I Love Him, I Love Him Not - 9
What would you do if you found out you were a princess of another dimension, discovered that your current boyfriend was actually your babysitter, and realized that you could have quite possibly lived another life before the one you're currently occupying? Faint, of course!
Hey people!
Agh, so sorry, no time to reply to comments! Must get to school!
Thank you everyone!
Love you!
Enjoy,
x
x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
"So wait, let me get this straight - your real name isn't Cole Lodger, you're a Guardian of the Dark Arts, you knew my father, you're twenty two years old, you live in a different dimension, my father ruled this different dimension, you're one of the supposedly guys and you've lied to me with every word that came out of your mouth from the moment you met me?" I asked incredulously, the words coming out of my mouth in a rushed torrent that was tainted with disbelief. Cole's expression was calculating for a second before he nodded slowly.
"Yeah, more or less. Good. You've been listening." His carefree attitude to the situation irritated me, and I bit down on my lip, hard, before I said something I might have regretted later.
To cut a long story short, Cole Lodger (AKA Cole Antonio Armani) seemed to know about my power. He told me about it, how he had been sent to 'look after' me and, possibly, 'mentor' me if I remembered my true identity in time. He claims that he is from a different dimension to our world, and the only way to access it is to travel to Rhodes. Apparently, Rhodes is a town that has gone down in magic history because it is the place where my father was conceived, and therefore the place where the portal to the other world is situated.
He explained about my magic, how to control it, and marveled at how powerful it seemed. And then he apologized for being such a 'rogue' and playing the role of my boyfriend to protect me - he found it the only way to get immediately close to me. At this point, I flicked my hair back angrily and nodded, muttering a hurt 'I'll say'.
Seemingly not having heard me, Cole proceeded to tell me a long list of things about my foreseeable future and, of course, some more things about my past, until all his words blurred into a torrent of mush in my brain and I zoned out.
I, of course, was thinking about my love life.
Cole Lodger AKA Cole Antonio Armani, had been the one and only guy that I'd felt I'd connected to, from the whole band of exes that I had behind me. He was the only guy that I really liked and felt close to. You know those soppy romance stories, where the heroine feels an instant connection with the tall, dark and handsome stranger the first time she sets eyes on him? And when you read it, you think Yeah right and scoff the naive girl? And then you feel it and you think Wow and then you scoff yourself for scoffing the naive girl, because suddenly, you're in exactly the same position as her? The position where you have an unexplainable, indescribable bond with a total stranger and you can't, for the life of you, understand why?
And you know when you get to the part in the novel where the heroine finds out that her hero doesn't feel the same way? When she finds out that her love is unrequited, and then describes this crushing feeling and a gaping hole in her chest and the sudden lapse in her memory so she can't remember how to breathe? And how you mutter Drama queen and toss the book aside, shaking your head at the hyperbolic exaggeration on her feelings?
Yeah.
It was at that point that I wished I could toss the book aside. Except I couldn't.
"...and the long and short of it is that you're coming with me. To the parallel dimension. And that, my student, is nonnegotiable." Cole was saying, smiling easily and folding his arms across his chest, making the muscles in his arms tense. The muscle in the arms that had held me once, but would never hold me again...
I fought the urge to slap myself.
What was I doing? I was acting lovesick, that's what. So lovesick I was making myself gag. Which made Cole give me funny looks, I can tell you.
"Uh...Summer? I expected a little hysterics, at least. You do know that...you're never going to see any of your friends or family again, right?" That made me pay attention.
"What are you on about?" I asked him, slightly irritated, standing up and pouring myself a glass of cold water. I wrapped my fingers around the icy glass, turned around and leant against the sink to regard him skeptically.
"You weren't listening?" he said, and I wasn't the only one that was irritated now. I shrugged and grinned sheepishly.
"Well sure I was...until around ten minutes ago..." I tried to widen my eyes and look all sorrowful and pleading like Bambi, but it didn't work.
"Well, stupid. I guess you didn't listen to me telling you about how you're the heir to the throne, then." Cole said gravely, but there seemed to me a smidgen of smugness in the way he said it. I didn't react immediately.
