nearness.
“Oh yes Julian, your home is lovely!” I exclaimed, opening my eyes.
On the walls I noticed some paintings, all rather beautiful but not from any one I knew or recognized.
“Who painted them?” I asked.
“Avalon, she’s really quite talented,” Julian bragged, I could tell he loved his sister.
“Your house is perfect, so different from mine…yours looks lived in but clean, not sterile and vacant,” I laughed, “but Julian, why is it so dark? I’ve seen you in the sunlight, it doesn’t harm you.”
“Oh, one of my mothers is quite…. allergic to it, very sensitive,” Julian shrugged.
He turned me to him and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his body, hard yet giving at the same time. My arms went around his waist; I loved him holding me, but was afraid I might be falling a little too fast.
My nose was buried in the nape of his neck and I was oblivious to all else but his smell, how he felt and the fact that in this position he could touch me without my body betraying me. It was almost like with him I could breathe better.
I felt Julian stiffen suddenly, felt his lips kiss the top of my head, and then he was turning around, one arm dropping away from me, the other cementing me to his side, slipping around my waist. There were two exquisitely beautiful women and a pretty younger girl at the bottom of the stairs, silently observing us.
I watched as the tallest woman stepped closer to us. She smiled at me, and the smile was sincere and inviting. She was quite tall, I noticed, almost six feet, and thin, but not disgustingly so, like an anorexic model, but athletically fit. Her hair fell to her shoulders, white blonde and curly. Her skin was so pale that her large dark blue eyes almost seemed to glow. She was in a dark blue robe; it looked as if she had just woken up.
“Rhodanthe, meet my mother, Loretta,” Julian’s fingers stroked me through my shirt and I felt calm. Ah, this was the mom who worked with my dad
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” I said, smiling.
“I feel the pleasure is all mine. Welcome to our home, your father has spoken to me about you several times, he's quite proud of you,” she told me; her voice had a very soft southern accent, so soft I almost didn’t catch it. I relaxed a bit; she seemed like she was genuinely happy to meet me.
"Thank you." I felt like I needed to curtsey.
“And this is my other mother, Antoinette,” Julian said and I looked to where he was pointing. She was just as tall as Loretta, but curvy with very short auburn hair and emerald green eyes and wearing the match to Loretta’s robe. She looked at me and unlike Loretta, I saw annoyance, pain and sadness in her expression. I took a small step back, and they all noticed.
Julian held me a little tighter and gave his mother an angry stare, Antoinette rolled her eyes, “Yes, welcome Rhodanthe,” she quickly said and turned, disappearing through a doorway I assumed led to the kitchen.
“I do apologize for her Rhodanthe, she is quite anti-social because of her weaknesses,” Loretta said, apologetically. Her eyes taking on a brief yet noticeably sad look before clearing away.
I frowned a bit at her use of the word “weaknesses.” Surely an allergic reaction should not be seen as weakness? I opened my mouth to ask about it and felt Julian’s grip on my hand tightened, a warning that he knew I was curious.
I glanced up at him as he drew me closer to his side. He seemed tenser than normal. I figured
“Oh yes Julian, your home is lovely!” I exclaimed, opening my eyes.
On the walls I noticed some paintings, all rather beautiful but not from any one I knew or recognized.
“Who painted them?” I asked.
“Avalon, she’s really quite talented,” Julian bragged, I could tell he loved his sister.
“Your house is perfect, so different from mine…yours looks lived in but clean, not sterile and vacant,” I laughed, “but Julian, why is it so dark? I’ve seen you in the sunlight, it doesn’t harm you.”
“Oh, one of my mothers is quite…. allergic to it, very sensitive,” Julian shrugged.
He turned me to him and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his body, hard yet giving at the same time. My arms went around his waist; I loved him holding me, but was afraid I might be falling a little too fast.
My nose was buried in the nape of his neck and I was oblivious to all else but his smell, how he felt and the fact that in this position he could touch me without my body betraying me. It was almost like with him I could breathe better.
I felt Julian stiffen suddenly, felt his lips kiss the top of my head, and then he was turning around, one arm dropping away from me, the other cementing me to his side, slipping around my waist. There were two exquisitely beautiful women and a pretty younger girl at the bottom of the stairs, silently observing us.
I watched as the tallest woman stepped closer to us. She smiled at me, and the smile was sincere and inviting. She was quite tall, I noticed, almost six feet, and thin, but not disgustingly so, like an anorexic model, but athletically fit. Her hair fell to her shoulders, white blonde and curly. Her skin was so pale that her large dark blue eyes almost seemed to glow. She was in a dark blue robe; it looked as if she had just woken up.
“Rhodanthe, meet my mother, Loretta,” Julian’s fingers stroked me through my shirt and I felt calm. Ah, this was the mom who worked with my dad
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” I said, smiling.
“I feel the pleasure is all mine. Welcome to our home, your father has spoken to me about you several times, he's quite proud of you,” she told me; her voice had a very soft southern accent, so soft I almost didn’t catch it. I relaxed a bit; she seemed like she was genuinely happy to meet me.
"Thank you." I felt like I needed to curtsey.
“And this is my other mother, Antoinette,” Julian said and I looked to where he was pointing. She was just as tall as Loretta, but curvy with very short auburn hair and emerald green eyes and wearing the match to Loretta’s robe. She looked at me and unlike Loretta, I saw annoyance, pain and sadness in her expression. I took a small step back, and they all noticed.
Julian held me a little tighter and gave his mother an angry stare, Antoinette rolled her eyes, “Yes, welcome Rhodanthe,” she quickly said and turned, disappearing through a doorway I assumed led to the kitchen.
“I do apologize for her Rhodanthe, she is quite anti-social because of her weaknesses,” Loretta said, apologetically. Her eyes taking on a brief yet noticeably sad look before clearing away.
I frowned a bit at her use of the word “weaknesses.” Surely an allergic reaction should not be seen as weakness? I opened my mouth to ask about it and felt Julian’s grip on my hand tightened, a warning that he knew I was curious.
I glanced up at him as he drew me closer to his side. He seemed tenser than normal. I figured
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