Sorry for the wait! I'm tryin' here!
Last update for a while :( I am going on a cruise. I leave Saturday, then come back the following Sunday :) I'll work on it as soon as I get home, promise!
Review please. Read my other stories as well!
The man held me back against his chest so tightly I could feel his muscles. My breath caught in my throat as my heart continued to hammer inside my chest. All my hair was moved to one shoulder and I felt his lips brush my ear. I shivered accidentally, unable to stop it. "I missed you, Annabelle," he grumbled lowly, making my jelly against his hard body. This only confirmed my obvious suspicions. My insides were bursting in small explosions of joy. This can't be a dream.
I rested my head back on his shoulder. "Ethan," I breathed before taking in his scent.
He smiled against my neck. "Come here," he said as his body left mine. My heart dropped, why did he move? His hand slipped in mine before he led me over to an out cove that was a few steps away. It had a couch for people to relax, but was empty. I never had a chance to look at his face, but from what I could see his hair was a carmely chestnut color that was short on the sides and spiked wildly on the top as if he ran his hand through it every ten minutes. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans, a black t-shirt, and black shoes. He also had a watch on.
My mind kept jumping around. This him, it's really him. Am I dreaming? It's Ethan! For the first time my whole life I don't feel incomplete. This better not be a dream because if I'm not dreaming, I know this is Ethan. I can feel it, I know it's him, I don't know how, but I know it is.
Ethan pushed me against the wall and out of people's sight before kissing me. I didn't hesitate, but I was surprised. My arms wound around his neck while his held me close to his body. He moved my lips with his slowly at first, it was like he was just getting a sense of how I tasted. I knew what I was doing, but not really since I've never kissed like this in this life. It was only a few moments before he pulled away. I bit my lip to refrain from letting out a whine. That's it?
He dug into his pocket and found his phone. It was lit up in a sign someone was calling or texting him. He pressed a button on the iPhone, and then slipped it back in his pocket. After, he looked into my eyes and instead of the green eyes I knew so well, they were blue. They were still familiar, though, with the same energy and spirit behind them. It was a pretty blue too; it made him seem light although he was wearing dark colors. It was now that I could my chance to study his face. He was so fucking good looking I never wanted to stop looking at him.
He was lightly tanned, lighter than me, but not milky white either. He had a normal sized straight nose with a strong jaw line. His face was clean shaven and since he was smiling, I could see his perfectly white teeth. I resisted the urge to slip my hands underneath his shirt to feel his muscles that I knew where there. I am not sure if he would object if I did and I do not even know why I wanted to do this action at the moment, I just did. I wanted to kiss him, touch him, be with him, I wanted to do things I shouldn't because I've only 'known' him for five minutes. But, God dammit, I wanted to do it so bad.
"Come with me?" he asked after a silent minute.
I love the way his voice sounds. I was already connected to him, it was like I could feel him inside of me (not in the sexual way of course, than is so not what I mean). Lord knows I already want to rip his clothes off, but I want to know what he knows. I want to know everything. I wanted to tell him I love him, but he already knew, just like I know he loves me. I still wanted to hear the words. "Where?" I replied in a soft tone, stepping closer because I wanted to feel his body heat.
"Home," he answered simply, taking my hand in his again. I reached forward to hold onto his shirt as if to make sure he wouldn't run. This just seems too surreal. Was this supposed to happen like this? Did Kelsi get this idea to come to the club because I was meant to meet Ethan here? Thank God she did.
I wanted to be alone with him. I wanted to leave with him. I wanted to talk to him and honestly, touch him, obviously. It's been too long, almost ninety years. "I have to tell my friends," I told him.
He leaned down and kissed me gently. I tried to hold onto the kiss, but he pulled away. "Then call them," he agreed, pressing his phone gently into my hand.
"I have my own," I said after putting the iPhone back in his pocket myself.
He smiled at me, causing my stomach to do flip flops. "Then, let's go," he insisted, wrapping an arm around my waist. He led us through the crowd to the coat desk. We both gave the security guy the coat desk our tickets. Once he disappeared into the continuous wall of coats, Ethan pulled me closer. He was about to say something when two girls interrupted.
"Troooy!" they whined together.
