He laughed, but it felt defeated. “I wish it were that easy.”

“Then what is it? You can tell me anything.” I felt my legs gravitating toward him before I even told them too. My arms slipped around his waist and I pressed my face into his chest, inhaling the soft honeysuckle scent of his skin. His heart was pounding.

“I want to, Rowan. I want to tell you everything…but I can’t.” He squeezed me so tight against his chest that I could hardly breathe, but somehow it wasn’t close enough.

“If it’s that dangerous then why are you here?” I asked in a voice so thin and high I barely recognized it as my own. I was afraid now. But not for me. For him.

“Because I love you. Like I said, you’re all that matters to me now Rowan. I’ll find a way to deal with the rest.”

“Then don’t go back. Stay here with me. We’ll figure something out. You’ll be safe here.” I looked up to his face and his eyes looked tortured.

He did his best to force a smile but it mangled on his face into an entirely different expression.

“Why don’t we just enjoy the time we have now?” His voice was strained and came out in a whisper.

“You say that like it’s going to run out.”

His eyes were clouded and somber. “Doesn’t it always?”

 He was right. If this didn’t pull us apart someday then death would. Just like my parents who had a love that seemed impenetrable. In the end their time ran out too. I nodded, eager to change the subject. I didn’t like to see him in this much pain.

I pulled away and headed for my closet to dig for an outfit to wear. “I’m hungry. Why don’t we get something to eat?” I said as I pulled a white sundress from the closet. I took a moment to inspect the straps. They were just wide enough to cover the bruises so I settled on wearing it. Alex agreed, seeming relieved that I’d dropped the subject. But in my mind the wheels were still turning. I kept myself busy, fixing my hair and dressing while I went through the plan. I couldn’t let him know what I was thinking. But if Alex wouldn’t show me where he lived, well, there were other ways of finding out.

Grams insisted Alex stay for dinner that night. After we were done eating and she and Grandpa had finished with the inquisition, she seemed satisfied enough, so she waved us both on and excused me from helping with the dishes. I walked Alex to the door and when we got there he pulled me out onto the porch and kissed me. It was a sweet kiss. The kind that made me cling to him after. He grinned, seeming pleased to have this kind of effect on me as he supported my weight.

“You find this amusing?” I said, leaning into him until I had regained my balance.

He shrugged and kissed my forehead. “I’ve just never had much experience with girls before. It’s nice to know that I’m good at it I suppose.”

“Well if it helps, you’re
too
good at it.” I could hardly believe that Alex had never had experience with girls. Besides being ridiculously handsome, he was smooth. Every move he made was fluid and calculated. He could have any girl that he wanted. Which left me wondering why on earth he would want me.

His grin widened and it seemed honest, happy even.

“So you’re happy with me?” I asked as we walked across the moonlit yard. A breeze ruffled my hair and blew the scent of a nearby fir tree in our direction. It was warm, relaxing.

He looked up at the stars and smiled. “Deliriously happy.”

“Even if it means you might get hurt? Because nothing’s worth that Alex.” I grabbed his hands to make him listen.

When he lowered his gaze to meet mine, it was serious.

“You are.” He pulled my hand up and placed it over his heart. I could feel it pounding beneath the firmness of his chest. “This is.”

I leaned up onto my toes and kissed his throat, then nuzzled my face into the hollow of his neck. His warmth and joy radiated and spilled over into me. It was like coming home. As if all my life I'd been half a person searching for something but not knowing what. And now…here with him I’d found it. I was whole. All of the empty cold spaces in my heart filled up to the point of bursting. He was right. Nothing meant more than this.

He ran his hands down the sides of my thin white sundress and let them come to a rest on my hips. His fingers spread out and pulled me closer. I followed.

“Will you be able to sleep tonight?” he said, his lips brushing my ear.

I shook my head. I wouldn’t lie to him. “Probably not,” I admitted, my stomach swimming with butterflies. By now I had given up on the idea of a good night’s sleep. More and more it was becoming something mythical and unattainable for me. Like Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy.

“Perhaps I should stay?” he said, kissing the side of my neck, his fingers gripping my hips tighter, pulling me against him. “Just until you fall asleep.”

My breath was coming in quick and shallow. I nodded and gripped the back of his shirt into my fist.

“Won’t you get in trouble?”

His lips brushed along the side of my face stopping just short of my mouth. “I don’t care.”

With him this close, neither did I.

“Can you make it to my window after Grams and Grandpa go to sleep?”

He leaned back to look at me.  His blue eyes smoldered as they peeked out from under his tousled black hair. Looking up to my window he eyed the white lattice that clung to the wall, draped with ivy, then turned his gaze to me and nodded. “Yes.”