¸.·´¯·»Chapter Four«·´¯·.¸
¸.·´¯·»¸.·´¯·»The Dream«·´¯·.¸«·´¯·.¸
Brígh could feel someone touching her, running their fingers over her closed eyelids, across her cheekbones, down the slope of her nose… the gentlest brush against her lips. Her breath halted as the hand trailed lower down her neck and came to rest at the hollow of her throat. She wanted to open her eyes to see who thought they had the right to touch her so intimately but she could not find the strength to do so. Instead she relaxed into the touches, a strange calmness and familiarity overtaking her with the sensations.
A soft kiss was pressed against her forehead before the lips decided to follow the same path the fingers had taken, only to stop at the corner of her mouth. She could feel warm breath against her skin and shivered at the feeling, her arms reaching up of their own accord to encircle the strong figure above her. She gripped him, the muscles of his back contracting at her touch, and suddenly his lips were against her own, exploring the inside of her mouth and causing her to tremble pleasantly as the kiss was deepened.
Only when she was finally released was she able to find the strength to pry her eyes open, however there was no longer any sign of the man save for the lingering sensations he left behind. She rose slightly, resting on her elbows and observed her surroundings with confusion. The room was unfamiliar to her, though she felt calm even now despite not knowing where she was. Brígh frowned as she waiting for a sense of panic to arise. She was confused, not quite sure why this was not bothering her, and she couldn't bring herself to dwell on it anymore as she removed herself from the warm bed.
In the dim lighting provided by the high windows, she noted that the bed was tucked away in a corner against a wall, a heavily crowded desk and a bookshelf against another, a set of stairs by the chest of drawers and a small showcase cabinet that housed what looked to be swords and shields. The walls appeared to be made of concrete, so there were no pictures or decorations on them, although there was an overturned picture frame on the bedside table.
The contents on the desk and in the bookshelf were surprising as she gave them a once over. Books on human anatomy, medical terms and various diseases made up the majority of the literature. Whomever this room belonged was apparently studying to become some kind of doctor or nurse, if their choice in literature was anything to go by. There were a few works of fiction as well, others history books on witches and werewolves and other creatures as well as a few thicker tombs on mythologies of various cultures. It was a rather extensive collection, an impressive one at that.
The young woman approached the stairs that lead up to a door, and she wondered if this was either a basement or an underground apartment. Either way she felt strangely comfortable here even if she did not understand why she felt that way. Of course her confusion at her own feelings did nothing stop her damnable curiosity, and she began climbing up the stairs. The door at the top, however, refused to open when she jiggled the handle, and only then did her mind begun to catch up with the rest of her.
Brígh was in a strange and unfamiliar place and the only exit would not open.
"Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone out there?" There was no answer and she tugged on the door insistently, her frustration when it still wouldn't budge causing her to lash out at it with her foot. "Please? I'm locked in! Please…" She lowered her head, hand stilling as a sense of hopelessness filled her. "… I'm scared," An instant later an arm coiled around her waist to keep her upright, and a strong, muscular chest pressed against her back. Calmness seeped through her every nerve and she relaxed into the embrace unintentionally.
Brígh allowed herself to be turned around, her eyes automatically rising to see who this mysterious man was. She was held captive by the luminous blue eyes, her breath catching in her throat at the intensity those blue orbs pinned her with. She trembled slightly in his grasp, studying his features with only the barest hint of recognition. A small smile made his dimples prominent and his eyes glow. He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers, purposely dragging the tip of his nose across her own teasingly.
"Brígh…"
It almost physically hurt as the world around her swirled and twisted, a dense fog surrounding her body and clouding her sight from the deeply enticing moment, cruelly torn away from her. Her feelings were a confusing mixture of what she should have felt and what she had felt, erratically combining until she was whimpering from not knowing if what she was feeling was truly her feelings. It was terrifying, the combinations of contentment and fear, of comfort and absolute panic. Never before had she experienced a dream so… so incredibly vivid. Every touch, every kiss had been so realistic that she was sure it was not a dream at all but reality and she was not sure what scared her more—the fact that she had felt such a strong pull to the nameless man in her fantasy or the fact that she wanted to stay within the dream and never wake from it.
Brígh flinched slightly as an utterly cheerful knock resounded throughout her apartment, lifting her head only slightly before whimpering as an intense pain surged through her head. She groaned, not even bothering to open her eyes for a brief moment to see what was going on, instead attempting to bury herself beneath the her coverlet as the pressure within her skull made itself known violently. She could not recall why she felt so dreadful, could not bring herself to move other than to burrow into her pillow as the incessant knocking made the agony worse.
