Sweep - Vanished Past - Chapter 3
Vanished Past
Kneazle
Puzzle Pieces
I usually don't feel sorry for many people, especially lately, but I remembered how Bree and Robbie had some difficulty at the beginning of their relationship, when Bree went wild and was flirting with all these other guys. Iwasn't like that; I don't flirt - I just have fun. Besides, Hunter doesn't own me, and not at the moment, since we're not together.
The bouncer at the door of The Cauldron was tall and muscular, wearing the traditional black t-shirt, leather pants and sunglasses in the middle of the late night.
"Names?" he asked, in a very deep, vibrating voice.
I could hear the music already pounding from the inside, and I found myself already slowly moving to beat, surprisingly punk and not beat tonight.
"Killian MacEwan, Ciaran MacEwan, Morgan MacEwan, Emerald Vlad," said Emerald, motioning to us respectively.
"And they are…?" the bouncer asked, pointing with his clipboard at the Widow's Valers. I hid a grin.
"Guests of ours," said Killian sharply. With a nod, the bouncer let us all in. Killian went straight to the bar; making many of the female population turn their heads as he did so. Ciaran took my jacket, Emerald and Mary-K's, and placed them smoothly in the coatroom. The music was getting louder, making the walls shake.
Emerald took my hand lightly and led me towards the center of the dance floor. The Cauldron was packed tonight, with magick running in every which way. Mary-K stood near the walls with Robbie and Bree, watching the other witches dance. Raven and Sky went straight to the dance floor like Emerald and I, Ciaran went to the bar to talk to Killian and Hunter… well, Hunter stood off to the side of Bree, watching. Always watching.
Pretty girl is suffering while he confesses everything
Pretty soon she'll figure out what his intentions were about
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get him out of your head
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get him out of your head
The music started up, with a new song and I found myself grinding on the dance floor, swaying to the one-two-three beat of the bass. As I listened to the words, I realized that they were about Hunter and I. I didn't know what his intentions were, nor did I know why he came looking for me. I felt that we were soul mates, but still… looked what happened to my mom and Ciaran…
Emerald took my hand again and spun me around, whispering quickly, "We've got an audience… or should I say, you do?"
I opened my eyes and looked around, seeing that there was a small circle around us. Other witches were still grooving to the beat, but watching us intensely. Hunter happened to be one of them, his beautiful green eyes boring into mine - when we locked eyes.
I felt a blast of magick, right towards me, which nearly made me stop dancing. It wasn't just magick, it was a mixture of emotions, all coming from Hunter: they were ranging from desire to admiration to loneliness. I didn't know what to think, but continued dancing to my heart's desire.
Watch me, Hunter - watch and learn. Watch and see what you let go, I thought, smirking slightly as I wound my arms above my head, my hands moving on their own, as I did some simple light magick.
I had the lights that were pulsating with the music move and land on me at different intervals, with the fog machine swirling around my feet, giving me an ethereal effect. I heard the "oohs" and "Ah's" from the other dancers, and felt Emerald leaving me, knowing I could handle everything.
It's the way that he makes you feel
It's the way that he kisses you
It's the way that he makes you fall in love
I felt an arm slip around my waist, so I turned to see whom it was. Killian smiled down at me, witch messaging me so we could talk while dancing.
You look great, his message whispered across my mind. I grinned up at him, doing a small belly-dance move, and shot my eyes in the general direction of the Widow Vale's people. He chuckled. Yes, I know - Hunter's watching you and is looking positively jealous and lustful.
Great, that's not what I wanted to achieve, I shot back at Killian, who bit his lip not to howl in laughter. He brushed some hair out of his eyes and he let a small energy ball appear in his right hand. He then closed his fist on it, and when he opened it, there were hundreds of the tiny balls. I took his hand and blew on the energy balls, watching them scatter surround us like faeries.
Getting stronger, are we? Came a new voice. I turned slightly to catch Ciaran's eyes, before nodding slightly, almost to the beat.
