He pulled my face up with his hand cupping my cheek and kissed me on my trembling mouth. He smoothed his hands down my arms, my back, my hair, my cheek, soothing me.
“There’s a picture of you two in the dictionary under ‘get a room’,” Kyle said from behind me.
I’d been so focused on Caleb’s hands I hadn’t heard him come in. We pulled apart and I licked my lips. Caleb smirked and then turned to Kyle, expecting a fight but Kyle was smiling.
“How about we take Maggie and Bish to that sub place on Bradshaw for lunch? I’ve been dying for a Philly.”
“Sure,” Caleb said, unsure. “If Bish wants to go, he’s not really happy with us right now.”
“Because why?”
“Because,” I explained. “He knows something is going on and I can’t tell him. He knows I’m lying and I’ve never lied to him before.”
He smiled in sympathy and came to put an arm around my shoulder. Caleb cocked his head at him.
“Sorry. I know it sucks but things are different now, right? You can’t just blab to him about everything anymore. You’re doing what’s best for him, he just doesn’t know it. He’ll get over it eventually.”Caleb and I both stared at him. What was up with Kyle?
“What?” he said in his defense of our stares.
“Thanks, Kyle. I just wish I could tell him but not tell him. Ya know?”
“Yeah, I know. Alright, I’m going to go see if Bish wants to annihilate aliens with me.”
“Ok.”
He left and I was just as stunned as Caleb but let it go. I pulled Caleb with me to the back porch. I laid down on the big soft white cushions of the porch swing and pulled him down with me. I remembered this from the plane. Caleb had shown me a vision of him pressing me into these cushions while he kissed me wickedly. I was ready for some more of our visions to start coming true.
“I agree,” he said to answer my thoughts and kissed me softly as we laid, side by side in the breeze and shade.
Sometimes we barely pecked or brushed our lips and then other times he’d push and pull me and I could barely breathe under the assault of his lips. After a few minutes I could hear Bish and Kyle in the den playing their video game and it made me glad that Bish was at least out of his room. We stayed out there until it was time for lunch.
At the restaurant Kyle and Caleb took us to, Bish didn’t speak. He just watched us, watched other people. His thoughts were exactly what I expected, Bish wondering what was going on for real. He was mad at Dad for being naïve. He was mad at Caleb for feeling the need to touch me every ten seconds. Mad at me for lying to him.
I just avoided his gaze and tried to tune him out.
~ Seven ~
We did a little shopping before going home. Kyle wanted to buy a new game controller and some more swim trunks. We went to this really huge two story surf shop. In Bish’s mind I could see he wanted a new pair of shorts. His were some he snagged from Dad before he boarded the plane and he hated them. He also hated not having any money either. He eyed a few pairs and then went to stand by the door and wait for us to get done.
He was thinking about needing to get back to Tennessee to set up job interviews.
I felt sorry for him as I followed Caleb around the store. He felt me, heard me reading Bish through me. He turned, grabbed a pair of shorts that he’d seen in my mind and put them over his arm. He winked as I started to protest and grabbed my hand, towing me to the t-shirt section.
“I think it’s time you got your very own first t-shirt. You can start collecting them at all the places I’m going to take you.”
He started pushing and browsing through them, pulling one out and then putting it back.
“All the places?”
“Yes.” He smiled and moved his face inches from mine. “I’m gonna take you everywhere. Anywhere you wanna go.” He kissed the end of my nose. “Now, how about this one?”
He held up a yellow t-shirt that said ‘I Break for Tanned Surfers’. I laughed and shook my head as a ‘no’. He shrugged and put it away, looking for another. After many other funny shirts passed our eyes Caleb - understanding I wasn’t a funny shirt kind of gal - decided on a blue shirt with one lone wave on the front. It suited me. We checked out and left the store. We walked down the sidewalk to the Jeep but Caleb stopped suddenly.
“You go ahead and take this stuff to the Jeep. I’ll be right there,” he said and he was thinking about surfing so I assumed he was going back to the surf shop, he must’ve forgot something.
“Ok,” I agreed.
