Twilight Embrace (Completed)

Chapter 3

As the storm’s rage increased, he moved quickly to close the French doors, not knowing why he had left them open in the first place. The storm’s intensity increased with each clap of thunder and bolt of lightning.

A movement in the shadows caught his attention.  His imagination ran wild for an instant.  Surely she would not be out on a night like this. He made a mental note to check the shoreline in the morning for any hint of her appearance.  Suddenly, a lightning arrow flashed through the stormy sky, turning night into day, so fierce he closed his eyes against its brightness.  When he opened his eyes he glared into the darkness searching the shadows for something, a movement, even just a glimpse of her …..But nothing, just a blackness, which made him feel uneasy.

He pulled the doors closed, locking them securely and drew the blinds.  He headed upstairs feeling restless and not knowing if he would actually be able to sleep.  Pulling off his shirt he hesitated by the window for an instant, then tossing his shirt onto the chair, he headed for the shower.

Lying in bed, he reached across the table and before turning out the light noticed the time was 2am.  He drifted into a light sleep and had the oddest feeling he was not alone, a feeling of being watched, but not uncomfortably, or threatening.  His last thought, before he fell into a deep sleep, was this peaceful feeling he’d felt many times before, only when he was up here at the cottage.

He awoke earlier than usual and felt remarkably rested, which he’d not felt in a long time.  He headed for the kitchen and his early morning coffee.  The coffee machine gurgled happily away in the corner while he checked his emails and surfed the net.

Waking earlier than normal, he had time to kill before meeting friends at the village coffee shop.  He decided to go down to the lake for a swim.

As he headed towards the door he noticed the rose in the window sill had wilted from the sun that streamed through the window. Sadly he thought that all the petals would fall by the end of the day and the only tangible evidence of his elusive mystery girl would be gone.

With a hint of loss in his thoughts, he opened the French doors onto the patio, threw his towel over his shoulder and stepped into the bright sunlight.  As he turned to close the door, an unfamiliar sight caught the corner of his eye. There on the table, on the patio, lay a single yellow rose ……

He felt breathless for an instant, rooted to the spot, too afraid to touch it, thinking it was all in his imagination and it might disappear. As he reached for the rose, the familiar scent teased his senses.  He could not understand why.

The rose appeared to be freshly picked as dew drops still covered the petals. He touched the petals with his lips, breathed in its perfume and the pit of his stomach lurched with a sense of longing of feelings that somehow, felt familiar.  A feeling he had experienced every time he came out to the cottage, but this time, yes, this time it, was somehow stronger.