"I'm leaving now," said Killian, moving away to dance with a rather pretty girl. I said nothing but waved him off, enjoying my movement.
She's beautiful as usual with bruises on her ego and
The killer instinct tells her to be aware of evil men
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get him out of your head
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get him out of your head
It's the way that he makes you feel
It's the way that he kisses you
It's the way that he makes you fall in love
By this time, the song was at a musical solo, the guitar's strings going crazy with the drum adding to the tempo. I usually closed my eyes when I danced, but this time I left them opened and looked right at Hunter. He held my stare as I continued to dance, taking slow steps closer to me with every clash of the drumsticks on the drums.
Pretty girl... pretty girl...
Soon he was right next to me, dancing slowly to this fast punk song, almost seductively. Two can play that game, I thought, smiling languidly.
Hunter moved in, his hands resting lightly on my waist, slipping every once in a while to the hips and back up again, every time making me take a step closer towards him. His green eyes held my own muddy ones, never leaving my face.
I could barely hear the music anymore, and the people around us disappeared into an inky black void. All I could see were Hunter's eyes, Hunter's face, all of bloody Hunter. Who cares if Ciaran or Killian or even Emerald and Bree were only a few meters away in every direction, watching me carefully to see what my move was going to be?
"Do you forgive me?" asked Hunter, quietly. Still, I heard him over the music. I shivered, not because of the cold, but because of how Hunter said it. It was so hoarse and yet so huskily. I looked up at him, slowing my moves.
Of course I loved the bastard, but that didn't change the past. And of course I still respected the bloke, but… forgive him for betraying me was a big step. Something I just wasn't ready to take yet.
Pretty girl is suffering while he confesses everything
Pretty soon she'll figure out: you can never get him out of your head
"Some other time," I finally answered, loudly, as the music had crashed in again. I then turned, broke out of his grip and began dancing again on my own. My moves were slow and teasing, seductive and confident all rolled into one. Tonight was my night to show off, show my old friends just what I was made off. I wasn't the same person from their memories. Hell no, I was someone new and proud.
But I still loved them all.
It's the way that he makes you cry
It's the way that he's in your mind
It's the way that he makes you fall in love
It's the way that he makes you feel
It's the way that he kisses you
It's the way that he makes you fall in love...
At sometime around two, I got thirsty and found myself leaning against the bar, nursing a Sex on the Beach in my palm. Killian was off to the side, talking to a gorgeous witch from Egypt, with flawless skin and haunting gold eyes. Every so often, his eyes would flick to me, just to make sure I was still there.
Quit it, Killian! I'm not going anywhere. It's not like they're going to kidnap me and bodily take me back to Widow's Vale, I snapped finally in his mind. He jumped slightly at the force of my words, but smiled reassuringly at the girl he was talking to and sent me a message back.
Fine, fine. Dad's outside in that silly courtyard if you want to talk to him, by the way, he replied, hesitantly.
I said nothing, just finished my drinks and put the correct amount of cash down as an electrtonica song by Cirrus came on. I moved back towards the dance floor, enjoying the sense of freedom I was getting.
Would I ever be able to have that freedom if I went back to Hunter? Would I be as happy as I am now? How would it affect my future? All those questions ran through my head, and all I could think about was Hunter; why couldn't I get him out of my damn head? He wasn't the hottest guy I had known, he sure wasn't the most sensitive, or emotional… but he stuck in my head.
Would we ever get back together, or was my destiny totally changed from what I used to know and love so much?
We left The Cauldron in the wee hours of the morning, with most of us drunk or already asleep in the back seats. Poor Mary-K wasn't a party animal and was quietly snoring when we pulled up to the apartment complex.
Bree, Raven and Robbie were going to spend the night at Emerald's, while Mary-K stayed with me in my room at the apartment. Sky and Hunter were going to go back to their Motel 7.