Moments later the knocking finally ceased as the person responsible obviously gave up their cruel pursuit to wake her, though she could not be relieved for much longer as she heard her front door open and close, and then a gentle, off key humming filled the apartment. Brígh whimpered again, almost pathetically as someone called out her name. Everything was too loud, too intense and she was miserable as she felt the weight of her best friend settle in the bed beside her.
A deep chuckle filled the room. "Brígh," a soothing masculine whispered her name gently in an attempt to rouse her fingers beginning to comb through the tangle of curls peeking out from beneath the covers. "Wake up, lovely." Brígh reluctantly inched the blankets down so that her face was visible, winching pathetically as she opened her eyes. A gamut of fanatical colors danced across her vision, and she blinked several times to rid herself of the dizziness plaguing her. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face a picture of absolute wretchedness as she gazed up at the intruder, who immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Eyes of a pale, ice blue stared down at her with an expression of deeply etched concern. His slim body was stiff, posture completely tense as he continued to observe her with a critical look, taking in every detail as if it held the secret to why she looked so terrible this afternoon. He bit his bottom lip, forcing his hands at his sides as he physically restrained himself from taking her into his arms and holding her. Alec Hemmingway had been a friend to Brígh since they were both very young. She had been his closest friend since either of them could remember, and there was little that they hid from each other. He would never claim to know her every deep, dark secret, because the only person who could claim absolute knowledge of Brígh was her sister, though he knew enough to be able to understand that something was not quite right.
"What happened?"
It took Brígh a few minutes to consider the question, because even she was unsure of why her head was aching so fiercely. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep for an eternity. She had suffered from headaches before, and on the rare occasion a migraine, though never had the pain been as bad as what she was currently experiencing. It was not only her head that ailed her, however, and her body was aching in ways that she did not understand at first. All along her back and her shoulder and, possibly worst of all, her thighs, she felt tense and strained, as if she had been placed through a rigorous and strenuous workout that she had failed to properly stretch for. Several locations on her body tingled, and were tender to the touch as she sought them out with curious fingers. There was also a deeper ache, one that she thought may have been the beginning of a cramp, tough it was different in a way that made her still. Her breathing developed a slight hitch, and she swallowed the thickness as she tried to remember what she had been doing last night.
Brígh involuntarily flinched when an unexpected hand came to rest on her forehead, and she forced herself to relax as she noticed the concern and alarm aimed at her for it. "I… I'm fine," she told him, though her answer had been belated enough that it was completely unbelievable and Alec was already shaking his head with a deep frown pinching at his eyebrows.
"Bullshit," he denied.
Stomach churning and twisting into knots, Brígh pulled the sheets to her chest and held them in place before she began sitting up. She swallowed thickly, adjusting the sheet so it wrapped around her bare body, inwardly mortified to have discovered that she was naked. She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, drawing in a shuddering breath as she ignored his gaze. And then she gave the room a cautious glance, frowning at the cup of water and asprin beside her bed, slowly realizing that Alec had not been the one to place them there.
The young woman took several minutes to collect her thought as she took the medicine to relieve the pain in her head, the memories of what had occurred blurred in a distorted image that she could not hold on to. She could only recall bits and pieces, some thoughts more prominent than others, though her current state painted a very clear picture of how the events had concluded. Her throat felt strangely constricted as she realized she could not conjure up a visual of the man she had brought into her home, his features clouded by the consumption of too much alcohol.
With another shuddering breath, she lowered her head, the movement creating a veil of burgundy hair between her and her friend's intense and inquisitive gaze. Brígh clutched the sheet to her chest even tighter when she heard Alec curse softly as he came to his own conclusions and shifted beside her, scooting closer until she felt a comforting pressure surround her when he pulled her into his arms.
Alec maneuvered her down into his lap, carding his fingers through her hair softly. He was grateful to find that she was not yet crying, though each breath she took threatened to transform into sob as if she just might. He was not sure what had happened last night to have caused this, though he knew it likely had something to do with Cadence's surprise. As soon as most of the guests at the party had begun to leave, she had grabbed ahold of her sister and then they had both vanished into the night. He did not like this at all. He could only guess where Cadence had dragged her off to, although considering the fact his best friend had a blemish on the side of her neck that was most definitely a hickey and he could faintly smell alcohol on her, he figured they had gone to a club.
