flannel blanket around my body. I started to doze off almost immediately.
As I lulled in and out of sleep, I imagined Chaseyn here with me, his arms wrapped tightly around me. It felt nice to have someone hold me so close and keep me safe. Not that I felt in need of protection, but safe in the sense that I would always have someone I could turn to during hard times, someone who wouldn’t judge me and would care for me unconditionally. I awoke with a start during a musical number in the film, jumping slightly.
“ Everything okay, honey,” my mom asked with a sincere hint of concern.
“ Mmmhmmm,” was all I could manage to utter. My mind was still flooded with the images of my hazy dream. It was much more comforting that the elusive dreams I had been having for weeks, but it was also much more ridiculous. I knew nothing about Chaseyn, his intentions or his personality. I felt silly for having such intense feelings for someone I knew so little about.
“ I’m okay, mom,” I said with a bit more effort to sound truthful. “I just fell asleep. I’m fine now.”
“ You should go to bed if you’re tired, Lia. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”
Her words echoed in my head. As far as I knew, we didn’t have any plans, but considering the house was now my own personal prison, I could imagine the types of things that she and I would do together—cleaning, baking, watching more movies. Before I could think too much about what the day held in store, I pushed myself up from the chair, wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, and shuffled back to my room.
When I arrived, I was overtaken by a cold chill. My curtains tangled with the wind that was seeping through the partially opened window. I was sure I had closed it earlier, but I decided that it might just have been a thought rather than an action. Better late than never, I decided, and I pushed the pane closed. In the shadow beneath the chokecherry tree, I could see him gazing up at me. My heart stopped for a moment, and my stomach did a flip. I wondered how long he had been there or if he had even left. I didn’t want to consider that he might have been waiting there for the past hour while I lay asleep in the chair. He caught my gaze and pointed one finger vigorously to the center of his chest and then up to the open window where I stood. It was a universal symbol. He was asking if he could come up to my room.
Chapter 10 - Much Later
“ No,” I whispered. “You can’t come up here. My mom would kill me.”
He shook his head, then made his gesture more clear. This time, when he pointed to himself, I noticed something in his hand. He wasn’t asking to come up, he was signaling something else. Looking down at the window sill, I saw the edge of a thick twine rope dangling to my floor. It led outside to where Chaseyn was looking up at me. He could see I had finally clued in and was tying something to his end of the rope. With a light tug, he indicated that I should hoist the small package up to my room.
Slowly and carefully, I manipulated the rope until, if I stretched my arm out at full length, I could just reach the tiny box. My fingers twisted and lurched until I had a firm hold, and then I let the rope drop to the ground.
Curiosity overcame me, and I wrestled with the black satin bow before managing to peel the lid off the brown cardboard box. First, I lifted a note from the package.
Wear this. For me.
C.
With his instructions clear, I pulled a red velvet bag from beneath the note and opened it cautiously. Inside, I found a delicate silver cuff-style bangle with a large chrysanthemum-like flower carved from silver protruding from the bracelet’s center. I had never worn much in the way of jewelry, but it was impossible to escape the allure of this phenomenal piece. Immediately, I anchored it to my slim wrist, a perfect fit.
I glanced down to thank Chaseyn and ask him why he had given me such
As I lulled in and out of sleep, I imagined Chaseyn here with me, his arms wrapped tightly around me. It felt nice to have someone hold me so close and keep me safe. Not that I felt in need of protection, but safe in the sense that I would always have someone I could turn to during hard times, someone who wouldn’t judge me and would care for me unconditionally. I awoke with a start during a musical number in the film, jumping slightly.
“ Everything okay, honey,” my mom asked with a sincere hint of concern.
“ Mmmhmmm,” was all I could manage to utter. My mind was still flooded with the images of my hazy dream. It was much more comforting that the elusive dreams I had been having for weeks, but it was also much more ridiculous. I knew nothing about Chaseyn, his intentions or his personality. I felt silly for having such intense feelings for someone I knew so little about.
“ I’m okay, mom,” I said with a bit more effort to sound truthful. “I just fell asleep. I’m fine now.”
“ You should go to bed if you’re tired, Lia. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”
Her words echoed in my head. As far as I knew, we didn’t have any plans, but considering the house was now my own personal prison, I could imagine the types of things that she and I would do together—cleaning, baking, watching more movies. Before I could think too much about what the day held in store, I pushed myself up from the chair, wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, and shuffled back to my room.
When I arrived, I was overtaken by a cold chill. My curtains tangled with the wind that was seeping through the partially opened window. I was sure I had closed it earlier, but I decided that it might just have been a thought rather than an action. Better late than never, I decided, and I pushed the pane closed. In the shadow beneath the chokecherry tree, I could see him gazing up at me. My heart stopped for a moment, and my stomach did a flip. I wondered how long he had been there or if he had even left. I didn’t want to consider that he might have been waiting there for the past hour while I lay asleep in the chair. He caught my gaze and pointed one finger vigorously to the center of his chest and then up to the open window where I stood. It was a universal symbol. He was asking if he could come up to my room.
Chapter 10 - Much Later
“ No,” I whispered. “You can’t come up here. My mom would kill me.”
He shook his head, then made his gesture more clear. This time, when he pointed to himself, I noticed something in his hand. He wasn’t asking to come up, he was signaling something else. Looking down at the window sill, I saw the edge of a thick twine rope dangling to my floor. It led outside to where Chaseyn was looking up at me. He could see I had finally clued in and was tying something to his end of the rope. With a light tug, he indicated that I should hoist the small package up to my room.
Slowly and carefully, I manipulated the rope until, if I stretched my arm out at full length, I could just reach the tiny box. My fingers twisted and lurched until I had a firm hold, and then I let the rope drop to the ground.
Curiosity overcame me, and I wrestled with the black satin bow before managing to peel the lid off the brown cardboard box. First, I lifted a note from the package.
Wear this. For me.
C.
With his instructions clear, I pulled a red velvet bag from beneath the note and opened it cautiously. Inside, I found a delicate silver cuff-style bangle with a large chrysanthemum-like flower carved from silver protruding from the bracelet’s center. I had never worn much in the way of jewelry, but it was impossible to escape the allure of this phenomenal piece. Immediately, I anchored it to my slim wrist, a perfect fit.
I glanced down to thank Chaseyn and ask him why he had given me such
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