Welcome back. Thanks to all the people who sent me feedback between chapters. I am very grateful for your support. There was at least one really good guess made too, but I won't say if they got it right though. I think with detectives like him around though, I may be in trouble if I plan to keep anything secret for long! I hope you will enjoy this new installment, and please send your thoughts to leoinbama@gmail.com .
Under your Spell
Chapter 3
Birthday then [part1]
That night I had the same dream as before. This time though I almost saw something. The cave was so dark though, and everything just seemed like shadows there. Darkness surrounding me, I called out for Brody, but he wasn't there.
"You know you can't always count on him dear. Sometimes you have to save yourself." A woman dressed in white suddenly pulled me out of the cave dream.
"I know you don't I?" I asked.
"Of course you do. I've been with you all your life." The lady said.
"Grandma? You look different, but it's you right?" I asked her.
"Yes, but that's not what you really want to ask is it?" Grandmother asked.
"No. What's inside that cave? Why would I ever go back there?" I asked her.
"Inside the cave you will face pure darkness, but face it you must. As to why you have to go there, I can not say. You will know the answer in time. Remember no matter how dark it gets, there will always be a light inside you." She said.
I woke up after that. Brody was still asleep, and I didn't want to wake him. I quietly moved to the kitchen and started making breakfast for us both. I heard his alarm clock go off about the time I was taking the biscuits out of the oven. I had a plate fixed for us both, by the time Brody made it to the kitchen.
"Something smells nice." Brody said as he gave me a warm hug. "Oh and you cooked too!"
"I can't send my man off to work on an empty stomach now can I?" I asked
"I like the sound of that, you taking care of me." Brody kissed me and then took his seat at the table.
"I have to go back home today. I just remembered that I promised a friend that I would put a few of my paintings in his art show. I think if I work all day, maybe I'll finish my current project. I really want it to make the show." I told him.
"That's awesome. Come to think of it I haven't seen your work yet. Do you think I could come by this evening and get a preview?" Brody asked.
"Sure you can come over, but you can't see the new one. I never let anyone see my work till it's done." I lied. In actuality the new painting was a gift for him. I had picked out the work for the show days ago. He probably doesn't even realize I still remembered his birthday. It had been a long time since his 17th birthday. It was the last one of his bashes I was able to attend.
The year was 1997 and we were juniors in High School. Brody's friends had spread the word out that he was going to throw a party to celebrate his birthday. I was a little confused at first that I had yet to hear from him about it though. In study hall that day I decided to just confront him about it.
"Brody, I hear you are having a party this Friday?" I asked him.
"Oh, um, yeah I guess so. It's all David's idea. He's inviting almost everyone we know. I told him I'd rather just go out with a few friends, but he's like making a big deal of it." Brody said.
"Ah, so that's why I didn't get invited? David doesn't like me much, does he?" I asked.
"I'm sure he just forgot to invite you." Brody lied. "Listen it doesn't matter. You and I have known each other since Kindergarten you should come. It wouldn't be the same without you man!"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." I told him.
Though as it turns out, I might have been better off had I missed the party. It was that night that I met my ex-boyfriend, Allen. He was a sophomore at our school, and I had never really noticed him before that night. I'm not sure how it happened but we wound up spending most of the night talking in another room from everyone else. It turned out that he lived across the street from me. We hit it off right away. For the next 7 years of my life, I would be madly in love with him, well at least when I wasn't hating him at the same time. It's been 4 years since I last heard from him, and I don't miss him at all.
Brody suddenly cleared his throat and brought be back to the present. "Where did you go just now?" Brody asked.
"I guess I was just thinking about some stuff. Nothing I want to talk about right now though." I moved a piece of bacon around on my plate.
"You know you can tell me anything Anthony." Brody said looking worried.
"It's not that. I just know you have to go to work soon, and it may take a while to talk about that subject." I told him.
"Great, now I have something to look forward to this evening-talking with you for a long time." He said with a smile and kissed me as he went to get ready for work.
The truth is it wouldn't have taken long to explain to Brody that I was thinking about Allen, and all the things he did to fuck me up for a long time. However, I didn't really want to bring it up now, after all it was tied to his birthday.that I didn't want him to know I remembered. By this evening I'd be able to cleverly leave that part out, but in the mornings I tend to not censor myself very well. I'd end up telling him about the party, and then he'd know I remembered his birthday.etc. It would be the slippery slope theory in motion.
"So I'll be at your place this evening as soon as I get off work. I can't wait to see your work, and you have to tell me all about what's on your pretty little mind." Brody said and kissed me again before he left.
"You are what's on my mind love." I said to myself after he was gone.
It was hard to paint the portrait without Brody to model for me, but a picture I took of him would have to do for now. I could only imagine I would be painting another one eventually. Maybe one of him not wearing.
"Mind back on the project Anthony!" I scolded myself.
I worked slowly trying to make sure to get just the perfect shade of brown for his eyes, just the right texture of his short but curly brown hair. I tried to capture the look of his facial hair in the mornings before he shaved. I loved the way he looked when he first woke up. I don't know if I would do him justice, but it would be my pleasure to try.