Brígh was the smartest women he knew, though she had a tendency to believe that most people had good intentions, and it was partially the fault of both him and her older brother, Connor, because they tried to protect her from the type of people who would take advantage of her. She was not like Cadence, who knew exactly what to say and do to get her way, how to flawlessly manipulate people like a great politician. Brígh could take care of herself to a point, though she was helpless in most social situations.
To think that she would ever do something like this was simply just… unthinkable. He could not wrap his mind around the fact that she would bring a random stranger into her home, and he knew it had to have been a stranger because none of the men in her life would have walked away from her like a coward the next morning. Besides that, he knew every man in her life and they all knew better than to get involved with her lest they want to face the wrath of her formidable father and her brother. Still he could never imagine her doing something like this… willingly, and the truth of that thought brought a more likely, though frightening scenario to the forefront of his mind.
"Brígh," he whispered in urgency, hating to disturb her but needing to know all the same. He prayed he was wrong. "Was this consensual?" She shifted in his arms, turning over so that she could look him directly in the eye so he would know what she was speaking was the truth.
"Yes," she assured him quietly, and though it did little to make either feel better about the situation, it did give Alec some peace knowing that his best friend had not been forced into anything.
Although, where she was concerned, Alec would consider the term forced to be a matter of opinion. Brígh had very limited experience with men and even less experience when it came to the sophisticated and slick players who hung out at clubs just searching for someone vulnerable and inebriated to prey on. He did not like this situation, and in fact he already had plans to throttle her sister when he got his hands on her. She should never have left Brígh alone, not in a place like that.
"Alec?"
There was uncertainty in her voice, and he smiled reassuringly. "Yes, little red?"
"… Does it make me a terrible person that I don't even remember his name?"
Alec exhaled a deep breath in sympathy, before he shook his head. "No, not at all," he told her quietly. "All it means is that he must not have been very good if he was that forgettable," His words had the desired effect, and she gave him a reluctant smile, albeit a watery one. "Was he good looking at least?"
Brígh frowned slightly in thought. "… I think so,"
A dark eyebrow rose high as he stared down at her. "Just how much did you drink last night?"
"Too much," she whimpered, covering her eyes with her forearm. "I barely remember anything from last night, just flashes of memories and they are all a big blurry mess. It hurts to think about anything. The light burns, my stomach is rebelling against me, and my head… oh, God, my head! Why would anyone ever want to voluntarily drink excessively if this is the result?" She peeked up at him miserably, only to find him grinning at her plight. "I'm glad you find my pain amusing…"
Alec chuckled deeply. "Your first hangover," He mockingly dabbed at his eyes, as if wiping away tears. "I am so proud of you, sweetheart," Being that she was in his arms, he had no chance of escaping the pinch she gave his side, and he yelped, his grin turning into a scowl. "You are so lucky that I love you, Red."
Brígh smiled, leaning against him comfortably. They sat there in silence for a moment, and slowly her smile faded into a solemn frown as her mind drifted back to their original topic. She was not even sure she wanted to broach it once more, it would probably be best to just ignore that it had ever happened. That it had all been a nightmare, and she had not acted impulsively and stupidly. To ignore the reality of it, however, would probably be just as bad as acknowledging what happened and truly moving past it.
And so she began to talk about it, starting at the beginning of what she could remember. She could recall that her sister had woken her at eight in the morning, to first treat her out to breakfast before forcing her into a pricey uptown salon and spa, where they had trimmed her hair and had painfully plucked and waxed her eyebrows to perfection, and painted her nails. The message, admittedly, had been worth the torture of the grooming… it had been nice to be pampered a bit for a change. The dress with the plunging neckline made of the clingy fabric, while tastefully made, had been not so nice, though she had endured because it had been a gift. And refusing a gift from Cadence had the potential to cause drama.
Brígh was able to skip through the majority of her less than spectacular birthday, as Alec had most definitely been in attendance and had been glued to her side most of the night. He had been the only thing that had kept her from walking away from it all, because the entire day had been planned out without her input, and it had been upsetting that for a day that everyone said was all about her, nothing about it had been about her. Only Alec and her father had seemed to realize that she had not asked for an elaborate party, with a guest list a mile long of people she was only mere acquaintances with. She would have been content to stay in her pajamas and watch reruns of her favorite shows and movies with her family and a few select friends.
