Lovefool (Introduction)

#34 GREEN FINCH AND LINNET BIRD

  Being wide awake, she noticed that the car stopped and it was dark everywhere. The only light came from the headlights that were shining at a gate. Julian got out and opened this gate then they drove a couple of meters until they reached a house. It was hard to tell anything about this house, because it was too dark right now. The moon and the stars were covered by the clouds and it was quiet.

  Julian opened her door and held his hand out for her to lean on. She took his hand and got out of the car. It was muddy and Mia tried to be careful and not to fall down. He didn't allow her to make more than three steps and lifted her up. Then he went to the veranda and without letting her down, he opened the door and switched on the lights. It was a wooden house and it smelled pleasantly of wood. The corridor was quite wide and then they came into an anteroom.

  Julian carried Mia directly to a bathroom in the basement. It was a huge bathroom with a huge bathtub and a separate shower cabin. He let her stand up and steady herself on the wall. Before she noticed, he brought her a chair. Her head was dizzy. Everything was a blur for her. She tried to keep her consciousness and she noticed he took off her clothes carefully. She was standing there just in her underwear and socks. She hadn't enough strength to feel embarrassed right now.

  Julian helped her to sit down and before she even realized he already brought everything necessary to disinfect her wound. He even brought another chair and put her wounded leg on it. She didn't feel anything but a pulsating wave of warmth in her whole body. She saw some blood drops falling on the floor and she apologized for it. Now she was very embarrassed.

  He didn't look at her, because he was too busy with stitching her wound. He was very quick and if she wouldn't had fever, she would say, he was faster than she could even imagine. She didn't feel how he was stitching her leg; maybe it was even better for her.

  His moves looked artistically, fluently, almost poetically. It was a mix of his rough strength and fascinating speed with his delicate and gently touch. His face showed determination, concentration. His eyes were focused on the wound. Nothing else mattered.

  Her constant starring at his hands apparently didn't disturb Julian. She got the impression that time passed by slower when he was there – as if he froze time. Every second was a minute and every minute was extended to an hour. His hands were not cold. They were not warm. He was calm and gave her a feeling of being safe – somehow she felt safe here. A feeling she hadn't had since she was three years old and was spending time with her parents.

  Mia was very tired and didn't know what to expect now. She tried to concentrate on thinking, but her mind was busy fighting against unconsciousness. She attempted to follow his moves, but it wasn't completely possible.

  Julian finished and bandaged her leg. After he was done, he looked on to her gaze. Her overstrained eyes were looking at him very carefully. Her eyes were big and full of sparks.

  -So, now you should not do too much sport, rest your leg for a while. Don’t overwork it. It is important.

  -Thank you.

  Mia whispered and thought whether he was really suggesting no running with Sebastian or whether it was just a saying without meaning. It was weird to notice such a double meaning and at the same time not being able to concentrate on other things.

  -And now I’ll get you into bed. – He said and smiled friendly.

  -I would prefer to go home. – She said, but it wasn't very convincing. Her weakness was as visible as adverts during the Super Bowl. Even a blind person would notice her low condition.

  -No, you will not leave this house before morning and now you have to rest.

  Julian said very convincing and she wasn't able to deny. In addition, she didn't want to deny. Mia wanted to stay here. Against her mind, her heart was already obviously on the side of this stranger called Julian. She wasn't burning for love now, but maybe just because of her weakness.

  He took her into his arms and carried her into a room on the first floor. It was a small, cute room in the attic. It was warm here and the furniture was in an old-fashioned style. It was rather looking like from the last centuries than from nowadays. No electric light was available, but there were big, bright candles. He laid her on a classic, wooden bed and lighted two massive candles. The room got a warm colour of burning fire.

  Julian looked for a blanket in a drawer and covered her with a large red cotton blanket. In this light, the blanket’s colour looked even more red and warmer than it already was.

  -You all right? – He asked and she nodded. – I will bring you some water.

  -OK.

