Chapter 4
It was too warm.
That was the first thought I had.
The heated air sends prickles of discomfort through me and it’s almost hard to breath.
Twitching, I attempted to rotate onto my right but something fettered my arms, immobilizing me.
My eyes snap open.
Taking in the white, stripped clean hospital room and the wheeling machine that looked a bit like Plankton’s wife in SpongeBob, I turn my head.
Crap.
Teegan’s arms are scooping me from behind, my back pressed snugly against his toned and firm chest.
Oh my- oh my- oh my-
I squeeze my eyes shut. I was going to wake up from this dream. Any moment now…like right now….
Nothing.
Teegan grunts a bit in his sleep when I accidently elbow him in the ribs, but he pulls me tighter to him, his face buried in my neck.
I rest my hands on his and stare up at the ceiling.
I was so inconsiderate. He was probably tired and sore from sitting in that chair.
Groaning, I sneak a peak at teegan.
His firm jaw is set and his prominent cheekbones create an ethereal look that surrounds him.
He was one of those guys that you saw and looked away thinking, “man, that guy is attractive” but there were no words to really describe Teegan.
Gently prying one arm free, I trace a line with my finger from the center of his brow, stopping just at the edge of his soft lips. Drawing an invisible, artful path with my finger, I run it over his smooth face.
My heart flutters and I feel the rational part of me screaming at me.
I just met him. I didn’t know him. How could I feel so…so weird already? Blaming it on all the drugs that have been administered to me, I try to push the unfamiliar feeling away.
Retracting my hand I sigh. I wanted to go home.
I wanted to snuggle up in bed with my stuffed penguin while eating banana cheerios.
I wanted to go home.
“You know if you keep sighing, your going to kill brain cells,” a deep, husky voice from just waking up says.
My eyes widen and I clench my fists in a reflex of surprise.
Bad idea.
Realizing that I’m clutching him to me, I quickly release my hands and struggle to get out of his arms, avoiding eye contact.
“That’s stupid. You can’t lose brain cells just from sighing,” I retort, nervously.
Teegan tightens his arms, crushing my back to him. His piercing eyes silencing my protest as he rests his chin on my head.
“Why are you so cold?” he murmurs, taking my fridged hands. The early dawns of morning filter through the window and I realize we slept through the night.
A shiver runs through me as his whisper brushes past my ear. No, I couldn’t do this. I was Aria Cadence, the weirdo. The useless sister of Carmina Cadence.
People didn’t talk to me…. let alone guys…
“Why are you holding me so tightly?” I blurt out, my tone coming out harsher than I intended. I flinch expecting him to be angry but when I look up, his lips are pressed in a flat line, suppressing a smile.
“Don’t answer my question with a question,” he replied, an amused look sparkling in his eyes.
Ok, now I was awake.
“Don’t talk to strangers,” I snap, glowering at him.
“I hardly doubt we’re strangers,” Teegan smiles charmingly. He was enjoying this. Too much. Why was'nt he as flustered as I was?
It was like he was challenging me. He was amused at how flustered I was.
His messily cut black hair hangs a bit over his eyes serving as a dark contrast against his bright, grey eyes. I was flustering, mumbling idiot.
“Stop checking me out,” he smirks.
“I was looking at that nice piece of spinach up your nose,” I reply sourly.
Teegan’s face scrunches in a cute way and I contain a smile.
He suddenly smiles. “I was dropped when I was a baby.”
Uh… what? My mouth drops open. Why does he look so smug and happy?
“Um…My condolences…?” I ask, wrinkling my nose in confusion.
“Into a pool of sexiness,” he finishes.
So. Dang. Original.
Snorting in a very unladylike way, I roll my eyes at him.
“Did you fall from heaven?” I ask, trying to be as sweet as possible. I bat my eyelashes and put on a sickly sweet smile.
Teegan blinks, swallowing hard. Quickly composing himself, he winks at me and puts on a flirty face.
