Breathless (Blue Fire Saga #1) by Scott Prussing
CHAPTER 15. GLOVES AND A BROKEN PHONE
The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Out for her daily walk, Leesa was frustrated with the nothing new. She didn’t have class until eleven today, so she decided to do her four-mile loop: out the north gate, down the hill to downtown Middletown and south along Main Street, then back onto campus from the east. Despite the bright sun, the morning was cold enough for her to see her breath—something rare back in San Diego—and she enjoyed puffing out little clouds of steam for the first few minutes of her walk. She had donned three T-shirts under her red Weston sweatshirt and walked with her hands pulled up inside her sleeves. At least I’m stylish, she thought wryly, glancing down at the multicolored layers protruding from her sweatshirt around her hips. And warm, which was really all that mattered, with layers she could peel away as she grew more heated from her exertions.
Her frustrations centered around Bradley. She’d heard nothing from Dr. Clerval, which probably meant he’d failed to find anything about Edwina in the school’s databases. She had finally connected with Bradley’s freshman RA and had talked with him on the phone. He spoke highly of her brother, but knew nothing about what he’d been up to during his sophomore year. She wasn’t sure where to turn next. Topping off her frustrations, she hadn’t seen Rave in more than a week. Not for the first time, she wished he had a damn phone!
But it was too nice out to brood on such negative thoughts, so she turned her attention to the beautiful scenery. The fall foliage was nearing its peak, painting the landscape with a kaleidoscope of colors unlike anything she’d ever seen in San Diego. The maples dotting the long hillside above the north gate were exploding with fiery reds and dark purples, while the oaks glowed gold and yellow. A light breeze rustled the leaves, sending a few of them spiraling to the ground, where a growing carpet of red, yellow and brown speckled the still lush green lawn. She breathed deeply, inhaling the earthy fragrance of the decaying leaves.
As she neared the wide brick columns marking the campus gateway, she felt that familiar, strange sense of Rave’s presence. She looked around, but as usual, saw no sign of him. Just for fun, she stopped one step inside the gate and said loudly, “Hi, Rave.”
To her surprise, he stepped around the corner and into the gateway. Despite the cold, he wore no jacket, just a navy blue long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans. A pair of black leather gloves covered his hands. He looked perplexed.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked.
“You’re always popping up out of nowhere,” she said, trying to restrain her smile, “so now I stop before every corner I come to and call your name, just in case.”
Rave laughed. “I almost believe you. You going anywhere special?”
“Nope. Just taking my morning walk. Down into Middletown, along Main Street.” She started down the sidewalk. “Wanna come along?”
“Now you’re reading my mind,” he joked as he fell into step beside her. “What other hidden powers do you have?”
She laughed. “I’ll never tell.” She took in his lack of a jacket again. “Aren’t you cold?”
He held up his gloved hands. “As long as I keep my hands warm, I’m good.” He didn’t tell her his real reason for the gloves—she’d find out soon enough.
“Isn’t this beautiful?” Leesa asked as they strolled down the hill under a canopy of bright red and gold trees toward downtown. At the end of the long, colorful tunnel, the sun-dappled Connecticut River flowed by, a narrow ribbon of blue and flashing gold. Even the line of cars rumbling alongside them couldn’t mar the scene’s beauty.
“Yes, it is,” Rave said, turning to look at her. “Very beautiful.”
Leesa blushed. His dark brown eyes seemed almost to caress her, and she almost missed a step with her bad leg, nearly tripping.
“You’re not really talking about the trees, are you?” she managed to stammer.
Rave grinned. “What trees?” he asked innocently. He made a show of looking up at the trees. “Oh, yeah. Not bad. Not bad at all.”
Leesa shook her head in a “What am I going to do with you” manner, but couldn’t help smiling. She had never felt so at ease with a guy, so comfortable. And it got a hundred times better when Rave reached out and took her hand. Even through his glove, she could feel the inviting warmth of his hand. All her frustrations were temporarily forgotten, shoved aside by her joy.
Hand in hand, they resumed their walk. Leesa warmed up quickly and wondered how much was from the sun and the walk, and how much was from Rave’s presence. After a few minutes, they stopped briefly so she could remove one of the T-shirts from under her sweatshirt. At the bottom of the hill they turned right, onto a wide sidewalk lined with shops, bars and restaurants. There were few trees here, the colors coming instead from weathered canvas awnings and painted signs. This street was not as pretty as the one they’d just turned off, but Leesa didn’t care—not with Rave beside her, still holding her hand. She caught their reflection in the wide window of an old drugstore and liked the way they looked together. At least he’s not a vampire, she thought suddenly, recalling what Professor Clerval had said about their lack of a reflection.
“How come you know so much about vampires?” she asked. “Did you take Professor Clerval’s class?”
“No, I just pop in to listen now and then,” Rave replied. He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad I did.”
