The Ties that Bind part 9

 

The Ties that Bind part 9 (first draft)

Noel woke first a few hours later and stretched his tall body beneath the covers. As he opened his eyes, his gaze fell upon the sleeping beauty that was Lissa.  He watched the small rise and fall of her chest and heard her sigh contently in her sleep. He wondered if she was dreaming about him. A devilish smile played across his lips as he slowly lifted the covers away to peek at the beautiful mounds hiding beneath the sheets. God, she was gorgeous, and they fit together so well. His body reacted hard to the thought.

He let the covers fall back over her and snuggled in closer, pulling her into his arms. She barely stirred.

"You are one heavy sleeper," Noel whispered against her cheek, kissing her face.

A small smile touched the corner of her lips, but still, she did not wake fully.

He could not believe his good fortune. Noel did not necessarily believe in luck or coincidences, but he was thanking whatever lucky stars brought them together. He had been considering giving up going to the coffee shop. He was a logical man and realized that it was not a healthy obsession, mentally causing him to be stuck in his loss for his family and physically for the delicious stuffed crullers. His mouth watered slightly at the thought. They were delicious, and he was not keen on giving them up.

As he lay there, with Lissa in his arms, it felt like she was starting to get warm.
"You are hot, my sweet, and not just as a figure of speech," he whispered against her neck. He felt a trickle of dampness just below her hairline on her neck. Sitting up on his elbow, he looked down at Lissa. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she was definitely warm. Hot even and not in a good way. He shook her lightly, and she did not move. Her head lolled against the pillow. He removed the covers and saw that sweat was running down her neck, pooling in the valley between her breasts, and beads were running down her forehead.

"Lissa, wake up," he said, concern heavy on his voice. Noel was now on his knees, bending over Lissa.

"Air on. 55 degrees. Bedroom 1," the soft whir of the air cooling system hummed softly as the room quickly cooled to the requested temperature sending a small shiver through Noel's body.

"Lissa. Wake up," he repeated, shaking her softly again. 

"Kelissa!" he shouted and shook her hard, but once again, she did not respond, and he could feel the heat coming off of her now in waves. 

"Please...wake up. What's wrong with you?"  He pressed two fingers to her wrist and then her neck to see if she had a pulse. She did, but it was so faint, Noel was not sure he felt anything at all.

"Not again..." He thought. 

He needed to get her to the tub.

Noel's stomach clenched in fear, his chest tightened painfully, and tears brimmed in his eyes. He squeezed his eyes closed and swallowed, trying to settle his fear. When he opened his eyes again, he was in his old home, his old bedroom, and it was his wife he saw. A knifing pain went through his chest. He could not help the sound of horror that escaped.


The sound of his voice woke Noel up. Startled, he sat up and looked around the dark bedroom, sweating and disoriented. He felt a slight tug on the covers as Lissa turned in her sleep, her back to him now, and she gently moaned. Breathing a sigh of relief, Noel realized he had been dreaming. A feeling of despair washed over him, bringing the sting of tears to his eyes. He put his hands over his face as he wiped the wetness from his eyes. His chest hurt. His family's death was like a wound that never healed because the bandaid kept getting ripped off, taking the scab with it. Leaving it gaping, raw, and bleeding. It was not getting any better. Lissa proved to be a good distraction, but he needed someone capable of taking the pain away. He truly hoped in time she could. He was inexplicably drawn to her.

He got out of bed and went and stood by the window. Pressing the button, the shutters automatically opened, giving him a spectacular cityscape view. Shaken by the dream, he questioned if he should have waited longer before engaging in intimacy. Surely she would want him to find happiness, peace. Wouldn't she? His loneliness had become a living, breathing, tangible thing. He wore it like a layer of clothing. He wholeheartedly embraced it, but the weight of it was causing his emotional health to deteriorate. Which meant it was subsequently bleeding over into his work.

Noel could see the first stirrings of light across the building skyline as he looked out on the city below. Lissa's soft voice floated to him across the room. He pressed the button to close the shutters.

