The Den
Chapter Eight

A Stranger
Alex and Skyla were face to face. He lifted her chin and she lightly trembled. She couldn't help but smile at his questioning gaze. He seemed so unsure of her feelings for him that she suddenly found her courage. Freeing him from his uneasiness, she flung her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes. She looked him square in the eye. She couldn't help but tease him just a little bit. When he leaned in to kiss her, she said she had to freshen up first. She walked backward to the bathroom, and he retreated to the far end of the first bed to take a seat.
When she reappeared, he stood up. She walked up to him earnestly as if she had something very important to say. He leaned in to hear, but instead she kissed his neck as he had kissed hers in the car. It was the only hint he needed. He picked her up easily and flung her legs around his waist as if she were a child. He held her up with his hands underneath her, and she wrapped everything tightly around him. He let a little groan out as he stumbled toward the bed. He laid her down carefully. He pressed into her hard, not being too careful now. He kissed her harder and lifted her arms over her head. He reached back down and began removing her cotton sundress by rolling it up her slightly sweaty body. It became stuck at her shoulders, and he gave it a final tug.
Skyla was lost in the moment, but she heard him whisper, "Do you want me to stop here?" He pulled back a little to look at her face. Then he leaned closer again. "Do you?"
She could feel his hot breath enter her ear, but she couldn't make sense of the words.
He tried again. "I don't want you to be scared of me."
He pressed his lips to her neck, and she could feel his mouth curl up against her skin. Is he smiling? "I'm not scared," she lied.
She gathered all her inner strength and made a sliver of space between their bodies. Then she slid over so she wasn't directly underneath him. He collapsed face down, and Skyla rolled onto his back and kissed his neck. He still had his jeans and T-shirt on. She suddenly felt quite naked in just her underwear. With feigned empowerment, she popped up and walked to the bathroom, stepping on the damp dress on the way.
She stepped into the shower. She didn't have her toiletry bag, but she didn't trust herself to go back out into the room. She needed to feel cool water on her back and head. She used one of the mini-soaps and little bottle of body wash. She washed every inch of her body. She stood under the cold water for maybe too long. When she was finished, she walked out, towel on and her hair dripping wet.
Alex's low snores came from under a pillow. Skyla tiptoed to the other side of the bed to get a better look at him. He was in the same position as when she'd left him. He was quite beautiful, she thought. She got into the other bed and closed her eyes.
Skyla and Alex napped separately, but together, for hours. They rose only to go to the restaurant on the corner for a late dinner. When they returned to their room, they got into the same bed to watch television. They watched the news go from one somber topic to another. An oil spill in the Gulf was still the top story. Skyla and Alex agonized over how one region had had to take so much abuse.
Their bodies knew that they had left the busy city of New York, and without being conscious of the effect that such a change of environment could bring about, they began to doze again. It was recuperation from the overstimulation that inevitably occurred when living in Manhattan.
She heard rustling and felt a gentle nudge at the bed.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Skyla opened one eye, but all she saw was hair. She pushed herself up onto one arm and flung her locks back over the proper way. He stood over her with a bright smile. He crawled onto the bed and kissed Skyla gently on the cheek. "Hey."
"Wow. You are dressed." She noticed the sky through the blinds, and it was still that time when daylight and darkness vied for the venue.
"Just going to grab us some coffee. Be back in a few."
"Awesome. I will have mine black."
"Yes. I know."
Skyla smiled. He was ... sweet. He shut the door, and she stretched. A thought tried to trickle into her mind. She tried to shut it out, but it dripped back into her head anyway. What if he doesn't come back?
Her insecurities grew with every second. She decided to get up and take another shower. She fished through her bag and grabbed the toiletries tote. Skyla had learned in her mere twenty-one years that a hot shower and a good leg shaving could cure just about anything.
After she'd slipped into a fresh sundress, her outlook brightened. She meditated on where her relationship with Alex was going. She thought about last night and decided she was not remorseful in the least, nor was she embarrassed a bit. She was combing through wet hair when she heard the key in the lock. She turned and saw him balancing the coffees, and she skipped over and grabbed the top one.
"Thanks," Skyla said.
"That one is mine. Cream and sugar in it," Alex said.
"Switch, please," she sang out.
Skyla held her cup out for Alex as she grabbed the one he held out for her. She squeezed the one in his hand too hard. The lid popped off, and coffee poured onto his hand and arm.
"Damn!" He dropped the cup and ran to the sink. He turned the cold water on and let it run.
"Oh, no! Oh, I am so sorry. Are you all right?" Skyla hovered, trying to be of some assistance.