Leesa squeezed back, but before she could reply, a series of beeps from the small nylon pouch on her hip told her she had a text. It had to be Cali. “Do you mind?” she asked, reaching toward her hip.
“Go ahead,” he said, smiling. “I know how attached you people are to those things.” He started to pull his hand free from hers, but she grasped it more tightly.
“Oh no you don’t,” she said. “I can do this with one hand.”
She flipped open her cell, saw it was indeed a text from Cali, and pushed a key to open it. Before she could read the message, the letters began breaking up and the screen faded to gray. She pulled her hand from Rave’s and held the phone in both hands, pressing several keys. Nothing happened. The phone was dead.
“I don’t get it,” she said, staring at the blank screen. “I charged this thing last night. It can’t be dead already.”
Rave knew why the phone had stopped working. She should have let go of his hand, but he wasn’t ready to tell her that. This was why his people didn’t use anything with batteries.
“Don’t ask me,” he shrugged. “I don’t have a clue about those things.”
Leesa shook the offending instrument, as if that might bring it back to life, but nothing happened. She dropped the phone back into her pouch and reached out for Rave’s hand. This was more fun, anyway.
They continued their walk, heading back up the hill to the campus. Halfway up, Leesa peeled off a second T-shirt. When they began to near her dorm, she wished she had time for another loop. She didn’t want this wonderful morning to end. But physics began in less than an hour, and missing even one session of that difficult course would set her back.
“I have to get ready for class,” she said when they reached her dorm. “But I’d much rather stay with you if I could.”
Rave took both her hands in his. “Me, too.”
As she gazed into his beautiful dark eyes, Leesa remembered the comment he’d made the last time they were together about not having wings. Right now, she felt like she could fly, wings or no wings. Even if he was still wearing those darn gloves. Now if he would just kiss her…
Rave felt himself beginning to get lost in Leesa’s crystal eyes. The pull to kiss her was powerful, almost irresistible. It would be so wonderful to let himself go, to give in to the pull. He forced his eyes down to her hands, still clasped in his.
“You’d better get going.” His voice was almost hoarse, caught in his throat. “You don’t want to be late.”
Leesa blinked. What had just happened? She had been sure he was going to kiss her. She was sooo not good at this stuff.
“Will I see you again soon?” she managed to ask.
“Count on it.”
He squeezed her hands once, then let go and began walking away. He stopped after a few steps and turned back to her, lifting his hand to his ear and miming a phone.
“I’ll call you,” he joked. His handsome face broke into a wide grin.
Leesa laughed, then spun around and hurried into the dorm.
The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Out for her daily walk, Leesa was frustrated with the nothing new. She didn’t have class until eleven today, so she decided to do her four-mile loop: out the north gate, down the hill to downtown Middletown and south along Main Street, then back onto campus from the east. Despite the bright sun, the morning was cold enough for her to see her breath—something rare back in San Diego—and she enjoyed puffing out little clouds of steam for the first few minutes of her walk. She had donned three T-shirts under her red Weston sweatshirt and walked with her hands pulled up inside her sleeves. At least I’m stylish, she thought wryly, glancing down at the multicolored layers protruding from her sweatshirt around her hips. And warm, which was really all that mattered, with layers she could peel away as she grew more heated from her exertions.
Her frustrations centered around Bradley. She’d heard nothing from Dr. Clerval, which probably meant he’d failed to find anything about Edwina in the school’s databases. She had finally connected with Bradley’s freshman RA and had talked with him on the phone. He spoke highly of her brother, but knew nothing about what he’d been up to during his sophomore year. She wasn’t sure where to turn next. Topping off her frustrations, she hadn’t seen Rave in more than a week. Not for the first time, she wished he had a damn phone!
But it was too nice out to brood on such negative thoughts, so she turned her attention to the beautiful scenery. The fall foliage was nearing its peak, painting the landscape with a kaleidoscope of colors unlike anything she’d ever seen in San Diego. The maples dotting the long hillside above the north gate were exploding with fiery reds and dark purples, while the oaks glowed gold and yellow. A light breeze rustled the leaves, sending a few of them spiraling to the ground, where a growing carpet of red, yellow and brown speckled the still lush green lawn. She breathed deeply, inhaling the earthy fragrance of the decaying leaves.
As she neared the wide brick columns marking the campus gateway, she felt that familiar, strange sense of Rave’s presence. She looked around, but as usual, saw no sign of him. Just for fun, she stopped one step inside the gate and said loudly, “Hi, Rave.”
To her surprise, he stepped around the corner and into the gateway. Despite the cold, he wore no jacket, just a navy blue long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans. A pair of black leather gloves covered his hands. He looked perplexed.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked.
“You’re always popping up out of nowhere,” she said, trying to restrain her smile, “so now I stop before every corner I come to and call your name, just in case.”
Rave laughed. “I almost believe you. You going anywhere special?”
