Funny story. This was only suppose to be 3 to 4 pages in word like the other blogs and when I started it really seemed like it was going to be 3 because I was just not feelin’ it. Well, it turned into 6. 6 Pages! I blame it on Bren. I just love her too much and I just wanna write for her as much as I possibly can. If she could be in every chapter she would be. Anyway, this is the longest one (so far) so please do enjoy. And don’t be afraid to leave comments. 😀
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I slowly came out of my daze feeling a patting against my face. Someone was speaking to me but it sounded like I was wearing ear muffs. The patting intensified until whoever was trying to revive me was fully slapping my face. “Jason, wake up!”
I recognized that voice but I couldn’t place it. It was forceful and strong, yet somehow feminine. I concentrated hard on the woman’s voice trying to imagine the face but my head was just a throbbing tangle. I opened my eyes and was greeted by a sharp blinding light. I groaned and threw my hand up to shield them and then roared out in pain.
Whoever was in front of me grabbed my hand and gently placed it back down by my side. “You have a cracked rib. You’re going to have to be a little more careful.”
I cracked my eyes just a bit fighting hard to keep them open with the light shining in my face. I took a deep breath preparing for the pain that would come, “The light it’s too bright. Shut it off.”
“Oh, sorry,” said the voice. The light clicked off and in its place was Bren. “I was using it to examine your head and forgot it was on. I’m pretty sure you have a concussion but without a CT scan I can’t be positive.” She pulled out her pen light and started shining it into my pupils. I squinted and tried to pull my head away but she grabbed my face and held it in place, “Stop it. The less you squirm the sooner I’ll be done.”
She clicked off her pen light and gave me a look that said, “See what I mean”. I planted my arms on the couch and tried to lift myself up into a sitting position but Bren reached out and pushed me back down. “Don’t move,” she turned away from me and lifted a syringe off of the long wooden coffee table in front of me. I started to realize I was lying on a sofa. I must be in her house. She lifted a vile and jammed the needle into it. “I’m going to give you a shot of lydicane. It should help with the pain some. Rollover… easily.”
She reached out, placing her hand on my shoulder, and helped me roll on to my stomach. “I heard all of the commotion from my room tonight. I saw that thing grab you and I had to do something.” She swabbed a small area of skin with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol.
“I grabbed the ax that my dad kept in the basement and ran out to help you,” she said concentrating hard on a lump of flesh she had gathered between her thumb and middle finger. She stuck the needle into the muscle under my arm and depressed the plunger. I groaned a little and then she pulled the needle away and massaged the area lightly with her index finger.
“You shouldn’t have done that. It’s not safe for you,” I said breathing in raggedly trying to fill my lungs.
“Like it’s any safer for you?” She stood up and began to walk away from me and I reached out to her grabbing the leg of her flannel sleeping pants.
“Wait, where are you going? Don’t… don’t leave me.”
“Don’t worry, Jason,” she reached down and ran her hand softly across my face, “I’ll be right back. I just have to throw this away.” She held the syringe up so I could see then climbed back to her feet and walked away. She reached the door that lead into the hallway and turned back to me. She rested her hand on the frame, flashed me a charming smiled, and then walked away.
I had spent that day hoping to avoid Bren and here I was now lying on her couch. I considered fighting my way to my feet and taking off but something told me that in my condition I wouldn’t get far. Or Bren would just track me down. Should I tell her about Zoe and me or never mention it?
I heard a rustling noise moving down the foyer and decided that my day with Zoe was something Bren never needed to know about. I mean why should I tell her? She and I hadn’t done anything more than mildly flirt with each other. There was no guarantee that anything would ever happen between Bren and me.
Bren turned the corner and reentered what I assumed was her den. She was carrying a big black garbage bag with her and knelt down next to me. “I need you to lay on this,” she smiled at me uneasily; “It’ll help with the bruising on your upper back.”
Mustering what little strength I had left I leaned forward and she placed the bag behind me and helped steady me as I lowered myself back on to the bag. I jumped as my skin made contact with the plastic and I could see Bren wince with me and at bite her lip.
“That’s fucking cold,” I hissed.
Bren stood up and crossed the room; her long lean legs made her journey short. She grabbed a fleece blanket that was draped over a chair and covered my body in it. Grabbing the back of the chair she pulled it in front of me and sat with her hands on its arms. She leaned her body back against the chair and gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you.”
