Significance (52 page)

“It’s ok. It’s normal,” he said as he turned his hand over under mine to lock our fingers.

I took deep breaths. I scoffed at myself. I was not scared of a plane. I leaned back and tightened my seatbelt as tight as it would go. I felt Caleb’s eyes on me in concern.

“I’m fine.”

“Let me distract you,” he said and pulled my face to his. Our noses touched and he sighed his words. “I can’t wait for us to get there.”

He showed me a vision of us on the beach, walking and holding hands, him chasing me down the shore as we passed a campfire at nighttime. Him kissing me on a big porch swing as he pressed me down further into it’s big cushions and pillows. A huge white breakfast nook window sill where we are sitting, reading a book together and eating orange slices. My legs wrapped around him as we float in the pool and he kisses me witless.

When he pulled his face away I was breathless but the plane was long forgotten.

“Is that your plans for me?” I joked.

“Absolutely.” He smiled, his dimple driving me insane and tweaked my nose. “We’re ten thousand feet. How do feel?”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

“Well, we can sleep. We’ve got a long flight but we’ll get there really late and it’s takes about an hour to drive to the house, so.”

“Ok. Hey,” I grabbed his arm. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Everything. Dealing with my ex, my brother, my dad. My insecurities about it all, coming to find me, taking me away from everything, explaining things to me a hundred times, keeping me calm on the plane, being patient with me. For always telling me the truth even if it embarrasses you or you think I won’t like it.”

“You never have to thank me for those things,” he said sweetly but forcefully and wrapped a hand around the nape of my neck, his fingers curling and flexing as he spoke. “You’re mine now, Maggie. You’ll always come first and I’d do anything for you. Anything.”

“I know. And I love you for it.”

“I love you too, baby. I don’t see how I can love you anymore than I do right this moment.”

I smiled at his words, feeling the warmth and caress behind them. I leaned forward and kissed him, I opened my mouth and let my tongue touch his bottom lip, then pulled it gently between my teeth. His breath left in a rush. I smiled inside and pulled him closer with his shirt in my fist. I let my fingers trace his jaw and neck and move to his hair. I ran my fingers through it, tugging gently. I heard and felt his small groan so I decided to pull back from him. His eyes were bright and glimmering with something I didn’t want to think about on a plane. He licked his bottom lip and continued to breathe erratically.

Just so you know, it makes me insane when you call me baby.

“I’ll remember that,” he said breathlessly.

I giggled.

“It’s good to know I’m still not the only one affected.”

“I told you. I’m so much worse that you.” He leaned forward, so close our faces were almost touching. “That wasn’t nice. I can’t exactly do anything about it on a plane, now can I?” He nipped my chin and then kissed the same spot. I gulped and he smiled. “Now we’re even.”

I laughed breathlessly and bit my lip. His smile was smug as he brought his hand to cup my cheek. Then his fingers coasted down my arm to my hip and I sucked in a breath as he found my thigh then my leg...as he pulled a pillow out from under my seat. Oh boy. Caleb was going to play dirty. The plane’s air didn’t seem to be working properly.

He chuckled at my thoughts as he fixed the pillow for me under my head, leaning my seat back.

“Touché,” I muttered and he laughed harder.

“They’ll be plenty of time for that,” he assured amused.

“So, what’s this tattoo on your wrist?” I rubbed it with my fingers. “I’ve seen them on your family too.”

“It’s our Virtuoso crest for the Jacobson clan. Every family has there own crest. Ours is half moon, simple and classy. We’re born with them and only other Aces can see them. It’s one more way to show others who we are, what Clan we belong to.”

“But I’ve seen names on the other ones. Their significant’s names.”

“Yeah,” he sucked his lip in and out which I’d learned was a thinking tactic. “Well...it happens to us. See, we’re not sure on the exact details but supposedly, the first couple, or significants started it. The first time they practiced Mutuality on each other, the tattoos came along with the names of their significant appearing on the inside of their wrists. From then on, we were all born with their family tattoo. See, when two significants line up their wrists, their half of the tattoo added to the other one becomes a whole and the names create an outline or border. It’s really cool, actually.”

“So what about us? I don’t have one,” I said, rubbing my wrist and felt extremely sad for some reason about that.

“You can get one, if you want to.”

“How did Gran get hers?”

“She got it done for Papa’s birthday one year.” He chuckled. “Ever seen a grown man cry?” He chuckled again.

I thought how incredibly sweet that was and I guess I could go get it done but for some reason, it didn’t seem the same. I felt left out. Caleb would never have a match for his tattoo unless I went and got the thing myself, which I just might do.

First Class was nice, though I had no idea what Coach was like. We ate our dinner they brought us and they started a movie but I took Caleb’s advice and curled up beside him as best I could with my blanket and pillow.

“Sleep, Maggie. I’ll be right here.”

His hand snaked under my blanket and found mine. He curled his fingers around mine and tugged it, hugged it to his chest, pressing it to his heart so I could feel the two heartbeats. Mine and his, always right there together. We both fell asleep in blissful peace.

I woke up some time later in the dark quiet cabin. I had no idea what time it was but I needed to think when Caleb wasn’t in my mind so I laid there, looking at him facing me on his side in his seat. His hair had fallen over on his forehead and around his ears. I brushed it back and then ran my thumb over his dimple and heard his little noise of contentment.

It was still so surreal. He was mine. It seemed impossible that the past nine days had been real. Only nine days since I’d met Caleb. It was crazy.

I thought about the things he had told me about earlier, the mutuality. I had no idea if I was ready for that. I knew I was if I was honest but it was a step for me, a step I’d never taken before, never gotten close to before and even though it wasn’t real sex, it still sounded intimate enough that it may as well be.