It was as if all time had frozen, though not literally this time. A long, silent moment ensued. And then I dropped my beaker.
It fell to the ground and smashed into a thousand tiny crystals, littering the floor with large shards of dangerous looking glass. Icy water splashed across the bottom of my jeans, soaking my socks.
I glanced up at Cole.
The expression on his face wasn't smug anymore. It was worried. And completely serious.
"Um...w-what?" I stammered, pressing my hands to my forehead. "W-what are you on about?"
"You father was the king. I told you that. And, since you are the only blood heir to the throne, you are obligated to take the position. Except, of course, the queen still reigns. She isn't a blood relative, just a stand-in. As soon as we arrive in the other dimension, she steps down at any time, to your command. You are now royalty. You are the Princess of Constantia." His tone turned suddenly formal and he shot up straight, only to bow really low again. "Your highness."
I think that's about the time when the whole world went black.
x~x~x~x~x~x
"Summer? Summer, come on. Wake up!" There was a voice just about my head, and a hand resting on my cheek, and fingers stroking tangles of my hair away from my face, but I couldn't remember who any of these things belonged to. "Summer."
A smooth cheek descended towards my mouth, and I swatted it away in annoyance. Whoever it was wasn't in my good books; that much I understood. "Oh, Summer." The strange somebody sighed in relief, not sounding too happy with me, either.
I suddenly remembered that it could only be my former boyfriend, Cole, and that his last name was some kind of aftershave or something now. The reason I didn't recognize him at first was because of his new, deep, husky man voice.
Fingers massaged at my temples, and I forced my eyes to open. I was lying on top of my bed, and Cole was sat beside me, looking concerned and annoyed and worried all at the same time. His hand was clenched tight around mine.
"Uh... what happened?" I asked confusedly, wondering why he was gripping my hand like that. Then everything came rushing back and I ripped my fingers from his. "Never mind. I know."
He sighed at this, and, despite all my protests, leaned over to help me gently up into a sitting position.
"I told you the news and you fainted. Went down pretty hard, too. Got a little bit of a hit on the back of your head and your ankle should start hurting in three... two.... one."
"Ow! What the hell did I do to it?" I yelped out in pain, reaching over to rub my throbbing foot. He swatted my hand away and took a pillow. He folded it in half and gently lifted my calf as he slipped it underneath. My ankle was supported a little bit more now, and felt better. "Thanks."
"I think it may be a minor sprain." He explained distractedly, running his fingers over the now bruised bump of bone, giving me ticklish and, quite possibly, other sensations.
"Ow." I repeated childishly as his finger found a particularly tender spot. I winced, and he looked up apologetically.
"Where does it hurt?" He asked, his fingertips retracing their steps.
"Here?" His touch found my sore spot again, and I cried out, involuntarily. "No. Probably not a sprain. Possibly a sprain and a fracture. We should get you to the doctors." He said, staring at my ankle as he practically stroked my discolored skin.
I leaned back into the cushion, and then sat up again as his fingers found a spot that was, quite possibly, more tender than the last.
"Oh!" I gasped, shooting straight, reaching down almost involuntarily to still his fingers.
"Where else?" he murmured distractedly, still looking at the irregular jutting of my bone, unaware that my fingers were closed over his and that we were centimeters apart, and I, seemingly, only had eyes for him.
I moved his hand without tearing my gaze away, placing his fingers lightly over the excruciatingly painful area but not letting go. "Here."
He seemed more distracted than ever, and left my hand over his as he used the other to stroke again. Shivers ran down my spine and goose bumps rose on the skin of my bare arms.
"I really think-" He began, and then, finally, he turned his head. When he found we were just centimeters apart, his gaze flickered from my lips, which were slightly parted, to my eyes, and he stilled, seeming frozen. My hand was still over his, and I locked our fingers together, turning our joint hands over so that I could stroke his cheekbone with the back of my hand.
I wanted to take control.
I just wanted one last kiss before I officially became a stranger to him.
"Prin-" He began again, but I silenced him by placing a finger on his lips, which were caught open beneath my skin. He kissed the tip of my finger, and then the palm of that hand, all the while looking right into my eyes, from under his long, dark lashes.