I snorted a laugh and grabbed at my ribs. The pain had subsided some but still not enough for any sudden movements like that. A lock of my hair had fallen across my eye and Bren reached over and flicked it away, tucking it behind my ear. I smiled at her trying to keep down as much movement as possible.
“So, we never finished our chat earlier,” she smiled back at me. She bent forward resting her arms on her lap and allowing her hands dangle over her knees. “Where did you say you were from?”
I shivered slightly from the cold and she tucked the blanket tighter around me, “I know what your trying to do,” I croaked, “You’re trying to distract me and I don’t really think it’s gonna work.”
Trying to look as innocent as she possibly could she brought her hand up to her chest and smiled, “Me? I’d never do that. Now answer the question.”
“Sure you wouldn’t.” I looked away from her trying to decide how to answer her. I had tried to tell her the truth earlier in the day but she had laughed it off. How could I know that this time would be any different? Or that she wouldn’t just think it was the concussion talking. “I told you earlier, Bren. I don’t know.”
Bren narrowed her eyes at me and studied my face trying to read me for lies. She pulled her chair closer and drew her pen light from her pocket. She extended her arm and raised my eyelid. “I think you may have hit your head a little harder than I thought.”
I shoved her hand away and rolled on to my elbow and grimaced with pain. “I’m serious Bren. I don’t know where I’m from.” She fell back against the chair and stared at me blankly. “I don’t even know if ‘Jason’ is my real name. You’re the only person I’ve told that.”
I averted my eyes away from her unable to take her blank stare anymore. She sat there for what seemed like hours before finally breaking the silence to say, “So you really don’t know who you are? That must be a weird feeling.”
“It’s more empty than weird,” I whispered. Exerting myself earlier, while trying to make point, had really taken a lot out of me and brought the pain raging back. Bren rose up from her chair and eased down next to me so she could hear me better. “It’s also very confusing. My first memory is walking into town last night. Zoe came up with the name Jason.”
Annoyance raked over her face at the mention of Zoe and I raised an eyebrow questioning her distaste. She waved her hand at me and said, “I’m sorry. It’s along story.”
I drug my arm from under the blanket and rested my hand on her leg. “I have plenty of time.”
She smiled awkwardly at me and replied, “It was just this thing with my sister.” I looked at her intently waiting for her to continue, “There was this thing with a guy. She and my Vi were really close but… well, that happened and I just can’t look at her the same way now.”
Why did that have to be the reason? Anything else would have been fine. I nodded my head trying to seem as understanding as possible. “I see.”
She laughed a little and shook her head, “it’s stupid really. Vi probably wouldn’t even be with guy anymore anyway.” She lifted my hand from her leg and laced her fingers between mine. The rush of guilt hit me again. “She’s just my little sister, you know?”
“Not really,” I replied honestly and smirked at her.
“Right,” she laughed, “no memory.” She pointed at her head then tapped her finger against her temple. I looked into her eyes and realized that she was dropping her shields when she was with me.
The stern and serious Bren that had bandaged my head the night before was just a persona that she allowed people to see. The death of her parents had dropped a great deal of responsibility on her shoulders and now with every awkward smile and bad joke Bren was giving me a private peek at who she really was. I squeezed her hand meekly to show my appreciation.
She lifted my hand off of her lap and pulled it up to her chest. I gulped hard trying to interpret what she had planed. The action turned out to be innocent enough as she twisted her body around and flattened herself on the couch next to me. She dropped our linked hands down between us as if setting a border to keep us apart.
“Your name is Jason Slater,” she said rolling her head to face me.
“What?” I snapped my head around to face Bren’s.
Reading the confusion on my face she continued, “Well, you need something to tell people when they ask.” She turned her eyes back to the ceiling and elaborated on the back story she had created for me. “You’re from Blighton. That’s like an hour away so it shouldn’t arouse too much curiosity. You’re an only child so you won’t have to try and remember any names.”
I lay there on the couch hanging on to Bren’s every word; drinking in her rich flat voice while she spoke. I studied the profile of her face as she gazed up at the ceiling. Her jaw clenched and unclenched and her brown eyes seemed to sparkle as she made the story of my life more complicated and involved. I traced over her body with my eyes committing every curve to memory and the longer she spoke the more beautiful she became.
