A crack of thunder startled me, and I saw a white streak run past me and under the couch, "Oh Eggo! No need to be frightened. Poor baby!" Then it hit me, duh. The way to get closer is by acting scared of the thunder, but then he'd think I'm always scared of storms…bad dream? Yeah! That's it.
When Garrison came back he was soaking wet, I was still holding a terrified Eggo, and the smell of the Chinese food made my mouth water. Having my fill of all the Chinese food my stomach could hold, the power just happened to go out. Garrison and I scrounged up candles, blankets, pillows, and board games that were in a coat closet.
Five hours later, I was so tired, but the thought of my plans tonight kept my head buzzing.
"One more game, I'm so tired." I said, I couldn't move my leg because Eggo was on it, lucky dog. After the game, I convinced Garrison that we could pick up everything tomorrow morning. Getting ready for bed I wore my most non-revealing nightgown. I climbed in, and laid awake for a few more minutes, then heard the soft breathing of Garrison. I drifted off into a light sleep waking up about an hour later. Then I thought about how I was going to execute my plan.
Do I just jump up and scream and shake? Start moaning…no. I could start moving around then start saying stuff…yeah. So I started kind of tossing and turning trying to make as much noise as I possibly could.
"No. Don't." I said softly. "Please, he's just a puppy!" I got a little louder. "Don't hurt them. Take me! Take me!" I got very loud. Nice choice of words Raven… "No, don't touch them. They didn't do anything." By then I was thrashing around. My thick nightgown and jumping around was making me kind of sweaty, good effects. I suddenly felt two arms come around me. But I didn't stop there. I continued to thrash just screaming now.
"Raven. Raven wake up, it's just a bad dream. Nothing's happening, it was all a dream." I stopped my movements and opened my eyes. There was the same vivid green stare that had captivated me the first time I saw it.
"They were coming after us. They wanted to hurt Eggo! You were tied up. It was terrible!" I whined.
"It was just a bad dream. See? No one but us is here." I was very aware of that. "Now are you O.K.?"
"Yeah, I guess." I was shaking slightly, but not from any cold weather or bad dreams. His body was so close to mine! I wasn't sure if I uncomfortable but I definitely didn't like it. As he began to get up, I cleared my throat a bit, "Do, do you think you can sleep with me. It was so scary. And when," I blushed at this fact, "I had a bad dream I would sometimes crawl into bed with either my mom or my little sister. Silly I know. But I just don't like being alone sometimes."
I made my eyes big, hoping that the word please was being written all over my face. He looked as if he was having a conflict within himself. I stuck out my lower lip slightly, adding some effect. It always worked on Weston when I wanted him to share his cookie at lunch. He sighed and walked on the other side of the bed and got in.
I smiled, score! Would sleeping with my captor be so bad? I'd known the guy now for about seven months….it wasn't like I was going to do anything with him right? I had finally resolved with myself when I felt him finish settling down, I rolled over and smiled. I slightly touched his arm, "Thank you." I whispered, I closed my eyes and eventually fell into a deep sleep.
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"You slept with him?"
"No, not sexually. We just happened to sleep in the same bed."
"Did you think that you were every going to have sex with him?"
"At the time, no. It didn't cross my mind."
"Did he sleep with you after that night?"
"Yes, after that night we slept in the same bed. I, uh, I insisted that I wanted him to sleep with me. Because it made me feel better."
"When in fact you were just following your plans."
"Exactly. I thought I was making good progress."
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Month eight; everything is going as planned. Hazel and Chris were coming over for Christmas Eve. When I awoke, there was a box laying at the foot of the bed. A note lay on top with my name on it. Merry Christmas. Was all it said, I pulled off the top, to see a beautiful dress laying inside with a foreign name on the tag. Mom had taught me a little something about fashion, and what I could recall it had a wide dolman shaped top, and straight bottom with a pencil slit just above the knees. It was all black with a belt just under the bust. At the bottom of the box was a pair of three and a half inch black heels. As I was getting ready after a day of cooking, I took extra care to make my make up and hair look just as perfect as my dress.
When they arrived, I went and turned on Christmas music, and Chris came over and we started dancing. Garrison walked in carrying some drinks. Everyone grabbed one, except me.
"Are you going to drink it or not?" Hazel said.
"It's alcoholic." I had tasted alcohol before, but Mom had never actually let me have a glass."
"Honey, we're not going to tell anyone. I assure you, it's all right," she added.
I grabbed the glass, and saw Garrison smirking out of the corner of my eye. I winked at him, and made my way towards the kitchen…to check on the food. I was facing the stove, when I felt two hands come to my shoulders and turned me around. I smiled and looked into his face.
"You look beautiful tonight." He said, those eyes sparkling.
"Thank you. This is a really pretty dress."
"It is."
"I was very surprised at seeing it. It's perfect."
"I wanted to give you something nice."
"Well you did, I can assure you. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"We should probably get back, I don't want to keep our guests waiting."
Dinner, gift exchange, and some carols, with the exception of Garrison were to follow. Before they left, Hazel had to give Eggo his new collar. The poor dog was growing so fast. He already weighed at least a hundred pounds and he was only two months old.
After they said goodbye, Garrison told Eggo to go to bed (it took me a week to train him to do that). He grabbed two glasses and a bottle of champagne and came and sat on the living room floor.
"I think this calls for a celebration."
"And what are we celebrating?"
"Our first Christmas together." My heart somewhat soared, and then quickly fell at the thought of my family. I smiled softly.
"Yes, I suppose this is a special moment."
"To us." He raised his glass, and I clinked mine to his. I smiled softly, one step closer. He moved slightly, eyes still on my face, and pulled something from behind his back, a jewelry box.
My eyes widened, and my heart skipped a beat and began a hectic pace within my chest. I looked at the box, and then into his face.
"This is for you. I bought it quite some time ago. At the mall, actually, the first time I saw you. I don't know if you remember, but when I saw your face, I thought, 'Wow, she's so beautiful'. And I went into a jewelry store across from where you were shopping, and I bought this." I continued to stare.