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“So, Blue, how are you feeling today?” says the doc, as he slides into the leather chair behind his expensive desk.
“I’m feeling great,” I say, taking up my position on the couch, stretching out with my hands behind my head.
“You can sit in a chair, if you like,” he says. “It’s not like you need to lie down. It’s not a psychiatry law.”
“I know. I’m just more comfortable this way.”
“Very well, then. Where were we? Oh, right. You were about to embark on another adventure.”
“That’s the perfect word for it, Doc. But this one isn’t so … well, I’ll just tell it, then.”
OOO
“Sorry, I can’t stay for dinner,” I yell to Sis, as I’m running out the door. “I’m heading over to Kayla’s.” A fast exit is a wise exit - Less irksome questions that way.
As I pull in Kayla’s driveway, her roomie is just leaving. Ah yes, Addison - Addie for short. She’s a spicy thing for sure. So many girls and just one little ole’ me. I think Addie has the hots for me. She waves at me and throws a huge smile my way as she backs slowly out of the driveway. Maybe a little flirting wouldn’t hurt. I lean out of my convertible Bimmer.
“Hey, Blue, how’s it going?” she asks, all bouncy and dressed for sex in her opened up electric blue Jeep.
“Couldn’t be better,” I say, tossing my most potent smile her way. “You’re looking delightful today. Is Kayla ready to go?”
“She’s always ready to go,” Addie says, laughing. “And you’re not so bad yourself! Catch you later.”
She continues rolling out of the driveway as I pull the rest of the way up to the house. I realize that I still feel so good it’s almost supernatural.
I push the doorbell and the door opens, revealing a towel-wrapped Kayla, obviously fresh from the shower. “Hi Blue, come on in,” she says, with a laugh. I grab her and kiss her, ending up nearly as wet as she is. Damn, she looks good. Smells good too.
“Do you always answer the door like this?” I ask, kissing her neck.
She laughs and says, “Sure, doesn’t everyone?”
“I think Blue is jealous,” I say, undoing her towel, which drops in a heap on the floor at her feet. She laughs as I pick her up and carry her to the couch. After a particularly spirited lovemaking event, she lay on top of me, cooing her little happy noises. I’m happy, too, and decide to finally push the envelope. I decide to stay the night.
Sleeping with her in a real bed is a nice change of pace. I like it. It makes me feel so … adult. The next morning is pleasant too. We enjoy a breakfast of champions together.
“Blue,” she says, cleaning up the breakfast dishes. “How about we take a drive up the coast later, maybe catch some dinner and just hang out?”
I smile and say that sounds great, but I need to go home and get cleaned up. What I don’t tell her is that I need to report in to my Dad and sister. We kiss at the door, our lips expressing what words cannot. Oh no! I’m starting to sound like dad. Now that’s scary.
By the time I get home, it’s nearly noon. I walk in the door to find both my Dad and Sis standing in the living room with their arms crossed. Oh, good grief, here it comes.
“Where were you last night? We were worried sick,” Aubrey says, coming over to hug on me. “We tried to call and you didn’t answer.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say, “I must have turned my phone off by accident. I stayed with Kayla last night. She was alone and scared. Her roommate was out of town.” Utter rubbish, of course. Part of me feels bad for being dishonest, but Dad just winks at me. You can’t con a con, as they say.
“Got anything to eat?” I ask, desperate for a change of topic.
“Sure, Micro Bro,” says Sis, detaching to walk to the kitchen. “How about a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich?”
“My favorite,” I say with a smile. “But can I catch a shower first?”
“We insist on it,” says Dad, holding his nose and laughing.
When I get back, sure enough my sister has put out a nice little stack of grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. I’m loving life. I’m so glad I got to know my rich bio dad, even though Josh was a great stand-in when I was younger.
I learned of my biological father by eavesdropping on Mom and him having an argument. And, to be honest, I didn’t know quite how to feel at first. But then, I thought if Josh wanted to be a dad to me, I was grateful for that. But when Bio Daddy reappeared in my life a couple of years ago, it threw me off again. Now I feel as though I’ve sorted it out. Better to have two dads than none, I reason.
“Hey, by the way,” I say as I’m finishing up lunch, “I’m going to take Kayla up the coast tonight for dinner, just so you don’t worry about me.” I grin.
They nod and smile in return. “Sure. Will you be home tonight or do you need to protect Kayla from the dark again?” Dad says, smirk firmly in place. His dripping sarcasm is not lost on me.
“I’ll probably stay over, if that’s okay. Her roomie isn’t due back until tomorrow night.”
Sis gives me a half-sad smile. “You’re growing up so fast, Baby Blue. I miss having a little brother.”
I smile at her and say, “Don’t worry, Sis. I’ll always be your micro bro.” That seems to make her happy.
Around six I head out for Kayla’s. She’s nearly ready to go but by the time we actually get back into the car, it’s dusk, my favorite time of day. I give her a long, slow kiss before we leave the driveway. She tastes good. Hints of Italian Moscato.
“So, where does my lovely lady want to go tonight?”