Two skinny blonds came over with too much make up on and not wearing enough clothes if you ask me. To top it all off, they were twins. "Where did you go, Troysie?" one asked while the other inspected me.
Troy? That must be his name now. It fits him. Troy. I like it. I do not, however, like Troysie. "I ran into someone, now I have to leave," he said politely and continued to hold me close. I tried not to think about it, but who are these girls?
"Aw, but why?" the other wondered in the same whining tone.
He ignored her. "Tell Chad I found her. He'll understand why I left," he told them.
"Who is she?" the first one questioned and gave me a disbelieving look. Hey, I am good looking, blondie! I may not be as obvious as some actresses and supermodels or Annabelle, but I am.
He ignored them once again. "Just say 'her,' Chad will know what I mean," he insisted. Our coats appeared and Troy handed me mine before tipping the man. "Goodnight, ladies," he said in goodbye while helping me into my coat, then ushered me out with him.
"Who were those girls?" I demanded to know once the freezing cold air touched my cheeks.
Troy grabbed my hand. "Jealous already, Annabelle?" he wondered, turning me towards VIP parking.
No, I am not! I tugged him to a stop in front of a sleek black car. "Its Gabriella now," I told him in a stern voice. "Who were they?" I repeated.
The car next us beeped before Troy opened the door. Oh, it's his car. "Annoying friends of a friend," he answered. "Now, will you please get in? I want to show you something very important," he informed me.
I went to get in the car but he stopped me. He gave me a quick kiss before helping me into his Audi. The men in my family are car fanatics, I know some stuff plus it was written on the side. As Troy drove us away from the club, I pulled out my phone to text my friends. I already had two messages from Taylor. I sent her one word that would keep her guaranteed worry free: Ethan. To Martha and Kelsi I texted I took their advice and found a guy. They would still worry, but Taylor would ease their fears. I told Julian we were already heading back to be silly in our hotel room and go sleep, in other words, I was safe. I can tell him the truth in person when I see him.
Once I was done, Troy's hand slithered its way into my lap. I smiled wider and held his in both of mine. "Everything taken care of?" he wondered as he steered his gaze from the road to me and back.
I nodded a little. "Yeah, I'm eighteen, a big girl now. They know I can take care of myself," I assured him. "They may not like it, but they'll deal," I added on.
His fingers slipped through mine, interlocking our hands. "Good, I want you to myself for the rest of the night," he replied.
I want you to myself forever. My mind is still reeling. This is Ethan, er, Troy. Holy shit. "I never expected to find you tonight," I whispered.
"I've been looking for you, like I said before," Troy told me. I turned to look at him, one of my new favorite things to do.
"You always look for me," I reminded him. "But you weren't intentionally looking for me tonight," I insisted.
Troy grinned before turning to me for a quick second. "Actually, I was," he informed me. "If you had just told Luis your name, it would have been much easier," he commented.
"Luis? What are you talking about?" I questioned, wanting to kiss him. I wanted to do more than kiss him. If I had just met him, I would call myself a ho, but it's different. We were married.
"You'll see in a minute," he replied vaguely. He was a good driver, a little on the fast side, but I didn't mind. I merely looked at him for the rest of the ride, not caring where he was taking me to. He didn't say anything; it was like he knew I simply wanted to stare at him for hours. When he wiggled his fingers in a sign he needed them back, I let his hand go. I'll admit, I wanted it back the instant it was gone.
He pressed a button and that was when I finally looked forward. "Troy?" I said aloud. The gate opened in front of us.
"I told you I was taking you home," he replied. "I didn't mean Rome," he said while parking in front of the cottage as the gate closed. "Although, I don't think you would be opposed to a trip to Rome," he mentioned.
He got out of the car first, then came around to get me. "You rebuilt the cottage?" I questioned. "I was here today," I commented.
"I know, how else do you think I knew you were here?" he asked before bringing me up onto the porch so he could unlock the door. "Luis is supposed to give me every woman's name that comes by here and stares for a little too long. He didn't get yours, but when I saw you on the security camera, I knew it was you," he explained and brought me into our old home. "I've been looking for you all night. I had no idea where to go. Tourist sights? Our old favorite places? My friend convinced me to go out tonight. That was when I saw you. Thank God for Chad," he finished.