Once I was back in my room, with Mary-K snoring softly on a sleeping bag on the floor, did I begin to wonder.
What would it be like, if I went back to Widow's Vale? Would my family there still welcome me? Would Alyce and the others still remember who I was? Would I still be in danger from Amyranth? How would my return affect my friends and the life they had created after I left? Would I upset any balance there?
I snorted into my pillow, praying that I hadn't woken Mary-K up. Balance, ha! What about the balance I had created for myself? The others hadn't thought about that when they chased me down 57th Avenue.
I stared out of my window, thinking and watching the sun slowly rise. I hadn't slept, and I knew that I would look like shit when the others saw me. Tossing and turning to the point that my sheets had wrapped themselves around me like a mummy was wrapped in its contents, I felt that I was missing something. A puzzle piece from a large puzzle, which was the puzzle of my life. I had the frame all sorted out, and I knew that some pieces, like my body were already in place… but I seemed to be missing the pieces that belonged where my heart was, and where my head was too. Not that I've lost my head, or some other silly saying like that, its just that those were the places where I felt the most out of place.
By the time the alarm clock rang shrilly throughout my room, my mind had been made up.
I was going back to Widow's Vale… at least one last time.
I walked into the kitchen, feeling a little sick. It would be the first time that I'd be going back to the place where everything had started and stopped for me in over a year. I had told Ciaran and Killian a while ago, when everyone from Widow's Vale was still in New York. Mary-K had been ecstatic, thinking that I was coming home for good. I didn't want to tell her that I was just going to tie up loose ends.
So, now, a week later, I sat at our kitchen table in Killian's flat, slightly pale and green, wondering if this was the right thing to do.
"Of course it is," Killian was saying, trying to reassure me. I was sure that he was just reassuring himself, as he looked tense and his hands were shaking when he poured me a cup of tea.
Ciaran sat unmoving in the chair next to mine; his hands folded tightly on the table as he watched Killian also give him a cup of tea.
"You'll be fine, Morgan - if anything goes wrong, you just send Da or I a message and we'll be there before you know it," continued on Killian, chattering oblivious to the fact that Ciaran and I were ignoring him.
I was running over my plans in my head. I would be taking a bus from New York to a town near Widow's Vale, and then from there Hunter would pick me up and take me to my house, where everyone would be waiting to welcome me. Well, he never said anything about the welcoming me, but I figured that they would do something like that anyway.
I glanced at Ciaran, wondering what he was thinking. His eyes were dark and stormy, fixed on a point on the wall. He looked as if he were Superman, trying to use his vision to look through it. His hands clenched his cup tightly, the knuckles turning white.
Aha… he didn't want me to go.
"Nothing's going to happen, Father," I said suddenly. Ciaran glanced up, and Killian stopped talking, glancing at me.
Ciaran looked at me, before sighed and loosening his grip on the cup. "You're right. I'm just being a worried father." He then glanced at me, a little harder than before. "You know that if anything happens, makes you feel uncomfortable…"
I sighed. "Yes, yes, I know. I'll witch message you. Calm down. You two are making it sound as if I'll never return."
At their silence, I sighed again. "I am returning. I just need to tie up some loose ends, you both know that. I can't stay there - just being there will make me feel like I'm suffocating, but… I need to."
Killian nodded. "Of course we know, little sis… it's just that we're both worried that you might…"
"Like it better there than here," finished Ciaran.
I smiled warmly at my father and half-brother. "Oh, Goddess! I can't believe you two. I lived in Widow's Vale for almost eighteen years, and in New York nearly one. I think there's more here to offer me than back there."
Except there's no Hunter here, a voice in my head whispered dangerously. I shoved it back in my head, standing to hug Killian and Ciaran.
"Now, if you'll both excuse me, my bus leaves in an hour and I should be at the terminal to be on it."
The bus ride to the near by town as short, and I was the only one getting off. I had been to this town before, to go shopping once with my mother. It had been when I was six, so I didn't really remember it well, but there was something familiar about the place…
Hunter.