When she did speak about what she could remember about the club, everything was disorganized and discombobulated, the memories hazy and distorted into a large mesh that was difficult to decipher. She could only vaguely remember what her mystery man had even looked like, and what he had been like to have made her act so rashly. She avoided the topic of her earlier dream, because it too had faded into nothing but a shadow in her mind that she was having difficulty remembering.
Alec listened passively the entire time, only interrupting to clarify on a few details or ask a question.
By the end, Brígh had a question of her own. "… Why did he just leave?"
Alec winced at the question, though he should have guessed it was coming. He was a guy, and as one she would obviously expect him to be able to shed some insight to the situation. He may have been a man, though he was just as lost as she was. He only had one explanation for why anyone would leave such a wonderful woman like Brígh alone after the night they obviously had.
"Because he was a dick," he said easily, his tone almost angry, ignoring the fact that she gave him the evil eye for his crass language. He knew that she did not approve when he cursed, though really, he could not bring himself to care at the moment. "He thought with his dick, and he acted like a dick, and if I ever find out his name, I will hunt him down and cut off his dick and then shove it up his ass."
Brígh, though vexed by his repeated offenses, could only roll her eyes. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"No," Alec snorted. "It would certainly be entertaining to me though."
"You, sir, are as bad as Connor,"
Alec actually seemed to preen under the comparison. Connor, of course, being the oldest of the three children, though he was technically only older than Cadence by a total of eight minutes. Connor had not been seen since his wedding over a month ago, due to the fact that as their honeymoon, the newlywed couple had traveled overseas to visit and explore various locations throughout Europe. Both of his sisters loved him dearly, although they both hated the fact that he had a tendency to become overprotective when he felt that someone was interested in his sisters.
"It was a shame that he missed your birthday," Alec commented with a secretive smile as he extracted his cellular phone from his pocket, and discreetly began typing a short message into the device.
Brígh sighed despondently. "Yes," she agreed sadly. "It was."
"Yeah, and you know, the toga is cute," he said, ice blue eyes giving the sheets a cursory glance while her pale skin reddened slightly. "Though you are probably going to want your robe in a minute…"
Not more than a moment later did the soft, melodic tones of her own personal ringtone fill the room, and she groaned softly at the intrusion before reluctantly extracting herself from his embrace. Her phone was alongside her abandoned purse, which had somehow managed to have ended on her bookshelf of all places. She snatched up the device quickly, not even thinking to look at the screen to see who it was calling her before she answered, grabbing her robe off of her closet door and pulling it on, shedding herself of the so called toga.
"This is Brígh," she said tiredly, placing her free hand over her stomach as it churned rebelliously from standing. She took in a deep breath, running her hand through her hair gratefully when the nausea had passed even as the bitter taste of acid permeated in her mouth. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
"Happy birthday, to you," a very distinct voice sang through the line.
Brígh smiled widely. "Connor!"
"How is my baby sister doing on this fine day?"
"Okay. We were just talking about you, actually,"
"That must be why my nose was burning," Connor said accusingly. "Good things, I hope?"
Brígh huffed out an exaggerated sigh. "Just mourning the fact that you missed my birthday,"
"Yeah, sorry about that," he told her sadly. "My flight was delayed for about twelve hours, and we only just landed about an hour ago…"
Before Brígh even had a chance to contemplate what he was saying or what it meant, a very deliberate knock resounded throughout the apartment, and what caught her attention the most was the fact that she could hear it through the phone as well. She was in motion instantaneously, bare feet padding across the wooden floors and she hastily unlocked the front door and unceremoniously ripped it open.
Connor was completely thrown off balance by the sudden weight of her vaulting at him, colliding into his chest so suddenly that he barely managed to keep them both upright as she attempted to strangle him with a deadly grip. "I take it, I was missed?" he laughed deeply, returning the embrace even though he was being slowly suffocated.
Brígh reluctantly released her hold on him, moving back slightly to look him over with a critical eye. He was wearing one of his customary tee shirts, the legend of some ancient rock band that she had never heard of before stretched proudly across his chest. His fiery red hair was hidden beneath a simple black beanie, and his big black boots were unlaced. He seemed to have gained even more muscle over the past month, probably working out vigorously the entire time to prevent himself from gaining weight from all of the foreign foods he had been consuming, or rather, to impress his wife. He was certainly a sight for sore eyes, and as soon as she had finished scrutinizing him, he was trapped within he arms once again.