I was still shocked he was the owner of the cottage. Walking back in was a like a blast from the past, but it also looked so new. It had electricity, a flat screen TV along with a few gaming stations, and while it looked similar to the old living room, and it was different as well. The couch was the same color and style, but looked different, newer, and more modern. What surprised me most was that the house reflected me. It was artsy, yet tame, and completely my taste. There was an old painting on the wall of two people I did not recognize physically, but seemed so familiar.
"Troy," I breathed, making a three-sixty as I continued to become overwhelmed with it all. "How?" I choked out.
I only saw now that his coat was off when he came over to me. He helped take mine off and threw it over the back of the couch. "I asked my parent's for it as my seventeenth birthday present. Actually, I wanted it for my sixteenth birthday, but got a car instead. I begged for it for a year. They thought I was nuts. Of course, at that time this just land sealed away by a gate. Your parents put that in, by the way. They didn't want anyone taking residence at the place their daughter lost her life," he informed me.
I was silent for a moment. "Why?" I asked, very touched by the whole ordeal. He built a house for me, not just a house, our house.
"I knew you would come looking for me, at least, if you remembered me, and you would come here. You loved this house, I didn't want that to change," he insisted and took me in his arms. "We were supposed to grow old here, now we can," he murmured before kissing me gently.
I hungrily kissed him back. He lifted me to sit on the back of the couch. I pulled on his shirt to bring him closer. His tongue dipped into my mouth and I gasped softly. He grinned while opening my legs wider so he could stand closer. "I missed you so much," I moaned when we parted for the quickest moment.
"I love you," he replied before nibbling on my lip and kissing me again. Is it really possible to get this turned on and this quickly? It must be because I felt him pressing against my inner thigh and I loved the feeling. It's been so long.
I gently pushed him away before we got too carried away. His hands were itching to go underneath my top, I could sense it. "I love you too," I coughed, slightly out of breath with swollen lips. Troy pushed hair out of my face and I slid off my wedges then got back on the floor.
"Damn, how tall are you?" he questioned once my feet hit the ground.
I pushed him gently. "Five two," I mumbled with a pink face.
"It's alright, babe, I'm only five nine. I will have you know, though, I am very close to five ten, I just happened to stop growing," he told me. I giggled at him. He picked me up from under my bum and I wrapped my legs around his waist. "It just means I'll have to do this more often, which I am fine with," he said with a quick kiss.
I simply hugged him for a moment. It feels so good to be with him again. Amazing, really.
I wiggled to be set free and walked over to the painting on the wall behind him. My eyes flicked to the bottom corner of the image. 'A. Lennox, 1917' was inscribed in black. "I did this," I connected, but it sounded like a question. It was a man and a woman on the plush green hill during sunset. The woman was between the man's legs with her arms extended around his neck. His arms were around her waist while his head rested on her shoulder. The clothes made it seem like the time period was over a century ago.
"Yes," Troy confirmed, coming up behind me. I felt his hands on my lower hips. "You painted it before we met in our last life. It is of us in our life before the last. I always loved this particular painting, plus it was nice to see at times when I was going out of my mind wondering where you could be in the last few years," he informed me. "I can only stand being apart from you for so long."
"I can't believe it's us," I whispered, touching it lightly. Troy nodded silently against my head. "What were our names?" I questioned.
His lips brushed against my hair before replying. "Isaiah and Kassandra."
"You know everything," I said in awe and turned around in his arms to face him.
He nodded while looking from my lips to my eyes. "I never lose my memories," he explained. My eyes widened. "It's a gift, like how you can draw and sew," he said.
"How long have we been together?" I immediately wanted to know, practically hopping up and down.
He smiled at my eagerness. "Over two thousand years," he told me. Two thousand? I can't even comprehend that. I blinked for a long minute. "It's always interesting answering your questions when we find each other," he commented. "You always have so many," he added.
He was right, I had so many. I felt giddy with all my questions knowing he has the answer to them all. "Why do you think it happens, reincarnation?" I asked curiously.
