Chapter 21
Josh’s parents house was gorgeous. A spacious villa in Paradise Valley, it sprawled over half an acre of premium real estate. After gleefully exploring the house, Miguel and Meredith had settled down on the couch in the great room to watch a movie.
From where she sat, Meredith enjoyed a view of the sparkling pool in the backyard surrounded by half a dozen uplit palm trees. A gazebo sat to the west of the pool, housing a table and chairs and an outdoor kitchen, complete with minibar.
Meredith wasn’t really paying attention to the movie. It was an old eighties action film that she’d seen before. She was enjoying the time she had with her private thoughts as she admired the luxury home and mused about Josh’s upbringing. She never would have guessed that his parents were loaded, since he seemed pretty normal. Her own family was solidly middle class, so she didn’t really think of the wealthy as the “other half” exactly, but she also didn’t know what it was like to live a life where you truly didn’t have to consider a budget.
Over the sound of the movie, Meredith heard the garage door open, and soon afterward, Josh and Vi joined them. One of Vi’s errands had been to Wal-Mart, where she had bought everyone changes of clothes and toiletries. She dropped the bags of supplies onto the floor behind the couch and flopped down next to Meredith as if she’d been to Josh’s parents’ house a dozen times before. That was one trait that Meredith envied in her friend--Vi was comfortable in virtually any situation.
“So my folks told me you were locked up in the clink,” Meredith said conversationally.
Vi shook her head from side to side with a serious expression on her face. “Man, it’s true what they say about the inside. It changes you.”
Meredith laughed and hit Vi in the face with a throw pillow, glad to be reunited with her. “Are you seriously okay, Vi?”
“Yeah, it really wasn’t so bad.” Vi glanced up to make sure Josh was listening before adding, “The worst part was the company.”
“And yet you can’t seem to get enough of me,” Josh said, unperturbed.
They all laughed and then watched the end of the movie together, enjoying the down time. Later, Josh and Vi retired to one of the many bedrooms, leaving Miguel and Meredith alone in the great room together.
“So, I know we’ve been avoiding the conversation for a couple of hours now,” Miguel said tentatively, “but have you thought any more about going public with what we know?”
Meredith sighed. “Eleanor seems dead set against it, and she’s the one who would be able to prove our claim.”
“But what about what you did to Nate? You know you have the ability, you just have to do it.”
“I don’t know how I did it before. I just wanted him to stop hitting my dad. And the time before that, I was terrified that I was going to be crushed by a tree. Both times I’ve been under extreme duress.” While she spoke, Meredith was trying to figure out exactly what she had done to use magic. It had been a surge of energy coming from her core, but how did she call it forth?
“So, can’t you just try… like, wanting it really bad?” Miguel offered a lopsided smile.
“That’s worked for you in other areas of your life?” Meredith asked with a chuckle.
“Come on, at least try,” Miguel urged, ignoring her teasing. “You said you saw Eleanor levitate her purse across the room, right?”
“Yeah,” Meredith said slowly, drawing out the word as she continued to think.
Miguel gestured to Rob’s cell phone, which was resting on the glass-topped coffee table. “So let’s try to levitate the phone, okay? We’ll do it together.”
Still no closer to an idea, Meredith protested, “I don’t even know where to begin.”
Miguel let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t either, Mere!” His voice rose as he spoke. “But we should at least try.”
“Okay!” Meredith huffed, frustrated. It felt like Miguel was commanding her to speak a foreign language that she’d never studied before.
Miguel dragged the coffee table closer to the couch and then positioned the cell phone between them. “Okay, now let’s concentrate.” Miguel drew his eyebrows together in determination and stared down at the phone.
Meredith followed suit, searching within herself for the repository of magic. She kept her eyes on the phone, willing it to move, raking her thoughts through her body for any trace of her own power. She felt stupid, as if she and Miguel were just playing make-believe. Meredith pictured the phone rising up off the table and into her waiting hands, just as Eleanor’s purse had. Just when she thought it was all useless, the phone sprang to life with a loud buzzing, making them jump.
“Holy shit!” Miguel exclaimed.
Getting over her surprise, Meredith said in a disappointed voice, “It’s just vibrating. A call’s coming in.” She picked up the phone and looked at the caller I.D.; it was James. She answered, greeting her brother in a subdued tone.
“Hey, Mere. Mom told me you had Dad’s phone, and I wanted to call and hear for myself that you’re okay,” James said.
“Yep, I’m okay,” she confirmed. “Mom said you were out looking for me. Thanks.”
“She said you had a good reason for going M.I.A., but she wouldn’t tell me what it was,” James continued, hoping that Meredith would fill him in.
“It’s a long story,” Meredith hedged.
“They were really worried,” James added, a subtle rebuke.
“I know,” Meredith sighed. Her eyes met Miguel’s. “I have a feeling everything is going to be explained soon, bro.”
“What is it?” James asked outright. Their family was usually very forthright with each other, and he wasn’t used to things being kept from him. He didn’t like it.