Sometime during my work I kept remembering one particular morning I had stayed over at Brody's house. We haven't yet slept together in the sexual sense, but we did share a bed that night. We had stayed up late watching reruns of old shows on tv. I decided to just stay over, instead of driving home sleepy. Since that first night he held me there was no discussion of him sleeping on the couch again. He and I liked to hold onto each other when we slept, and that was all either of us was ready for at the time. I woke up with our chests pressed together. I looked into his face as he was waking, and that's the exact moment I longed to capture in my work.
It normally would have taken forever to finish a painting of mine, but I was done before Brody called me that evening.
"Hey babe, I just wanted to let you know I'm on my way-just in case you still have your new painting out." Brody said.
"I am done with it, but I'm not sure if you'll get to see it this evening or not." I teased.
"Oh why's that?" Brody asked.
"All will be revealed soon my inquisitive one."
Brody pulled up about 10 minutes later. I had his gift covered with a sheet. I was hoping he would like a portrait of himself, but if not I could always think of some more exciting gift offers.
"So what's first the tour of your studio, or should we talk first?" Brody said clearly excited.
"Studio? LOL! I wish, you can go into the extra bedroom with me, and I'll show you some of my works. Most of my stuff is at my mother's place. She has more room, and likes to show off to her friends. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement." I explained to him.
"Sounds like it." Brody followed me to the other room where I had a few of my paintings hanging on the wall.
"So was that canvas in your living room the new project?" Brody asked.
"Yeah, but lets hold off on that big boy." I told him.
"Wow, look at that. You painted this?" Brody asked.
"Yeah, I painted it a few days before I ran into you."
"It looks amazing, wait." Brody suddenly stared at the painting very carefully.
"What is it?" I asked worried.
"That's the stream we had the picnic by!" Brody exclaimed.
"What, but I." He was right. It was the exact same place, but that drawing was of a stream I saw while I was vacationing in North Carolina. I hadn't put the two together though.
"That was done on my last trip to North Carolina, but you are right. It's the same place. I don't get it." I told him.
"Wait did you think the place was romantic? Someplace you would bring someone?" He asked.
"Yes, but how could it be in my back yard?" I asked him.
"I think you made it appear there. I don't know how you did, but I feel like that is exactly what you did. You wanted everything to be perfect and it was." Brody said.
"Until we got lost in that forest, and that awful cave." I said.
"Well that's not in your painting. That's where the other thing comes in. That shadow, thing. I know it has something to do with it." Brody said.
"I've never done anything like that before though. So forgive me if I'm not as convinced as you." I told him.
"I'm not convinced, but it does make as much sense as anything else we've come up with." Brody rebutted.
"I suppose." Much to my delight he moved onto the next painting. It happened to be a painting of my niece Crimson.
"She's beautiful. Whose little girl is it?" Brody asked.
"That would be my sister Heather's daughter Crimson. She's really awesome. I hope you get to meet her soon. She'll be six at the end of the month." I told him.
"I can't wait." Brody said. Then he moved on to another painting, which happened to be of myself. It was a project in an art class I took.
"Wow, you did an amazing job here. I really like the subject too." He said and hugged me.
"Thanks. I'm not sure why I kept that one here, but I guess I wasn't ready for my mother's friends to ogle over me, even if it is just a painting." I told him.
"Okay, you are just wicked talented. I'm dying to know what's under that sheet in there." Brody pleaded.
"Fine, but I was going to wait till later tonight. It isn't really your birthday till midnight after all." I said with a pout.
"Wait, what? How did you possibly remember my birthday? I haven't even really given it much thought myself." He said with a laugh.
"Let's just say something happened at your 17th birthday party, and I won't be forgetting the date anytime soon." I told him.
"My party, I thought you didn't come. I was disappointed when I never saw you there."
"That's a story for later. Right now I want to show you your gift." I said and led him to the living room.
I pulled the sheet back and revealed his portrait. "Wow, it looks just like me, babe! How did you do it?" He asked me.
"I took a photo of you the one day last week, remember?" I asked him.
"Oh yeah, I remember that. Wow, you did all that from a photo?" he asked.
"Not all of it. I had to use my memory to get the facial hair right. You always have that sexy bit of growth in the morning, and I like it." I told him.
"I hope you don't take offense, but I don't think I really want this painting." Brody told me.
"What, but why?" I asked upset.
"I think I would prefer the painting of you. You can keep the painting of me for yourself, and I'll keep the painting of you for me. That way we'll always have each other." He told me.
"That is the sweetest thing I ever heard!" I kissed him softly.
"This is the best birthday I've had in years, if not ever. So is there really an art show, or was it all just to build up the surprise for me?" Brody asked.
"No, there really is an art show this weekend. I was hoping you'd be my date?" I asked him.
"Of course! I can't wait to meet your art friends." He said.
"Brody." I said.
"Yeah babe?" He asked.
"Nothing I just.Thanks for being you." I said and gave him a hug.
"Thank you for being with me." Brody said and held me tighter.
Three words were very close to my lips, but I didn't say them that evening. It wasn't time yet, but soon I wouldn't be able to keep them back. I was falling faster all the time.
To be continued
This chapter seemed short when I was editing it, but maybe that's because I'm just really excited about chapter 4. I think it will be following very soon after this. Once again thanks for reading my story, and please send all thoughts and comments to leoinbama@gmail.com