"Noel?" Lissa said softly, sleep heavy in her voice, "What's wrong?" Noel turned his head. She was lying with her back to him. Had she heard him? He wondered as he walked back over to the bed and got under the covers.

"Nothing Lissa" He reached out and touched her shoulder reassuringly as he lay back down. He could not believe he was dreaming about his wife now. This was the first time since her death that he had pursued a woman and brought her home. This was not even a home they shared together. 12 months after his family passed away, he sold the home and moved here to have a clean start. He could not bear to walk the same halls they had, eat in the kitchen where they shared so many meals, sleep in the same bed where she took her last breath, where they..... He couldn't think about that now.

Looking around the darkened bedroom, he admitted it was minimalist and could use a woman's touch. He hoped Lissa would want to be that woman.

"Are you sure? You cried out in your sleep." She asked sleepily

"Yes, I am fine," He said, snuggling against her back, sure she could feel the fullness of his desire. "Go back to sleep before I lose my self-control and ravish your beautiful body again."  Noel kissed her lightly and fell asleep again with his arm gently draped across Lissa's chest.

I was now wide awake. Noel's dream had been unsettling, to say the least.  It yanked me out of my sleep. I had to bite the side of my mouth to keep from screaming myself.  He was really tormented by his wife's death. I thought I had pulled out of his mind, but I guess with his blood in my system, I will be connected to him all the time. I  think that is how this will work.  I  need answers. I need to learn how to control this. I  slipped from Noel's bed and stood naked, looking at him for a long while.  I  only had about 2 hours left before the sun was fully up, and I don't know what will happen to me then. I  needed to leave now.

I  looked around the room to gather my clothes. My eyes adjusted to the dimness in the room unexpectedly. Now that was useful. I thought as I  stood with my clothes in my hands, looking around the bedroom, smiling. My back was to him once again, but I  heard him stir and his breath catch before he sat up and spoke.

"Lissa?" Noel said in a questioning voice tinged with disappointment.  "Are you going somewhere?" He swung his feet over the side of the bed. "without saying goodbye?" He paused. "I assumed I would wake up to you."

"Technically,  you have," I said, turning to face him. Noel gasped.  Now it was my turn to look questioningly at him. " Noel?"

"Lissa, your eyes are...what's wrong with your eyes?" Noel asked, "They are glowing in the dark."

"Stop playing," I said, looking down, adjusting the bundle of clothes in my hands and blinking a few times rapidly, while I headed to the bathroom, hoping that when I  lifted my head, they would look normal.  

Please be normal. 

He got up and followed me to his bathroom.  "I just thought I would need some clothes for tomorrow...you know, walk of shame and all. " I said, trying to make small talk. The auto sensor flipped on the lights, and I was nearly blinded. I  squeezed my eyes closed tight. So obviously, blinking didn't help. I  tried peeking through my eyelashes, but the light was excruciating.

"Noel, I need a few minutes. I think I may have overdone it drinking last night. Can you give me a few minutes? I  feel a little queasy." I asked, leaning on the sink. He took my clothes and neatly placed them on the counter.

"Lights override. Turn Off" He commanded the system.

"Sure, let me get you a t-shirt." He left and returned a few moments later with a t-shirt and a pair of socks. He placed them on the counter next to my clothes.

"I will make you that tea I promised.  Be back in a few minutes." He kissed my cheek before leaving the bathroom and pulling the door shut.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my frazzled reflection in the mirror. He was right; they were glowing, just as Noel said. They looked the color of liquid gold and looked suspiciously catlike. I waved my hand to click the lock on the door. I needed to get moving. Putting on the t-shirt, washing my face, and brushing my teeth quickly. I  decided I  would need more than the five minutes it would take him to make the tea. I  concentrated hard on the gourmet stove and blew out the pilot light. I  figured it would take him at least 10 minutes to get it lit. I  hope I  get the answers I needed quickly. I only bought myself maybe 15 minutes if I was lucky.

To be continued. . .
© Venis Nytes