A World Unknown

Chapter 8 Always on my Mind

Pulling into my mom's driveway, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. The exhaustion of the day was catching up to me, and knowing I had to be back at work again at 5 AM had me ready to call it a day, even though it was only 3 PM. I scooped up Anna, feeling the familiar warmth and love she always brought. She had an incredible way of calming me during the most stressful times. My sweet, content baby had already mastered standing and could now take three to four steps before tumbling onto her bum.

If I weren't so tired, I would have taken her to get her Halloween costume. Even though she was still a bit too young to get excited about trick-or-treating, I couldn't wait to dress her up. Since our neighbors were literally cows, and I had always loved the country, it felt perfect to dress her as a cowgirl. I could just picture her now: cute pink cowgirl boots with her blue jeans and pleather chaps, a charming little onesie with fake buttons and a faux leather vest, and, of course, her adorable pink cowgirl hat. I even got her a little novelty gun and holster to complete the cowgirl look.

Laying on the couch, I watched "Little Einsteins" while Anna played on her mat with her toys. She seemed to enjoy the songs from the cartoon, cooing cutely whenever the characters started singing. I didn't mind watching cartoons as long as it wasn't "Blippi" or "Baby Shark."

Slipping into sleep, I was abruptly awoken by a thud as I hit the floor. Slowly sitting up, I tried to remember where I was. The TV was muted, and all the lights were off, leaving a faint glow in the room that helped me realize I had fallen off the couch. I must have slept through dinner. Still feeling tired, I climbed the stairs to my room.

Checking my phone, I saw it was 12:40 AM. I decided to set my alarm for 3:50 AM to give myself enough time to grab something to eat on my way to work. I checked on Anna, who was fast asleep in her bed, then climbed into my own. As I drifted off, I could see SJ standing beside my car, his lips curved into a smile as he looked into my eyes. When he leaned in to kiss me, it felt so right, even though I knew I was dreaming. I went along with it until my alarm started to ring.

Ugh, I hate waking up from a dream at the best part. I shut the alarm off, feeling much better. I didn't hear the rain hitting the roof, which instantly made me feel that today was going to be better. I got dressed, grabbed a bowl of oatmeal and a banana, and put on my shoes.

Walking out to my car, I got this eerie feeling that someone was watching me. Normally, when I left for work, Dad would be up watching the news and drinking coffee. But because I was leaving earlier, I didn't bother to wake anyone. I almost sprinted to my car, hitting the unlock button on my key fob so the lights would turn on. I got so nervous that I fumbled my keys and oatmeal, dropping the bowl but not stopping to pick it up. I jumped in my car, making a quick scan of the backseat before locking the doors and starting it up. I didn't let it warm up while I situated my stuff; I just put it in drive and took off. I may have even spun my tires a little. I didn't know what came over me, but boy, did it scare the s**t out of me. I never even bothered to look around for anything out of the ordinary.

When I got to work, I shook off the creepy feeling and focused on learning my job. Today seemed much easier, as if my shift was over as soon as it started. On my way home, I thought it would be a good idea to stop and see if my dream was more of a premonition.

Pulling into SJ's, I saw him outside with Nolon, splitting some firewood. As I got out of the car, SJ walked over to meet me. "Hey, good-looking, how are you today?" he said, stopping in front of me.

"Feeling a lot better," I admitted. "Just thought I would stop by and see what you were up to since I have tomorrow off, and my mom and dad are taking Anna to PA for the zoo and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon."

He let out a soft chuckle, saying, "Guess that means you're with me for the night then."

He was a little cocky, but I gave it right back to him. "Someone is a little full of himself, isn't he?" I said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as he led me inside to sit and chat.

A couple of his friends arrived, introducing themselves as they walked through the door. There was Red, a pretty girl with naturally strawberry hair. She was outgoing and definitely a talker. Her husband was quieter; they called him Hairball, which I thought was a funny nickname.

We all sat around sipping on some moonshine and chatting until the moon was high in the sky. If I had to guess, it was around midnight. Still thinking about the eerie feeling from this morning, I wasn't too thrilled about going home, so I stayed a little longer after everyone left. I told SJ about the strange feeling I had this morning, and he invited me to stay with him. I was a little hesitant, but I didn't see any harm in it. Just because I stayed the night didn't mean I had to give him everything.

He led me to his room, where I made myself comfortable on his bed. He closed the door and turned off the lights as he lay beside me, nuzzling me with his nose. When his lips met mine, they felt perfect. He traced his hands up my back and around my hips, lightly squeezing my butt. I did the same, tracing my hands from his lower back up around his neck, holding him as the kiss deepened. Before we could go any further, I broke the kiss and laid my head on his chest until we both fell asleep.

I woke up wrapped in his arms, with something poking me right in my butt. We fit together perfectly, spooning. He must have felt me wiggling around a bit, as I heard him say, "Good morning," while he moved his arms so I could roll over and look into his eyes. I didn't want to get up, but I knew I wasn't ready to go any further with him, and lying there, I thought that would be what happened.

Once we were both up, he put coffee on and made me a quick bagel for breakfast. I decided I should go home and check on the house since no one had been home since late yesterday morning. After giving him a quick peck on the cheek, I was out the door and on my way home.