In His Words
Bella returns home from Europe after a six-month work study. She takes a psychology class at UDub dealing with romance and erotic relationships. All throughout her textbook, there are written comments from its former owner and Bella feels drawn to his words, as she tries to find him.
A/N: Too much time has passed. We need to get rolling and find you-know-who.
I am so grateful for my Fran. Always supportive and never pushes.
I am beyond sorry for this delay, but I'm grateful for your support. Thank you, everyone.
Chapter Two: Making a Plan
BPOV
Days pass, and I find myself reclusively hidden in my bed after class with Rumi's 'The Book of Love,' and a large bag of caramel M&Ms. I'm rereading his words and obsessing over a man I have no idea who, what, where, when or why. Every paper I write for class refers to his words.
Alice tells me she's giving me time to process, then the search truly begins. She's a Bloodhound hidden in a Chihuahua's body. She says she won't stop until she finds him for me. And, the last case scenario, she will seek her father's help, despite her mother's grievances with him.
Early one morning, 3:17 am to be exact, I jolt from bed with a glass-shattering scream. Sitting up, I try to catch my heaving breath while clutching my throat.
Seconds later, Alice runs in with her lacy night mask caught in the crown of her twisted hair. "What's wrong? What happened?" She crawls into bed, rubbing my back and holding my hands with soothing whispers, "It's okay. I'm right here."
"Alice, I saw him," I blurt out.
"Saw who? Whom? What the hell?"
With wide eyes, I stare at her eye to eye. "Him!"
She gasps, "Woooow, what did he look like?"
"At first, I heard Dale's voice saying something about a bronze halo and smelled a musk-scented cologne. There was a tall, retreating form in a mist with wild, bronze hair."
"Yeah, he mentioned that in class. A ginger?" she huffs.
"No, not orange., more like brown hair with bronze highlights."
"Did you see his face? Could you recognize him?"
I shake my head. "No."
"Write it down. You're getting messages in your dreams."
I run my fingers through my tangled hair. "You think?"
"It's a start," she shrugs.
We both sit quietly, lost in our thoughts.
Alice turns to me and nods, "Then, Dale knows who he is."
"I know. There was something in his face when he denied it. I understand he can't say anything."
"That would compromise teacher/student confidentiality. But he is giving you clues." She points. "Now, that's the Dale I know."
"I wonder if he told him," I whisper.
"Same thing. He can't ... but he may be giving him clues, too." She happily smiles and tugs on me, "Ha, that means he does exist." She squeezes my shoulders, " And he's still here." Alice sinisterly laughs. "This is great. We'll find this bronze Adonis for you."
After Alice returns to her bed, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Sighing, I turn on the table light, grab for my book and glasses, and randomly pick a page.
No Better Gift (Rumi)
When the ocean comes to you as a lover,
marry, at once, quickly.
For God's sake!
Don't postpone it!
Existence has no better gift.
No amount of searching
Will find this.
A perfect falcon, for no reason,
Has landed on your shoulder,
And become yours.
And he doesn't disappoint.
E.C. wrote, "Realization can be a kick in the ass. Yeah, why question, why wait? If you have this extraordinary pull toward someone, and hesitate; you snooze, you lose. I'd fucking kill for that feeling. To be able to look at a woman and desire her from my gut to my soul ... to gaze into someone's eyes and know they are the 'ONE,' your soulmate, your reason for loving, I would want to hold her devastatingly close and breathe her scent until it filled me."
I mumble, "How does this man know what I believe? I can't fathom the idea he does exist, and is possibly nearby. It hurts. My body aches for his touch. To be held in his arms, allowing him to breathe me in, as I absorb him." Clutching the book to my chest, I breathe into my nose and out through my mouth. "Someday."
And Alice cries, "Soon!"
*IHW*
Alice and I scurry through the cherry blossom trees, balancing our bookbags, purses, and holding one another's hand. By the time we reach the door to the Sociology building, we stop to rein in our exhaustion.
"I can't catch my breath," Alice wheezes. "I'm that out of shape."
I pant, "Then, I'm right with you."
Dale stands in the doorway. "You're that excited for class?"
We roll our eyes at him.
"Oh, let an old man dream."
He moves to the right as we enter the classroom to our seats.
Dale announces, "Now that we're all here." He wiggles his eyebrows at Alice and me, closing the door. "We can explore Rumi's quote on page one-seventy-four.
Wisps of paper flutter, as everyone quickly turns their pages.
Dale writes on the blackboard and says, "For those without books.
I am so small I can barely be seen.
How can this great love be inside of me?
Look at your eyes. They are small,
But they see enormous things."
Dale turns and stares at me. "What does this say to you, Bella?"
I clear my throat. "There can be many interpretations of this."
Dale crossed his arms over his chest. "Just give me one."
"I suppose we think ourselves small and not deserving of a great love because it can be vast and unlimited. Yet, our eyes are small, but there's so much to see. I guess, it's all available to us despite its size."
"Exactly," he excitedly shouts. "It's within the individual. We can have any kind of that greater, all-powering love. Was that your theory?" He questions, staring at my book.
"It's one and the same," I say with conviction.
"Okay then, another. One can love design, create a building to host thousands or one that serves a small family." He winks.
Alice adds, "Or one becomes overwhelmed by great love."
