Hi everyone! New chapter time, I think your going to like it (hopefully)! To my reviewers: teagan2009, xXRavenBlackXx, BlackRabbit23, xxkissesandcuddlesxx, MicharaHitomi, Crystal Red Roses, BlazingWolfFire, bookwormgrl101, The Archangel Network, liv408, EmJemXx & love-30stm: thank you for all your reviews (I still squeal every time I read a new review)! Hope you enjoy this…Please Review!
CHAPTER 9
My mind was racing. It was Dabria, it had to be. The Wisteria incident and now a knock at the door. It wasn't possible for it to be coincidence. It wasn't like salespeople would be bothering in this area and from what I could tell, Rixon didn't have the kind of friends that would knock.
My breathing was growing louder and louder, and I concentrated on quietening it as my ears strained to hear who was at the door. It wasn't Dabria. That much I could be sure of. The voice was too low, too rough. I edged towards the door of the laundry, trying harder to hear what was happening at the door. All it took was one clear sentence and I knew who was at the door.
Without thinking, I sprang from the floor and bounded into the living room-where I was in full view of the person at the front door. I stood frozen on the spot, the sheer stupidity of my actions overwhelming me. I had no idea which Patch had shown up, yet when I'd heard him at the door my natural and only instinct was to run towards him.
"NORA! What did I say?" Rixon kept his ground at the door as he shouted. He had one arm across the doorjamb, attempting to block Patch from entering, the other was pointed at me. "Get back!"
I went to take a step back but was stopped as Patch breathed my name, "Nora…"
That one word, those two syllables, the way he spoke them…the love in them, the pain behind them. I knew it was Patch, the right Patch. I'd never felt so sure of anything in my entire life. I let out a breath of relief, the kind of breath that you can't help but let out before you cry. I leapt towards him, all I wanted to do was be in his arms.
Rixon had other ideas though, "Nora! Stay Back!" Both arms went up across the doorway and he faced me, his back to Patch. "You have no idea which…side…of Patch this is! I am not letting you near him."
"I'm glad your taking your role seriously Rix, but it's me…the real one. If it was the other 'side', wouldn't I have attacked Nora on sight?"
Rixon now awkwardly twisted to the side. I could tell he didn't want to take his eyes off me but he didn't want to have his back to Patch either. "You could be playing us! Nora, get back!"
"Gravenstein!" Patch exclaimed.
"Huh?" What the hell was he talking about?
Patch ignored my confusion and looked at Rixon, eyebrows raised in expectation of an answer. Rixon untwisted his body from it's distorted position and let his arms fall from the door. He walked away, leaving the door wide open, "it's him."
I had no idea what happened that had caused Rixon to surrender…but I didn't care. I ran to Patch, his arms pulling me into him. The world seemed to fall away as we stood there, locked together.
"I missed you," we both whispered at the same time. Mirrored smiles appeared on our faces. All the worries that we'd both been weighed down by were gone. In that moment all we were was happy.
"You two mind? You're so cheery it's makin' me queasy," Rixon said, interrupting us, fresh can of Guinness in hand. Of course he had to be himself and ruin our moment. Patch and I let our holds on each other loosen and we walked over to the opposite couch to the one Rixon was now on. Patch sat and I sort of curled up in his chest. I didn't know how long this visit would last, and I didn't want to waste a second of it. If that meant gluing myself to Patch the entire time he was here, then so be it.
"So where have you been?" Rixon asked through sips of Guinness.
"To be honest, I don't know. I'm really sorry Nora, and to you too Rix, but I…I…" Patch's face was masked with misery as he struggled to find his words.
"Didn't manage to 'end' Dabria?" Rixon interjected.
"Yeah… It's just that as I was driving away yesterday, I changed. I didn't know it was coming till it had happened. It was like being knocked out cold and then suddenly waking up, only long after the fact."
"Where were you when you changed?" I had to know. If he had been close to here, then the other Patch surely would've figured out my whereabouts and tipped off Dabria.
"I was near Portland," Relief flooded my body.
"Hang on, where did you change back though, that's more important," I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of that problem.
"I…woke up…on the far outskirts of Coldwater, Rix," Patch replied.
