Lost In Time

Chapter 10

Juliet's POV

A rooster’s crow signaled it was now morning; it meant the sun had risen and a new day was upon us. It was a relief to me because I barely slept a wink last night. As I looked out the window, I saw the sun slowly creeping over the horizon and illuminating the sky with its golden hue.

A yawn escapes my lips, and I glance to see the rest of the girls still sleeping. I sighed and knew that it was time to get up and get ready for the day ahead.

I wonder if the others are awake. As I thought this, I slowly slipped out of bed, feeling the soft morning breeze on my skin. The door creaked slightly as I opened it, and I was surprised to see that the hallway was already bustling with activity.

Jess and Michael were both chasing two little girls who were giggling their hearts out while the dad shouted to not encourage them but chuckled none the less.

“Good morning,” I muttered when they ran past me. Jess and Michael looked up from their chase, their faces lighting up when they saw me.

“Morning Juliet,” they said and continued after the girls. It was such a beautiful scene that I couldn’t help but smile.

I made my way to the kitchen, where Preston was sitting opposite the man, sipping on hot coffee. His eyes met mine, and his mouth opened into a wide grin, as if he had been expecting me.

I took a seat next to Preston, recalling Jess and Michael calling my name a bit ago; he must have heard I was up.

I smiled a little and mumbled, “Thank you,” as the steaming coffee cup was set down in front of me. I firmly grasped the cup, brought it to my nose, and breathed in the aroma of the hot drink. As I take a sip, the beverage’s warmth flows down my throat and into my stomach, kindling my energy and reducing my uneasiness.

“Did you sleep well?” Preston asks, taking a look at me before sipping his coffee. I nodded and smiled, feeling content as I took another sip of my coffee, even though I hadn’t slept that well.

One of my biggest problems is sleeping somewhere strange. If I am not in my own home sleeping, no matter what, I cannot sleep, and to make it much worse, I was sleeping in a stranger’s house, whose name I don’t even know, and he could have killed us all in our sleep.

Times like these make me regret loving horror movies!

“I’m going to go take a shower,” Preston said after finishing his coffee. “Enjoy your coffee.” And with that, he left the room.

Across from me, the man smiles and says, “You two look cute together.”

“Oh, we’re not together.” I say, but that didn’t stop my lips from spreading widely into a smile.

He chuckles. “Tell that to the smile on your face.” I laughed, trying to hide my embarrassment.

My heart skipped a beat when his eyes shifted from me to the people behind me; however, when I turned around, I saw the girls.

Finally! They’re awake.

Jessica and Pat both yawned at the same time and took a seat beside me. Their eyelids were half closed as they rubbed their eyes, trying to adjust to the bright morning sunlight that was streaming through the window. Jessica was the first to speak, her voice still thick with sleep.

“Where are the boys?”

“Oh, Preston is taking a shower, and the rest are outside playing with my daughters.”

“Of course, you said your name was,” Jessica says, eyes wide, forgetting he was here in the first place.

“My name is Chris Dastra,” he says as he stands up and walks to the kitchen counter. He is probably going to get them some coffee too.

She nods and then drifts back to partial sleep, but when Preston shouts, “Chris, your shirt is somewhat big, but it fits fine,” she looks up. “Thank you so much for letting me borrow this; I will repay you one day, I promise.”

She became wide awake right away, setting her hair with her hand.

“Morning girls,” Preston greets, seeing Jessica and Pat upon entering the kitchen.

My eyes, of their own accord, scanned and took in Preston’s appearance. The jeans were a perfect fit, and although the shirt was slightly loose, he made the outfit look great.

My gaze then moved to his face, where he was smirking and staring at me. My eye widens, and I look away, my cheeks tinted red.

It was like he knew I was checking him out, and the feeling of embarrassment flushed over me. I tried to cover up my surprise and feigned looking elsewhere, but the blush on my cheeks gave away the thoughts that were running through my mind.

Preston leaned against the counter as Jess and Michael entered the kitchen, each carrying a sleeping girl in their arms. Mr. Chris approached them and took his daughter in separate arms, carrying them to their rooms.

“Where is Josh?” Jessica asks. I looked up, relieved that I wasn’t the only one who had noticed Josh’s absence.

“He took the car to the shop; after it is finished, he should be back, which should be any minute from now,” Jess answers. Jessica nods her head in understanding, a relieved smile spreading across her face.

“Our parents must be going crazy, wondering where we are.” Pat wonders.

Jess immediately becomes embarrassed and apologizes for not considering their parents’ worry when Josh pops up suddenly and says, “Oh, they’ve been aware since last night. I asked Chris to call and inform my parents, and I asked them to relay the message to the rest of your parents, so everything is fine.”

Pat and Jess are amazed at Josh’s foresight, while I smile and thank him, to which he replies with a nod.

***

As Faith ran toward me with her arms open wide, I hopped off the truck. She threw herself at me with an exultant scream of joy, her love-filled eyes sparkling and her contagious smile illuminating the sky. She pulled away and then hugged me again, and I laughed.

“Do you know how worried me and mom were when we didn’t see you coming?” She says this, pulling away from me and lightly hitting me on the shoulder, puckering her lips in mock anger.

“I’m sorry,” I said, tilting my head and smiling.

She rolls her eyes. “If it wasn’t for Josh’s mother calling, we would have called the police.”

My face fell, and I sheepishly apologized for the inconvenience we caused. When the truck beeped behind me, I turned around and smiled, waving my hand in thanks. I was grateful for Josh’s mother calling; it had prevented us from getting into trouble with the police.

As I entered the house, Marie stood in the middle of the living room with a rolling pin in her hands, looking as straight as ever. Her face had a stern expression, but her eyes were shining with relief as she put down the rolling pin and opened her arms wide to give me a warm embrace.

I could feel her heart beating against mine as she hugged me tightly. She murmured in my ear, “Thank goodness you’re alright, dear.”

We held each other for a few moments, and then she stepped back, looked me in the eye, and said, “Next time this happens again, I will be coming for you with more than a rolling pin in my hand, missy. Do you know the scare you gave me? You’re lucky that nothing bad happened, and as for your punishment, you are grounded for a month. No more late nights out!”

“Yes, Marie,” I say, sighing.