  He went out and she huddled against the cosy blanket. She didn't manage to lie down comfortably and he was already back. She already felt much better when he was at her side. He put a glass of water at the old-fashioned table and said:

  -So, I will leave you alone. Try to fall asleep.

  -Thank you.

  -Should I blow out the candles? – He asked.

  -Oh no, please not now. I will do it.

  He left the room; she lay in the bed and pondered. The candle light relaxed her, but after a while, she closed her eyes. She was in pain. Her leg was pulsating and her head was falling apart. However, there was warmth in the room, and a cosy blanket, and his support that she needed.

  Mia was very tired today. She got a cut wound for the first time. She didn't notice a knife until it was too late. She just felt the smell of blood and she wasn't able to visit her grandmother. She only wanted to run away. She went through the streets of Warsaw trying to focus. It was a hard task for her. The pulsating leg was hard to move, but it wasn't impossible to walk. She was sure it was just a cut, nothing to worry about. Only after sitting in Sebastian’s bathroom and seeing this cut for the first time, she realized how bad it was indeed. If she knew it before, she would never have never visited Sebastian. However, if she hadn't gone the party, she wouldn't have met Julian. In addition, if she didn't have met him she wouldn't have managed to stitch her wound as fast and professional as he did it. Everything happened for a reason.

  Mia knew she didn't want to go home. She noticed some cameras in the apartment and she didn't like to be observed. So, she went out as often as she could. But in the last three weeks she wasn't able to go running with Sebastian. She tried to run alone and it was better. She could run as much as she could and changed routes according to her energy. Mia was upset because she hadn't a lot of contact with Sebastian. He was very polite and friendly; he didn't force her to speak. Apparently, Sebastian wanted something more and she wasn't able to have deep contact with people. She wasn't used to spend time with people. Her whole life she was a try to isolate herself from other people. She felt she was different and she knew that her horror wasn't over. That was the reason why she escaped in worlds that couldn't be taken from her: imaginary stories, imaginary heroes, imaginary fates that were sometimes even worse than her life. This was her way to deal with her reality: to be lost in the imagination or to run through woods or parks.

  Now, there was this guy again. Mia remembered how he took her for a ride to Jelenia Gora and how he got her back to Wroclaw. She noticed his particular attitude and his attention. She would have never ever thought he was the best friend of Sebastian. Sebastian was a great person and he should get a good girl, better than her. He should not get a girl who was an emotional cripple and who was carrying around so many problems for years. Moreover, his best friend was someone special who had enough money to have a fancy car and a house outside of Warsaw with wonderful furniture from the last centuries. And one who had enough time to drive her here and there and who was capable of stitching a wound. In addition, he was smelling good and had incredible sapphire eyes.

  Sebastian was always a little nervous when they met and he tried to present himself in a better light. Julian didn't have to. He was extraordinary and she felt stronger being near to him. Furthermore, he had something in his eyes and he was somehow. Otherwise, maybe it was just her imagin
ation and exaggerated perception. You can always blame your own fever.

  Then Mia felt a wave of air coming into room, very delicate and mild. She didn't open her eyes and didn't move. The candles were blown out as if there would be a draft, but that wasn't possible, because the window was closed. She lay calm and felt something in the air. She was feeling Julian somehow. Moreover, she felt better, stronger and safe.

  She kept her eyes closed and concentrated on her thoughts. It was the only way to forget her pain. Besides, she caught the presence of Julian with her senses. She could hardly imagine it might be true, because it was a strange (but nice) feeling. She opened her eyes and looked around. Nobody else was in the room. She sat up and looked around once again. She couldn't see him, but she could feel him. It was his energy. Maybe she really crushed down and her senses played with her. Maybe it was just her imagination, a secret wish and unconscious willingness for being near to him. It would be a perfect moment if she wouldn't be wounded, if she didn't have fever and if she could fall asleep without any problems.

  She padded her forehead and the sweat drops were still there. She was hallucinating; for sure, she was just wishing for something and fever caused her feelings.