His hands pressed against my lower back until my top half leaned in to him so he could kiss me. "Everyone is reincarnated; it's just that not everyone remembers. In actuality, there is a very small number who remember. However, we all have a past. I always remember, but it's not the same with you. There was once you remembered your entire most recent life. In others you simply got visions. We've had two lives in which you did not remember me at all. Although, in one of them once we met you gained all our memories," he went on. "Anyways, if you're asking why I remember and why we're always drawn together, and I know you are, there is no definite or correct answer. Many think it is because something holds us here, love, family, or goals. For us it's our unconditional love for each other," he finished.
I smiled and nodded to myself. I leaned in to kiss him lightly. I never thought of it that way, our love being unconditional, but it has to be. I don't remember a time that I didn't love him, even when I was young, the feeling was always there. I can't fathom not knowing or loving him, it's not possible. "I didn't remember you?" I repeated, causing him to nod. "I can't imagine not remembering you. I love fainting to regain memories," I assured him. "It's a huge part of who I am," I stated.
"I'm happy you remember, it's so much easier when you do," he insisted with another small kiss. I love every moment of this. "Especially since you married when you didn't remember me," he mentioned. I opened my mouth in shock. "Yes, you were married, and I am not proud of it, but I had to sweep you off your feet and steal you away," he told me. "But in my defense, it was not a happy marriage."
I took in a deep breath and leaned against him in a hug. "This is so much to take in," I mumbled against his chest.
"I'm sorry, sometimes I get ahead of myself," he apologized, wrapping his arms tighter around me.
"No, its fine, I want to know everything," I replied, leaning up to look at him. "I'm feeling so much right now is all," I said. "I'm happy and excited and curious and really, so happy, you have no idea," I insisted. I leaned back against the couch. "But just this morning I was obsessing on whether or not you were reincarnated with me, if you were ever going to find me, if we were ever going to have kids..." I ranted on.
Troy rubbed the palms of my hands. "Brie, I've always been reincarnated with you and a few years before you," he assured me.
"Older than me, huh?" I questioned with a smile. "I like older men," I teased.
He smiled as well. "You always have. I'm twenty two," he informed me. Twenty two? My parents might not like that. "We're not doing this right," he broke into my thoughts. "I want you to see the rest of the house. We have a lifetime for catching up," he told me. He kept my hand in his while bringing me across the room.
We went through a swinging door into a kitchen. It was huge compared to what I am used to, way bigger than the one in my apartment. My mom would love it. It had a dark gray square tile counter tops and a pretty smoky white tiled floor. The whole kitchen is in dark shades, but nothing was entirely black except the oven and microwave. The modern double door fridge was stainless steal and the kitchen as a whole was spotless. "Geez," I breathed.
"Too much? Neither of us were much of a cook, so designing this was all me," Troy told me.
"No, it's beautiful, trust me," I assured him. "My mom is a chef; I was brought up to respect my knives and to never trust a dishwasher to fully clean your dishes. You must rinse them first," I said. "This would be her heaven," I added.
Troy leaned against the counter with his fingers slipped in his pocket. "What about your dad? What is his heaven?" he wondered.
I smiled. "Mm, anywhere my family is," I answered. "He is a big family guy, he loves being around us and my mom. My parents have been married for over twenty years and they still can't get enough of each other. As their child, it's disgusting, but as a hopeless romantic, I love it," I explained. "My dad and I, we bond at the grocery store," I added.
"Really?" he laughed a little, slowly walking.
I nodded repeatedly. "Yeah. I love grocery shopping. My dad and I did it for almost six hours once, plus when I go I get the food I want, not just the food my brother's want when they go," I informed him.
"Brother's, huh?" he responded curiously, rounding the island counter.
"Uh-huh, two of them. I'm the baby of the three of us. We're close. Julian and I always have been, but Gino was always doing his thing, being older than me. Although, as we get older Gino and I are getting along more. He's starting to see me as a person and not as much his little sister, you know? I mean he's always been there for me and did the whole oldest sibling complex, but it's different," I rambled, not noticing until now we had started walking towards each other. We met in the middle and his arms were already slithering around my waist to pull me against his body. "Sorry, I'm going on," I apologized.
He shook his head. "I don't mind," he insisted. "I'm glad you got a good family. You deserved it. Your last parents loved you, they did, but they... they..." he tried to say it right.
"They were good parents, they gave me everything I ever wanted, but they didn't want me to be an artist or marry you which were everything I wanted," I finished.