“There are a lot of nice restaurants along Coastal Highway. Let’s just drive. It’s a beautiful night for a ride.” She unhooks her seatbelt and slides closer so she can cuddle with me. I’m afraid I’m having a bad effect on her as I never wear one. Like father, like son. I rev the engine in response. She giggles.
We take off up the coast, the cool, evening wind blowing through our hair. I have one hand on the wheel and the other arm casually wrapped around her, every once in a while my hand caresses her exposed skin. Freedom – it’s a heady feeling. The road isn’t crowded tonight so I open her up. I love the response of the powerful engine as it takes the curves without so much as a groan.
Turned on by her closeness, I find myself stealing kisses.
“Keep your eyes on the road,” she says, giggling. “And at least one hand on the wheel.”
I laugh. She’s just so cute. The sun has fallen behind the earth unleashing an incredible carpet of stars above us. I glance at her and move in for another kiss.
Suddenly she tenses ... glaring headlights ... she shrieks “Look out!” … I wrench the wheel to the left to avoid the car that’s right in front of me in my lane. Screams intermingle with the sound of stones crunching under skidding tires as I desperately struggle to regain control of the small car. But it’s skidding wildly across the gravel at the edge of the overhang. Then comes the horrifying silence … we’re airborne … hurtling into the darkness. I’ve just driven us off a frigging cliff. Keeping my wits about me, I mutter the levitation spell as she wraps herself around me. The fear radiating off of her is palpable as I turn and take her into my arms.
I feel the car begin to drop out from under us as I slowly lift us up and onto the side of the road. I glance down to see my birthday present disappearing into the darkness below. The silence of my beautiful Beemer plummeting helplessly toward the ocean is only broken by Kayla’s terrified screams. The entire scene makes my stomach retch. Still. Kayla just keeps screaming after I’ve returned us safely to terra firma. My heart is pounding out of my chest but I need to stay calm - for Kayla’s sake.
Still holding me in a death grip, she whispers, “Are we dead?”
“We’re not, but my ride definitely is.”
Kayla peels herself off of me, wide eyed and obviously traumatized. Her mouth begins to flap but no words are uttered. Then, as though someone turned on a light switch, she throws her head back and laughs.
“What’s so funny?” I ask, a bit perturbed, not seeing any mirth in our current situation.
“It’s a dream, isn’t it? I’m having some kind of weird anxiety-fueled dream. Okay, Me, you can wake up now!” she says, looking skyward.
I just stand there, staring at her. “It’s not a dream, Kayla.”
“It has to be dream. Don’t you see? We’d be dead if it weren’t.”
“We aren’t dead, KayKay,” I say. “I saved us.”
“You saved us?” she says, looking perplexed. “How is that possible? I remember the car going off the cliff!” She pinches her arm, apparently still believing this to be a dream.
“I levitated us back to the roadway,” I say, pulling my cell from my back pants pocket to call Dad.
She blinks at me, then says, “I have to get my purse.” Then, she nearly walks off the cliff before I realize what she’s doing.
“Kayla!” I shout, grabbing her and pulling her back from the edge. “You’re in shock. I’m calling my father to come pick us up, okay? Stay with me.”
Kayla nods but I’m not letting go. “Dad!” I say, relieved that he answers on the first ring. “I have a situation here. No, we’re fine but … I’m trying to tell you … We’re up on Coastal Highway, not too far from Malibu …”
The line goes dead and I realize he didn’t even ask me what happened. But I know he’s on his way. He probably read my mind. I’m so screwed up at the moment; I might not have blocked him very well. I take Kayla’s hand and lead her to a nearby rock so we can at least sit down.
The sound of an explosion rips through the serenity of the night. I glance over the edge to see a fireball rising from the craggy rocks below. "What was that?" Kayla asks breathlessly.
I’m on the verge of grousing that it’s just my damn car, but I decide against it. No good starting the whole ordeal over again.
Kayla hugs me. “I love you.”
“I love you too, KayKay,” I say, too emotionally wrecked to know whether I mean those words or not. Ten minutes later, I see a car barreling up the road and, figuring it’s Dad, move to the edge of the highway.
He slams on the brakes and for a slight second I wonder if he’s going to stop without hitting us. Sometimes, my Dad gets a bit too wrought up about stuff. Anyway, he manages to stop, so I help Kayla get into the back seat while I sit up front with Dad.
“So where’s the car?” he asks, peeling away from the edge of the precipice.
“Down there,” I say, glancing in the direction of the sheer drop-off. “And can you take it a bit easy on the driving, tonight? I've had enough excitement for one night.” My dad worked as a stunt driver before his official acting gig, and he’s always pulling crazy driving antics. I guess that’s where I got this need for speed.
Nodding, he says, “Of course. Sorry. Okay, what happened?” How can he be so damned calm? I’m sure not.
“I got run off the road by a lunatic or something. The idiot was on my side, Dad, I swear. I nearly hit him head on. When I swerved, I skidded on the gravel and well, went off the edge. Luckily, I know the levitation spell. It saved our lives tonight. Um, sorry about the car.”
“Dammit, Blue. You think I give a shit about the car? It was you I was worried about!”
