My Guardian Angel(13)

“First off, I never said I was interested in him, but if I was, that’s my business! Second, age doesn’t mean anything if two people are consenting adults. What do you think? If he’s forty, he won’t hurt me? How many hearts have you broken recently?” Darios fell silent and turned back into his driver seat. “That’s what I thought.” I slammed the door and ran up my steps.

“Argh!” I cried out in my empty house. “The nerve of him,” I said out loud.

It’s not like I'm interested and even if I was, there would be no way I would go out with him. But I'm not going to have my brother tell me who I can and cannot see. Why couldn’t Jason be older? Why couldn’t I be younger? God, I wish I was younger. I’d kill to be in my mid-twenties and stay there forever. Maybe that’s why I write about immortals and vamps. They stay young and beautiful for all of eternity.

I dropped my duffle bag onto the floor and kicked off my running shoes. Ah! Nothing like bare feet on my cold, wooden floor. I headed towards the kitchen and took out a bottle of water. I leaned up against the counter and listened to the deafening silence of my home. Great! I was without power.

Fuck! I hope I remembered to power up my battery for my laptop. I looked outside and saw the dark billowing clouds rumbling and making their way through. Nice! Yet another storm. I made my way to my laptop, which was sitting on my wooden kitchen table, which I had picked up at a local import store. The dark rosewood was exactly what I was looking for. It fit just right in my home. I lifted the screen of my laptop and the familiar sound chimed. Yes! I had enough juice. At least until the power came back on. I tethered my iPhone to it and retrieved my emails. The backup of my book was now ready for me to continue my writing.

A bright flash of light illuminated the house, followed closely by a loud thunderous boom, which shook everything in my home. I felt tiny little shivers go up and down my back. I hated thunderstorms. I sat there poring over my book, trying desperately to forget the images, which rainstorms brought about. So, when there was a loud knock at my door, you can imagine how much I freaked out. I felt my heart jump up through my throat and my body began to shake. Calm down, Kassia. You are the one who freaked yourself out. I slowly stood up, still trying to calm myself down. The rain was falling hard now. Damn, it was so much like that night seventeen years ago. I looked through the peephole, but all I saw was a hooded man with his back turned. Screw that! I wasn’t going to open the door. I waited and he turned around and knocked again.

“Kassia, it’s me, Jason.” He stopped and I watched as he struggled to say something else. “Can I please come in?” he asked, his voice shaky.

I put my hand on the doorknob.

“Please, Kassia,” he quietly pleaded.

I opened the door and saw him standing there, drenched from head to toe.

“Did you walk here?” I asked.

“The gym’s not too far from here.” He shook and waited, his face dripping with water. I reached forward and dragged him in.

There Jason stood, in the middle of my doorway, soaked through. His hands were in his pockets and his head slightly bent down, staring at the floor. I don’t know why, but looking at him now brought out a sense of protectiveness in me. I sighed and headed inside to get a towel. I walked up the spiral steps and reached the second floor, where I took a small towel from the linen closet. I headed back down to see him still standing there.

“Well, are you going to just stand there or are you coming in?” I asked, walking over to my island counter.

“I'm soaked. I don’t want to dirty anything,” he said softly.

He almost looked timid. This was different. The Jason I knew was all alpha male, ready to protect and strike when needed.

“Just get in here already.”

He slowly kicked off his shoes. The thunder seemed to affect him just like it did me.

“Not a fan, are you?” I asked, unfolding the towel and waiting for him to come closer.

“No, not really,” he murmured, as he hesitantly made his way to me.

“Come on, I don’t bite.” I smiled.

The lightning flashed again, making my insides shake. I took a deep breath and tried to control myself. The thunder followed as it roared loudly. To relax myself, I focused on Jason, who was now standing tall before me, dripping on my wooden floors. Since I was close to the counter, I placed the towel down and reached for his hoodie. He backed away, but I moved closer and gently began to peel it off. It snagged a little since it was soaked through. His breathing hitched and I smiled, trying to make it seem normal, even though it wasn’t. What grown woman would go up to a grown man and try to take off his hoodie? I looked up to see him looking down at me. Those beautiful grey eyes spoke of something I had no clue of. His body was reluctant but he came to me, almost seeking out my touch, wanting to be comforted. The air around us was filled with unspoken words. There was no mistake, Jason like myself, had a story.