"Sorry I was late," Connor whispered into her hair, squeezing her just a bit tighter.
Brígh responded by pressing a small kiss against his cheek. "You, good sir, are usually the only one in the family who is always on time, so I think you can be forgiven just this once," she told him solemnly. "You are never leaving again. Missed you too much,"
"Missed you too, Brígh," he told her, returning with a kiss to her forehead.
"You know, this reunion is so very touching and all," Alec interrupted in amusement, causing the two siblings to look at him. "But I'm beginning to feel a bit neglected over here."
Connor rolled his eyes, indulgently spreading an arm out in invitation. "Only because you helped me surprise her," he told the other man, glaring at him warily while his sister snickered slightly.
Alec raised an eyebrow. "You know you love me," he teased. "Though I believe that I have just about overstayed my welcome for the day," He continued as Brígh made to protest. "Since you were deprived of your big brother last night, you two go ahead and spend the day together." He gently pulled Brígh away from her brother to give her a departing hug. "You going to be okay?" he asked in a serious whisper, pulling away when she nodded slowly. He kissed her knuckles gently before he gave her a wink that was positively mischievous. And then he grabbed Connor by the face and planted a slobbery kiss upon his cheek before darting out of the apartment.
Moving out of the threshold of the door, Brígh watched as her friend departed with a look in her eyes that was half exasperated and half amused, her brother sputtering beside her. "You know, he only does that to get a rise out of you," she told him, closing the door. "Alec has made it his mission in life to provoke you."
Connor, wiping his cheek with the hem of his shirt, only scowled. "He succeeded when he was eight, and he announced to every one of Da's business partners that he had proposed to you and you were getting married the next time we went to church, and one day the two of you would have three babies. I believe he his exact words were that he wanted to have one of each,"
"We were children, Conn," Brígh reminded him gently. "And Alec has always been precocious,"
"A pest, is more like it,"
"You know," Brígh commented as she took a seat at her small dining table. "You could have told me that you were going to come back early. We weren't expecting you back for another two weeks."
"Actually," Connor smiled wryly. "Only you were expecting us back in two more weeks. Everyone else knew we were supposed to be back yesterday. It was going to be a surprise,"
"It would have been a great one," she told him, smiling. "In fact, it still is a great surprise,"
"Well good," He gave a single nod with a wide smile. "Glad to know I'm wanted."
"Always," she affirmed.
Connor smiled more sincerely, and ruffled her already messy hair. "Okay," he said, eying the robe with a pointed look as he nodded his head towards the bedroom. "Go and take a quick shower, and get dressed. Wear something nice, though you have my permission not to wear anything Cades bought for your birthday. You have ten minutes."
Brígh tried very hard not to appear amused. "Connor,"
"Nine minutes and forty seconds," he grinned.
"You are a pain," she muttered, and even though she rolled her eyes and childishly stuck her tongue out at him, she made her way back into her bedroom. She searched her closet for something appropriate to wear, and it had taken her a total of five minute to shower and apply a modest amount of makeup, if only to hide the dark circles beneath her eyes, and another three to vigorously brush her teeth. Soon she was slipping her feet into a pair of nice shoes and exiting the apartment with her brother.
Once they had settled within the cab of Connor's old brown pickup truck, Brígh listened as her brother began a detailed chronicle of his trip through Europe, thankfully omitting certain details that she did not really wish to know about her brother and new sister-in-law. He described the scenery in a way that painted a beautiful picture in her mind, and she closed her eyes while she listened and tried to focus on his voice rather than the motion sickness she was feeling. She hoped it would pass soon, because getting sick in his truck would ruin the rest of her day and she did not want there to be any more upsetting moments today.
"You would have loved it there," he concluded, and she smiled serenely.
"I hope you two took lots of pictures," she told him.
"Of course we did. Jess has them all on her computer..."
Brígh smiled thoughtfully, giving him a side glance. "Out of all the cities and sites you visited, did you have a favorite?"
Connor glanced at her hesitantly, and sighed. "We visited County Clare," he told her gently, smiling sadly when she turned to look at him. County Clare, in the republic of Ireland, was where their father had been born and raised, and where they had all likewise been born. Their grandmother had lived in the family estate just outside of the coastal town of Doolin until her recent passing eight months ago, and none of them had returned since the reading of the will. "The groundskeeper recognized me, and he let us stay for a few days."