He was standing at the end of the terminal's doors, looking out of place in a light demin jacket, cords and green shirt. I felt my heart squeeze when I saw him. As if he could feel my gaze, he glanced up and offered me a warm smile.
Girls around him glanced back once and then twice, before sighing when they saw him wrap me in a tight and possessive hug.
"I'm glad you're back, Morgan," he whispered into my ear. I felt that all-too familiar tug in the pit of my stomach and sighed, knowing that I was falling in love with him all over again. He was the puzzle piece to my heart, and there was only one piece to place in. It was just that there were four possible ways of fitting it, and only one was the correct one.
Which would we choose?
I pulled back from his body, shivering slightly from the loss of contact. "Well, let's get going then."
He nodded and led me to his car, opening the passenger side for me and then sliding around to sit in the driver's side. We didn't speak as we drove down a lone highway, but sat in a comfortable silence.
It used to be this way, that voice said. It can be this way again, if you choose for it to be.
I'm too scared, I replied in my head, sighing softly and looking out at the passing trees. Hunter glanced at me, before placing a hand over my cool one.
"It'll be okay," he said in his sexy British voice. "Everything's the same."
"But it's not," I whispered, so softly that he didn't catch it. All too soon we reached the house that I used to believe was mine.
Hunter cut the engine, and we sat in the car for a few seconds before he moved. He opened his door and slammed it shut, before moving around to my side. I opened the door before he could, though, and got out slowly and cautiously, like I was in an unknown territory.
Technically, I was.
Hunter stood back as I walked slowly up the driveway, then the walk, to rest in front of the door. There were so many memories from this place, and all of them were throwing themselves in front of me as I stared at the blue door.
I lifted my hand, and pressed the doorbell, hearing the buzz echo throughout the house. I heard steps, and then, the door swung open.
"Oh, Morgan…" a teary voice said.
"Hello Mom," I said softly. I was back home.
Next Chapter....
Kneazle
Puzzle Pieces
I usually don't feel sorry for many people, especially lately, but I remembered how Bree and Robbie had some difficulty at the beginning of their relationship, when Bree went wild and was flirting with all these other guys. Iwasn't like that; I don't flirt - I just have fun. Besides, Hunter doesn't own me, and not at the moment, since we're not together.
The bouncer at the door of The Cauldron was tall and muscular, wearing the traditional black t-shirt, leather pants and sunglasses in the middle of the late night.
"Names?" he asked, in a very deep, vibrating voice.
I could hear the music already pounding from the inside, and I found myself already slowly moving to beat, surprisingly punk and not beat tonight.
"Killian MacEwan, Ciaran MacEwan, Morgan MacEwan, Emerald Vlad," said Emerald, motioning to us respectively.
"And they are…?" the bouncer asked, pointing with his clipboard at the Widow's Valers. I hid a grin.
"Guests of ours," said Killian sharply. With a nod, the bouncer let us all in. Killian went straight to the bar; making many of the female population turn their heads as he did so. Ciaran took my jacket, Emerald and Mary-K's, and placed them smoothly in the coatroom. The music was getting louder, making the walls shake.
Emerald took my hand lightly and led me towards the center of the dance floor. The Cauldron was packed tonight, with magick running in every which way. Mary-K stood near the walls with Robbie and Bree, watching the other witches dance. Raven and Sky went straight to the dance floor like Emerald and I, Ciaran went to the bar to talk to Killian and Hunter… well, Hunter stood off to the side of Bree, watching. Always watching.
Pretty girl is suffering while he confesses everything
Pretty soon she'll figure out what his intentions were about
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get him out of your head
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get him out of your head
The music started up, with a new song and I found myself grinding on the dance floor, swaying to the one-two-three beat of the bass. As I listened to the words, I realized that they were about Hunter and I. I didn't know what his intentions were, nor did I know why he came looking for me. I felt that we were soul mates, but still… looked what happened to my mom and Ciaran…
Emerald took my hand again and spun me around, whispering quickly, "We've got an audience… or should I say, you do?"