Meredith considered how to respond. Finally, she settled on changing the subject. “Tell Ivy that her Auntie Mere loves her, okay? I gotta go.”
“Don’t disappear again,” James grumbled.
After she hung up the phone, Meredith returned her attention to their efforts to use magic. “I don’t think the phone thing is working,” she said. Before Miguel could argue, she continued, “Eleanor told me that you have to know about your subject. Like, you have to understand how it works--the thing you want to work magic on.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting we try something else. Something we know about.”
Miguel looked at her dumbly, not following her line of thought.
Meredith gave him a small smile. “We’re both in vet school, Miguel. We know about biology.”
“Oh, right.” Miguel grinned. “So we try to… make something biological happen?”
“Ew, when you say it like that it sounds so gross!” Meredith wrinkled her nose and swatted at him playfully.
“Then please, explain what you mean,” Miguel said more seriously.
“Well, what if we start small? Like blushing. Blushing happens when your blood vessels dilate, right?”
Miguel nodded.
“So… make me blush,” Meredith told him, adding hastily, “but with magic, not dirty talk!” She straightened up her posture, facing Miguel expectantly.
Miguel stared hard at her face for a few moments, his expression scrunching up into one of intense concentration and determination. Slowly, Meredith felt heat creep into her face, and Miguel’s mouth cracked into an ear-splitting grin. His skin was emitting the same warm glow that Meredith had experienced before.
“Oh my God, it worked!” he cried triumphantly.
“Yes!” Meredith beamed at him proudly, watching in fascination as the glow faded from his skin. It was beautiful. After a moment, she exclaimed, “Okay, okay. My turn!” Now that she had seen Miguel’s success, she was anxious to try it out for herself.
Miguel schooled his face into an impassive expression, though it was hard for him to tone down his excitement. “Okay, go,” he commanded.
Meredith closed her eyes, picturing Miguel’s heart pumping blood through his
body. In her mind’s eye, she followed the blood coursing through his veins, imagining the entire journey from start to finish. She was so focused on him, that she could hear Miguel’s heart beating from where she sat. Once she felt like she was in tune with him, she turned her attention to the capillaries in his face, picturing them dilating and swelling as they filled with blood. As she did so, she reached out with her energy, willing the blood vessels to cooperate.
Meredith opened her eyes and watched as Miguel’s cheeks reddened noticeably. Smiling, she confirmed her success by glancing down at her own glowing skin. “I did it!” she said, laughing joyously. She looked back at Miguel, frowning as she saw the angry red splotches on his cheeks. “Oh no,” she said softly.
“What is it?” Miguel’s hands flew instinctively to his cheeks.
“I think some of the capillaries in your cheeks burst,” Meredith confessed. Tears stung in her eyes as she realized just how stupid their magical tinkering had been. What if she had accidentally stopped his heart?
Miguel caught her gaze and smiled reassuringly, laying a hand on her upper arm and giving it a small squeeze. “It’s okay, Mere. It was an accident. Let’s just restrict future experimenting to plants.”
Meredith nodded, and Miguel tugged gently on her arm, pulling her closer to him and into his embrace. His lips were soft and warm, and Meredith returned his kiss with a small sigh of contentment. Miguel deepened the kiss gently, and Meredith parted her lips in welcome. Her hands slid up his neck and buried themselves in his thick hair while he slid his arm around her back, hiking her up and onto his lap.
Meredith didn’t want the kiss to end. Why had she been so afraid to open up to Miguel? He was wonderful, and smart, and he cared about her. She smiled against his mouth, kissing him with gusto and not minding as his hands found their way beneath her shirt, rubbing up and down her back. Her skin tingled in every place where he touched her, and she found herself getting lost in the sensations.
Miguel pulled away from the kiss and caressed her face. “Do you want to…?” His voice was husky with lust.
The brief pause was enough to clear Meredith’s head a little. She and Miguel hadn’t taken their relationship to that level yet, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that next step. “Miguel, I really want to,” she began.
“But,” he finished for her. He brushed his lips across hers again before righting her shirt and then resting his arms around her waist.
“I’m sorry, Miguel. I just don’t think we’re… there yet.”
Miguel grabbed the bottom of her chin and turned her face toward his, looking deep into her eyes. “We have plenty of time, Mere. There’s no hurry. I really care about you, and I want us to do everything right, okay?”
Meredith gave him a small smile and nodded. “Thank you,” she said, relieved that he understood.
He cupped the side of her face in his hand. “When it is time to go… there, it will be perfect.” He smiled reassuringly.
They sat in silence for a few seconds, enjoying the warmth of each other’s embrace. Finally Meredith grinned and said, “That doesn’t mean we can’t make out, you know.”
Miguel laughed and lowered her gently down on the sofa and then stretched out beside her. “Now that is excellent news,” he said.
Meredith’s eyes fluttered closed as he brought his lips to hers.