“Know who?” I asked. Stepping inside, they both turned to look at me. Their wide bright eyes regarded me from across the room, Michael even flinched a slight at the sound of my question. It made me wonder why. For a moment, neither one said a word as I stepped fully into the class.
“Michael,” I said. “Is everything okay?” I could see he looked concerned. His thoughts and the feelings around him seemed distorted by something. I suspected John’s watch might be the cause.
“Everything is fine, my dear. I have wonderful news,” Michael said, nearing.
John seemed unsure. My connection to him seemed faint. The vibe I got from him was concern. Glancing over at him, I’d hope he give me some indication of what had been going on between them, but I thought he wanted to allow Michael this courtesy.
John’s expression went firm and quiet. It made me wondered if he had set his watch back on, since I could only feel some emotion from them and not a single thought from either one. Usually, his watch made everyone’s mind a distorted mess.
“Yes?” I asked.
He was excited. He had news, that much I knew. John gave me a slight grin, I was speechless. John had a powerful effect on me even with the slightest current between us, he still got through. And had my pulse racing.
“It’s true. You have an uncle,” Michael said with a grin.
There was a moment Michael’s words had not quite registered. A disbelieve about my family, of who I was. My parents had always been one dimensional. I knew only what was said. No photo albums and memories were small. Only a picture of an elementary school, a few trips, photos in hotel lobbies. In fact, it seemed no one could tell anything about my childhood from any pictures at all. I had no memories printed on paper just what I could remember in my head and even those were vague. I didn’t know how to feel now about all this. A part of me was happy yet the other scared and ready to find out who I was. It made me wonder more what my parents hid. Or if that is what they were doing at all.
Looking over at John, searching for that connection we shared. It was the only thing that made sense to me. But he didn’t. He turned away and walked to the furthest window in the office.
“I can’t believe it.”
Reaching out I tightly hugged Michael. He pulled me back, I stared up at him, searching for images of my uncle, but I couldn’t find any, and I understood why. John’s watch was interfering which only meant he had it on, even slightly would distort others from me. It had happened before. The faint emotion from both of them was the only clue of that, some senses were still getting through. Damn his watch. I guessed I had to give him some privacy.
“What’s his name?” I asked, filled with happiness. I only wished John would’ve joined in it.
“Christopher Vega,” Michael offered with a gigantic grin on his face.
Delighted, I stared towards John. He had mixed feelings, far more distorted now than before. I wished he would’ve stopped hiding from me, but I could understand. In our case, the feelings were what brought us closer and far more connected than others. We were closer than any other people I knew.
“John?” I neared. He immediately turned and smiled back.
His smile was a front for what he truly felt inside. I knew him far better now without having to read him. Every line upon his gorgeous face and lips revealed the truth he tried too hard to hide. He wasn’t trusting. He didn’t believe.
“Did you hear I have an uncle? Isn’t that wonderful?”
Reaching out I touched his cheek. His skin tingled against my fingertips. It did something to him as well. It was far more powerful to him, though. His eyes danced, and that glitter of gold emerged from the center of his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he pressed his lips together and came forward to kiss my cheek.
“Nothing, darling. I think it’s wonderful news,” He assured me.
Something about the news troubled him. He took my hand and held it in his. I squeezed his hand tightly in mind. The hues of gold grew in his eyes.
“Claudia,” Michael said from behind us. I spun back still holding tightly to John’s hand.
“I invited him to have dinner with us tonight,” Michael informed me.
John squeezed my hand. The faint emotion of concern was a slight tingle of our connection.
My eyes lit up, I was going to meet my uncle. I had so many questions to ask him. I wanted to know about his life, and his time in Iraq, and whether he’d ever suspected he had a sister and a family.
“He’s my mother’s brother, right?” I asked Michael.
He nodded. “Oh my, I forgot. I asked him to meet us here, but I must do some shopping before tonight. I wanted us to catch up before we headed home. I hate to bring him along while we’re shopping and bother him with all that,” he said, putting a hand on his forehead.
“She can stay with me and Joseph,” John offered immediately. “I’m heading back to Joseph’s office to help him with a few things before we leave. Then, I plan to head out. I kind of wanted to ask if I could take Claudia out, but I can see you both have plans …”
Immediately I was disappointed, could that be the reason he was a bit distracted? No, it’s something about this whole thing, of that, I am sure. Did he still have doubts?
“Why don’t you join us, John?” Michael offered.
“No, I couldn’t,” he said. “I hate to come between Claudia meeting her uncle.”
“You won’t, John.” I grinned over at him squeezing his hand.
With that, his heart didn’t just light up, it filled with life. I pulled him close to let him know what his eyes were doing. I was almost positive he could feel them the way they were dancing and coloring in a rich gold.
“You’re glowing again,” I said in a whisper.
“So are you, Miss Belle,” he grinned and whispered back.