Troy leaned in and kissed me gently. I wanted to kiss him for so much longer, but he pulled away. It was like we couldn't stay away from each other now that we found each other. I rested my hands on his biceps. They were big; I could tell he works out. "You deserve everything, an amazing family, a successful art career, happiness, everything, I'm glad you're getting it this time," he said.
"What about you?" I questioned. "Who is your family, what are they like, how can you afford all of this?" I asked.
He rested back against the counter, letting me lean more into him now. "My family is alright. Damn better than what I ended up with last time. My dad I and didn't always get along, but we're better now that I am getting older. My mom is the best I could ask for. She fawns all over me and my brother's, but in a good way," he told me.
"Brother's?" I repeated. "You have brothers too?"
Troy nodded. "Yep, two just like you. I have one older, Nate, and one younger, Gage. When we were kids, we fought a lot over the usual boy stuff, but we get along now. Gage and I are close; we both lead with our hearts. Nate is more of a business guy, he's too rational if you ask me, he leads with his brain," he told me. "I guess you could say we are like our mom and Nate is like my dad," he went on.'
"I'm glad you have a family. I hated how you didn't have parents in our last life. You're such an amazing person, you deserve so much more than you had," I commented, then looked around. "But, it seems as though you have everything now," I added.
"Something like that," he agreed vaguely.
"Are you ever going to tell me how you have all of this? I'm not in love with a bank robber, am I?" I questioned.
A smile played on his lips. "All in due time, my love, now come on," he insisted, removing his body from mine. I didn't like it, I like touching him, I like being close to him. "We still have some more house to see," he told me while leading me out of the kitchen and up the steps. I got a glimpse of the dining room which contained a dark mahogany table set that fit six or so people. There was a beautiful chandelier in there as well. I wondered what was in the dark wooded cabinets. "Gabriella," I heard. Troy was gone from directly in front of me, and was now at the top of the steps. "Are you coming? I have something important to show you," he said.
I quickly finished my way up the stairs. "There are more rooms than I remember," I stated the obvious, but was already walking towards what I assumed was still our bedroom.
Troy caught me by the waist. "Uh-uh, not yet," he told me. "I want to show you something else first," he mentioned before bringing me to a door down the hall, one of the new additions. "This room is all yours," he murmured in my ear before twisting the knob.
It opened to reveal a room bigger than my bedroom at home. There was an easel off in the corner and shelves of different kinds of paint and brushes, so many different kinds. Then, on another rack of shelves there must have been twenty spools of different kinds of material, material to create clothes out of. A table sat off to the side for me to work if I needed, as well as a sewing machine. The walls were a too-clean white with dark carpeting. There were also windows to let the light in.
"Oh, my God," I breathed in awe.
Was it normal that I literally felt him lean against the door jam behind me? I can feel his movements, that is unreal. I don't remember this as Annabelle. I remember moments and my love for him, but nothing this deep. Maybe it is something you have to feel firsthand. "You talked about your mom and dad's heaven in the kitchen, well I wanted to make your heaven," he told me.
I brushed my finger through the fabrics to feel them. "If I said my heaven was with you, this is just icing in the cake, would it be cliché?" I questioned in a low tone, still amazed by my special room.
"Yes, but I believe you," he replied. "You're only eighteen now, I think you're still in high school, so you can't exactly move in soon, but this will always be your home," he told me. "If I'm here or not here, I don't care. This place is as much yours as it is mind. You're free to be here whenever you would like."
I turned around to face him. "Thank you for this," I said as I walked up to him. "I will definitely be using this room, trust me. Thank you so much," I repeated.
He pressed a key into my hand. "Whenever Luis sees you, he'll open the gate; you don't have to worry about that. This will open the door and the alarms code is one, four, zero, six," he went on.
"One, four, zero, six," I said to myself. "We got married on June fourteenth," I stated the obvious.
"Mm-hm," Troy agreed. "It's the reason my number in college and high school was fourteen," he told me. I raised my eyebrows. "I played basketball, I still do, with friends and such," he explained.
I turned my head to look back at the room. "This is so... I can't even tell you how much this means to me," I assured him. "I can't believe you did all of this for me," I whispered.
His head dipped down to kiss me. "For us," he whispered while our lips brushed together. I gasped a little, wanting to kiss him so much.