“Why yes darling, i did, but it was all worth it because I landed in front of you.”
Like I haven’t heard that one before….
Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes, I throw him a pointed look. “Because your face is freaking messed up.”
Take that you Mother Hubber.
Surprise flits across his face and he laughs quietly, smiling into my hair, as I stay cocooned in his arms.
“You seriously don’t know who I am?” he murmurs, suddenly serious.
I rack my brain searching for an inkling of where I might’ve known him before the accident.
“Nope,” I say, popping the p as I bite my lip.
Teegan smiles wide, looking extremely pleased at my answer.
“Why are you happy about that? Should I know who you are?” I ask curiously.
Teegan clears his throat and quickly deflates his smile into a serious one.
“No reason,” he says gruffly.
Bi-polar anyone?
Pursing my lips, I don’t bother to ask him for his sudden mood change.
I glare at the wall across me at the sudden awkward air.
“You’re not mad right?” Teegan asks me, disbelief coloring his tone.
I don’t respond, to stubborn to look at him. If he didn’t want to tell me than fine, he didn’t have to.
But he was going to have to suffer my wrath.
And my plan worked….
For the first two seconds.
Something hard jabs the side of my stomach and I jump in the air in surprise, a surprised yelp leaving my lips.
“What are you doing?” I shriek.
“Trying to make you smile,” Teegan says in an obvious tone, like I was stupid not to know.
I keep a straight face and look back at the wall.
He jabs me again and I jolt.
Another jab.
And all of a sudden, he’s tickling me.
A half terrified shriek and laugh leaves my lips as he tickles me.
I bite my lips together trying to stop my giggles as Teegan sits up and tickles me furiously.
“St-stop,” I gasp out,
“Sorry. I couldn’t hear you? Are you laughing?” He asks me loudly, cupping his ear.
Never. I’ll never lose to him.
Shaking my head, I try to scoot to the end of the bed as he moves forward to tickle me.
“Oh no- no- doesn’t do it!” I warn, struggling to free my legs from the tangled sheets as I edge away from him.
Teegan grins wickedly, holding up his hands as he looms over me, casting a shadow over me.
Desperate, I shove him with my feet but he doesn’t budge.
Instead, I find myself toppling off the bed.
Landing with an oomph on the floor I stare motionlessly up at the ceiling, embarrassment flooding over me.
‘Please. Just swallow me. I promise I’ll taste good’ I plead with the floor in my mind.
In the second that I fall off the bed, Teegan leaps off the bed, crouching over me.
“Are you ok? Did you hit your head again?” he asks me worriedly, his eyes wide with panic.
“Im…good,” I say hesitantly, sitting up and rubbing my elbow.
Teegan slumps into a sitting position, breathing in relief and he rests his legs on top of mine.
“Get off,” I demand, uselessly trying to kick his feet off of me.
Teegan shoots me an impatient look. “I almost had a heart attack, shoot me some slack will you?”
We form an l shape on the floor.
Groaning, I rest against the hospital cabinet trying not to think about how dirty the floor is.
Someone could have peed on this floor
Someone could have vomited on this floor….
Jumping up and efficiently throwing him off I begin to brush myself off.
Ew ew ew ew.
“What?” he asks me, bewildered.
“The floors nasty.”
Teegan stands up, with a bored expression on his face as he walks past me to pat my head.
“Don’t worry, there’s more germs on that hospital bed,” he say, jutting his chin to the bed I slept on.
A look of horror crosses my face and I half sprint, half fly to the bathroom.
A chuckle rings out from the room and I flip on the light switch to see...
Mrs. Godzilla herself.
My brown hair is tangled and matted, sticking to my face in a way that made me look ghostly.
Dark circles line my eyes and the pasty, dry paleness of my face is scaring me.
Poking me cheek, I confirm my horror.
This is me.
Please just be the lighting.
