AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"You won't lose me. I promise."
Simon and I stayed in bed for a while, both of us loathe to leave the little world we had created for ourselves in his bed, but I reminded myself that Kendra was in the other room. I had been reluctant to stay at Simon's apartment since I didn't think it was appropriate with Kendra there, but Simon assured me that Kendra was old enough for it to not be an issue. It didn't take much convincing since sleeping with Simon was becoming addictive, even though I was always nervous that our caresses would go further before I was ready.
I took a quick shower since I had to go to work. Simon was still in bed when I came back into the bedroom, looking relaxed with the sheet at his waist. Simon always slept with no shirt on and I admired his sleekly muscled chest, remembering how warm and firm it had felt pressed against me.
Simon raised an eyebrow when he saw me checking him out, but I just grinned. I wrapped my towel tighter around my body.
"I need to change."
"Go ahead."
I rolled my eyes and looked at him pointedly. "You're still in the room. Looking at me."
"I don't mind."
I put my hand on my hip in exasperation but I couldn't help laughing. Simon grinned at me mischievously and then hopped out of bed. I made a point to not glance down at his shorts because I was already used to his condition in the mornings.
Simon gave me a quick kiss before making his way to the bathroom, whistling. I felt happy, even with the frightening vision I had experienced last night. Not only did I have Simon to help me through them, but now I had a purpose for experiencing them.
Kendra was still in the guest bedroom when I walked out into the kitchen. I wasn't surprised since it had been a late night and Kendra had been bouncing around full of energy. I made a pot of coffee and was pouring a cup when Simon walked in, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with his hair still wet.
He crowded me against the counter, one arm on each side of me so that I was trapped. He nuzzled my neck, his wet hair making my skin damp. "You look good enough to eat."
I pushed against his chest, smiling. I doubted the t-shirt I wore with Colette's emblazoned on the front was worthy of his praise, but I appreciated it. "You're going to have to settle for coffee, otherwise I'm going to be late."
Simon gave me a mock frown but then gratefully took the cup of coffee I poured for him. "If my sister ever wakes up, I thought we'd swing by Colette's for breakfast."
"Great." I took large sips of my coffee, checking my watch. "I should get going."
Simon grabbed my hand before I could walk away. "What are you doing after work?"
"I work until three and then I was going to swing by Bowery Hall."
The corners of Simon's lips turned down. "I'm coming with you."
"Simon, your sister is here visiting you. She wants to have fun. I doubt she wants to hang around a dorm hall while I wait around for someone that I don't even know will show up."
"Sarah can take her shopping or something. There's no way in hell I'm letting you wait for some guy you don't know by yourself. You have no idea whether he's been overtaken by his vardoger or not. He could be dangerous."
"I doubt it, since this is the first vision I've had of him. And he wasn't being overtaken by his vardoger in it. My aunt said that a lot of how this stuff works is hereditary, and she has a vision of a person being overtaken by their vardoger before it actually happens. I think I'm the same way because that's what happened with Claudia. Don't worry, I'll be okay on my own."
"Caitlin." Simon's voice held a warning, and I sighed, giving up. I knew he was just concerned about me and I didn't want to fight this battle.
"Fine, you win. Just meet me at work when I'm done."
Simon nodded, looking satisfied as he drank his coffee. I checked my watch again. I really was going to be late if I didn't get a move on. I convinced Simon that it was unnecessary to walk me to work, especially since his sister might wake up to an empty apartment, and for once he complied.
I was surprised when the whole gang showed up at Colette's an hour later and I hurried to put two tables together to accommodate the party of six. It was fun to have them around, even though they lingered long enough for Colleen to raise her eyebrows, although she was placated when Kendra gushed over her famous blueberry pancakes. I almost choked when I saw Jenny lean over to feed Marcus a bite of her pancakes, laughing when Sarah actually sputtered on her coffee when she witnessed it as well. Jenny blushed when she saw our gazes directed at her and I made a mental note to grill her about Marcus later.
Simon reminded me that he would be coming back to meet me after work before they left, and I spent the rest of my shift at Colette's feeling upbeat. This morning was a world of difference from most mornings after I had a vision in the past. Instead of feeling exhausted and wary, the purpose I now felt, coupled with the support of Simon, made everything possible.
"Hi, beautiful," Simon said when I rushed to meet him outside after work. He gave me a warm kiss and clasped my hand in his. He looked up at the sky as we walked to campus. "It's supposed to snow today."
It was rare to not have any snow yet in Rochester in mid-November. I loved snow and looked forward to it blanketing the campus in white.
"You should see Jenny when it snows. She acts like it's the second coming." Jenny, a native of Florida, was convinced every snowfall was a major blizzard.
"Let's just hope it doesn't start snowing while we're loitering outside of Bowery Hall."