"Troy..." I murmured with my eyes closed. "Kiss me," I pleaded already.
His hand slapped off the lights as he scooted me out of the room and closed the door. "Gabriella, there is still so much for you to know and see," he reminded me.
"It can wait," I assured him. "My head is already about to explode," I whispered. "I love you," I went on. "Can't we just-" I stopped as I slipped my hands under his shirt.
He grinned at me. "Aren't I usually the one seducing you?" he questioned.
I already lifted his shirt off. "Yes, but in this time period we won't have to sneak around as much because of how sex is viewed now. And, trust me, I'm no prude," I stated.
His grin widened as he pushed me against the wall. "Yeah? Tell me about it," he urged as one of his fingers dipped underneath my shirt to feel the outline of my bra. At that moment, I was happy I wore my new, favorite bra that makes my boobs look really good and I love wearing because it is also comfortable. My mom took me to Victoria's Secret for my birthday; she is that kind of mom. She went a little spend happy, so I'm set for this sexual stuff.
My breath caught in my throat. "Why don't you do something about it instead?" I challenged, already over heating.
As if accepting my challenge, he lifted my arms up, his hands drifting up my skin as he did. A pounding made itself known between my legs. I've felt it before, many times, mostly after dreams. Once my arms were extended, he slowly took my top off. Once it was off, I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine, for a moment. Then, his eyes drifted and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I'm not like Annabelle. I don't have the perfect body type or confidence. I'm short, and while I am pretty well endowed for my size, I'm still different.
I went to fold my arms, but he held them against the wall. "Don't. You're beautiful," he assured me.
"I'm not Annabelle," I mumbled.
"I'm not Ethan," he replied. "But, does it matter?" he questioned.
I shook my head. "You're perfect," I stated without any doubt.
"So are you," he stated before dipping his head down to kiss my neck.
I gasped a little while my eyes wanted to roll back into my head. I'm so responsive, but I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. My hands delved into his hair. He kissed down my neck, and then kept going to my collar bone, and further South. I tried to calm down because I was getting so warm and antsy with the thump between my legs. "Troy," I moaned, as his mouth neared my breasts.
Instead of paying attention to them, his hands drifted down to the back of my legs, then in between them and lifted me up until my legs were around him. I felt him hard through his pants, pressing directly into me. He walked me to a door and opened it, revealing our bedroom. It was dark, but it glowed from the balcony curtains being slightly open for the moon to shine through. I would evaluate the room tomorrow.
He set me down on the bed before kissing me again.
Later, although it was so early in the morning, I couldn't make my eyes close. I rested sideways on Troy's chest and looked at him while his eyes were closed. He was awake, I knew because his hand was moving through my hair gently, trying to lull me to sleep, even if he didn't know it.
"Aren't you tired, baby?" he finally opened his eyes after I don't know how long.
I waited until he put another pillow behind his head so he could see me better to talk. "Yes, but I don't want to sleep," I answered, burrowing against his body.
"I'll be here when you wake up, I promise," he assured me as his thumb swiped across my cheek.
I bit my lip, not wanting to speak. "I just- I wanna look at you," I mumbled, slightly embarrassed for an unknown reason.
"You can look at me tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day..." he left it open, knowing I would get where he was going.
"But tomorrow I have to go home and my parents won't be so happy about my twenty two year old boyfriend," I mentioned. "If you were twenty, yes, but anything over twenty one, no," I added.
Troy offered me a small smile. "I'm sure we'll manage to get them to see reason even if we can't exactly explain our situation," he said.
"Hm, Julian will be the only one who understands. Gino will automatically hate you. My mom will probably like you after a while. My dad will always be waiting for you slip up and act you're only with me because I'm easy-"
Troy laughed. "Sorry, that's funny," he apologized.
"But true," I sighed. "I am easy, apparently," I muttered.
"It's different, Brie, we were married, we have been so many times. While I know I don't know you, I do know you, you know?" he asked.
I nodded a little. "And yet you still won't make love with me," I whined.
He chuckled now. "Don't act like that, baby, you know I want to, I've wanted to since puberty hit. I just know how we are after we are together for the first time in a new life. I want to know you more before it consumes us for days," he insisted.
"Sounds nice," I breathed, fighting my tired eyes.
