The Clairvoyant

Fifteen | 64 days, 7th hour

My body shoots up off the bed before my eyes do, and the first thing I notice is the sun blaring onto my eyes. I instantly realize that I'm not in my room, and I can't tell where I am at all because my memory's hazy as it already is.

This place... where...?

Stella?

That voice surprises me, and I can tell he's near.

Cain...?

You're awake? Good. Wait, let me finish taking a bath. He sends to me, then I can hear the splash of water behind the closed door not far away from the bed I'm on. I can hear the sound of a shower running, and then a curtain being pushed aside.

Where...?

My room. My house.

What about Tristan's place?

I couldn't exactly leave you in a house with two guys. One a host and the other dead asleep.

And then comes Cain in this striped patterned towel. It's covering only the lower part of his legs, barely even passing the knees. Stop gawking at me, he suddenly sends into my mind, turning around away from my prying eyes.

I am not gawking at you, I protest, taking the dark colored comforters into my hands until I realize I'm wearing a pullover – without shorts. Oh my God, did you change my clothes? I panic, my eyes searching the room for them.

Cain doesn't answer.

I'm going to kill you.

“They were dirty!” He shouts from inside his walk-in closet. “I didn't want my bed to be dirty.”

In short you're saying I'm dirty. I want to glare at him, but Cain's nowhere to be seen. Except for the moving shadow coming out the closet. And I thought you weren't going to talk to me? That we weren't friends anymore since I chose Blake over you, i***t.

I couldn't live with it.

I placed a triumphant smile on my face. It's only been three days and you can't live with me anymore? I get up from the bed, not caring about the oversized sweater I'm wearing. At least it's covering my bottom, and half my thigh.

I didn't say I couldn't live with you – I said I couldn't live with the idea we were fighting.

It's the same.

No, it's not. He comes out the walk in closet wearing different clothes I usually know he wears: navy blue jogging pants, and a white knitted sweater. Usually he's wearing this formal-looking outfit with the vest and all. But he's not right now.

“You're not going to school?” I ask, frowning.

“You don't know?” He counters, slipping his hands in his pocket. I stare at him, waiting for an answer. He shakes his head when I don't say anything anymore. “It's field trip day for freshmen and juniors. You would have known, if you bothered to check the bulletin board.”

“I don't really pay much attention to those things unless it's the last day,” I mutter, folding my legs and then letting my head lean on it. “So when's our field trip? Tomorrow? Can I get that paper or whatever so I can excuse myself?”

He sighed and pointed on the bed side table.

I lean over and take one, fold it, then was about to put it back in my pocket when I remembered I wasn't wearing any shorts. “Can I get my shorts back?” I question, returning back on the bed and tilting my head, a frown on my face.

“It's in the laundry.”

“So what am I going to do? Wear this all day?”

He moved his hand over to the walk in closet. “I've got boxers.”

“Dude, boxers are like, your underwear. I'm not wearing those!”

“Well, feel free to walk around in that all day.”

He walks out of his room, leaving the door wide open. I suddenly hear a dog barking somewhere near and I immediately close the door.

I jump on the bed and hug a pillow, and minutes later, Cain comes in holding a tray of food. “Bread and butter, jam on the side, iced tea with lemon, and strawberry yogurt.” He says, briefing out the food laid out on the tray.

He sits down on the bed, putting the tray on my lap.

“Eat.” He orders. “Or I'm feeding you.”

I quickly take the bread and put it in my mouth. “I'm eating,” I tell him through the bread. I can hear the dog again, and my mind's panicking with the idea that he must've smelled the food and is coming up any moment now.

Cain seems to get the idea so he closes the door for me.

“This is good,” I chew on the bread slowly and then look down on the bed comforter. If you want some, just get some. Don't sit there and just stare at me as I eat my food. Anyone's going to be conscious with someone staring at them.

He chuckles and heads to his table. He grabs a book and stays there until I finish eating.

I stand up, tray in hand, when Cain asks me where I'm going.

“To the kitchen,” I answer, opening the door. I warily look outside, waiting for the dog to appear. When it doesn't, I sneakily head to the kitchen and place the plates back into the sink – where I hear that slow growl of the dog behind me.

I jump onto the counter just in time to miss the dog.

He's there, staring at me, growling.

“Cain!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “Stupid mutt.”

Don't call him stupid, I hear Cain send to me. Wait, I'm coming down.

Like he promised after two agonizing minutes, he keeps the dog down and gazes at me curiously. “Come on,” he says, ushering for me to come down. “It's not like he's going to bite you or anything. I'll keep watch of Danny for you.”

Danny? I eye Cain. Seriously?

“Look, Audrey thought of the name,” He begins to explain but then ends up saying, “Are you coming down or what?”

I put down my leg, but Danny begins barking at me.

“If I had to choose to walk to your room, or stay on this counter – then I'm staying.”

“Stella, come on,” He says, pulling Danny by his collar. “I have him.”

I shake my head really quickly. “I am not, I repeat, not coming down.”

Fine.

He lets the dog go and it runs to me. I'm still on the counter so it still barking at me, trying to get up as well. “Cain!” I scream at him as he turns his back on me. “Don't leave me here! Please! I don't want to be around this dog anymore!”

Cain sighs heavily, then returns to the counter. He outstretches his arms, “Come on then,” He says with this huge grin on his face. “Either I'm carrying you princess style or you're walking with your two legs with Danny behind you.”

