Thirteen

Cole

We were both uncomfortable tonight, it was easy enough for anyone to see, but once the spark left my finger and touched his, it ignited that connection again. "Something wants us together," I whispered.

"I think so too," Bobby said, his eyes fixed on the narrow space between our hands.

"I'm sorry things have been so awkward," I said, and met his eyes. "I really was looking forward to seeing you again." His green eyes were focused only on me, and I wanted to do whatever it took to keep him interested.

"Maybe we just built it all up too much," he said, but finally grinned. "I was looking forward to seeing you too."

"I want to think there's more to my attraction to you than one shared experience. Why don't we try to figure out exactly what happened, and we'll see where we go from there," I said and waited for his response.

He smiled then and reached across the table to cover my hand with his. "I'd like that. Because I really do want to know what happened, and I want to get to know you better. Because no matter how I try to fight it, I do feel drawn to you."

Our food arrived then, and we ate like we hadn't eaten all day, and in my case that was true. I'd skipped my lunchbreak because I got to work so late. Now I was starving, and this had to be the best chicken parmesan I'd ever eaten in my life. "How's yours?" I asked between bites.

"Great. I skipped lunch so I could finish that print order."

"Same, I felt bad going in so late." We both laughed. We were more alike than either of us was ready to admit. But spending time with him like this was what I needed. Just to know that he was real, and he was a regular guy who also happened to be a good person was enough for me.

"Oh, I almost forgot," I said and wiped my mouth. "One of the property owners that lives out that way saw what happened."

"What did they say?"

"Not much. Miss Avery was in town and stopped by to see if I was okay. She said she saw you pick me up and was worried at first, but she knew I needed help. She did write down the name of your company just in case I came up missing." I smiled at him over my forkful of food.

"She saw everything?" Bobby asked.

"I think so, but she didn't mention any details. Just said she knew I needed help."

"I'm relieved that someone else noticed. Cole, I can't explain how shocking it was. I know we've both tried to minimize it, but it really was bad." He leaned in close and glanced around before he spoke again. "What happened at the hospital is something else we need to look into."

I set my fork down, the thought of it taking my appetite. "I could have died so easily, and I still don't know what happened there. Or why I said that poem or whatever it was."

"What if it was some sort of spell or a warning?" Bobby said, and once again settled his hand over mine. The energy between us buzzed in the happy way it seemed to when we were close enough to touch. "I hope you don't mind. I like touching you."

"I don't mind, I like your touch too. A spell?"

"Yeah, like magic. I don't really know, but what you said at the hospital didn't sound like a poem. It was more than that."

"I hadn't thought of that," I said before taking another bite of food, my nerves now forgotten.

"Did you get a chance to talk to your mum?"

"Not yet. I don't see my parents every day, but I do see them a few times a week. If I don't hear from her tomorrow, I'll go after work and talk to her." She knew something. Whether she just recognized the poem, or spell, or whatever it was, or she really did know more, remained to be seen.

"Let me know what she says. So far, she's the only one that seems to know anything."

"I will, and I agree. Although Miss Avery acted very strangely when she came into the store. But I guess there isn't really a normal way to check on someone you saw get struck by lightning." I huffed out a laugh and he grinned at me.

"No, there really isn't. I think my dad thought I was joking when I told him about it, but when I told him we'd been to the hospital he knew it was serious."

"If someone told me what happened I'd feel the same way. It's different when you experience it." I thought back to this morning and just before I'd been struck. It was just like any other day, until—

"What do you remember?" Bobby asked.

"I was running. I had just run past Miss Avery and waved hello to her when I saw the clouds start building to the east, so I picked up my pace. I was about five miles out of town, and I knew I wouldn't be able to make it back before it started pissing down rain on me." He grinned at my use of the word he'd have used if he were still in Ireland. "Out of the corner of my eye I would have sworn I saw the clouds illuminated in blue. That same electric blue that the sparks are. I turned to look and that's the last thing I remember. Then you were waking me up."

"It's probably better you don't remember. It had to be painful," Bobby said.

"Possibly. When I regained consciousness all I felt was numb. The way your hand feels after you touch the prong on a plug by mistake as you're plugging it in."

"I know that feeling well."

"When we were on the way to the hospital my body seemed to clench up. All my muscles seized up and I had no control over myself."

"That must have been when you had the seizure."

"I don't think it was a seizure," I said. "I think the lightning was changing my body and making it into what it needed."

"What? How could you know that? Is—is that even possible?" Bobby whispered and stammered as he struggled to understand.

"The voice in my head told me, it keeps telling me lots of things. Some of it I can block out, but not all of it. It's always there, and always talking. Bobby, I'm afraid," I whispered and leaned in closer to him. His eyes met mine and I knew he was looking for any deceit, but I'd never been more honest or serious in my life.

He reached across the table and cradled my cheek in his hand. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'll help you any way I can." He meant it, he meant every word, and finally I really was able to relax knowing I wouldn't be going through whatever the fuck this was by myself.