Ella stepped into my apartment, looking around as if my place would tell her more about me. My apartment was a nice size with typical living room furniture, perfect for young bachelors such as Jay and I. Leather couch, big screen TV with video gaming systems, a small dining room table cluttered with books, bags, and school stuff, and a kitchen which looked rather bare, save for the Gatorade and beer bottles lined up on the counter.
“In here,” I said as I tugged at her hand, leading her further down the hall and into my room.
A flutter played in my stomach at the thought of bringing her into my bedroom. I could tell she was nervous about the thought as well. Then, I flicked on the light and allowed her to step into my space.
An involuntary gasp left her lips at the sight before us. Just above my headboard, framed and lit like a professional work of art, was my drawing of her. She was riding a horse, which I could tell by her thoughts was actually her horse named Cora, and laughing as the wind ripped through her hair and clothes.
“Jonah,” she whimpered and I could tell she was hardly able to control her emotions.
“Ella,” I responded as I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. The fact that I could touch her made my heart expand out of my chest like the Grinch from Whoville.
“You said you dreamed of me and this is from your dream?”
“Oh, Ella. How do I explain this? Just remember you promised to listen first. Ok?” I sighed heavily as I dug for the courage to continue.
“I’ve been dreaming of you for six years,” I said, causing her to turn and look at me as I spoke. “I may not have known your name or whether you were real. But, you’ve been in my dreams since I was nearly eighteen. Every night, I had a dream of beautiful amethyst eyes and every morning when I woke, my heart tore in two.”
Yep, here comes the waterworks. I could see her eyes begin to swell and tears start to brim around her eyelids. If she cries, I will surely lose my man-card and sob right along with her.
“You don’t have to say anything. I just needed to let you know why I feel so drawn to you... why we have this strong connection,” I explained as I gestured between the two of us.
“Jonah, I have something to tell you,” she said as she walked away from me and sat on the edge of the bed. I could tell she was shaking so badly that she had to sit down and compose herself. I was so worried I was scaring her. I had to do something to comfort her.
“Oh, Ella. You’re shaking. Come here,” I said as I sat beside her and wrapped her in my arms, hugging her close and allowing her to cry into my chest. As much as I hated to see her cry, this felt real. This was her and she was really here, allowing me to comfort her without the repercussions of vanishing into thin air.
“I’ve... God, how do I say this?” she said out loud as she sniffed and wiped her nose with her hand while backing away from me ever so slightly.
I know, very ladylike. But, I don’t care. I have to tell him this. I have to get it off my chest. Her thoughts made me care for her even more.
“A little over six years ago, I was in a bad car accident. A really bad car accident that broke several bones in my body and banged me up pretty good.”
I just stared at her, puzzled as to why she was telling me about a car accident from so long ago. Then it dawned on me, as if someone literally knocked me over the head with a bat. The time...
“Did you say... six years?” I gasped. She just nodded.
“You asked why I was taking physical therapy. The reason is because I’ve been in a coma ever since the accident. I only woke up a little over a month ago.”
With this information, I stood up and looked down at her. I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say or do. Here she was, pouring her secrets out and effectively explaining to me why I’ve been in utter desperation to find her for six years. Yet, how was I supposed to absorb this bit of information?
“Jonah, I...”
“Wait,” I interrupted, not unkindly, as I held my hand up and closed my eyes. “Let me think about this. Ok, six years ago, you were in a car accident that left you in a coma. And you woke up a little over a month ago?”
She nodded, a tear trickling down her cheek with the worry I would not understand the next part.
The next part of what? I thought.
I kneeled in front of her and grabbed her face, forcing her to look at me. “Ella, please don’t cry. We’ll figure this out... this connection. We’ll figure it out. Don’t be sad.”
“There’s more, Jonah.”
“Then tell me, love. Talk to me,” I said with tenderness, needing her to know I would understand. Needing her to know that I would never turn her away.
“The day I woke up, before I did, I dreamed of you, or envisioned you. I’m not quite sure what it was really. But you were there and you were... you were mine.”
With those words, she looked directly at me. A huge grin slowly made its way across my features. So, she knew me as soon as she saw me. The thought that we were on the same level made me sigh in relief. “I was yours, huh?”
“We had only met that day, but it seemed like I’d known you for forever. We spent such a wonderful day together, eating lunch in the courtyard, throwing on the wheel together, horseback riding, a shared meditation trip to Manua Kea Summit, even your Charger. I experienced all of it. You even kissed me. And then, I woke up and I thought for sure I would never be able to pick the pieces of my heart up off the floor.
“I thought for sure you were just a dream. That I would never again see you, touch you, smell you. When you walked over to me in the Lavendine studio, I seriously thought I had gone back under. Now? Now I don’t know what to think.”
“Don’t think. Let’s not think. At least, not now. Let’s just enjoy and be thankful that we’ve finally found one another,” I said as I laid my head in her lap. She took the cherished moment to run her fingers through my hair, causing a delightful groan to leave my chest at the feeling of her touching me so intimately. I grasped onto her tighter, tucking my hands beneath her ass and savoring the warmth of her embrace.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way and don’t feel like you have to say anything in return. But, I’ve been dreaming of you for six years. You’ve been mine all that time, yet I’ve never been able to touch you, to hold you like this, or to tell you that...” I trailed off as I sat up and looked directly into her eyes—contemplating whether I should say the words I’ve been feeling for so many years now. I wanted to tell her I loved her. But, would that be too much? Would I ruin the perfect connection we had right now?
With those three ever-important words rambling through my mind and never actually being spoken from my mouth, the love of my life got up and walked out.
The End of Part Three
Continue with Ella and Jonah’s story in Blood of the Soul, book two in the Soul Seers series, or grab up the whole series in one convenient boxed set at www.renefolsom.com/soul-seers.