I opened my eyes and looked around, seeing that there was a small circle around us. Other witches were still grooving to the beat, but watching us intensely. Hunter happened to be one of them, his beautiful green eyes boring into mine - when we locked eyes.
I felt a blast of magick, right towards me, which nearly made me stop dancing. It wasn't just magick, it was a mixture of emotions, all coming from Hunter: they were ranging from desire to admiration to loneliness. I didn't know what to think, but continued dancing to my heart's desire.
Watch me, Hunter - watch and learn. Watch and see what you let go, I thought, smirking slightly as I wound my arms above my head, my hands moving on their own, as I did some simple light magick.
I had the lights that were pulsating with the music move and land on me at different intervals, with the fog machine swirling around my feet, giving me an ethereal effect. I heard the "oohs" and "Ah's" from the other dancers, and felt Emerald leaving me, knowing I could handle everything.
It's the way that he makes you feel
It's the way that he kisses you
It's the way that he makes you fall in love
I felt an arm slip around my waist, so I turned to see whom it was. Killian smiled down at me, witch messaging me so we could talk while dancing.
You look great, his message whispered across my mind. I grinned up at him, doing a small belly-dance move, and shot my eyes in the general direction of the Widow Vale's people. He chuckled. Yes, I know - Hunter's watching you and is looking positively jealous and lustful.
Great, that's not what I wanted to achieve, I shot back at Killian, who bit his lip not to howl in laughter. He brushed some hair out of his eyes and he let a small energy ball appear in his right hand. He then closed his fist on it, and when he opened it, there were hundreds of the tiny balls. I took his hand and blew on the energy balls, watching them scatter surround us like faeries.
Getting stronger, are we? Came a new voice. I turned slightly to catch Ciaran's eyes, before nodding slightly, almost to the beat.
"I'm leaving now," said Killian, moving away to dance with a rather pretty girl. I said nothing but waved him off, enjoying my movement.
She's beautiful as usual with bruises on her ego and
The killer instinct tells her to be aware of evil men
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get him out of your head
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get him out of your head
It's the way that he makes you feel
It's the way that he kisses you
It's the way that he makes you fall in love
By this time, the song was at a musical solo, the guitar's strings going crazy with the drum adding to the tempo. I usually closed my eyes when I danced, but this time I left them opened and looked right at Hunter. He held my stare as I continued to dance, taking slow steps closer to me with every clash of the drumsticks on the drums.
Pretty girl... pretty girl...
Soon he was right next to me, dancing slowly to this fast punk song, almost seductively. Two can play that game, I thought, smiling languidly.
Hunter moved in, his hands resting lightly on my waist, slipping every once in a while to the hips and back up again, every time making me take a step closer towards him. His green eyes held my own muddy ones, never leaving my face.
I could barely hear the music anymore, and the people around us disappeared into an inky black void. All I could see were Hunter's eyes, Hunter's face, all of bloody Hunter. Who cares if Ciaran or Killian or even Emerald and Bree were only a few meters away in every direction, watching me carefully to see what my move was going to be?
"Do you forgive me?" asked Hunter, quietly. Still, I heard him over the music. I shivered, not because of the cold, but because of how Hunter said it. It was so hoarse and yet so huskily. I looked up at him, slowing my moves.
Of course I loved the bastard, but that didn't change the past. And of course I still respected the bloke, but… forgive him for betraying me was a big step. Something I just wasn't ready to take yet.
Pretty girl is suffering while he confesses everything
Pretty soon she'll figure out: you can never get him out of your head
"Some other time," I finally answered, loudly, as the music had crashed in again. I then turned, broke out of his grip and began dancing again on my own. My moves were slow and teasing, seductive and confident all rolled into one. Tonight was my night to show off, show my old friends just what I was made off. I wasn't the same person from their memories. Hell no, I was someone new and proud.