Silence encompassed the truck as Connor continued to drive towards the secret destination. Out of all of them, Brígh had been closest to their grandmother. She had spent two months with her every year since she was twelve years old, and she had taken it the hardest when she had passed away in her sleep of old age.
Brígh let out a breath, and smiled reluctantly when Connor placed his hand over hers. "Where are we even going?" she asked, wanting to change the topic. This morning had already caused her enough stress, and she was not interested in ruining the rest of her day by thinking of her grandmother and bursting into tears. No more upsetting topics...
Connor gave her a mischievous grin. "Patience is a virtue." he taunted. "Almost there."
Eventually the truck slowly came to a halt as Connor pulled into a parking lot.
Brígh peered around the surroundings curiously, her eyes flashing in recognition before a wide smile lit her entire face. She leaned forward in excitement, looking out at the building. It was a relatively large building, a lovely garden terrace that had ornate and comfortable chairs set up beneath a canopy to shade the sun from diners. High windows of frosted glass that obscured the inside from prying eyes though still admitted soft light through to the inside, the outside walls were decorated with an attractive work of masonry, massive wooden doors with actual doormen waiting on either side, and there was a small pavilion with seating arrangements for the people waiting comfortably for their admittance.
Situated just in front of a beautiful row of flowers, there was a hand carved wooden sign that proudly proclaimed Charmed in an elaborate calligraphy for all to see.
Brígh turned to her brother eagerly. "Seriously?" she questioned, her voice borderline pleading. She had only been here once, and what a wonderful experience that had been, and if this was a prank she would seriously regret it. Connor merely grinned widely at her reaction, and she squealed slightly in an uncharacteristic display of enthusiasm. She squeezed his hand happily and hurried to get out of the vehicle. This was a much more thoughtful gift than any upscale spa. "No way!"
"You better believe it," Connor told her as he looped her arm with his, ready to lead her inside. "I almost had to call and ask Cadence to bring you instead, because my flight was delayed. You got lucky this time," He smiled. "I have had today planned for the past month now, and I would have hated to miss it myself,"
"This is the best present so far," she told him honestly, practically skipping as they reached the doormen, who smiled at the obviously joy on her face as they held the doors open.
Inside, Connor approached the maître d' while Brígh took a moment to allow the atmosphere of the restaurant to soak into her. The establishment was actually a rather simple design, a wide open space with large tables placed appropriately apart to allow for the illusion of privacy. The artificial lighting was minimally done with chandeliers hanging from the high vaulted ceiling and a few hangings on the wall as well as the shaded windows. The floors were composed of a terracotta and cream tile, which a few splashes of vivid color provided by small mosaics to make it look all the more beautiful. All of the furniture was made of a deep, dark cheery wood, and every table was covered with a pristine white cloth and illuminated with a bowl of floating white and red candles in the center.
Brígh allowed herself to be led by her brother as they were escorted to a secluded alcove, and she gave him a tight hug before she took her seat. Menus were placed before them, and she was clearly fascinated by every dish that Connor feared she may actually attempt to order at the very least one of everything. Her smile was absolutely infectious. He shook his head in amusement, looking down at his own menu. Their waitress was a young woman who was dressed very professionally as all of the servers were, with a nice wine colored long sleeve shirt, black slacks and a matching black vest. Her long dark hair was pulled into a fashionable braid to the side that draped over her shoulders, and she had a friendly air around her that was comfortable.
"Good afternoon," she greeted happily. "Thank you for choosing Charmed. My name is Linda, and I will be serving you today. Can I interest you in something to drink?"
Connor briefly glanced at the wine menu that she had in hand, and declined anything alcoholic since he was the one driving, and he ordered a soda while Brígh opted for a simple iced tea. Brígh seriously doubted that she would ever have the nerve to consume anything remotely containing alcohol after last night. Her head was still aching slightly, the asprin having dulled the pain only slightly, though she suspected she was hiding it rather well because Connor did not look the least bit suspicious. At least the nausea had passed now that she was no longer in a moving vehicle.
Brígh finally, though not without reluctance, selected just one meal out of the vast choices. As they were served soups and salads and complimentary appetizers while they waited for their entrees, she inquired where her brother's new wife was and why she was not able to join them for lunch, and she was disappointed to find that Jessica was feeling a bit under the weather from the long flight overseas. It was a shame because she had been looking forward to seeing her.