"Okay," I breathed. "I mean, that's good right? It doesn't seem like your other half has cottoned on to me being with Rixon."
"For now." Rixon said solemnly. There was an awkward moment in which no one said anything.
"Do you wanna walk with me?" Patch asked.
"Yeah…we should definitely, walk." I think Rixon was picking up on the undertone in my words and he left the room. "Just let me get changed first, okay?"
"Sure." I grabbed the bags from the clothing store and practically sprinted to the bedroom I'd fallen asleep in last night. I was about to put on my new clothes when I realised how much I needed a shower. "I'll be ten minutes, tops!" I called to Patch as I closed the bathroom door.
I showered in record time and within five minutes was back in the bedroom. As I pulled on the jeans I'd brought, the feel of fresh clothing against my skin after the past two days made me almost as happy as I was when I saw Patch. I put on two of the sweaters I'd gotten; after all it was fairly cold out. My hands shook with anticipation as I laced up my new sneakers. As I grabbed a parka I also got the iron tablets. I put the little bottle into the parka pocket and zipped it up. I didn't want to have to come running back for iron. I found an old brush in the bathroom and combed my hair through. I peered into the foggy mirror. It might not have been a huge improvement but at least my hair was brushed and my clothes were fresh.
"Ready?" I asked as I walked to the front door, Patch getting up to follow. I was out of breath from the rapid makeover but I didn't care. Nothing could put a damper on this moment.
"Be careful Nora!" I heard Rixon call as we left.
We walked in a comfortable quiet for some time, Patch leading the way through the woods that surrounded the house. My hand never fell from his. We stopped when we came to fallen trees blocking our way. Patch always having to help me over, always requesting a kiss in return. I was always happy to oblige.
"Hey, so what was that Graven…whatever thing about?" I asked as we walked.
"Oh, that thing. Yeah, you probably though we were crazy or something. See, when I dropped you off I told Rixon that he would be able to tell if it was actually 'me' if I said that word. Like a password."
"Right…that was clever. Why Gravenspeil?"
"Gravenstein," he corrected through a smirk, "it's just a place we've been to. And the best we could come up with."
I let out a small laugh. Patch came to a halt and I stumbled into his side.
"What?"
He gestured to the small cabin that was suddenly appeared in front of us. I looked at him, questions swirling in my eyes.
"Well, before I moved to Coldwater to…you know," I believe 'kill you' were the words he was looking for, "I lived here. Rixon and I won the land in a poker game and the two houses that are on it."
"How does that not surprise me?" His only answer was a crooked grin. "So why did you get the cabin and not Rixon?"
"Superiority," he joked. "Nah, Rixon and I played for it."
"Of course. Is there anything in your life you haven't won in a card game?"
"I can think of one thing," he said leaning in and giving me a soft kiss. "Don't you wanna see it?" He asked with a childlike enthusiasm.
"Okay," I said rolling my eyes at him. He tugged me by the sleeve to the cabin. The door creaked open as we walked in. The inside was nothing special, but it was liveable.
The whole place was essentially one room except for what I could only assume was a bathroom in the far right corner. On the left side there was a small kitchenette and table. The centre housed a couch and TV, which looked even older than the one at Rixon's and on the right side was a double bed pushed up against the wall.
"What's the verdict?" Patch asked as he walked over to the kitchen.
"It's pretty good for a poker winning," I said. He appeared to be looking for something in the cupboards. "What are you trying to find?"
"Ah ha! Don't worry I got it." He said pulling out one of those camping lantern things from the cupboard. "When I moved Rixon cut off the power down here. But luckily we have this," the light came on and lit up the majority of the tiny cabin.
He put the lamp down on the small table next to the couch and sat down. I stayed standing and walked around looking over the cabin. I hadn't even been to Patch's place in Coldwater so I was curious to see what his ex-residence looked like.
There wasn't much in the way of personal items, no photos that I could see, no books. There was a loose playing card here and there, a random beer bottle lying empty on the floor. I felt Patch's hand on my shoulder and turned around.
We looked at each other in silence. I had the same feeling I'd had when he'd left, I wanted to take in everything about him. To cast him in stone inside my memory.