He looked up from the sink slowly and glared. Skyla didn't recognize the face. It was a stranger's face, and it made her step back. She took another step for good measure. She was outside the bathroom looking in now. Alex seemed to move in slow motion. Skyla's ears began to ring, and she froze. A shiver ran up her spine.
Alex looked back down at his hand as if it were a foreign object. He held it up in front of his cringing face. His lips pulled back, and Skyla thought that a snarl would escape. His eyes slowly moved in her direction. Black light emanated from his body, and Skyla felt his eyes glue her to the spot outside the bathroom door. He took a step toward her. Then he stopped, took a deep breath, and recovered.
"It's fine," he said. Skyla didn't move. "It's fine," he repeated in a softer tone.
Skyla looked down and noticed that her coffee was still in her hand. She tore the little tab, and she brought it up to her face, glad for something to do. She breathed in deeply. She took that first greedy sip. She blinked and tried to rationalize the situation. She took another sip and the fear began to slip away. She sat on the bed. She sat very quietly, held the coffee with both hands, and stared straight ahead. She reminded herself to take sips.
Some time went by, maybe five minutes or possibly ten. Skyla began to panic. Alex was a stranger. Why did she feel as if she knew him so well? They had just met. She thought about running, but her body would not respond.
It was too late. Skyla could hear Alex walking over to her now. He stood over her.
"Wow. Well, that sucked. I am fine now," Alex said, trying for levity in his voice.
"Sorry about that," Skyla was finally able to whisper.
"No worries." He smiled a little and bowed his head to try to catch her eye. She wouldn't look at him. "Hey. Let's get going. We have a busy sightseeing schedule." Alex nudged Skyla with his knee.
Skyla looked up into his beautiful face. His gleaming gray-green eyes sparkled. He gave Skyla a big smile with his perfect white teeth. The incident was pushed right out of her head.
What was the big deal? She couldn't remember now. Skyla made a mental note to call Brooke as soon as they got on the road. It would be nice to hear a sane voice. The one inside her head was stuttering and muddling her thoughts.
Skyla and Alex strolled all around D.C. They held hands and visited the plotted sites from Alex's map. Skyla occasionally glanced over at Alex. She thought he was quite adorable. He was always very sweet-except for that one time. And one nasty look was hardly enough to freak out about. Still, there was this nagging feeling at the pit of Skyla's stomach. She put her hand over it to try to ease the queasiness. Her other hand was hidden in his warm grasp.
Alex's fingers laced through Skyla's, and he gave a little squeeze every once in a while. They came to a bench and he gestured for her to sit. She did, and it felt good to rest her feet. She slipped her heels out of her shoes. He put his arm around her and kissed the side of her neck.
"Mmmm, you smell good, Skyla Jane."
She liked the way he said her name. The nagging doubt was replaced with a different kind of flutter in her stomach. She was so happy she'd bought that vanilla-bean body mist. It was well worth the expense. He kissed her neck again, looked her in the eyes, and then kissed her on the lips. Skyla heard a child snicker nearby and another child answer with a laugh. Skyla didn't care. She kissed him back. When they were well rested, they got up to continue their walk.
They seemed to be swimming against the current. Many people were walking toward them with matching T-shirts and lawn chairs. Hand-held banners reading "The Plan" flapped in the wind. The masses were leaving some kind of rally. Skyla and Alex walked toward the large crowd that was still assembled. They could hear a booming voice followed by cheers. They couldn't make out what the voice was saying. From the looks of all the paraphernalia around them, the event concerned God's role in America. They walked deep into the crowd, and Alex held her hand tighter as others shoved past them. They looked up and could see the Washington Monument watching over the crowd.
The message of the day had clearly ignited the masses. A man cheered, "God save America!" into Skyla's ear. The voice from the speakers continued to yell and demand responses from the men, women, and children who sat on the grassy hills. Skyla and Alex weaved their way toward the front. They cut between a group of college students wearing Georgetown T-shirts and a news camera.
The camera was aimed at one of the students. "The most important thing our president could do... " The student considered how to finish the sentence as the camera man's assistant aimed a microphone at his face.
Alex and Skyla kept moving until they came to a wall of people and could go no farther. They sat in the crowd next to a little girl waving an American flag and jumping up and down. Her mother said "amen" every few minutes as the man on the speaker carried on about taking America back. Alex leaned on his elbows, and Skyla lay flat on the cool grass. The air was about 95 degrees, but the grass remained cool. She closed her eyes and tried not to listen.