"We can visit her before I take you home later," Connor offered, a pleased grin on his face.
Brígh had been the first in their family to warm up to Jessica, if only for the reason that she made her brother deliriously happy. One of the things that had won Brígh over was the fact that Jessie had not been after Connor for their family's wealth, and if fact, had been unaware that he even came from old money when they had met, unlike a few of the gold digging women he had dated in the past. Jessica was nothing like them, and once she had Brígh's acceptance, it had not been difficult to incorporate her into their family. As far as Brígh was concerned, Jessica was her sister now. Family was not always blood, but it was family nonetheless.
Brígh nodded. "That would be great. I haven't had a chance to see her since we saw you off on the cruise,"
"She missed you too," he told her. "You've become her best friend…"
"Not just a best friend," Brígh said gently. "She's my sister."
Connor's smile was so wide that it almost physically hurt, and he leaned over the table to give her a kiss on the cheek to show her just how happy it made him feel to hear that his sister thought of his wife as family. He never made it close enough to actually give her the kiss, however, and he pulled back sharply as his glass of water suddenly pitched forward, spilling across his chest and further dripping down his pants. He hissed at the coldness of the ice and cursed slightly at the state of his clothes, grabbing at his napkin to try and clean some of the water up. Strangely enough all of the liquid seemed to have ignored the table all together and had only managed to get on him.
"Damn it," he sighed, standing from his seat. "Guess I leaned in a bit too close." Connor excused himself to the restroom so he could attempt to dry himself off, and Brígh could only laugh softly as he retreated because she had the strangest feeling of déjà vu, as if something similar had happened to her.
While he was still absent from the table, their server brought out the entrees. Glancing toward the direction her brother had disappeared, she silently willed him to finish quickly because the scent of the food made her stomach growl, all previous thoughts of nausea disappearing with a sudden hunger replacing it. After five minutes, she was unable to resist temptation caused by the delicious scent of the food, and Brígh discreetly loaded her fork with a small portion. She savored the first bite of her meal, the explosion of flavor on her tongue making her eyes fall closed involuntarily as she slowly chewed the morsel. It was heavenly, and she cursed herself for not making a reservation herself before this day.
It was almost as if the food itself was enchanted, and she could feel all of the love and care the chef had poured into it while cooking. Who knew food could have such an effect on someone? She drew the fork out of her mouth slowly, her tongue flicking out to catch some of the sauce on her bottom lip.
Everest eyes glided open lazily and she was quick to place the fork back down, so that her brother would be none the wiser of her sneaking a bite, although she suddenly had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. She looked up, wondering if her brother had caught her in the act, though he was still nowhere in sight. Casting her gaze around the quiet restaurant, she searched for anyone who could have been watching her.
Brígh found it extremely difficult to breathe for reasons she did not understand when she noticed that there was, indeed, a man staring at her. He was behind the serving bar just outside of the door that led to the kitchens, nearly on the complete opposite side of the room. He looked vaguely familiar, though he was too far away for her to make any true distinction, though there was something about him that garnered some recognition.
A tremble surged through her as dark, midnight blue eyes rested solely on her.
It was as if the rest of the world had melted away into nothingness and they were the only two people here, the way he stared at her so powerful. She half expected him to smile at her, and reveal the prominent dimples she was somehow sure he possessed. He did not move, he did not smile—he was still as a statue. She swallowed nervously at the intensity of what his gaze implied, and she was strangely calm and not worried… but shaken nonetheless.
And then something in his features changed, and his eyes slid away from her to something beside her, his face darkening in obvious displeasure. It was intimidating, though she had no time to think about it because she sensed movement beside her, and found herself staring at her brother as he retook his seat. He had yet to look at her, too busy commenting on how good the food looked, and she took that moment to calm herself down.
"… was able to use the hand dryers to get most of the water off," Connor was saying. "Got a few strange looks from some of the other blokes in there, but who cares. I'm mostly dry now. You know, I am truly surprised that you were able to restrain yourself and wait for me, though I'm sure you snuck a bite or two…"
Brígh allowed her brother's voice to wash over her like a calming wave, soothing her racing heart. "Just one," she defended weakly. "You know me too well,"
Their conversation was light and calm for the rest of their meal, menial topics such as how Brígh was doing in her classes at the university, or if Connor and Jessica had any future plans to move out of the small apartment they were currently residing in. Throughout it all, however, Brígh had become increasingly uneasy about the intense blue eyes watching her. The fact that this stranger was watching her so raptly was not what made her uneasy; it was the fact that she was not uneasy that he was watching her that was making her uncomfortable. She should feel at least a bit uncomfortable that he was staring at her, and she wasn't and her own feelings were confusing her.
