Friday
Picture 2
Bronwyn’s Choice: Picture 2
Title:
I sat alone in a Starbucks, sipping a hot chocolate and writing down what I could remember from my dream. It was one I'd been having over and over for weeks. I’d decided to write down the dream in hopes of finding its significance. The dream was almost always the same. I read over what I wrote. Mostly it was descriptions of objects or people from the dream, not actions. With a sigh, I close my notebook. I was frustrated with the exercise. It had not given me any insight. I finished my hot chocolate and rose from the small table. After discarding my trash and putting my notebook in my bag, I left the coffee shop.
With no destination in mind, I wandered down the street for a bit. A block from the Starbucks, I found an antique store. I’ve always enjoyed walking through one, even if I never buy anything. The store was full of furniture and memorabilia from years gone by. The aisles were slightly wider than an average person but no more, and all of the space in the store was taken up. There were old saddles with the leather cracked from the lack of leather soap. Books as old as the early 1900s to being only a few years old covered shelves. Paintings, and framed embroidery lined the walls. The store was amazing! I walked through the aisles slowly, absorbing what I saw. I followed my current aisle around a corner, as the store was a large 'L' shape. I lightly ran my fingertips over the top of a large oak table as I walked by. I could feel the small dents in the wood from years of use.
When I reached the end of the table, I stopped with surprise. On a small end table stood a gold wind up alarm clock next to two jars of buttons. I stopped and stared at the clock in disbelief. It was the clock from my dreams, sitting exactly like it did in the dream! I picked up the clock and turned it around in my hands looking it over. I turned the key located on the back and the clock started ticking. Deciding it was more than coincidence that I found the alarm clock, I didn't put it back. I carefully carried it to the front, ignoring the rest of the treasures in the store. I laid it on the counter next to the old cash register.
"Did you find everything you wanted?" A baritone as smooth as dark chocolate asked from behind me. I turn to look at the man. I had to crane my neck back to look at his face, six and half feet of pure muscle towered over me. His dark brown hair was pulled back in to a low pony tail. My eyes wandered over him. His black t-shirt was stretched tightly over his chest and shoulders. He wore snug jeans with a pair of biker boots. I felt myself start to pant at the beauty of the man. He looked exactly like the man in my dreams. He would appear after I would pick up the clock. I shook the image away and looked at his face again. When he cocked his eye brown in question, I blushed and turned away.
"Yes, thank you." I stammered as I pulled my wallet out of my purse. He walked around the end of the counter and came to stand in front me.
"I'm Devin." He smiled as he watched me.
"I'm Julie." I shyly said as I looked back at him.
"Nice to meet you, Julie. Let's see what you have." He leaned over the counter and picked up the alarm clock. His large hands swallowed it whole. He turned it over a few times before placing it back on the counter. "That is a very nice early 1900s alarm clock you found. Out of everything in here, why did you decide on this?"
I cleared my throat, not sure what to say to his questions. Would he think I was crazy if I told him I saw it in a dream? Or would he just laugh, thinking I was joking?
"I was drawn to the clock. It seemed to call my name." I shrugged nonchalantly. “How much for it?”
Devin leaned back against the counter behind him, crossing his arms across his chest and stretching the shirt even more. He looked me over with hooded eyes. I could see the heat and lust dancing in them. I lowered my eyes to look at the counter, not sure what to think about what I saw in his. I looked back up as I heard him move.
“Well, Julie, the price is simple.” He walked from behind the counter to stand next to me. When I didn’t immediately look up at him, Devin placed a finger under my chin and raised my gaze to his. “I don’t want money. I want something else.”
“What would that be?” I asked cautiously, not sure what he wanted.
“I want to take you to dinner tonight, and I want to kiss you.” He told me. “Do you think you can meet my price?”
As he told me what he wanted, my chest tightened in anticipation and fear. I closed my eyes to think. Do I dare agree to this stranger’s price for the alarm clock, or do I forget the whole thing and leave? As I struggle with the decision, I remember a poster I saw as a college student. It said, “Live hard. Fuck hard. Die hard.” Since that day, I had always tried to live hard. With my decision made, I take a deep breath.
“I agree,” I whispered, as I opened my eyes.
“Say it louder, I couldn’t hear you.”
“I agree to your price.”
He slowly moved his hand from my chin and cupped my cheek. His calloused thumb brushed across my lips. Tingles danced along my spine at his touch. I hadn’t felt this way toward a man in forever. As he moved his finger over my lips again, I parted them and slowly touched his thumb with my tongue. I heard the air rush out of his chest at the contact. He enjoyed my actions as much as I did. From the corner of my eye, I saw his other hand lift. He threaded his fingers into my hair and pulled me closer. However, instead of kissing me right away, he rested his forehead against mine.
“I’ve wanted to do this since I saw you walk into the store.” Devin whispered, his warm breath brushing my face. Our lips touched softly. I let out a small groan as his firm lips pulled at mine. With both hands now buried in my hair, he deepened the kiss. Devin ran his tongue along my lips before he slid it in to my willing mouth. The flavor of coffee and chocolate flooded my senses. He tasted wonderful.
I dragged my hands up Devin’s chest to clutch at the front of his shirt. My knees threatened to buckle as he pulled back a little and nibbled my lips. He bit a little harder and quickly rubbed my tingling lip with his talented tongue. I let out another groan at his gentle teasing. Devin pulled slightly back once again to run his lips along my jaw to my ear. He gently bit my earlobe before moving to bury his face in my neck. His breath against my neck made me shiver, so I threaded my hands in his hair to hold him closer against me.
“That was more amazing that I imagined.” Devin whispered against my neck. He pulled away and my hands slid to his broad shoulders. “I want to do it again, but I’ll restrain myself until later.”
I chuckled at his unhappy groan and pout as he pulled away and placed his hands on my shoulders. Devin gently squeezed me before moving farther away from me. He reached over to the counter to grab pen and paper. “I want you to write down your address and phone number. I’ll pick you up tonight at seven.”
I turned to the counter and picked up the pen. I quickly wrote down my address and phone number, then folded the paper and held it in my hand. Taking a quick breath, I walked over to him and rose up onto my tip toes. I pressed my lips against his in a quick kiss.
“I’ll see you later.” With a grin spreading across my face, I reached around his waist and put the paper in his back pocket. After grabbing the clock off the counter, I sauntered out of the store, excited about the coming night.
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