But I still loved them all.
It's the way that he makes you cry
It's the way that he's in your mind
It's the way that he makes you fall in love
It's the way that he makes you feel
It's the way that he kisses you
It's the way that he makes you fall in love...
At sometime around two, I got thirsty and found myself leaning against the bar, nursing a Sex on the Beach in my palm. Killian was off to the side, talking to a gorgeous witch from Egypt, with flawless skin and haunting gold eyes. Every so often, his eyes would flick to me, just to make sure I was still there.
Quit it, Killian! I'm not going anywhere. It's not like they're going to kidnap me and bodily take me back to Widow's Vale, I snapped finally in his mind. He jumped slightly at the force of my words, but smiled reassuringly at the girl he was talking to and sent me a message back.
Fine, fine. Dad's outside in that silly courtyard if you want to talk to him, by the way, he replied, hesitantly.
I said nothing, just finished my drinks and put the correct amount of cash down as an electrtonica song by Cirrus came on. I moved back towards the dance floor, enjoying the sense of freedom I was getting.
Would I ever be able to have that freedom if I went back to Hunter? Would I be as happy as I am now? How would it affect my future? All those questions ran through my head, and all I could think about was Hunter; why couldn't I get him out of my damn head? He wasn't the hottest guy I had known, he sure wasn't the most sensitive, or emotional… but he stuck in my head.
Would we ever get back together, or was my destiny totally changed from what I used to know and love so much?
We left The Cauldron in the wee hours of the morning, with most of us drunk or already asleep in the back seats. Poor Mary-K wasn't a party animal and was quietly snoring when we pulled up to the apartment complex.
Bree, Raven and Robbie were going to spend the night at Emerald's, while Mary-K stayed with me in my room at the apartment. Sky and Hunter were going to go back to their Motel 7.
Once I was back in my room, with Mary-K snoring softly on a sleeping bag on the floor, did I begin to wonder.
What would it be like, if I went back to Widow's Vale? Would my family there still welcome me? Would Alyce and the others still remember who I was? Would I still be in danger from Amyranth? How would my return affect my friends and the life they had created after I left? Would I upset any balance there?
I snorted into my pillow, praying that I hadn't woken Mary-K up. Balance, ha! What about the balance I had created for myself? The others hadn't thought about that when they chased me down 57th Avenue.
I stared out of my window, thinking and watching the sun slowly rise. I hadn't slept, and I knew that I would look like shit when the others saw me. Tossing and turning to the point that my sheets had wrapped themselves around me like a mummy was wrapped in its contents, I felt that I was missing something. A puzzle piece from a large puzzle, which was the puzzle of my life. I had the frame all sorted out, and I knew that some pieces, like my body were already in place… but I seemed to be missing the pieces that belonged where my heart was, and where my head was too. Not that I've lost my head, or some other silly saying like that, its just that those were the places where I felt the most out of place.
By the time the alarm clock rang shrilly throughout my room, my mind had been made up.
I was going back to Widow's Vale… at least one last time.
I walked into the kitchen, feeling a little sick. It would be the first time that I'd be going back to the place where everything had started and stopped for me in over a year. I had told Ciaran and Killian a while ago, when everyone from Widow's Vale was still in New York. Mary-K had been ecstatic, thinking that I was coming home for good. I didn't want to tell her that I was just going to tie up loose ends.
So, now, a week later, I sat at our kitchen table in Killian's flat, slightly pale and green, wondering if this was the right thing to do.
"Of course it is," Killian was saying, trying to reassure me. I was sure that he was just reassuring himself, as he looked tense and his hands were shaking when he poured me a cup of tea.
Ciaran sat unmoving in the chair next to mine; his hands folded tightly on the table as he watched Killian also give him a cup of tea.