By the time their desert arrived, Brígh had begun periodically glancing over to the serving bar, and had caught sight of bright blue eyes every single time before she quickly turned away. Connor had yet to notice her suspicious behavior, too enraptured with his own treat to notice how off kilter she was at the moment. She was grateful because should he have noticed, she would have had to stumble through an explanation and she happened to be a terrible liar. He would demand answers, and once he discovered her promiscuous activities last night, there would be a manhunt.
The young woman was half tempted to stalk over to the bar under the pretense of ordering herself a drink—not that she would actually buy a drink. Never, ever again!—just to question him and his intentions. She knew she was aesthetically appealing. Cadence had almost forced her into applying at a modeling agency once, though their father had forbidden it because he refused to have their faces plastered over magazines and ogled at by the masses. She was confident enough to say that she was pretty... but this was simply ridiculous!
Just as she was gathering her courage to do just that, a young woman approached the man. Brígh recognized her easily as the waitress as the one serving their table. Linda, she recalled, and she frowned slightly as the brunette girl began gesturing almost angrily at the man. She watched them argue quietly behind the bar, their body language speaking of agitation and a kind of familiarity in the way they were tense though still comfortable enough to move in so close to each other so no one could overhear their conversation.
Brígh felt something painful tug at her heart as the man with the blue eyes soothed Linda with a gentle hand on her shoulder, his eyes softening as he touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. She looked away, something inside of her not wanting to witness the intimate moment between them. Her stomach churned uncomfortably, and she stood quickly, excusing herself from the table. She smiled reassuringly at Connor when he looked up briefly from his desert in concern of her sudden movement, and by the look in his eyes he had finally realized that she was at least nervous. She retreated towards the ladies room to avoid answering just yet. He would probably leave question her when she returned but for right now she just wanted to be alone.
Just for a moment, to collect herself.
Pausing at the door to the restroom, Brígh could not help but turn her head slightly, just to get one last look over at the bar. She should have been pleased that his attention had found a new target, not... this. She felt anxious, and a bit irritated. And she tensed as she witnessed Linda suddenly surging forward and wrapping her arms around the man's neck, burying her face against his chest. An irrational anger filled her veins as she watched the open display between them, which only intensified as the young woman stood on her toes to place a chaste kiss to the man's chin.
The sound of glass bursting apart into thousands of tiny fragments quite effectively shattered the moment, as well as the peaceful atmosphere of the entire restaurant. It had happened so abruptly that all of the guests jolted at the earsplitting intrusion, some even starting so badly that they had fallen out of their chairs. The sound was akin to a gunshot, though not quite. It had been a wine bottle that had broken, the remnants of the vicious maroon liquid pooling around the remains of the bottle, dripping down the sides of the bar.
Brígh herself was staring at the broken glass with an air of disbelief shrouding her, a frown on her face as she replayed what had happened in her mind. The wine had been directly in her line of sight, being that the man had set it down just before he and the waitress had begun to argue. Had she not been staring in that direction so intently, she would have just assumed that someone had simply knocked it over or dropped it, causing it to break. It was a logical conclusion, one which several people had already come to and gone back to their meals in peace.
Only… that was not what had occurred.
The only two people near enough to have done so, to have been so careless as to have knocked it over or allowed it to slip from their hands, had been melded together in an intimate embrace, both of which were now looking at the remains of the accident with deep frowns of trepidation. Brígh might have been the only person to have seen what had truly happened to it... but what she seen was just not possible. It made no sense to her rational mind. It could not have happened the way she had saw it, or how she thought she saw it. Because things like that just didn't happen outside of fantasy books without some sort of reasonable explanation. There had to have been some kind of buildup of pressure inside of the bottle, just like carbonation in a bottle of soda that had been shaken too much.
Yes. That was it. A build up of pressure... that was all.
Because no one had touched the bottle… it had exploded.
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¸.·´¯·»Chapter«·´¯·.¸
Okay, so I may just have to start working on this regardless, because it has become a nice distraction when I get hung up on my other story. Speaking of I'm hoping to finish the next chapter of Finding Yourself by the end of this week, for those who are interested!
Lynx