Brushing past everyone, she walks into the living room, grabs her sketchbook, and sits down on the couch. “Stop looking at me,” she says as she opens the book and stares down at the blank page. Larkin whistles as he walks back into the kitchen. I glare at him as he passes which causes David and Bragden to laugh at my reaction. I walk over to Ryanne and sit beside her on the couch. “Don’t say anything.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “I wasn’t planning on it,” I tell her as I look at the sketchbook. The page is blank. Drawing her knees up, she grabs onto my arm and pulls it onto her legs. Flipping my arm around, she uncaps her pen and glances up at me, looking for permission. I nod at her, and she lowers the pen tracing lines onto my wrist.
I look over toward Emma and see her and Natalie both watching us. Natalie is smiling at me. I know that she is reading our emotions. Liam walks around Ryanne and sits down on the other side of the couch. He glances at my hand in Ryanne’s lap but doesn’t say anything. He briefly looks at Natalie before turning his attention to the TV. I glance down at my wrist and see the outline of an anchor forming.
I look over at Ryanne. Her focus is completely on the drawing. She bites her lip as the pen moves across my skin. Leaning forward, I watch as she starts coloring in the anchor. Her long hair cascades over her shoulder and falls across her face, lightly brushing against my arm. I use my left hand and brush her hair back behind her ear. She doesn’t stop drawing or look at me, but I see her lips quirk. She does have dark circles under her eyes.
“Did you sleep okay last night?” I whisper to her, quiet enough so no one else will hear. She shrugs but keeps her eyes on my wrist. I lean forward and place a small kiss on her temple. “When you’re done, you should rest a little.”
She shakes her head and flips my wrist over, drawing on the other side. I lean back and let her finish. She’ll end up falling asleep sooner or later. I just have to make sure I am nearby when it happens.
Thirty minutes later, Ryanne removes the pen from my wrist and flips it over again, looking at the inked design. “Ok, I think I’m done,” she says while letting go of my wrist. I look down at the intricate tribal design swirling off of the anchor. The swirls wrap around my wrist and connect with a small teardrop shaped object with a lightning bolt in the middle. The entire time I’m looking at her design, I feel her eyes on me, waiting for my reaction. Because of that, I ask her to tell me what it means.
“Well, the swirls are supposed to represent magic. When I call my magic to me, it looks similar to this,” Ryanne’s fingers trace a swirl around my wrist lightly. Turning my wrist over, she taps the teardrop shape. “This is supposed to represent me. I didn’t know what to draw, so I drew something that visually represents my powers.” Turning my hand over, she touches the anchor. “This represents you because you’re my anchor. You keep me grounded and are always there to make sure I don’t drift out to sea…metaphorically. You’re the reason why I haven’t gotten lost in all the magic around me.”
She blushes as she finishes talking. I reach forward and grab her chin, pulling her toward me. I know that she hates public affection, but I can’t help it. I lean toward her, kissing her lips briefly. Instead of pulling away, Ryanne leans into me and kisses me back.
“Awwww,” Natalie and Emma say at the same time. Ryanne pulls back. I watch as the red stain appears on her cheeks. I laugh and pull her closer to me. Resting her head on my shoulder, she watches the movie playing on the TV. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Emma and Natalie watching us, but I refuse to acknowledge them.
Ryanne’s hand starts sliding down my chest. She’s fallen asleep just like I predicted. I lean back, readjusting her against me.
“You guys are too cute,” Natalie says.
“Oh, next time she asks you guys for help getting dressed just give her a t-shirt, okay?” I tell them.
“What? You don’t like it?” Emma asks me.
Oh, I like it. I just don’t like how everyone else does as well. I scoff at her but don’t answer her question. Liam gasps and falls backward, slumping against the back of the couch. Natalie and Bragden jump up. Bragden walks over to him and crouches in front of him.
“He’s in the dream-world…” he whispers.
I sit up a little. “Why didn’t he say anything?”
“I’m assuming that like Ryanne was yesterday, he was pulled into it,” Bragden says. Ryanne starts stirring and opens her eyes.
“They’re trying to pull me back,” she whimpers as she starts shaking. I reach out to make her look at me, but she closes her eyes and falls limp against me again.