Bish, Kyle and I made our way to the Jeep and I cranked the ignition, blasting the cold air against the blazing June heat. Bish and Kyle in the back were looking and talking about the game Kyle bought.
“Mags, this is the game I was telling you about. Now you can play with us. I promise I won’t shoot you on sight this time,” Kyle said and grinned.
“Sounds good, I’ve never been very good at those things. Remember, Bish, your first Christmas with us they bought us a PlayStation? I don’t think I ever won a single game we played.”
“I remember,” Bish said with a chuckle and I saw in his mind a memory of us sitting on the living room floor together playing. “You were pretty terrible.”
“You didn’t teach me much back then,” I countered.
“You were too busy with Beck. She was over everyday and pulled you away to play dress-up.”
“Actually, she pulled me away to talk about you. She said you were dreamy,” I sang in a sing song tone to irritate him.
He scoffed and turned to look out the window as Kyle and I laughed.
“She did not. You’re just saying that to piss me off.”
“She did. She was practically in love with you. She used to write your name with little hearts beside it and Mrs. Rebecca Masters,” I said grinning.
“You’re lying,” he said like he really didn’t believe it.
No frigging way.
“Nope, of course, that was when we were in six grade. By high school, you were just a phase,” I said flippantly.
“Well...good,” he said uncomfortably.
“Dude,” Kyle said with a look. “Beck’s hot. I’d go for that if I were you.”
“I’m like seven years older than her. It’s not cool.”
“You’re too late anyway,” I said. “She’s with Ralph now.”
“Great. No concern of mine,” Bish brushed off and nodded toward my window. “Good. Caleb’s back.”
“Hey,” Caleb said as he got in his seat. “Sorry it took so long.”
He was thinking about Math. Prime numbers, multiples by four, math problems, over and over. I looked at him curiously but didn’t say anything.
We pulled into the driveway and got out. Bish and Kyle ran in together to start the game. I thought what an unlikely friendship that was. Bish was older and Kyle was pretty immature. It didn’t seem like a good match-up but there was no one else so, maybe they were just making do.
As I closed the door I heard Caleb’s mind still running through subtraction. I gave him a weird look and then remembered that he hadn’t come back to the Jeep with a package. What had he been doing? Then it hit me. He was using math to keep his head busy so he wouldn’t think about something. There was something he didn’t want me to see.
“Dang it, Maggie,” he whined. “You couldn’t let me have my little secret? You are going to be impossible to buy presents for.”“What are you talking about?”
“I-” he started but the doorbell rang.
He went to answer it and I heard Peter’s thoughts of happiness about seeing Caleb before I saw him turn the foyer corner to the living room where I was. And then Rachel, then my dad, then Jen...then Bella, Caleb’s Sheepdog, all walked in right behind him.
I gasped in happiness and dread both. What were they all doing here? Then I blushed in shame. They’d been worried about me running away? This seemed a little extreme.
Caleb petted and crooned to Bella for just a second as he ushered her to the backyard. He was anxious to be with me when we started all this. And it didn’t take long.
Peter made his way to me.
“Magnificent.”
I knew what he was going to do but I couldn’t muster up the gall to tell him no, though I wanted to. I didn’t want to be disrespectful as he kissed my fingers and then touched my hand to his head.
Then to my horror, Rachel did the same thing. I cringed and tried not to pull away but when Jen made her way to me I could no longer take it.
“I-”
“Maggie doesn’t want you to do that,” Caleb explained softly and came to stand in front of me like a guard. “Remember, Dad, on the phone we talked about this. Maggie wants none of the bowing or protocol, she wants to just be herself.”
“I’m sorry, my dear, but you have to understand that this has been foretold since I was a child. It’s just such an honor...”
“I know. And I’m not trying to muck up tradition or be disrespectful but I can’t have everyone bowing to me every time they see me. I’m still the same old me. Treat me like the same old me. Please?”
He nodded and smiled slightly.
“Whatever you wish, my dear.”
“Dad,” Caleb protested for me.
“I meant that as Maggie’s wish, not a Visionary’s wish,” he clarified. “Whatever makes Maggie happy.”