Frozen Upon Love
an excerpt

“I don’t mind if you do,” I replied. Trying to hide my excitement, I came up with an idea. I got out of the car I dropped my books. From this point on I swear the events happened, but who knows? David was right there on the other side of the car in a flash. I don’t know how he got there so fast, but he did and it was weird. He stacked my books in the same order I always have them in; and the way he picked them up was lightning speed.

My head spun and I wondered why. A few seconds later, David was so close to my face I could have kissed him. I refrained from it though, mainly because his breath was ice cold and it smelled of some fragrance I recognized, but couldn’t grasp it. My mind seemed to cloud all of a sudden and then I heard David. “Sausha can you hear me?” he asked in a frantic voice.

I tried to answer back but I couldn’t remember what I was going to say. At this point I must have blacked out…

I opened my eyes and if felt like I was lifting lead off my eyelids. When I finally opened them, David was there at my side and we were no longer outside. He must have carried me inside, for I was now on my couch.

“Here,” David said, handing me two pills and a glass of water. I tried to lift my head but it was too heavy and painful for me to lift. David came to my aid and raised my head for me and I swallowed the pain relievers. He was quiet for a minute and then I asked, “What happened?”

“You passed out. When you tripped coming out of the car with your books you dropped them and then you fell forward and hit your head on the door coming down to the ground. I tried to say your name a couple times but you never answered. I brought you inside here and you’ve been out for about fifteen minutes. Are you okay?”

“I remember dropping the books, but I don’t even remember falling down and hitting myself. And then you were there so fast; like lightning.”

“I got over there as soon as I could,” he said ever so stiffly.

“I feel so clumsy and stupid,” I said nervously.

“It’s okay, it was an accident. At least it isn’t worse than it is, but you might need to go to the doctor.”

I hate the doctor and I will refuse to go unless I’m dying. I was appalled. “I’m okay, I’ll just rest for tonight and work on writing our song.”

“You sure, Sausha? You have a lump on your head I noticed it when I lifted you to come inside here. You might have a concussion or internal bleeding. You had a long fall, my dad is a doctor and I could just take you over to my house and he can look at you there.”

“David, I’m fine. I’ll just get some rest and hopefully I will feel a little better tomorrow,” I smiled at him hoping he would drop the subject but not leave. I wanted him to stay and I didn’t care if Madylyn was still at school and family friends were coming in. I just wanted him to be here.

“Right. Are you still wanting to go with me tomorrow?”

“Yes!” I said happily and assertively; if that can happen.

He chuckled a little and said, “Okay, dinner is still on then. I’ll pick you up at six still?”

“Correct,” I said.

“Is there anything I can get for you before I have to get Madylyn?”

“My notebook and a pencil out of my bag,” I said pointing to it from across the room.

I watched David walk gracefully over to my bag to get my requested items. He was so gorgeous it was hard to tell what I liked best about him. He came over and handed me my notebook and pencil, and I thanked him. But instead of going outside the door he went upstairs and I was so bewildered as to how he knew my room was up there for one, and why on earth he was up there.

When he came back down, he had a blanket and two pillows. He lifted me up with one arm and put the pillows behind my back and put me back down. He didn’t even try hard to lift me, it was so amazing, and then it occurred to me. I wonder if I weigh a lot to him or if I’m light as a feather. He took my favorite blanket and put on top of me and then handed me the notebook and pen again. I didn’t even notice he took it away from me. “There, are you comfortable now?”

“Yes,” I said quietly. I wasn’t even sure if he heard me for I could barely hear myself.

He smiled his deadly smile that I swear took the breath right out of me. “Well I’m going to go and pick Madlie up. Do you want me to stop by on our way back?”

“I don’t care. If you feel the need to do so, then you can just walk right on in.” I smiled a sweet smile at him. And he returned the gesture and walked out the door. He walked swiftly and gracefully out the door.

I sat there for I don’t know how long, my head killing me and that was excluding the thoughts running through my mind. I held my note book up so I could now begin my writing of out song. Before long, I heard a knock on my front door, and I was still to sore to get up so I yelled, “Come in!”

In the doorway was David and Madylyn. Madylyn was smiling, but concern was marked on her face. “Hey Sausha!” called Madylyn. She came over and sat down by my feet.

“Hey Madlie, how’re you?”

“How am I? You ask me that as if there isn’t anything wrong with you. Your face is bruised and you look like crap!”

“My face is bruised?!” I asked almost in tears by now. No wonder my face hurt.

“Sausha, you just have a purple spot on your cheek and a black eye. It will go away in a couple of days. I promise,” she said with worry and shock.

“Madlie,” I whispered so David couldn’t hear, “can you bring me a mirror and make up from my bathroom?”