And then he moved forward, hesitantly, and placed his free hand on my hip, the other being tangled in mine.
And then he was on the bed, pulling our hands apart so he could climb over me, one hand on the pillow beneath my lower back, one hand stroking the side of my face.
I shivered, wondering how we had gotten into this position, and musing at how quickly we seemed to have mastered it.
He nuzzled my neck, hesitantly kissing just under my jaw, and sighed, not realizing that he was setting me on fire with his simple touch. His lips trailed from my jaw to the spot just under my ear, and then across my cheek before he kissed the corner of my mouth.
I frowned in disapproval, and then smiled against his lips as he kissed me - hard and delicious and dead in the center - properly. His soft lips felt like velvet beneath mine, and when his teeth lightly nipped my mouth in askance, I opened, fully granting him entrance.
He sighed contentedly and stroked my tongue with his, sending fireworks exploding in my head. Violins? Check! Fire smoldering through body? Check! Burning desire to feel kisser/kissed up? Check!
My arms, which had been supporting me before, wound around him.
My fingers found the surprisingly soft dark hair at the nape of his neck, and as I combed through it, he moaned.
He might be a total stranger or whatever, but he sure knew how to make a girl want him.
I pressed myself closer, but this only served to make him pull away.
Suddenly, he was retracting, untangling all his limbs from mine and moving further down the bed. I frowned again, trying to get him back into the suddenly limp kiss, but he wasn't having any of it.
"No, Princess. That's enough." He commanded in his strangely authority laced, quiet voice. "You don't know who I am, and even if you did, once you understand and remember, you will be repulsed."
My gaze raked over all his overpoweringly handsome features, but he was carefully impassive. Did he feel nothing when we kissed?
Nothing?!
"I don't care. You totally betrayed me. The least you could do was kiss me one last time." I replied haughtily, trying to pull away from him now, but crying out when I jolted my ankle without realizing.
"Sh, it's all right. I'm calling the doctor now. We'll talk later." He did that sweeping bow thing again, one arm around his stomach and the other around his back. "Your highness."
I almost burst into tears. Seriously, I did. What else could you do when you find out the guy that you like is from another dimension and is bowing at your feet like you're some kind of queen or something?
Which, supposedly, you are?
Agh, so sorry, no time to reply to comments! Must get to school!
Thank you everyone!
Love you!
Enjoy,
x
x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
"So wait, let me get this straight - your real name isn't Cole Lodger, you're a Guardian of the Dark Arts, you knew my father, you're twenty two years old, you live in a different dimension, my father ruled this different dimension, you're one of the supposedly guys and you've lied to me with every word that came out of your mouth from the moment you met me?" I asked incredulously, the words coming out of my mouth in a rushed torrent that was tainted with disbelief. Cole's expression was calculating for a second before he nodded slowly.
"Yeah, more or less. Good. You've been listening." His carefree attitude to the situation irritated me, and I bit down on my lip, hard, before I said something I might have regretted later.
To cut a long story short, Cole Lodger (AKA Cole Antonio Armani) seemed to know about my power. He told me about it, how he had been sent to 'look after' me and, possibly, 'mentor' me if I remembered my true identity in time. He claims that he is from a different dimension to our world, and the only way to access it is to travel to Rhodes. Apparently, Rhodes is a town that has gone down in magic history because it is the place where my father was conceived, and therefore the place where the portal to the other world is situated.
He explained about my magic, how to control it, and marveled at how powerful it seemed. And then he apologized for being such a 'rogue' and playing the role of my boyfriend to protect me - he found it the only way to get immediately close to me. At this point, I flicked my hair back angrily and nodded, muttering a hurt 'I'll say'.
Seemingly not having heard me, Cole proceeded to tell me a long list of things about my foreseeable future and, of course, some more things about my past, until all his words blurred into a torrent of mush in my brain and I zoned out.
I, of course, was thinking about my love life.
Cole Lodger AKA Cole Antonio Armani, had been the one and only guy that I'd felt I'd connected to, from the whole band of exes that I had behind me. He was the only guy that I really liked and felt close to. You know those soppy romance stories, where the heroine feels an instant connection with the tall, dark and handsome stranger the first time she sets eyes on him? And when you read it, you think Yeah right and scoff the naive girl? And then you feel it and you think Wow and then you scoff yourself for scoffing the naive girl, because suddenly, you're in exactly the same position as her? The position where you have an unexplainable, indescribable bond with a total stranger and you can't, for the life of you, understand why?