Meticulously scrubbing my face with soap and water, I look at the angry, red cut on my forehead where gauze is messily patched on.
Running my fingers through my hair, I groan in frustration.
Now I wasn’t the kind of girl that spent six hours in front of the mirror applying seven coats of mascara, but I believed in look respectable and presentable.
And I was definitely not that.
Just as I was about to shave off all of my hair, a quiet knock stops me.
Propping open the door a little, Teegan hands me a pile of clothes and plastic bag with a small toothbrush, and comb.
“The hospital nurses told me to give you this,” he mumbled, quickly shoving the stuff at me.
Muttering a thank you, I change into my clothes and tidy myself up the best I can.
~*~
“Alrighty miss Cadence, you are all ready to leave,” the head nurse chirps, handing me back my credit card.
“Thanks,” I smile, fingering the bandage on my forehead.
I wince. That was going to scar.
When I check my phone there are no missed calls.
The only text I got was from my mother who texted ‘Carmina has vocal practices, can’t pick you up from the hospital. Call George.’
Of course.
Stopping at the exit, I push speed dial and wait for the call to transfer. Teegan stands with his hands in his pockets, studying the wall opposite of him.
‘Hi you’ve read the River family, please leave your name and number-‘ I grip the phone tightly.
It was Sunday. George had this day off and I wasn’t about to ruin it.
“Which way is your house?” Teegan asks me, falling into step with me as I walk down the muddied sidewalk.
“Oh you don’t have to walk me there….” I say blushing.
Teegan laughs. “Actually, I asked so I could go the opposite way,” he trails off, pretending to change directions and walk away from me.
I glare at him and he ruffles my hair.
“If I walk you home will I be sleeping in bed with you again?” he asks me cockily and a blush rises up my face.
He put it that way.
I clear my throat. “It’s about twenty minutes away by bus.”
Teegan nods, biting his lips.
“Which way is your house?” I ask.
His grey eyes catch mine and his trademark smile brightens his face. “Well, I don’t know if you’ll like my bed, it’s not as comfortable as the hospital one-”
“Will you stop it with the bed jokes?” I snap.
He wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Do you miss me already?”
“What? How did we even get on this topic?” I ask exasperated.
Teegan shrugs. “I don’t know, the topic just always seems to lead back onto the topic of me and bed,” he says cheekily.
The nerve of that kid.
“On a serious not though, my house is that way,” he says, jabbing his thumb in the opposite direction.
I stop walking. “Then why are you following me?”
“Why did you stop walking?” he retorts.
“Why are you answering my question with a question?”
“Why is it ok for you to answer my question with a question and I can’t answer your question with a question?” he replies.
I blink. What were we talking about again?
We both glare at each other, challenging the other to back down.
The sounds of car fly past up and the gray clouds loom above us.
Was I going to miss my bus? Yes.
Did it matter right now? No.
Teegan’s stormy, exotic grey eyes send a torrent over mine and i try not to look away, the intensity of his eyes becoming uncomfortable.
He groans. “Fine, we’ll have it your way,” he grumbles, slumping his shoulders in defeat as the wind moves strands of his hair over his face.
The straight strands of his hair seem to sway in the wind and the longest strand of hair seems to just reach the middle of his ear. It wasn’t to long or short.
“I can’t just let you walk to your house alone right?” he asks me, giving me a smug look.
Are you serious?
“Well uh….” I didn’t even know what to say. That was so…. sweet.
“Come on, we better get going,” Teegan suddenly says, tugging my hand.
“Im going on bus though,” I say breathlessly.
He shrugs and looks back to shoot me a smile.
“Then I’ll walk you to the bus.”
~*~
{optional: Play song to the right}
I've waited a hundred years.
But I'd wait a million more for you.
Nothing prepared me for
What the privilege of being yours would do.
“What happened to the guitar you had yesterday?” I ask him as we sit on the bench, waiting for my bus.
