Twin Souls

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Do we have to?” I muttered, glaring at Devon. Why did he insist on us going places? Especially this early in the morning. And on his one day off. Why didn’t he like snoozing and sleeping in? I liked it. I could cuddle my pillow all morning.

Then again, asking him to come back to bed might give him the wrong idea. And I rather get up than him snuggling back up to me and poking me with his morning wood.

With a grumble, I threw the covers off of me and pulled the pillow over my head. Dramatically, I screamed into the feathers.

“It’s so early!”

Devon pushed the pillow away. “It’s not, the sun is already up!”

“That’s cause it’s summer. It’s always light out,” I protested, pulling blankets over my face to shield myself from the sun.

“Tate, come on… You said you were okay with going to the zoo,” Devon sighed in exasperation.

“Yes, but I didn’t realise you wanted to go so early.”

“Early? It’s almost ten…”

I groaned and swatted his hand away. “See, too early.”

The bed dipped. “You want to stay in?” he whispered, his fingers walking over my hip. I rolled on my side and curled up in him.

“Maybe a little longer?”

He nodded and kissed the tip of my nose. “Okay, but just cause it’s you.”

I smiled and breathed in his scent. He reminded me of the ocean. Which wasn’t surprising, since he belonged to the sea.

A whiff of coral passed by and parts of my dream flashed through my mind. Hmmm, I did like coral. Maybe I should find Devon a shampoo with pearl extracts or something. Although that was probably a rather girly scent. But still…

“Did you sleep well?” he murmured against my skin, his hand drawing eights on my hip.

“I did. Although no dreams, not since the strange dream from a couple of nights ago,” I answered, recalling the piercing dark eyes of the blonde.

“You did? What was that one about again?”

I opened my mouth but faltered. For some reason, I suddenly didn’t feel like sharing after all. “Umm… I don’t remember exactly, but I know it was weird. I fell asleep in my sleep,” I omitted, only half-lying. It really was a strange phenomenon.

“Mmmmm, sounds weird, yes,” Devon hummed, his fingers now tracing lines further down on my thigh. I glanced down and noticed the unmistakable bulge straining against his pants. Again?

Maybe it was time to get out of bed after all.

I pushed him to the side and yawned, rolling away from him. “You’re right, it’s the perfect day for the zoo. Let’s go.”

“Yes?” Devon quipped up, surprise running through his eyes. Not that I blamed him. I really was all over the place.

“Yes, you’re right, we’re just wasting time in bed.”

“Why are there so many people?” I complained, glaring angrily at all the loud kids and annoying parents.

“It’s a Saturday? People have the day off and come to the zoo?” Devon reasoned, snapping a picture of the giraffe.

“I didn’t mean here, just in general. You’d think after being so overpopulated, humans would stop breeding,” I muttered, kicking a little rock.

“Tate, can you just stop hating the world for one second and come admire the animals?” Devon sighed, pointing at the enclosure.

“Sorry…”

I knew I was sour company. But then again, Devon knew how much I disliked public spaces with a lot of people. Not a hair on my body would even think about setting foot in a zoo, but I was here anyway. For him. He was worth setting my anxieties aside for. After all, I knew he would protect me. If something, anything, happened, Devon would be here to take care of me. I knew he would. He’d done so since he chased away two bullies with a stick when I was only five. After the incident, he hadn’t left my side.

And here we were, almost twenty years later, and I still knew he’d protect me if needed. And yet, even though he managed to silence some of my worries, my anxieties, there was always this inherent fear. A panic threatening to break free, at any given moment. And nobody, not even Devon, would be able to comfort me if it happened.

But it wasn’t going to happen. I wouldn’t let it. No, I was going to pretend I was having fun, look at the stupid animals, and make sure Devon had a nice time.

I turned to look at the cage of giraffes, but something protested. I protested. My body wasn’t turning. Why wasn’t it turning?

Why couldn’t I move? What was wrong? Was I wrong?

Come on, Tate, move. Don’t pass out. Don’t…

And then the world faded to black.