"It's amazing. Now, come here," he urged, pulling me until I was lying next to him.
I settled on his shoulder with my eyes dropping. "I love you," I whispered.
"I love you too, Gabriella," he replied before I fell asleep in his arms.
-xoxo-
When I woke, I immediately opened my eyes to look at my painting. My painting of Ethan I see every morning. However, it wasn't there. I sat up with yesterday filling me. I felt a warm hand on my back and turned around quickly.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was my phone, I answered it, now she won't hang up," Troy told me.
I ignored him for a second and just pressed a kiss to his lips. His arm wrapped around my waist. "Good morning," I whispered, resting my forehead against his.
"'Morning, Taylor wants to talk to you," he said before hanging me my cell phone.
I rested against his side as he sat up against the backboard of our bed. "Yes, Tay?" I questioned.
"Oh, my God," she squealed. "He sounds so sexy, when can I meet him?" she asked. Before I could speak, she went on. "Did you have sex? What happened? When are you coming back? Is he good looking, I know he has to be. Where are you, anyways?" she went on.
"Whoa, Taylor," I stopped her. "I don't know when I am coming back, I'm at his house, and no, we didn't have sex," I tried to answer her. "Oh, yes, he is very good looking; he should be in advertisements in magazines. He very well could be, I don't know, he won't tell me what he does. It sounds shady, I know," I agreed, knowing exactly what she was thinking.
"I can't believe you didn't have sex," she said. "I would have taken him in the club," she commented.
I nodded. "I would have, I wanted to, but we left and yeah," I told her.
"Well, that 'and yeah' lets me know that you two did do something naughty, but I approve," she replied. I laughed. "Can you find out when we're meeting back up? We have to check out of the hotel in thirty minutes," she reminded me.
I looked up at Troy, who was listening to our conversation, I know he was. "When am I going home?" I asked.
"I can take you home," he volunteered. "But, I want you to myself all day. Didn't you say you had so many questions?" he questioned.
"Oh, my God, yes," I assured him
Taylor made a weird noise. "Are you two doing something naughty while I am on the phone? We are not that kind of best friends, girl," she informed me.
"No, Taylor, ewe. Troy is taking me home," I told her.
"So what do we do with your stuff?" she wondered.
I thought for a moment. "Drop it off at the front desk of my apartment building. Tell Maude that I'll make it worth her while to hold it for me without telling my parents," I instructed her.
"Gotcha. Have fun, make love, and tell me all about it later," she said before hanging up.
I pressed the end button. "I wish," I mumbled.
"Oh, we'll have sex, and very soon, don't act like it will be months and months," Troy told me.
I smiled and kissed him again. "So what are we doing today?" I wondered.
"First, we're going to shower," he said. I perked up. "Separately," he added.
I slumped. "You're so mean. Were you always this mean?" I half-joked.
"No, but you were never this easy," he teased from last night.
"Ha ha," I muttered.
He chuckled. "I would love to, Brie, but it would lead to us having sex and you have no idea how hard it has been for me to say no for this long," he admitted. Good, at least now I don't think I'm some monster for wanting to take his virginity this quickly. "Alright, get up, I'll show you how the shower works."
I pulled him back. "If you wanna be mean, I'll be mean too. If you want me to leave this bed you are gonna tell me how the hell you did all of this. What do you do for a living?" I demanded to know.
Troy smiled. "I guess that is fair," he agreed. "I just didn't want to tell you until we spent time together," he mentioned. "Do you know the Bolton hotel chain?" he questioned.
"Yeah, they are, like, the most expensive hotels ever," I answered. "They're almost putting the Hilton's into bankruptcy or something," I added.
He held out his hand. "Troy Bolton, nice to meet you," he introduced himself.
I didn't respond to the handshake. "Bolton? You're a Bolton?" I asked.
"Yeah, but before you ask I don't have to inherit the whole damn business, thank God. That is Nate's job. I did get my trust fund when I was eighteen, which is how I built the cottage. I am, however, in control of the Northeast franchises. My dad wants to teach me responsibility, which I think I already have, I'm not Gage, you know. He's just pissed I've managed to do fine without working. I've invested in other things and the stock market and such," he went on.
