All Desires (Love Song Part 3)

Somewhere inside the wind, our hands tangled, and we walked through the side streets of the neighborhood toward my house. It felt like a bubble surrounded us, keeping at bay the traffic and the chatter from other pedestrians clearing the parade.

Jared's voice darted in and out of my senses like a drug, sewing me into a strange shape with its needle.

We found my treehouse, and he pulled me up the ladder.

"It's smaller than I remember it being," he laughed, ducking his head to keep from bumping it on the frame. "It's been a while."

"I haven't been up here since..." Since he left. I gaped. The little room was filled with stacks of books. "How did these get here?"

A smile played around his lips. "I brought them last night. I couldn't wait to see you, but I had a dress rehearsal." He rolled his eyes. "I promised myself first thing after the parade I'd bring you here."

I stared at the titles. Books on poetry, a few English history tomes, some music theory, but mostly fiction novels I hadn't read. He read so fast I could never keep up with him, but I loved fantasy the same as he did. Most afternoons we spent dissecting characters the way we dissected frogs in biology. "Guess I have a lot of catch-up to do."

He stretched out his legs against the far wall and held up a piece of chalk. "Tell me when," he said.

He sketched words onto the plywood floor.

Blushing rose petals

unfold their silken whispers

and sing of summer

"I don't recognize that haiku," I admitted.

He grinned sheepishly. "That's because I just wrote that one. But try this."

Mom's bright green blender

grinds two-week-old leftovers

for our picnic pie

I burst out laughing. "Sixth grade. Ms. Branch failed you because you didn't mention a season."

He shrugged. "I went back to her with a two page essay on why I deserved a pass. I explained how my mom only cooked when we were in school. Picnics only happen in the summer, anyway. She gave it to me."

I shook my head. "Always getting what you want."

He stretched out an arm, growing serious, and I moved toward him. "Do I? Or is it because I do what it takes to win? Sometimes I don't know, Med. You always could see clearly. I need you to clear the air for me."

I sat beside him and leaned my head on his shoulder. He felt so good. Familiar, safe, comfortable. "I'm not so sure I can help you with that," I sighed. "You blind me."

"Are you really blind?" he teased, "or just under a spell?"

"Under your spell."

I unclenched a hand I hadn't been able to relax until now, and a smashed, feathery glob of vegetation fell onto my dress. I stared at it, and the bubble of content popped. A great cracking sound ripped through the air, along with a shattering roar on the roof of the treehouse. I place my hands to my ears and screamed.  

Outside, through the tumult, I could hear a voice calling me. Mark was yelling. "Med, Med," he sounded strangled. "Help me, Med."

An arm wrapped around me and shook me back and forth. I raised my eyes, feeling glazed. Jared's brown irises were worried, and fear was written all over his face.

"What did you do?" I whispered.

"Are you okay?" Jared asked. I could barely hear him through the noise. "We're safe, I'm here."

"We're safe," I said, my voice rising, "but he isn't. What did you do to Mark?" I shook Jared's shirt and pounded my fists into his chest.

"Nothing." He grabbed at my wrists. "I did nothing to him except sing that song. You're the one who came with me, you said good-bye."

I shook my head and quickly, he stooped to the floor. He stood, and inside his hand lay the purple flower Mark had tucked behind my ear, smashed beyond beauty.

"Whatever happened out there," he said grimly, "wasn't because of me. That was you."

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Come back next week for Part 4 :). Or read Part 1 and Part 2 here. And remember to check out Suzanne Warr's blog hop for more flash fiction!