"That's another theory that works. It's how you see your abilities to love." He smirks, "My wife has large breasts. I'm a chest man. For me, it's all in the mammaries."
Everyone laughs.
A guy in the back shouts, "I like those legs that go for days."
"Legs that can wrap around you?" The girl next to him chews on her pencil, batting her lashes.
He pounds a flattened hand over his heart. "The longer, the better."
Dale chimes in, "All about the wrapping." He puts his hands up. "Okay, okay, I apologize for taking this a step too far."
Alice giggles, "This is why people take your classes, Dale. You're not boring. People actually stay awake during your lectures."
"True, but we're off the subject, and I'm trying to clue you guys in."
I stare at him.
He directs this to me. "You never know what I'm trying to explain." He sits on his desk as he answers another student's question.
When class is over, Alice and I dash out the door at lightning speed.
"I'm telling you; he gave you another clue," she rants.
I nod, "Yeah, he gave many."
"We have to take everything he said and figure it all out. Did you write it down?"
I nod.
As we walk to the car, Alice laughs. "His whole rant over his wife's boobs was hilarious. But this guy could be in medical school for plastic surgery."
"And he asked us to go to page one-seventy-four," I add.
Alice shakes a finger. "That could be a dorm number or classroom."
"It could be anything. But his comment about design and creating a building?"
"Architecture," Alice slowly draws out. "God, Bella, that would make him an artist like you. This is getting freaky."
*IHW*
Alice and I hang out on the sofa going back and forth with my list.
"So who wouldn't have a book for this class?" Alice asks.
"Maybe, some people are sharing."
"Or they don't need a book for some reason." She fans herself with the paper. "That wouldn't make any sense."
"The Architecture part is feasible. Creating a building for thousands, which would be commercial property, and serve a family, residential." I frown. "So what would the comment be about the wrapping?"
"Oh, that was Dale being accommodating to the guy and his legs comment. "
"Probably the same about being a boob guy, too," I add.
"Then again, anything is important."
We both sigh at the same time.
"Like finding a needle in a haystack, Alice," I groan.
"Don't you despair, Bella. We will find this guy. Hey, we can talk to former students, if there's an available class list."
"Alice, you're a genius."
"We just have to get the list and look for someone with the initials of E.C."
Alice's cell blasts. She looks at the screen and yelps, "Hi, Jasper."
I can hear his response with a slow, Texan drawl, "Hi, there, young lady. How are you this fine afternoon?"
She beams. "Oh, I'm fine. How are you?"
"I'd be much better if you'd join me for dinner tonight."
I excitedly poke her. "Go."
"I can't leave you in your time of need."
Jasper questions, "Am I interrupting something, darlin'?"
That's Alice's cue to word vomit, "I'm with my roommate, my best friend, Bella. She has a dilemma, and I just can't leave her."
"Well, I wouldn't want to stand in your way, we can have dinner some other time," he answers.
I grab her phone as she fights me. We roll over the sofa and fall onto the rug. I gasp, "Jasper, this is Bella. I'm just fine, other than being tackled to the floor, but Alice would love to have dinner with you tonight."
He laughs. "She's a feisty one."
"You have no idea. Well, you will." I smile at her, as she gives me the stink eye.
"Well, maybe you'd like to join us?" he asks.
"That's very sweet of you, Jasper, but your first date should be together, not with a third wheel. I do have something I need to do."
He offers, "Well, if you need any help."
"Yes, we can help. Three can be better than two or one," Alice begs.
I grab her shoulders. "I love you, but you go out with Jasper. I'll check out the list. If it's too much, you'll help me later. Capiche?"
She whines, "But I want to help."
"And you will." I hand her back her cell.
"Okay, Jasper. You'll find out you can't argue with Bella. I'd love to have dinner with you."
*IHW*
Still complaining about helping me, I leave Alice to her date preparations at her vanity while I walk over to the student union office. I have a friend in admissions that might have answers to my questions.
Besides, after all the M&Ms, I need to exercise.
The office is oddly quiet, with a few people sitting around the room waiting for their turn. My friend is nowhere in sight with a strange girl at her desk. "Can I help you?"
I look around. Where's Rosalie?"
"She went home." She whispers. "Her friend came to visit early." She bites her bottom lip and shakes her head.
My eyes widen, and I slowly nod. "Oh."
"Maybe, I can help you. I'm Katie." She extends her right hand, and we shake.
"Nice to meet you, Katie. I'm Bella. Maybe, you can help me. I'm looking for an admissions list for Professor Dale Radcliff's 'Love and Erotica' class for last term, possibly the one before?"
Katie looks up at me in utter horror. "Love and Erotica? What kind of class is that?"
"Sociology," I carefully answer.
"Gee whiz, it sounds more like pornography." She snorts with a goofy laugh. After taking a deep breath, she folds her hand on the desk and recites, "We're not allowed to share such information. Protected by the student rules and regulations, we don't impart personal student schedules." She snottily adds, "Nor do the teachers. And Rosalie can lose her job if you get her to do it for you."
I frown, leaning forward in her face. "I would never ask a friend to do anything to jeopardize their position. You have assumed incorrectly."
She straightens her back and swallows the nasty bile she spewed. "I'm very sorry."
Fuming, I turn and exit the building smelling a hint of musk in the air.
A/N: I'd like to rec a Newbie. People with great stories and little followers. Let's support their stories and cheer them on!
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