I stick my tongue at the dog and reach for him. He carries me easily and at that moment I don't really care if he thinks I'm heavy or not. Danny keeps barking at me, trying to reach for me, but Cain's too tall for the dumb mutt.

As we head inside the room, Cain shuts the door with his leg and drops me on the bed.

“Thank you,” I breath out, taking my arms off his neck until he holds it there, grinning. “What? What is it now?” I ask him, frowning.

“Shouldn't I get a reward?”

“What reward would you want then?”

“A kiss?” He chuckles, grinning. “Just-”

And then I kiss him on the lips. Just a simple kiss. But when I pull away, his expression isn't what I had imagined: he's blushing deep red, mouth hanging open a little as if he can't believe what just happened.

“You just kissed me.”

“You said as a reward.”

“I was kidding!” He exclaims, his cheeks still beet red.

I grin at him, then slowly crouch near him but he's backing away. “Say, why are you running away from me?” I ask, second by second I'm already inching near him. I take notice of the end of the bed. “You're going to fall if you move any further.”

He suddenly puts a hand over my mouth. “D-don't come so near!”

“Bushimalwayshnir.”

“Excuse me?”

I pull the hand away, still smiling. “I said, 'but I'm always near'.”

He quickly puts me at arm’s length, still blushing. “Not this near!”

And then I remember Audrey's words: he likes you! And I'm left believing that Cain might actually do. He doesn't move as I grow closer to him, but he's not looking at me anymore. His mind's all jumbled up as well – he doesn't even bother concealing his thoughts from me.

My lips are near his ears; I turn them into a smile. “Do you like me?”

If a guy could blush more than beet red, Cain just did. “N-no, I don't like you.”

I frown, or more like I'm pouting. “Then you hate me?”

“I don't hate you either.” He answers right away.

My lips are near his but he refuses to pull away. Well, even if he did he'd end up falling off the bed in the first place. “Then, you like me?” I ask, and we're only just centimeters apart from each other but he's still not pulling away.

“I... I....”

“Just push me away if you don't like this,” I whisper, slowly closing that gap between us. Then in a matter of seconds, I'm already kissing him, my heart beating louder and louder for the anticipation of Cain pushing me away.

But he doesn't. He doesn't push me away. Instead he's kissing me back.

I squeeze his hand and he holds it tighter.

My mind's in a mess right now, I can't think of anything else except kissing him. And that it felt right to do so in the first place. He pulls away first much to my disappointment, his breathing a little quick, his cheeks flushed.

Cain caresses my cheeks, a small smile appearing on his face. Then it slowly turns into a grin. “One more,” His voice is a soft whisper, actually it's even almost a plead. I comply to this and just give in to another kiss, my hands suddenly pulling at his hair.

He lets out a small sigh, and then suddenly we're falling.

Falling onto the floor with this loud thud.

“Ouch,” I mutter, getting up as Cain rubs his head. Then he's laughing, and then I'm laughing. “One more time?” He asks again, pulling me closer to him. But I don't give him another kiss because the door suddenly opens and in comes a familiar face.

"Cain, have you seen Audrey, she's not - Stella." He mutters, eyes widening.

I quickly get up, my face feeling flushed. On the door is Vincent’s childhood friend, Jaime.

All sorts of confusion and embarrassment swell in me, but apparently it’s not the same for Cain who just sits up and wraps my legs around his warm comforters. He has this annoyed look on his face, as if saying, “What a mood killer.”

Jaime just raises an eyebrow.

“Audrey, I don’t know where she is – I think she went out. She’s always out,” Cain answers as a matter of fact, getting up and then carrying me onto the bed despite my protest. “Oh, and this is Stella, even though you pretty much know her already.”

He then turns to me, and gives me this sarcastic smile and say, “This is Jaime.”

I stick my hand out and he shakes it. “I’m Stella.”

“Does Vince know about this?” Biting my lower lip, I don’t dare to look at him. “I take that as a ‘no’ then,” He says, getting his phone out of his pocket and then he’s dialing on it. He puts it on his ear, and then waits. Then suddenly he goes, “Hey, Vince, I just-“

“No!” I quickly fly to him, grab his phone and punch the end call button.

We’re inches away from each other, and he’s just staring at me. Then like before, his eyes widen and he grabs my wrist. “Stella, is this a…” on my wrist is this purple stain. But when he touches it, I scream in pain.

I pull away from him and return to bed, “It’s just paint. Not a-“

“Did you get this from yesterday’s fight?”

“Cain!”

Jaime fixes his glare at me, then pulls me off the bed. “Are you fighting again?”

“No! I mean, yes but I have my reasons-“

“No, you said you were over. You said you’d be stopping!”

Stopping huh¸ Cain chuckles silently.

“Cain, is Stella awake? I need to talk to her right – Jaime?” Our heads whip to Audrey who’s standing by the doorway, ears plugged with – which I’m sure – music. She has her right hand occupied with an ice bag, and she’s pressing it on her cheeks.

It’s obvious she’s been in a fight just recently.

And then Colton appears. And Chace. And Tristan.

Jaime’s green eyes widen with surprise, and then they turn into small slits as they come to me. “What in the world is going on?” His voice is loud but I’m sure he knows exactly what’s going on at the moment.

Well, with everyone looking like s**t, who wouldn’t?