Within an hour I had gone from a man completely unaware of who he was to Jason Slater, divorcee looking for a fresh start in a new town. I was the only son of Jan and Bill Slater and former freelance photographer for the Blighton Times. I had no children and no money because my ex had gotten everything in the settlement but according to Bren that was a sensitive subject that I didn’t like to talk about.
Reviewing all of the facts in my head I looked down to find that Bren was deep asleep. I unweaved my fingers from the grip she had formed earlier in the night and tried to move my arm up so that I could pull her in closer to me. The cold of the ice and the bruising in my back made movement impossible and my arm stayed frozen in place. I threaded my fingers back into hers and as if she had read my mind Bren cozied up next to me and situated her cheek on my shoulder.
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I woke up the next morning alone on the couch. I could feel a slight weight on my forehead between my eyes. I reached up and touched the spot and pulled back an oily beige substance. I rubbed it between my fingers trying to decipher what it was.
I pushed myself up from the cushions feeling my back pop and creak and I looked around the room. A clock on the wall said it was 9:50. Bren only had five minutes before her office would be open to the public.
I rose up off of the couch with a great amount of effort and my bare toes curled when they touched the cold wooden floors. I felt my body begin to wobble and I reached out and steadied myself against the wall. My back ached and I caught a glimpse of it in a mirror hanging over the couch. A myriad of colors painted my shoulders. I grimaced at the sight and began the search for my shoes.
“Hey, you’re up,” I looked up to find Bren leaning against the door frame; the gorgeous sheen of her lips reflecting the morning sun. Her legs were crossed and she held a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. She slinked toward me and held the cup out to me. I took it from her and she smiled warmly back at me.
“Thanks, Bren, and thanks for last…” I started but she waved it off and made her way to the chair that had once owned the throw that she had covered me with.
She reached down and removed a plain blue shirt from the chair and carried it to me. “Think nothing of it. It’s my job after all.” She began to bunch the shirt up around its collar and then raised her arms to pull the shirt over my head.
“That’s not what I meant.” I reached up and tried to take control of the shirt. I smirked, “I don’t need you to dress me, Bren.”
She swatted away my hands and guided my arm though the sleeve. “I know what you meant and you’re never gonna be able to pull on this shirt by yourself.” She peered up at me with her chocolate brown eyes from under her brow and tugged hard on the shirt. I flinched as it scraped along my back. “See?” she asked matter-of-factly. “I hope you don’t mind but these are just some clothes that an ex left in my apartment before I moved back here.”
I nodded my approval, “Your ex, huh?”
“Hey just because you had no life before you came here doesn’t mean I didn’t.” She laughed at me and gave me a punch to the shoulder. I grabbed at the sore muscle and bit down on my lip hard. Realization of what she had done spread over her face and she grabbed at me and began to apologize, “Jason, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about you being hurt.”
She was biting at her finger nails watching and waiting to see if I was going to be okay. I straightened up the best that I could, considering, and attempted to reassure her that I was going to be fine. “I’m okay. Hurts like a bitch but I think I’ll make it.”
She rubbed at my shoulder as she gave me a smiling laugh. A bell chimed from somewhere in the middle of house and she jerked her hand away. “Crap, it’s ten already. You should probably be going now before anyone comes in and starts wondering why you’ve been here all night.” Bren hooked her arm around mine and started leading me to the door. “It’s a small town and I don’t want it getting around that something is going on between us.”
I stopped in front of the door and turned to her, squeezing her arm lightly with my hand. I reached up and brushed back her hair with my fingers. I gazed deep into her eyes and asked, “And what would be so wrong with that?”
She gave me an adorable smirk and inched forward to the point that I could feel her breasts skim against my chest. She gently took my head in her hands and kissed me softly on my cheek. She pulled away exposing a sultry smile I hadn’t seen from her before and lead me through the door.
I backed down the steps keeping my eyes fixed on hers as she gave me a tiny wave and closed the door behind me. I turned around and tucked my hands into my pants. A gentle breeze enveloped me and felt a quick chill as it hit my cheek. I reached up and rubbed the spot where Bren had left her kiss and pulled away a shiny greasy substance. I smiled to myself. Lip gloss.
The Shady Ninja 