I was almost speechless. He is, like, incredibly rich. He has more money than I can comprehend. I know it doesn't personally matter, but I've lived in middle class my whole life, he is, like way up there. Annabelle was rich, but not Bolton rich, not even in those times.
"You still love me, right?" he joked, I think.
"What? Of course, that is just..." I didn't know how to explain it.
"A lot of zeros, I know," he agreed. "But, don't worry about any of it. Just know that we're set for life."
A little less than an hour later found us in the kitchen, making breakfast. I remembered I had no clothes here, so I opted for my jeans from last night and one of Troy's shirts with a few alterations. Well, I have it pinned and tied up at my waist so it won't fall. I also rolled the sleeves up.
I used the handle of a frying pan to flip the sausage rather than finding a spatula. "The best part about growing up with a cook for a mother, you learn how to cook yourself," I commented as I cut a piece apart.
Troy stepped behind me to grab something in the cabinet above me. I liked the feeling of his body pressed against mine. "I really hate that you're Italian and I'm not," he sighed. I told him my heritage this morning, he's jealous. We're originally Italian. It's why Rome is so important; it is our original home in the first life.
"Yeah, my mom won't like that you're not Italian either," I told him. "She is always sending Italian boys to the restaurant to sweep my off my feet," I mentioned.
"In that case, I'm glad you remembered me. If you hadn't, I'd probably have to steal you away from some Italian boy," he stated.
I smiled. "Never," I said. "I like English-Irish guys, at least in this lifetime," I assured him.
Troy brought the pancakes over to the center island where we agreed to eat. We made sausage, of course (it is my favorite), pancakes, English muffins, and grapes. "So Taylor and your brother are the only ones who know about us?" he questioned.
I nodded, already eating sausage. "I can't believe you didn't tell anyone in your family. I've always needed Julian to have my back when I faint, but then again, you just know everything," I went on for a moment.
"I've made the mistake of telling one too many people before, Brie, I've learned the less the better," Troy informed me.
"What happened?" I wondered mid-chew, unable to stop myself.
He let out a breath. "It was when I was Ethan, actually. It was the reason Stefan and I were separated. I told my foster parents at the time, they thought I was crazy and sent me to- well, honestly, it was an insane asylum," he confessed. My eyes widened. "It took a while, but I managed to convince them I made a full recovery of being crazy, so I was released," he explained. "The only one who knows about me, us, is Chad and the only reason he knows is because he is Stefan," he added on.
"How do you know?" I asked, intrigued. I love hearing stuff from past lives.
His hand settled on my knee. "You just, you get this feeling around certain people and you know. Maybe it's a gift, I don't know. I can just tell when I am around a soul I've encountered before. Haven't you ever met someone and felt instantly connected with them, like you already knew them?"
"Well, Taylor," I answered.
"She might be someone you've met before. Like I told you, everyone is reincarnated," he reminded me.
I nodded as I ate. I'm really hungry. "Have we ever not met?" I asked. "In a life, have you ever not found me?" I reworded.
"No," he instantly told me. "Until I found you, it's my life's work trying to locate you," he said. "There have been times when we never had a lot of time together, once had been only week, but it was worth it," he told me. "What happened, right?" he questioned when I opened my mouth. I smiled with a nod. "Well, it was Europe during the Black Plague; you can imagine how shitty it was. I found you right when you had contracted it. I refused to leave you; I didn't care if I would catch it. A part of me wanted it, to be honest. If you were going to die, I was going to as well. Even though they were hard, we had almost eight days together. You died in my arms, and I went the next day," he finished.
I frowned a little. "That's sad," I mumbled.
Troy lifted my chin so he could look me in the eye. "It's different now," he stated. "We are going to last a lifetime, this time and the next and after that and so on. I'm going to marry you, I'm going to have kids with you, I'm going to grow old with you, and nothing is going to stop us."
Do you like? I do!
Ok, I was going to add the sex scene up there, but I promised myself I would have the next chapter of one of my other stories, WWB, up before I leave. If I try to write that scene it will take a while. I am so sorry. But I will be writing them out, trust me, I am just crunched for time. So sorry!
Anyone who reads my stories knows I do NOT like getting a couple together at the very end. I hate when authors get a couple together in the end, and you're like, thats it? I don't get to see them happy togther? It annoys me.
So, review!
- Kayleigh