"You'll be fine, Morgan - if anything goes wrong, you just send Da or I a message and we'll be there before you know it," continued on Killian, chattering oblivious to the fact that Ciaran and I were ignoring him.
I was running over my plans in my head. I would be taking a bus from New York to a town near Widow's Vale, and then from there Hunter would pick me up and take me to my house, where everyone would be waiting to welcome me. Well, he never said anything about the welcoming me, but I figured that they would do something like that anyway.
I glanced at Ciaran, wondering what he was thinking. His eyes were dark and stormy, fixed on a point on the wall. He looked as if he were Superman, trying to use his vision to look through it. His hands clenched his cup tightly, the knuckles turning white.
Aha… he didn't want me to go.
"Nothing's going to happen, Father," I said suddenly. Ciaran glanced up, and Killian stopped talking, glancing at me.
Ciaran looked at me, before sighed and loosening his grip on the cup. "You're right. I'm just being a worried father." He then glanced at me, a little harder than before. "You know that if anything happens, makes you feel uncomfortable…"
I sighed. "Yes, yes, I know. I'll witch message you. Calm down. You two are making it sound as if I'll never return."
At their silence, I sighed again. "I am returning. I just need to tie up some loose ends, you both know that. I can't stay there - just being there will make me feel like I'm suffocating, but… I need to."
Killian nodded. "Of course we know, little sis… it's just that we're both worried that you might…"
"Like it better there than here," finished Ciaran.
I smiled warmly at my father and half-brother. "Oh, Goddess! I can't believe you two. I lived in Widow's Vale for almost eighteen years, and in New York nearly one. I think there's more here to offer me than back there."
Except there's no Hunter here, a voice in my head whispered dangerously. I shoved it back in my head, standing to hug Killian and Ciaran.
"Now, if you'll both excuse me, my bus leaves in an hour and I should be at the terminal to be on it."
The bus ride to the near by town as short, and I was the only one getting off. I had been to this town before, to go shopping once with my mother. It had been when I was six, so I didn't really remember it well, but there was something familiar about the place…
Hunter.
He was standing at the end of the terminal's doors, looking out of place in a light demin jacket, cords and green shirt. I felt my heart squeeze when I saw him. As if he could feel my gaze, he glanced up and offered me a warm smile.
Girls around him glanced back once and then twice, before sighing when they saw him wrap me in a tight and possessive hug.
"I'm glad you're back, Morgan," he whispered into my ear. I felt that all-too familiar tug in the pit of my stomach and sighed, knowing that I was falling in love with him all over again. He was the puzzle piece to my heart, and there was only one piece to place in. It was just that there were four possible ways of fitting it, and only one was the correct one.
Which would we choose?
I pulled back from his body, shivering slightly from the loss of contact. "Well, let's get going then."
He nodded and led me to his car, opening the passenger side for me and then sliding around to sit in the driver's side. We didn't speak as we drove down a lone highway, but sat in a comfortable silence.
It used to be this way, that voice said. It can be this way again, if you choose for it to be.
I'm too scared, I replied in my head, sighing softly and looking out at the passing trees. Hunter glanced at me, before placing a hand over my cool one.
"It'll be okay," he said in his sexy British voice. "Everything's the same."
"But it's not," I whispered, so softly that he didn't catch it. All too soon we reached the house that I used to believe was mine.
Hunter cut the engine, and we sat in the car for a few seconds before he moved. He opened his door and slammed it shut, before moving around to my side. I opened the door before he could, though, and got out slowly and cautiously, like I was in an unknown territory.
Technically, I was.
Hunter stood back as I walked slowly up the driveway, then the walk, to rest in front of the door. There were so many memories from this place, and all of them were throwing themselves in front of me as I stared at the blue door.
I lifted my hand, and pressed the doorbell, hearing the buzz echo throughout the house. I heard steps, and then, the door swung open.
"Oh, Morgan…" a teary voice said.
"Hello Mom," I said softly. I was back home.
Next Chapter....