Hey guys :) Finished Chapter 24 in Wales :P I hope you enjoy the wedding reception and please tell me what you think. Thanks again for reading :P Disclaimer – I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters x
Chapter 24 –
"Your brother?" I asked staring into his amethyst eyes in confusion. Skye, Vaughn's brother? What was happening? I was about to question him but Jill suddenly caught hold of my arm and pulled me in front of the photographer.
"Smile" He said before taking a snapshot of us in front of an old weeping willow. I turned to look at Vaughn but he was staring into the distance.
"Hey what about one of you and Vaughn?" Jill smiled cheerfully as she reached over and took hold of Vaughn's arm before pushing him towards me. Before he could protest the photographer was already getting the camera into position. Vaughn wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my head while I snuggled into his neck while looking at the camera. He snapped the photo and nodded for us to move.
"Vaughn …" I started but he pulled on my hand and took me back into the crowd.
"Not here," He whispered before Skye and Jill walked past us into the white limo waiting at the curb. It was decorated with baby blue ribbons and had tin cans attached to the back. I'd never really understood the need for them. Before Jill got in she turned her back on us and with all of her strength, threw her bouquet of flowers into the air. Loads of girls in front of us began to gather into a tight circle, hoping that they'd be the ones to catch the bouquet. I chuckled at their desperate attempts while everyone watched the flowers spiral in the air. I was staring at the girl in the pink dress when Vaughn stepped back ever so slightly and grunted. A round of applause broke out and I stared around confused before looking at Vaughn who held the bouquet in his spare hand. I burst into a fit of laughter as it came to me that the bouquet had hit him in the chest and made him slip backwards slightly. He handed the flowers to me and adjusted his hat so that he wasn't the centre of attention. Rolling my eyes I joined everyone in waving them off before some taxis began to full up and people started to get in. By the time the third cab came round it was mine and Vaughn's turn to get in. We shared the taxi with a short rounded feller and a much taller blond woman. The journey to the pub was awkward. There was no conversation for the full ten minutes but only the steady breathing of everyone. When the car pulled up outside the Admiral Johnston, Vaughn couldn't be happier to get out and rush into the busy pub.
Inside was beautifully decorated with a large wooden dance floor, blue heart balloons and ribbons that were draped over almost everything in sight. The music was playing and in the centre of the dance floor stood Jill and Skye who were gracefully twirling in circles to slow music that I wasn't too familiar with.
"Vaughn …" I turned to face him and his face was torn in a flurry of emotions that were usually hidden behind a thick brick wall. I sighed and took hold of his hand before leading him towards the door which read 'staff only'. Completely ignoring the sign I opened the door and led Vaughn inside. Inside looked like a normal living area minus a T.V and a fire. There was a brown sofa which I pulled Vaughn onto before sitting down at the opposite end and lifting my feet onto his knee.
"Explain yourself cowboy" I said confused and intruded about who the man my aunt had just married. Skye and Vaughn had both been a little … lacking on the details of their past. He sighed before taking off his hat and ruffling his hair. I eyed him curiously as he placed his hat on my lap and turned to face my.
"Chelsea … I've never thought that I could feel like what I feel when I'm with you …" He rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously.
"When I was little, my dad wasn't always around … but when he was he … he would start arguments …" He sighed again and I nodded understandably.
"Skye was 9 years older than so he always used to protect me from the worst of it. But in the morning there would always be broken pictures, vases, anything that was fragile. And mum, she would have a black eye here, a broken rib there. I didn't understand what was happening, I thought. I thought that this was how family's acted. But mum was unhappy and so when I was 3. I woke up to Skye screaming. I got up out of bed and toddled over to my bedroom door, walked down the corridor towards mum's room. She was there, hanging from the light with a rope around her neck … I screamed. Even when the neighbours came round and carried me out I still screamed."
He paused. He wasn't breathing or even moving at all. I sat up and took hold of his hand in mine. Gently stroking it with my thumb I squeezed it gently.
"Even after she died she still stuck up for him. Always said he loved us all but he didn't. We were just some of the mistakes of the thousands. Of course me and Skye got sent to an orphanage. They didn't treat us properly there, only fed us when they felt like it. Slowly me and Skye grew away from each other and after just one year after being sent there he vanished. I never saw him again. He's left me like mum had done, alone and cold. By the time I turned 12 I had tried to escape over 25 times. Each were carefully planned but none succeeded. I'd always get caught near the fence as I tried to climb over. As I turned 13 I finally managed to escape and fled the city. I ran, faster than I'd ever run before, hoping that I would die if I ever got caught. Luckily no one came after me this time and it wasn't until I reached Mineral Town till I realised that I was homeless. I spent two weeks on the streets, eating out of rubbish bins at the back of a restaurant. Then I stumbled onto a ranch, run by an old man who took me in."
I smiled slightly as he continued to stare at the ground.
