Jade lay quiet, still inside the master bathroom's massive footed tub. A monsterous thing it was, and really quite pretty. Silver feet on white tiles plastered it to the floor as white porcelain shown bright like a pearl. Warm water covered her nude form. Safe.
A memory played along her shut eyelids like a movie screen. A memory she would forever hold.
On a cool rainy April night in RhyDin, Dakota and Jade set outside on the porch. Long before they were together, but this night was special. It set them up forever. It would bring them together.
Jade sat on the porch railing, watching the rain. Dakota sat near her on the porch swing, watching her. They had talked for hours. Mindless chit-chat, reconnecting and finding out how much they were alike. They were surprised by how much they knew and didn't know about each other. They spent years in the same groups, yet... they didn't know how well they got along and how similar they were.
Jade finally laughed, "We're two peas in a mother lovin' pod!"
He grinned his crooked grin Dakota Steele was known for, "Ya' know, we might jus' be made for each other."
It was a joke then, but it made her heart melt every time.
A sigh shuddered from her.
"Made for each other."
A hand slid under her side and up her back, pulling her forward. Eyes flew open to find Dakota kneeling before the tub, smiling down at her. She blinked a few times. Could not breathe, could not speak.
"Won't you hurry, babe? Come ta bed. You've been in there fer so long."
Crimson lips parted but nothing came out for a while. Finally, "I must have fallen asleep. I had the worst nightmare."
"You can tell me when ya get in bed," he smirked but set his forehead against her's and tucked her wet tresses behind her ear.
"It was so real," she breathed onto his lips.
"But it was only a dream," he said until he set his lips to her's.
Her heart ached. It was as if she had not kissed him in years. Jade's passion fueled the kiss to last longer than it should have. She leaned forward in his hands. Her hand went up to find place at his cheek. Instead of warm, she found cold.
Green eyes flew open to find that she was, in fact, kissing Dakota. The horrible mangled husband she had last saw in the hospital. Tan skin now as gray and hard as concrete, chunks of flesh gone to expose muscle and bone. Blood all about him. Jade recoiled so harshly that she fell over the side of the massive tub, falling to the tile below.
"What is it, sweetheart? Don't love me anymore?"
Water everywhere, she slid away from the tub as a scream slipped from her throat. Jade quickly looked back to find no one was with her in the bathroom. Alone. She scrambled to sit upwards, wild eyes darting everywhere.
"You're dead!" she whispered, "Dead!"
She crawled to the sink and pulled herself up. She looked herself in the eyes in mirror above the sink. Shaking hands absently found a towel, her eyes never leaving her own. Jade wrapped the towel about her as she studied herself. She was a wild mess, drenched and crazed. She had landed hard on her shoulder, and now it lit up as red as a neon sign.
"Jadden, get yourself together," she muttered, "He's gone."
A hand rubbed over her eyes, trying to get the images out of her head. The other hand went for the medicine cabnet. She took out two bottles and popped each's top off. Out went a handful of pills.
"Be quiet, my love," she shoved the pills into her mouth and swallowed them.
The bottles of Xanax and Valium were put back in place. She glanced over at the full bottles of anti-depressants she hadn't took. She couldn't bare to take those, but she could manage something to calm her nerves. Frazzled nerves they were.
She went to the tub and pulled the stopper to let out the water. Sluggishly, she left the bathroom and plopped down into her empty bed. Jade didn't even bother to dry herself. Towel still around her, she curled up into a tight ball and shut her eyes. The bed was oddly warm, but she chalked up to the fuzziness due to the pills. Soon, she was adrift in the sea of sleep.
Breath played at a wet ear, "Now tell me about your dream."
"Leave me alone."
A memory played along her shut eyelids like a movie screen. A memory she would forever hold.
On a cool rainy April night in RhyDin, Dakota and Jade set outside on the porch. Long before they were together, but this night was special. It set them up forever. It would bring them together.
Jade sat on the porch railing, watching the rain. Dakota sat near her on the porch swing, watching her. They had talked for hours. Mindless chit-chat, reconnecting and finding out how much they were alike. They were surprised by how much they knew and didn't know about each other. They spent years in the same groups, yet... they didn't know how well they got along and how similar they were.
Jade finally laughed, "We're two peas in a mother lovin' pod!"
He grinned his crooked grin Dakota Steele was known for, "Ya' know, we might jus' be made for each other."
It was a joke then, but it made her heart melt every time.
A sigh shuddered from her.
"Made for each other."
A hand slid under her side and up her back, pulling her forward. Eyes flew open to find Dakota kneeling before the tub, smiling down at her. She blinked a few times. Could not breathe, could not speak.
"Won't you hurry, babe? Come ta bed. You've been in there fer so long."
Crimson lips parted but nothing came out for a while. Finally, "I must have fallen asleep. I had the worst nightmare."
"You can tell me when ya get in bed," he smirked but set his forehead against her's and tucked her wet tresses behind her ear.
"It was so real," she breathed onto his lips.
"But it was only a dream," he said until he set his lips to her's.
Her heart ached. It was as if she had not kissed him in years. Jade's passion fueled the kiss to last longer than it should have. She leaned forward in his hands. Her hand went up to find place at his cheek. Instead of warm, she found cold.
Green eyes flew open to find that she was, in fact, kissing Dakota. The horrible mangled husband she had last saw in the hospital. Tan skin now as gray and hard as concrete, chunks of flesh gone to expose muscle and bone. Blood all about him. Jade recoiled so harshly that she fell over the side of the massive tub, falling to the tile below.
"What is it, sweetheart? Don't love me anymore?"
Water everywhere, she slid away from the tub as a scream slipped from her throat. Jade quickly looked back to find no one was with her in the bathroom. Alone. She scrambled to sit upwards, wild eyes darting everywhere.
"You're dead!" she whispered, "Dead!"
She crawled to the sink and pulled herself up. She looked herself in the eyes in mirror above the sink. Shaking hands absently found a towel, her eyes never leaving her own. Jade wrapped the towel about her as she studied herself. She was a wild mess, drenched and crazed. She had landed hard on her shoulder, and now it lit up as red as a neon sign.
"Jadden, get yourself together," she muttered, "He's gone."
A hand rubbed over her eyes, trying to get the images out of her head. The other hand went for the medicine cabnet. She took out two bottles and popped each's top off. Out went a handful of pills.
"Be quiet, my love," she shoved the pills into her mouth and swallowed them.
The bottles of Xanax and Valium were put back in place. She glanced over at the full bottles of anti-depressants she hadn't took. She couldn't bare to take those, but she could manage something to calm her nerves. Frazzled nerves they were.
She went to the tub and pulled the stopper to let out the water. Sluggishly, she left the bathroom and plopped down into her empty bed. Jade didn't even bother to dry herself. Towel still around her, she curled up into a tight ball and shut her eyes. The bed was oddly warm, but she chalked up to the fuzziness due to the pills. Soon, she was adrift in the sea of sleep.
Breath played at a wet ear, "Now tell me about your dream."
"Leave me alone."