And you know when you get to the part in the novel where the heroine finds out that her hero doesn't feel the same way? When she finds out that her love is unrequited, and then describes this crushing feeling and a gaping hole in her chest and the sudden lapse in her memory so she can't remember how to breathe? And how you mutter Drama queen and toss the book aside, shaking your head at the hyperbolic exaggeration on her feelings?
Yeah.
It was at that point that I wished I could toss the book aside. Except I couldn't.
"...and the long and short of it is that you're coming with me. To the parallel dimension. And that, my student, is nonnegotiable." Cole was saying, smiling easily and folding his arms across his chest, making the muscles in his arms tense. The muscle in the arms that had held me once, but would never hold me again...
I fought the urge to slap myself.
What was I doing? I was acting lovesick, that's what. So lovesick I was making myself gag. Which made Cole give me funny looks, I can tell you.
"Uh...Summer? I expected a little hysterics, at least. You do know that...you're never going to see any of your friends or family again, right?" That made me pay attention.
"What are you on about?" I asked him, slightly irritated, standing up and pouring myself a glass of cold water. I wrapped my fingers around the icy glass, turned around and leant against the sink to regard him skeptically.
"You weren't listening?" he said, and I wasn't the only one that was irritated now. I shrugged and grinned sheepishly.
"Well sure I was...until around ten minutes ago..." I tried to widen my eyes and look all sorrowful and pleading like Bambi, but it didn't work.
"Well, stupid. I guess you didn't listen to me telling you about how you're the heir to the throne, then." Cole said gravely, but there seemed to me a smidgen of smugness in the way he said it. I didn't react immediately.
It was as if all time had frozen, though not literally this time. A long, silent moment ensued. And then I dropped my beaker.
It fell to the ground and smashed into a thousand tiny crystals, littering the floor with large shards of dangerous looking glass. Icy water splashed across the bottom of my jeans, soaking my socks.
I glanced up at Cole.
The expression on his face wasn't smug anymore. It was worried. And completely serious.
"Um...w-what?" I stammered, pressing my hands to my forehead. "W-what are you on about?"
"You father was the king. I told you that. And, since you are the only blood heir to the throne, you are obligated to take the position. Except, of course, the queen still reigns. She isn't a blood relative, just a stand-in. As soon as we arrive in the other dimension, she steps down at any time, to your command. You are now royalty. You are the Princess of Constantia." His tone turned suddenly formal and he shot up straight, only to bow really low again. "Your highness."
I think that's about the time when the whole world went black.
x~x~x~x~x~x
"Summer? Summer, come on. Wake up!" There was a voice just about my head, and a hand resting on my cheek, and fingers stroking tangles of my hair away from my face, but I couldn't remember who any of these things belonged to. "Summer."
A smooth cheek descended towards my mouth, and I swatted it away in annoyance. Whoever it was wasn't in my good books; that much I understood. "Oh, Summer." The strange somebody sighed in relief, not sounding too happy with me, either.
I suddenly remembered that it could only be my former boyfriend, Cole, and that his last name was some kind of aftershave or something now. The reason I didn't recognize him at first was because of his new, deep, husky man voice.
Fingers massaged at my temples, and I forced my eyes to open. I was lying on top of my bed, and Cole was sat beside me, looking concerned and annoyed and worried all at the same time. His hand was clenched tight around mine.
"Uh... what happened?" I asked confusedly, wondering why he was gripping my hand like that. Then everything came rushing back and I ripped my fingers from his. "Never mind. I know."
He sighed at this, and, despite all my protests, leaned over to help me gently up into a sitting position.
"I told you the news and you fainted. Went down pretty hard, too. Got a little bit of a hit on the back of your head and your ankle should start hurting in three... two.... one."
"Ow! What the hell did I do to it?" I yelped out in pain, reaching over to rub my throbbing foot. He swatted my hand away and took a pillow. He folded it in half and gently lifted my calf as he slipped it underneath. My ankle was supported a little bit more now, and felt better. "Thanks."