"He gave me a home, taught me 'bout animals. I actually felt happy living there. That was until he had a heart attack on the day he had sent me out to buy the shopping in. If I had been there I could have called an ambulance, could have saved him."
I took his hat of my legs and put it behind me before taking a seat next to me and hugging him.
"Vaughn … Heart attacks are mostly always fatal. If you had have been there you probably couldn't have changed anything. It wasn't your fault." I soothed as I twisted a hand through his hair. He stayed silent for a while before gently nodding.
"After that is when Mirabelle found me. She'd been mum's sister and had recognised me from the marketplace. And ever since I've been living with them." He finished with a deep sigh. I pushed his arms aside and crawled onto his lap when I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. No wonder he had been so cold when I'd first met him. He'd lost so many people that he was afraid of getting close to people again. I pulled away and pushed his hair out of his face so I could see his full facial features.
"Vaughn ..." I began but didn't have any words to say. He sniffed and smiled at me.
"Then I found you Chelsea …" He stated. I looked into his eyes before kissing him on the lips. He kissed me back passionately and took hold of my hand.
"Vaughn I will never leave you, no matter what." I said looking seriously at him. He smiled but then it slowly faded and his gaze turned to our hands that were interlocked. He mumbled something quietly before kissing me again. I didn't want to question what he said; I thought he'd shared enough to me.
"And when you were in hospital Chelsea, they told me that you probably wouldn't wake up. I was torn up, I couldn't lose anyone else. But now Skye's just turned up out of the blue without the slightest bit of regret and seemed like he found himself a new family." He said, his eyes becoming redder. I reached over again and pulled him to my chest.
"Vaughn, don't be hard on yourself. You've got me here with you now and that's all you need to concentrate on." I said, trying to comfort him. He sniffed again but wrapped his arms around my waist. He laughed and buried his head into my head as I rested my cheek on the top of his head.
I wish I could pick him and lock him away in my heart so nobody could ever hurt him again. I should have told him how my own past wasn't perfect. How I'd ended up in the care of my aunt and why I cry when I think about my mum. But I couldn't. I never wanted anyone to find out, if I didn't speak of it, it never really happened.
"Come on cowboy, let's enjoy the party" I smiled getting up and holding out my hand. He took it and smiled before sniffing again and picking up his hat where he placed it on his head. Leading me out of the 'staff only' room, Vaughn made his way to the bar where he took a seat and let me sit on the one next to him. I stared around at all the multi-coloured cocktails and felt sick from when I downed the shots at the dance nearly season ago.
"What can I get you?" The bartender asked turning to face me and Vaughn.
"A pint of larger and …" Vaughn turned to face me and motioned for me to order something.
"Erm a glass of white wine please" I smiled at him before he scuttled off. I watched him pull out glasses and fill them up before placing them down in front of us and giving me a wink. Vaughn rolled his eyes before taking his beer and drinking half of it in one breath.
"Slow down cowboy. You still owe me a dance" I winked as I took a sip of my wine and placing it back onto the bar. I smiled before turning around to look at the dance floor where Jill and Skye were rocking it up in the middle as the heart shaped lights spun around them. If Vaughn and Skye were brothers then why did they have separate names? Skye Jacobs and Vaughn Thomas.
As me and Vaughn finished our drinks the music slowly tuned down and 'Iris – Goo Goo Dolls' suddenly lit up the pub. Vaughn got up of his chair and held out a hand.
"Here is your free dance ma'am" He winked as I took hold of it. He led me onto the dance floor where he wrapped his arm around my waist and slowly began to spin in circles around the old wooden floor.
'And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now'
I let the lyrics flow through my ears and take hold of my body as Vaughn's tender touch span me around. Closing my eyes I pictured a perfect life. Me and Vaughn growing old together, having a life. Where neither of us would ever be hurt by people ever again, as long as we stuck together.
'And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
When sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight'
Vaught spun me around again and delicately caught my waist where we continued to dance slowly to the soft melody. I looked up into his face where his eyes caught mine and held them tight. The purple within shone and for the first time ever in public he smiled. Smiled with his teeth where they shone a gleaming bright white.
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
The fire burning within suddenly burst out and expressed its self in the song. The passion held behind barriers for ages suddenly let loose and all of a sudden the song was my life. Me and Vaughn caught up in the lyrics as they wrapped themselves around us. It seemed that there were no couples around us but just the fire of our bodies dancing around on the hard wooden floor.
'And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you'd bleed just to know you're alive'
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
The guitar and drum solo burst out and joined the fire our spirits together in a delicate dance which was still full of passion. The lyrics reflected our lives. I closed my eyes and rested my head on Vaughn's chest as the music continued to pulse through my body.