“Sorry,” I grumble, not know how to proceed. I’ve always been lucky. This is the first time I’ve had anything ever go wrong. Really. I’m lucky that way.
Dad glances into the back seat where a silent Kayla is staring off into the night. “How’s she doing?”
I turn so I can see the girl who may or may not still want to be my girlfriend after this. “Honesty, Dad, I really don’t know.”
“Did you tell her about, you know, the magic stuff?”
“I had to but I don’t think she believed me. I think she’s in shock.”
“Guess we’d best keep an eye on her then." He turns around at a scenic overlook. To be honest, I’ll never feel safe on one of those ever again.
“It wasn’t my fault, Dad,” I say, more to reassure myself than him.
“I believe you, Blue. I’m just glad you’re okay. I didn’t tell your sister.”
“She’s not going to be happy about this,” I say, slumping in the seat and wishing I could just disappear.
“I wanted to see how you were and to make sure everything was okay before I told her.”
“I understand, but I doubt she will.”
After being checked out at the hospital, Kayla is still distant. I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking but I had already made myself promise to never invade her privacy by reading her mind.
One of the first things my real dad taught me was that it’s impolite to read another’s thoughts without permission. I gather he was not all that good at controlling himself in younger days.
“She shouldn’t be alone tonight and neither should you,” he says, heading home. “You’re both staying with Pink and me.”
I don’t argue. I don’t have the strength. We barely make the driveway before Pink runs out the door to meet us.
“Are you okay?” she says, throwing herself into my arms as soon as I get out of the car. “Please, just tell me you’re okay.”
“Everybody is okay. I thought Dad didn’t tell you …”
“You’re my brother, Blue. I know when something is wrong. I could see your aura before you reached the driveway. You can tell me all about it once we’re inside with some hot cocoa.”
I love my sister, but I don’t think hot chocolate is going to fix this one. I really screwed up this time – I should have been paying more attention. I should have …”
Hearing my name, I turn to see Dad trying to coerce Kayla from car. She’s shrinking from him in terror, which doesn’t make sense because I’m the one she should fear, if anyone.
“Blue saved us,” she says quietly.
“I know,” Dad replies softly. “You’re safe, now. Come on inside.” She doesn’t fight me, still trusting me though she has no reason to.
Once we’re all inside, Sis busies herself making comforting beverages. I am parched, I realize, and gratefully drink what’s offered. Kayla sips hers, never once letting go of my hand.
Dad sits across from me in the lounge chair. “So, tell us exactly what happened? And don’t leave anything out. I don’t want any surprises from the press or the police.”
The police! Who said anything about police! “You aren’t going to turn us in, are you?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Of course not, Blue. But the police tend to investigate cars that fly off mountains, so there’s a good chance they’ll show up here.”
I nod solemnly and give them the entire spiel, not holding back anything. Pink is nearly hyperventilating she’s so horrified, which is odd because my dad drives crazier than I ever have. I guess she’s blind to his failings. Unfortunately, she's not to mine.
Suddenly, Pink gets up, walks over and sniffs my breath. She thinks I was drinking? She thinks this is my fault. Anger and hurt vie for top position. “What the hell, Sis?” I snap, pulling back from her.
“Just making sure,” she says, walking over to sit on Dad’s lap. This is no time for cuddles, I want to scream.
“So you don’t care that we almost died tonight, all you care about is if I had a drink or not?” I’m pissed and not in a mood to have to defend myself. “I told you, the guy was in my lane. I swerved to … oh never mind. Think what you want. Kayla, come on, we can stay at your place.”
They don’t even bother to argue as I practically drag Kayla toward the front door. Then it hits me. I don’t have a car. Sheepishly, I lead her back to the living room.
Dad to the rescue. “It’s been a long night, Blue. Why don’t you guys hit the sack.” I wait for the inevitable business about couches being made up but it doesn’t arrive. So I lead Kayla up to my room.
I can hear them arguing downstairs – obviously about what to do about me - but I’m too tired to eavesdrop. Kayla and I fall on the bed. I wait for sleep but it doesn’t come. I can’t get the horrible episode out of my head. I can only imagine what Kayla must be dealing with. Finally, she lays her head on my chest and begins to breathe calmly. I throw an arm over her and finally find sleep.
When I see the doc glancing at his watch, I know it’s time to break off – for now. I don’t need therapy but I’ll happily tell him about my life. It’s actually sort of cool that I can tell the whole truth for once and know that he can’t tell anyone. However, he’s got to understand the important thing before we move forward.
“I’m not sure you understood what I said before,” I say, attempting diplomacy. “I come from a family of witches and warlocks.”
The doc nods. “I heard you the first time, Blue. And ...." He flips through his notes. "You can levitate and read minds. I think you’re under such stress that you are making up scenarios that put you in a better light. It’s not uncommon in families with serious issues.”
“No, Doc. My family has issues, but not that kind of issues. I’m not making this up. I’m a warlock. For real.”
He just smiles as he walks to the door, holding it open for me.
I may need to shock him some more before he accepts what I’m saying. “Have it your way, Doc. See ya tomorrow.”