“Sausha,” she whispered back, “you look fine.”

I looked at David and I couldn’t get him to look at me. I turned to Madlie and said, “Madlie, please let me see. I never wear make up on my face except eye shadow. I only use foundation to cover things up for times like these.”

“Fine,” and she turned to go upstairs.

“David,” I said. He finally looked at me and I saw remorse in his face. He walked over to me and looked so deep into my eyes I felt I might pass out again.

“Sausha, will you forgive me for my cowardice? I was so scared of what you would do without someone else here. I went to Madylyn and told her everything. Now I feel like a stupid coward for not letting you see, or know for that matter, about the damage on your face.”

“David, don’t feel bad. I was being a klutz and it wasn’t your fault. Nor was it mine. I’ll wear make up for a while, that’s all.”

“Do you still want to go on out date tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I don’t care how I look around you.” Damn it, can I not think before speaking?

“Hmph,” was his reply. He then smiled at me and stroked my hair with his icy hand.

“Why are your hands always cold?” I asked.

He smiled at me and then he replied, “Because I am just cool like that.” Madylyn came downstairs with my mirror and make up bag. She handed me the mirror and I took a deep breath; David tensed; and I held the mirror up to look at myself. I gasped at the sight of my face.

“Oh my goodness!” I said horrified. In the mirror my face had a big scratch on my left cheek and underneath was a patch of purple. My right eye was black and swollen and my lip was split. I began to cry and for the first time I thought myself as ugly. I never have thought myself ugly before in my life there was no thought of me thinking I was attractive in any way.

“Sausha,” Madylyn said gently, “are you okay? Here,” said grabbed my make up bag, “let me help you.”

I let her have the bag and I cried, “I’m ugly!”

“No you aren’t,” came David’s voice. He took the mirror out of my hands.

“You’re looking better now,” Madylyn said as she gently dabbed my eye. I looked in the mirror and I still looked pretty bad; however, I didn’t look so gruesome as before.

“What am I going to say to my dad? He’s going to think I did this to myself on purpose.”

“I’ll back you up,” David said.

For what seemed forever, Madlie was finally done fixing my face. She also found butterfly band aids to help close my cut on my cheek. “You don’t look so bad now Sausha. Of course you’re going to look a little bad, but bruises heal quickly and if you take care of your cuts, they won’t form bad scars.” She walked away with my stuff to put them back, and David came back next to me.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome, even though I don’t know what for.”

“Just for staying and also coming back. Also, for disagreeing with me even though I still look horrifying.”

“You aren’t horrifying. But you’re still welcome.”

“Can I ask you something?” I can’t believe I was going to say this, but I wanted to know.

“Sure.”

“Do you like me? And not the like as in a friend way, I mean the like as in you see something in me. I’m sorry for being so straight forward.”

He looked at me for a second and then he replied, “I suppose I like you. And I mean the like as in I see something there.”

I couldn’t think of anything more to say, so I just sat there looking up at him. I observed his eyes again, they were so pretty, how could he have such powerful eyes like that?

David was kneeling down beside me on the couch and Madylyn came down. “I put all your things you’re going to need to use for your face on the counter in the bathroom. By the way, your truck is outside, we managed to open the door.

“Thank you Madlie. If not for you, I wouldn’t have come to school for weeks!”

“Well then, you’re welcome. I would hate to not have you around.”

“Before you leave, can one of you bring my lap top over here?” Madlie walked over and grabbed my computer and put it on the coffee table.

“Do you want me to stay Sausha?” David asked.

“You don’t have to. But if you feel like it, I don’t care.”

“I’ll let Madylyn take herself home and she can come pick me up later. I want to make sure you’re okay. Plus, I can go get you something to eat.”

“But what about your friends? I don’t want to be the one to take you away from them.”

“Well, you need to eat and they will be here for a few days. I’ll see them when I get home tonight.”

“Something makes me thing I don’t have a choice,” I said.

“You’re right, you don’t have a choice,” David smiled.

“Well now that you two have that settled, I’m going to go home,” replied Madlie with amusement on her face.

“Bye Madlie,” I called as she headed out the door.

When she left, I began on writing my song again and David sat there in my chair looking at me. I was debating again whether I should begin a conversation. What should I ask him? I wondered. But unfortunately David started first.

“How old are you Sausha?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you if you promise to tell me.”

At this his eyes were full of something that I couldn’t read, but I knew it wasn’t good. Finally he spat, “Fine.”

“Okay, don’t have to be so defensive,” I said nervously.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. So tell me, how old are you? And I promise I’ll tell you how old I am.”

“Okay, I’m twenty.”

He smiled and said, “You’ll think I’m crazy but I’ll tell you that later. I’m the same age, twenty.”