Michael seemed oblivious to what was going on between us. It didn’t matter, he was far too worried about what had to be done. He was leaning over his desk writing on a piece of paper. I suspected it was a list of groceries he needed to remember to get at the store.
“So, will you join us?” Michael asked looking over at John from the side of his desk.
“Yes, of course, he will,” I answered for John squeezing his hand tightly in mine. That made the color in his eyes explode. It was magical to catch a glimpse whenever he looked up at me.
“Can I also trouble you to bring Christopher along when you come over?” Michael boldly asked. “Would you mind, John?”
John seemed annoyed with the name, appearing slightly serious, and I knew it was bothering him. There was a short pause as I glanced over at John. Finally answering. “Not a problem, Michael,”
“Thank you, John,” Michael said politely and then grabbed his briefcase. “Shall we? I have to head out if I’m to avoid traffic and get there to start dinner.” He ushered us to the door of the office.
John led me with him to the hallway and we stepped out to wait for Michael. He closed the door behind us and locked up.
“Does he know where to meet us?” I asked.
“I told him to make his way to the main office,” Michael answered.
He walked us down to the first floor and left us by the main office entrance as he disappeared down the hall.
Once he was gone, I pulled John close stroking the side of his head. He exhaled at my touch, smiling. Why he was so quiet, but again I suspected it had something to do with my newfound uncle.
“Do that again,” he said in a whisper.
I giggled, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, stroking the hair on the back of his neck.
“What’s bothering you?” I asked him, holding him to me, my lips touched the side of his cheek. I lean back to observe him, hoping to find what bothered him.
He smiled and gazed into my eyes unable to answer. “I can’t get anything past you, can I, Miss Belle?”
“No, you can’t, John Slater.”
He quickly put a finger to his lips. “Müller, Miss Belle.”
I jokingly stuck out my tongue. “Very well, Mr. Müller.”
Holding him close to me, I could feel his body pressed against mine, his arms folded over my backside, squeezing me against him. Our lips neared. He looked intoxicated, dazed, and under my spell.
“You’re worried, aren’t you?”
John turned his head sideways to avoid my eyes. He had been discovered. I turned his head back to me, grabbing at his chin. He smiled when I did that, and I held his face to stare into his eyes.
“I couldn’t call myself your boyfriend if I didn’t worry about you, Miss Belle.”
I liked the sound of those words.
“I just don’t want to see you hurt. I thought you said you were okay with allowing Joseph to check him out first. At least, consider it, baby,” he pleaded with me.
Baby? I like that, too.
My fingers stroked the side of his cheek, caressing the spot by his ear. “I’ve never had anyone care so much about me.”
“No one?”
I pressed my lips tightly together and shook my head. “Nothing like this, John.”
I stroked his cheek, running my fingers into the strands of his honey-brown locks. He was so handsome, and he was with me.
“Well, get ready to be sick of it.” He grinned.
“I doubt that,” I said. “I doubt I’ll ever get tired of your loving embrace. I need you, John, far more than I realized.”
The light in his eyes return, the gold exploded, it seemed to do that when I revealed my love for him. The golden hue was expanding, mixing with his green eyes. In fact, it looked more emerald in color, each time the gold was present.
I had never seen eyes such as his, they were so bold and strange, almost alien.
“What? What are you thinking about, Claudia Belle?”
I beamed back, glowing as he would say, looking into those gold-green eyes that were focusing all their beauty on me. “You would know if you didn’t have the watch on,” I scolded him with a laugh and took a step back.
John smirked.
“But I understand if there are some things you want to keep to yourself. I don’t mean to always pry.”
“No, you’re not. It’s just I must keep this thing on, if I don’t, they’ll know, even now, with adjusting it continuously, it’s concerning. But I have the surges in the school to use as my cover for doing so.” He smiled.
“I hadn’t realized that,” I said.
John grinned again.
“By they, you mean …?”
He nodded, and I said no more. He pulled me back into his arms, not allowing me to escape, and kissed me. His wet, rich lips were soft, his tongue pushed through the gap of my mouth. It was the first time I had been kissed that way. It was amazing.
A gasp escaped my mouth. I could feel sensations running inside him, like bolts of lightning hitting the very core of his body. The watch couldn’t even help him resist. What he was feeling was displaying on the movements of his metal piece as the dials shot roundly around the face.
When I ran my hands through his soft hair again, he pulled himself away. I ached for his lips. I came very close to his face, brushing against his cheek.
“Don’t stop, John,” I begged.
“I don’t want to, Miss Belle,” he said taking a deep breath. “But, if I don’t now, I won’t be able to.” He winked with a grin, making my pulse race. “Promise me you’ll ask me not to stop again. And the next time I won’t.”
I ran my tongue against the edge of my lips. He exhaled.
“I won’t let you stop … anything at all …”
He gasped, nearing his lips against mine. “Miss Belle, are you teasing me?” He winked cleverly.
“Never, John Slater, never.” I replied stroked his cheek.