"How are you doing, Angel. Really doing?"
I let out a sigh. "I'm better…now that you're here," I whispered, gripping the collar of his tattered hoodie and pulling him closer.
"Me too," Patch's eyes flashed as he swept me up into a kiss. A kiss of need. A kiss of want. A kiss of sheer desire. Shocks ran through him into me. Electricity sparked from his caressing fingertips. The tension, the passion swelled within me. The intensity of his touch sent a shiver of fear down through me. Yet at the same time I felt safer than I had in a long time. The problems with Dabria, what had happened to Patch… every thing just drifted away under his touch.
Being close to Patch, closer than we were now, was all I wanted. Emotions overwhelmed me. The 'what ifs?' in my head were brushed away by the hands that were now exploring the underside of my shirt. I was nervous. I was anxious. Heck, I was a little queasy. But I was sure of this. I was ready. We were ready. I felt it with every fibre of my being.
Patch seemed to sense my inner epiphany, his lips leaving mine for a second. His eyes bore into mine. I knew he could sense the yearning, the craving that flowed freely through my body. The desire that only he could satisfy.
"Nora, are you sure?"
I matched his gaze, losing myself in his eyes. All I wanted at that moment, all I needed was him. Nothing else. His body pulled me towards him. I was powerless under its call. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled myself up to meet his face.
"Completely."
Patch didn't need to be told twice. He dragged me back into him, our lips meeting with a fierce intensity. There was no turning back. I wrapped my legs around his core. The pressure must've been painful but he didn't say anything and I wasn't going to relinquish my hold. My fingers locked around lumps of his matted hair. Closer. Nearer. It was all I could think. Everywhere I looked, everywhere I felt was Patch. But it wasn't enough. Closer. Nearer.
I could feel my body being moved from side to side ever so slightly and realised he was carrying me to the bed. A stumble caused our lips to part for a second and a pirate smile spread over Patch's face before it was wiped away by my lips returning to his. He lowered us down onto the bed. I sunk into it, the mattress swelling around me, enveloping me. Patch held his weight above me, his arms on either side of me felt like a cage that I never wanted to escape.
My unsteady hands unzipped Patch's hoodie as we kissed and he pulled my jacket off with one smooth motion. He did the same with his own hoodie, revealing a white t-shirt underneath, much to my dismay. He quickly solved the situation by removing it and throwing it to the floor. Before I knew it, every piece of clothing was on the floor with it. To my surprise, I didn't care. I'd thought nerves would have been running through me but the only thing flowing through me was passion with a slight dash of anticipation.
Patch released my lips and I used their moment of freedom to stutter out a very awkward, "do you have any…you know?"
He did know, and as I suspected he had one sitting in his wallet. I reluctantly broke my tight hold on him as he leaned over the side of the bed to grab the wallet.
With lightning speed he was back over me, our bodies pressing back up against each other as if nothing had been said. His skin felt like heaven pressed up against mine. It moved against mine as if it were silk. Silk that I needed to be wrapped in. All the awkwardness melted away. I knew that this was right. Patch was my first love and my only love. He was who I wanted, the only one I wanted. I would always love him. Forever.
I woke up greeted by an early morning sky that shone through the window. Patch was still asleep next to me. I couldn't help by smile as I watched him sleep. I still couldn't believe what had happened last night. It had been so amazing and I knew I would remember it till the day I died.
Getting up, I grabbed my clothes from the floor. Walking towards the bathroom, I took one look at Patch before I slipped in to get dressed. The cold morning air caused goose bumps to rise up on my pale flesh and I was glad I had my parka. Walking back out to the bed, I couldn't help but smile. A weight that I hadn't even known I was carrying had been lifted last night. It felt as if I hadn't lost anything, but that I'd regained the connection between Patch and I. The connection that had been worn away by Dabria's games. I lay back down next to Patch curling myself into his body. I stroked his messy hair, and his eyes fluttered open. The smile I'd worn the entire morning was still spread over my face.
He looked over the room before back down over me in the bed.
"Well, well, well. My better half has done something right for a change." Fear pulsed through my veins. This wasn't my Patch. "Aren't you going to welcome me back, Nora?"