"I think it may be a minor sprain." He explained distractedly, running his fingers over the now bruised bump of bone, giving me ticklish and, quite possibly, other sensations.
"Ow." I repeated childishly as his finger found a particularly tender spot. I winced, and he looked up apologetically.
"Where does it hurt?" He asked, his fingertips retracing their steps.
"Here?" His touch found my sore spot again, and I cried out, involuntarily. "No. Probably not a sprain. Possibly a sprain and a fracture. We should get you to the doctors." He said, staring at my ankle as he practically stroked my discolored skin.
I leaned back into the cushion, and then sat up again as his fingers found a spot that was, quite possibly, more tender than the last.
"Oh!" I gasped, shooting straight, reaching down almost involuntarily to still his fingers.
"Where else?" he murmured distractedly, still looking at the irregular jutting of my bone, unaware that my fingers were closed over his and that we were centimeters apart, and I, seemingly, only had eyes for him.
I moved his hand without tearing my gaze away, placing his fingers lightly over the excruciatingly painful area but not letting go. "Here."
He seemed more distracted than ever, and left my hand over his as he used the other to stroke again. Shivers ran down my spine and goose bumps rose on the skin of my bare arms.
"I really think-" He began, and then, finally, he turned his head. When he found we were just centimeters apart, his gaze flickered from my lips, which were slightly parted, to my eyes, and he stilled, seeming frozen. My hand was still over his, and I locked our fingers together, turning our joint hands over so that I could stroke his cheekbone with the back of my hand.
I wanted to take control.
I just wanted one last kiss before I officially became a stranger to him.
"Prin-" He began again, but I silenced him by placing a finger on his lips, which were caught open beneath my skin. He kissed the tip of my finger, and then the palm of that hand, all the while looking right into my eyes, from under his long, dark lashes.
And then he moved forward, hesitantly, and placed his free hand on my hip, the other being tangled in mine.
And then he was on the bed, pulling our hands apart so he could climb over me, one hand on the pillow beneath my lower back, one hand stroking the side of my face.
I shivered, wondering how we had gotten into this position, and musing at how quickly we seemed to have mastered it.
He nuzzled my neck, hesitantly kissing just under my jaw, and sighed, not realizing that he was setting me on fire with his simple touch. His lips trailed from my jaw to the spot just under my ear, and then across my cheek before he kissed the corner of my mouth.
I frowned in disapproval, and then smiled against his lips as he kissed me - hard and delicious and dead in the center - properly. His soft lips felt like velvet beneath mine, and when his teeth lightly nipped my mouth in askance, I opened, fully granting him entrance.
He sighed contentedly and stroked my tongue with his, sending fireworks exploding in my head. Violins? Check! Fire smoldering through body? Check! Burning desire to feel kisser/kissed up? Check!
My arms, which had been supporting me before, wound around him.
My fingers found the surprisingly soft dark hair at the nape of his neck, and as I combed through it, he moaned.
He might be a total stranger or whatever, but he sure knew how to make a girl want him.
I pressed myself closer, but this only served to make him pull away.
Suddenly, he was retracting, untangling all his limbs from mine and moving further down the bed. I frowned again, trying to get him back into the suddenly limp kiss, but he wasn't having any of it.
"No, Princess. That's enough." He commanded in his strangely authority laced, quiet voice. "You don't know who I am, and even if you did, once you understand and remember, you will be repulsed."
My gaze raked over all his overpoweringly handsome features, but he was carefully impassive. Did he feel nothing when we kissed?
Nothing?!
"I don't care. You totally betrayed me. The least you could do was kiss me one last time." I replied haughtily, trying to pull away from him now, but crying out when I jolted my ankle without realizing.
"Sh, it's all right. I'm calling the doctor now. We'll talk later." He did that sweeping bow thing again, one arm around his stomach and the other around his back. "Your highness."
I almost burst into tears. Seriously, I did. What else could you do when you find out the guy that you like is from another dimension and is bowing at your feet like you're some kind of queen or something?
Which, supposedly, you are?
Post Comment | View Comments