“Nope. Just taking my morning walk. Down into Middletown, along Main Street.” She started down the sidewalk. “Wanna come along?”
“Now you’re reading my mind,” he joked as he fell into step beside her. “What other hidden powers do you have?”
She laughed. “I’ll never tell.” She took in his lack of a jacket again. “Aren’t you cold?”
He held up his gloved hands. “As long as I keep my hands warm, I’m good.” He didn’t tell her his real reason for the gloves—she’d find out soon enough.
“Isn’t this beautiful?” Leesa asked as they strolled down the hill under a canopy of bright red and gold trees toward downtown. At the end of the long, colorful tunnel, the sun-dappled Connecticut River flowed by, a narrow ribbon of blue and flashing gold. Even the line of cars rumbling alongside them couldn’t mar the scene’s beauty.
“Yes, it is,” Rave said, turning to look at her. “Very beautiful.”
Leesa blushed. His dark brown eyes seemed almost to caress her, and she almost missed a step with her bad leg, nearly tripping.
“You’re not really talking about the trees, are you?” she managed to stammer.
Rave grinned. “What trees?” he asked innocently. He made a show of looking up at the trees. “Oh, yeah. Not bad. Not bad at all.”
Leesa shook her head in a “What am I going to do with you” manner, but couldn’t help smiling. She had never felt so at ease with a guy, so comfortable. And it got a hundred times better when Rave reached out and took her hand. Even through his glove, she could feel the inviting warmth of his hand. All her frustrations were temporarily forgotten, shoved aside by her joy.
Hand in hand, they resumed their walk. Leesa warmed up quickly and wondered how much was from the sun and the walk, and how much was from Rave’s presence. After a few minutes, they stopped briefly so she could remove one of the T-shirts from under her sweatshirt. At the bottom of the hill they turned right, onto a wide sidewalk lined with shops, bars and restaurants. There were few trees here, the colors coming instead from weathered canvas awnings and painted signs. This street was not as pretty as the one they’d just turned off, but Leesa didn’t care—not with Rave beside her, still holding her hand. She caught their reflection in the wide window of an old drugstore and liked the way they looked together. At least he’s not a vampire, she thought suddenly, recalling what Professor Clerval had said about their lack of a reflection.
“How come you know so much about vampires?” she asked. “Did you take Professor Clerval’s class?”
“No, I just pop in to listen now and then,” Rave replied. He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad I did.”
Leesa squeezed back, but before she could reply, a series of beeps from the small nylon pouch on her hip told her she had a text. It had to be Cali. “Do you mind?” she asked, reaching toward her hip.
“Go ahead,” he said, smiling. “I know how attached you people are to those things.” He started to pull his hand free from hers, but she grasped it more tightly.
“Oh no you don’t,” she said. “I can do this with one hand.”
She flipped open her cell, saw it was indeed a text from Cali, and pushed a key to open it. Before she could read the message, the letters began breaking up and the screen faded to gray. She pulled her hand from Rave’s and held the phone in both hands, pressing several keys. Nothing happened. The phone was dead.
“I don’t get it,” she said, staring at the blank screen. “I charged this thing last night. It can’t be dead already.”
Rave knew why the phone had stopped working. She should have let go of his hand, but he wasn’t ready to tell her that. This was why his people didn’t use anything with batteries.
“Don’t ask me,” he shrugged. “I don’t have a clue about those things.”
Leesa shook the offending instrument, as if that might bring it back to life, but nothing happened. She dropped the phone back into her pouch and reached out for Rave’s hand. This was more fun, anyway.
They continued their walk, heading back up the hill to the campus. Halfway up, Leesa peeled off a second T-shirt. When they began to near her dorm, she wished she had time for another loop. She didn’t want this wonderful morning to end. But physics began in less than an hour, and missing even one session of that difficult course would set her back.
“I have to get ready for class,” she said when they reached her dorm. “But I’d much rather stay with you if I could.”
Rave took both her hands in his. “Me, too.”
As she gazed into his beautiful dark eyes, Leesa remembered the comment he’d made the last time they were together about not having wings. Right now, she felt like she could fly, wings or no wings. Even if he was still wearing those darn gloves. Now if he would just kiss her…
Rave felt himself beginning to get lost in Leesa’s crystal eyes. The pull to kiss her was powerful, almost irresistible. It would be so wonderful to let himself go, to give in to the pull. He forced his eyes down to her hands, still clasped in his.
“You’d better get going.” His voice was almost hoarse, caught in his throat. “You don’t want to be late.”
Leesa blinked. What had just happened? She had been sure he was going to kiss her. She was sooo not good at this stuff.
“Count on it.”
He squeezed her hands once, then let go and began walking away. He stopped after a few steps and turned back to her, lifting his hand to his ear and miming a phone.
“I’ll call you,” he joked. His handsome face broke into a wide grin.
Leesa laughed, then spun around and hurried into the dorm.