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
'I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am'
Finally the music came to a slow stop just as Vaughn spun me around one last time. I opened my eyes to look at him and reach up to kiss him. He kisses back and as we pull away I looked around at all the couples that were staring at us. Coughing nervously I took hold of Vaughn's hand and lead him to a free table which was the furthest away from everyone. As we sat down the music picked up again and 'cotton eyed Joe – Rednex' came on. Everyone around us suddenly started lassoing the air as I turned to voice.
"Hey cowboy?" I asked smiling at him sneakily.
"Yeah?" He asked raising an eyebrow at me. I winked before snatching his cowboy hat off his head and placing it on mine. He rolled his eyes as I got up and stood back on the dance floor and started lassoing the air with the other guests. Except I looked a hell lot better because I had a hat to go with it. I managed to lasso my way to Jill where she looked up at Vaughn's hat and rolled her eyes. Hey if I wanted to join in it was best I looked the part.
I didn't finish the song and sat back down next to Vaughn when it was only halfway over. He laughed before taking his hat back and putting it back onto his head.
"Having fun little cowgirl?" He asked raising an eyebrow again. I nodded and smirked.
"So you and your aunt close?" He asked looking at me. I nodded again before taking hold of the blue WKD that Vaughn had bought me, and taking a sip.
"Yeah, I mean I've been living with her since I was a little girl. She's more like an older sister to me" I laughed at the good memories we'd had in the past. He took a sip of his pint before nodding at me.
"How come you lived with her? What about your parents?" He asked eyeing me carefully, reading every emotion that flooded through my face. Unluckily for me that any mention of my parents made my face scrunch up into a ball.
"Well I never knew my dad and mum … well she died …" I replied staring at the bottom of my glass trying to tell him mentally that I didn't really want to bring up bad memories.
"Oh" He said quietly. "Are you alright?" He asked after a long pause of me being silent. I swallowed the lump in my throat. And coughed slightly before nodding.
"Yeah, I'm sorry it's just that … well" A silent tear ran down my cheek as I chocked on my words. Vaughn immediately moved his beer out of the way and wrapped his arms around me.
"Chelsea I'm sorry, it's alright" He soothed as his hand ran over my hair. I sniffed as I buried my head in his shirt.
"I'm fine. It's just that my mum saved my life … but lost hers in the process" I said digging my head deeper into his chest. Another tear slipped down my face as Vaughn pulled me in tighter.
"Chels" He said sympathetic as he gently rocked me. I sobbed quietly as his voice soothed me.
"I'm sorry." I repeated over and over again. Vaughn shook his head and told me not to worry.
"She was my best friend. And I saw a balloonist on the other side of the street which made little puppy balloons. So I ran towards him, across the street. The big truck was heading to me but mum ran for me and pushed me out of the way … just as the truck drove past. I broke my elbow badly but mum was pronounced dead on the scene. I killed her Vaughn, I killed my mum!" I whimpered into his chest. My flood barriers had never in my whole life been let down this low and all my built up emotions spilled out … all over Vaughn's shirt.
"Chelsea Edwards now you listen to me. None of it was your fault, I know because any kid would have run" Vaughn's voice washed over me with no effect. He pulled me onto his lap and rocked me.
It took a good 20 minutes until the tears had stopped flowing through my eyes and onto Vaughn. I stared at him like I was a little kid again. I felt like Vaughn was the only person in the world that truly understood me. Twin flames.
"Chels, you alright?" He asked looking down into my eyes. I nodded slowly before he reached his hand up to my face and wiped away the remaining tears and mascara stains. After he got rid of the tears he kissed the end of my nose. I giggled before resting my head back on his neck.
"Can we go home?" I asked quietly. He nodded and stood up with me in his arms. When we got past the table he placed me down gently on my feet and took hold of my hand. We stepped outside and it was already growing dark. I guess we'd been here longer than I thought. He walked me around to the side of the pub where the black BMW sat. Someone must have brought it round because I swear we left it back at the hairdressers. As we were about to get in there was a sound behind us and as we both turned around we were greeted by Skye standing on his own with his hands in his pockets.
"Vaughn" He said, no emotion in his voice. My heart suddenly rocketed and I felt lightheaded.
"Skye" Vaughn replied in his cool, emotionless voice. I took hold of his hand and stood behind him. There was an eerie silence as the boys stared at each other.
"Chelsea?" Vaughn asked. Not moving his gaze from Skye. I looked up at him.
"Yeah?" I asked. My voice hoarse and sore from crying.
"Wait in the car"
So both Chelsea and Vaughn finally spilled out there pasts. And if you remember earlier on in the story where Chelsea burst out crying randomly, well that's why. She was just crying at the memories of her mum which is a very touchy subject for her :P Took a bit long to explain why but I finally got there ;) Also 'Iris – Goo Goo Dolls' is Vaughn and Chelsea's song :P Yeah so hope you enjoyed yet another chapter of Strange Attraction and please review me :D Stay tuned for the next update x