Teegan scrunches his face in a cute way before recognition sets in. “oh! That guitar! I borrowed it from one of the nurses who had a guitar lying about.”
I stare at me hands. “Sorry for… making you wait at the hospital for so long. You must be really tired and-“
Teegan places his hand over my lips and my eyes widen.
“Please don’t worry about it. You ended up in the hospital because of me,” he says quietly, guilt clear on his face.
Oh. That’s what he was thinking about?
“It’s not your fault that the crazy car ran a red,” I protest, taking his hand off of my mouth.
“Im just surprised you didn’t hear it…” I trail off.
Teegan snaps his gaze on mine and he swallows hard before looking away.
He shrugs. “I was in my own world, sorry.”
I pat his hand. “no ones dead right? So let’s not reminisce on the past ok?”
Teegan smiles a warm smile at me, his handsome face illuminated in the cloudy light of a dim sum.
If I had only felt the warmth within your touch,
If I had only seen how you smile when you blush,
Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough,
I would have known what I was living for all along.
What I've been living for.
At that moment, the soft moaning screech of a bus braking breaks me from my trance as it pulls up to the curb.
I jump up.
“I guess this is…. bye….” I struggle to get out. I just met him yesterday; I shouldn’t feel this attached to him.
Teegan’s sad eyes meet mine and I force a smile as he grabs me in for a hug.
I close my eyes, dwelling in his embrace.
It has only been 24 hours and I was already missing Teegan’s casual touch.
I quickly separate, biting my lip as I run up the small steps into the bus.
Raising my hand, I wave half heartedly before shoving the lump in my throat. Teegan smiles a genuine smile at me, his bright grey eyes luring me in to stay.
No. I couldn’t.
Your love is my turning page,
Where only the sweetest words remain.
Every kiss is a cursive line,
Every touch is a redefining phrase.
I shove my way through the crowd of people, getting lost and consumed.
******
The bus lurches slightly as it starts to take off.
I catch myself from landing on top of a man’s lap and retreat further to the back, away from the sweat and grime of people.
Spotting Teegan’s blue jeans and black fitted band shirt first, I notice something odd.
It was like he was moving with the bus….
And then I saw him.
He was running.
I surrender who I've been for who you are,
For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart.
If I had only felt how it feels to be yours,
Well, I would have known what I've been living for all along.
What I've been living for
Teegan runs effortlessly until he is right at the mirror beside me.
What was he doing? He was going to fall under the bus and get ran over.
“Trust me,” he mouths to me before running faster past my window.
The bus driver doesn’t slow down, his doors still barely open.
Pushing myself back through the crowd to get to the front, I accidently elbow a person in the face.
What was he doing? I had to stop the driver. Teegan could possibly be thinking that-
Just as I reach the last window before the opening of the bus doors I watch in horror as Teegan prepares to jump in an attempt to get into the moving bus. The bus driver starts to yell in Italian.
As Teegan’s eyes meet mine, he reaches his arms out and jumps.
My eyes snap shut as the driver slams on his breaks.
Though we're tethered to the story we must tell,
When I saw you, well, I knew we'd tell it well.
Murmurs and shrieks of terror from the people in the bus ring out.
I grip the bus railing tightly listening to the approaching footsteps for someone to tell me the fate of Teegan.
The footsteps stop.
“You might have said goodbye, but I never did. It’s to early for me to say goodbye,” a voice breathes out by me, his warm familiar voice making relief crash over me.
With a whisper, we will tame the vicious seas.
Like a feather bringing kingdoms to their knees.
~*~
A/N- Hello :) Thank you to everyone who reads this, i am truly grateful. The song of the chapter is Turning Pages by Sleeping At Last. It is just so beautiful, it gives me goosebumps, you should see him sing it in his studio recording.
The songs are going to be really important for this story so it'd be great if you listened to it while reading.
if you have any suggestions for some songs, revisions, anything just tell me :) please vote and fan! Till next time!