It wasn’t that I was afraid it would change things between us, though it would in a good way, or that I wasn’t ready to commit or whatever. I was just scared in general. Scared I wasn’t good at whatever it was he wanted me to do. My mind, my insides wouldn’t be as good and sweet like he thought I was. I thought bad things all the time. I was no saint, like he apparently was. Tutoring service. Ugh! How can I compete with that?

What if once we got into our minds and true feelings that couldn’t be hidden away and he saw the raw me, real and open…he no longer liked it? He was just stuck with me? Everything else about this imprint is different from what I’ve heard. What happens if he wants out or is unhappy with the results?

Even if that never happened, what if he never gets his ability? He’ll resent it, resent me, eventually. I took what was rightfully his and it’s not fair. I’d fork over my ability to him in a heartbeat if I could. It bothers him, it has to. But- wait! He’s asleep. I can go in his mind, he’s not in mine right now. He said we could poke and prod whenever we wanted and he’s been in mine and I never felt the hazy feeling I had before when he did it.

I pushed a little and slipped into the mind that I couldn’t believe I doubted. I swore to him I wouldn’t doubt again and I’d just spent the last ten minutes doing it. His mind was gorgeous. And he loved me, adored me. His mind was lined with my face and a protective barrier so thick. He was worried about my safety above all else, just like he said. My happiness and contentment was right above that.

I pushed further to see our memories lined up and on loop, our greatest hits. I loved how a lot of them were from that short few minutes before the imprint and it made me warm all over. The one that played the most was the first time he saw me. So not even paying attention and absorbed in my own stuff and him completely and utterly taken by me.

I could feel his heart pounding like it had that day. His want to get to know me and his wish that things could be different just like he’d showed me that day at Mugly’s.

I pushed further. I saw his desire to please his family but also to do his own thing. He did not want to be an architect, which I already knew but, I didn’t know that he had absolutely no intentions of even trying to do anything different. Family was so important and after me, they came next. He was selfless and would be happy if we were. That thought didn’t sit well with me. I filed that away to work on another day. I wanted him to be happy too, really happy, and I’d find a way to make that happen.

The further into his mind I got, the warmer and more out of body I felt. He was all around me, all in me. I could smell him and feel him everywhere and finally understood what Caleb had meant by consuming each other. It was like he was made to be everywhere and everything to me and in me. I got the sensation of euphoria, being drugged, that feeling you feel right at the end of a roller coaster.

It took my breath away how good it felt to be consumed with him. But...there was a little part that held back, that I wasn’t allowed to experience. I immediately knew that that part wouldn’t be unlocked unless we were together, consuming each other.

When I got to the inner most parts everything was all jumbled, floating around like pieces of a hazy puzzle. His favorite pizza topping was sausage. He loved seeing brand new bands at concerts. His all time favorite movie was The Matrix. He hates to be in the mosh pit. He was upset about not getting his ability but was genuinely happy for me and loved that his family loved me so well. He loved school cafeteria pudding. Was scared of what he’d do if he ever met the guy who hurt his sister. He couldn’t stand it when people smacked while they ate. Thinks it’s so hot when I look over my shoulder at him with a smile. He loved the beach. His favorite thing to do is take walks at night, wherever he is, because the city and country and beach or whatever looks so different at night.

It was all jumbled and a mess and came at me in no rhyme or fashion. I couldn’t pick or choose and couldn’t even stop it from coming at me in droves. It felt too hot and unorganized and started to be uncomfortable so I pulled out all the way and felt the chill of the plane air on my face. It felt odd to be me again. I looked at his face and he was still sound asleep. I smiled, strange knowing so many things about him I would have never thought to ask in so little time.

I wanted to know everything. I could see why Caleb seemed to enjoy it, I did too and couldn’t wait for him to show me how to do it for real and look for specific things.

Being in his mind gave me a taste for it. I wanted all of him. It was like a need, not just a want anymore, to do anything and everything for him and to him. His happiness was paramount and I wanted his happiness to be mine.

My smile grew wider as I had a thought. I pushed it aside, tucking it in the back so he wouldn’t see it. Sex was still way out there but, whenever the time was right, soon, I’d try the other. Mutuality.

I still felt tense and apprehensive, I had no idea what it was really or what it entailed or what it would feel like but this was Caleb. I had to stop thinking of him as just a boy. He was mine, for life, my soul mate, my significant. There was nothing to fear with him. He was always careful and loving with me and he would be with this too.

I pressed my hand a little harder into his chest and felt my heart beat speed up under my fingers as I thought about what mutuality would be like. I giggled silently and too a deep breath to calm my fast heart rate so I didn’t alert Caleb and wake him.

Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to get to this beach house.

“Wake up. Maggie, wake up. We’re in Cali, baby,” Caleb teased and did a surfer dude hand signal making me giggle as I stretched and rose from my seat back. “No dreams right?”

“Nope. All good.”

“I was a little worried last night after we lay down. I figured as long as we were touching it didn’t matter but...”

“I slept great,” I announced and it was true.

I’d finally fallen back asleep after poking around in his head and could now see the lights from the airport through the window. I peeked out and everything looked the same as it had in Tennessee. I couldn’t help but be disappointed. This was California for crying out loud. My mom left us and came here. Movie stars and famous people live here. Arnold Schwarzenegger! I expected something more than sleepy flight attendants and a dank airport runway with no glitz or glam.

“It gets better,” Caleb assured me and we listened to the captain welcome us to the Eureka state.

We sat through all their instructions, then Caleb grabbed both our carryon bags from the overhead and we were off. I followed behind him all the way through to the car rental pick-up desk. He had rented a black Jeep Wrangler for us to use while we were here.